Dad_2024
DS - USAFA c/o 2025
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2020
- Messages
- 849
DS was not given a reason.Do you know what was the general reason you guys did not get a direct appointment, or were there a lot of different reasons for different people?
Based on all I've read here it comes down to the simple math of there are more candidates than slots. The academies have a way of ranking all their candidates based on every part of the selection process. For USAFA, there are roughly 1150 slots to fill for each class, they'll offer around 1400-1500 appointments in different stages as they fill out each years new class. Those candidates would be the ones who rank the highest in the selection process. There's a percentage who will decline the offer, for any number of reasons, based on 70+ years of doing this, USAFA knows everyone won't accept.
They'll also identify another 300-400 candidates who also have the right stuff, and with only 1150-ish slots available, they just can't take them all.
Those 300-400 don't rank quite as high in the selection process as the first 1500, from these 250-300 are offered USAFA prep and 60-100 are offered FFS.
AFAIK, for the Falcon Scholars in DS's NWP class, they don't know specifically why they were/weren't selected, only admissions knows.
My belief is the candidates awarded an FFS made a solid impression on the admissions team, and they were pre-selected to be top candidates for next year's class. The extra year simply gives them a chance to prove what USAFA admissions already knew.