Questions, Chatter, Congrats for the 2026 USAFA Appointment Thread

[BBMomma]

Sorry for using a strong and inappropriate word. Did not mean for it come out in a wrong sense.

It did not come out wrong.. you have worked extraordinarily hard to be afforded these opportunities, while not exactly what you want with an USAFA appointment, each can lead you back to either the Academy or to commission as an officer by other means. This is a very tough decision and it would absolutely be torture to try and determine which of these amazing opportunities you should take to get you to your ultimate goal, especially when number one pick was an appointment.

Revel in your amazing abilities to be afforded these opportunities and truly look into which path is best suited for you. My boy is still hoping for an appointment, or possibly a FFS or prep school, plus he was reboarded on astronautical and aerospace ROTC scholarships with Purdue being his number one, followed by Notre Dame and a few other great a schools. My son also has a full ride to another top engineering school and last night he was talking about the what if he was offered prep school or falcon instead of an appointment, as well as AFROTC and SF-AFROTC, and he himself said it would be torture to decide and he is not sure what he would do because USAFA has always been his priority and top pick.

As I told him, to have these choices is amazing and noone but you can decide which is the correct path. Best of luck to you, in whichever path you choose.

 

[AK_Price]

Received my FFS today! Bit disappointed and very confused. I have Presidential and AFROTC scholarships at Purdue, Embry Riddle, Rensselaer and other colleges for Aerospace Engg. Not sure what to decide? Take up FFS and reapply to USAFA next year or go the ROTC route? What a torture!

Both my sister and my very close friend went through prep on falcon scholarships. I have learned that if you go through the program you are pretty much guaranteed to be accepted in the next class. My sister went to Northwest Prep(NWP) last year and was accepted to CO 2025 with 98% of her falcons getting accepted. My friend is currently at Randolph-Macon Academy(RMA) and was just accepted CO 2026 along with all 10 falcons in her program. Not sure what the percentages are for college re-applicants, but I hope this helped a bit. Let me know if you need more info on falcon scholarship program!

 

[Pluto]

Hello all,

This is mainly directed for other appointees:
I saw an instagram post on @academyadmissions (the USAFA IG page) about an email sent out to appointees containing information about appointee visit days. I did not receive the email - Ive talked to some other folks, and some have received the email, while others did not? Im wondering if anyone has more information about this.

 

[FlyFalcon]

Hello all,

This is mainly directed for other appointees:
I saw an instagram post on @academyadmissions (the USAFA IG page) about an email sent out to appointees containing information about appointee visit days. I did not receive the email - Ive talked to some other folks, and some have received the email, while others did not? Im wondering if anyone has more information about this.

I haven't received an email same for two other falcons

 

[dav1y]

Same here, didn't receive an email, although I just assumed it was because I'm overseas - not too sure about you, maybe it's done by region?

 

[cluelesscandidateparents]

I am in the same boat...USMA appointment but waiting on USAFA. I have heard that the part that says "candidate kit submitted 100%" will say "your decision is ready" instead when there is a decision. Hopefully we hear

Same here, didn't receive an email, although I just assumed it was because I'm overseas - not too sure about you, maybe it's done by region?

They didnt use enough stamps lol

 

[have4kiddos]

Hello all,

This is mainly directed for other appointees:
I saw an instagram post on @academyadmissions (the USAFA IG page) about an email sent out to appointees containing information about appointee visit days. I did not receive the email - Ive talked to some other folks, and some have received the email, while others did not? Im wondering if anyone has more information about this.

My son with an appointment didn’t get one either.

 

[bimbadgen]

Why do athletes not have to go threw the same process to get into the AFA? Calls are made to athletes and offered appointments and then if they accept they do everything. You work your entire life for a dream( you get the grades, do sports, community service, high SAT scores, win awards, have a dad who served as an officer in the AF for 26 years) and then you get beat out by a football player that never wanted to be in the military but wanted to play D1 football. It just isn't right...feeling sad and defeated! I know it's not over yet but it's hard!

 

[mareemalmosawi]

Why do athletes not have to go threw the same process to get into the AFA? Calls are made to athletes and offered appointments and then if they accept they do everything. You work your entire life for a dream( you get the grades, do sports, community service, high SAT scores, win awards, have a dad who served as an officer in the AF for 26 years) and then you get beat out by a football player that never wanted to be in the military but wanted to play D1 football. It just isn't right...feeling sad and defeated! I know it's not over yet but it's hard!

I agree. Thucydides said that "The society that separates its scholars from its warriors
will have its thinking done by cowards
and its fighting by fools". Although many athletes are intelligent, and good athletics represent discipline and hard work but so does academics. it’s sad that we initially value sports over a well rounded, intelligent cadet in the USA, and someone who would wants to make a career out of the military. Regardless it’s up to us to do our best, good luck to all athlete or not .

 

[Capt MJ]

Why do athletes not have to go threw the same process to get into the AFA? Calls are made to athletes and offered appointments and then if they accept they do everything. You work your entire life for a dream( you get the grades, do sports, community service, high SAT scores, win awards, have a dad who served as an officer in the AF for 26 years) and then you get beat out by a football player that never wanted to be in the military but wanted to play D1 football. It just isn't right...feeling sad and defeated! I know it's not over yet but it's hard!

Perhaps I can offer a bit of clarity.

Athletes who are offered a “spot” and then do that process called “committing” in a nice photo opp with a letter, does not mean the same as it does at civilian colleges. It is more of a showpiece thing, meaningful to the athlete, and what it really conveys is that the SA athletic department has offered a spot on the SA varsity team, but not necessarily a guarantee of appointment. Only Admissions can do that.

Recruited athletes have to go through the same detailed application process, application for nominations, and be found fully qualified: academic, DoDMERB and CFA, plus all the other things that get looked at. If they are not fully qualified, they do not receive an offer of appointment. They may get sent to the prep school if the SA believes they need polishing; many other non-athletes and prior enlisted are also offered prep opportunities, because the SA values a range of traits and skills, and sees something in these people for which they are willing to wait. .

Every SA strives for diversity across a full spectrum of factors, including those who are more athletically inclined to those who are more scholastically inclined. A class packed completely full of non-athlete scholastic high achievers with eye-watering stats might be just right for MIT, but not for a service academy whose mission is to produce warriors prepared to go in harm’s way. Athletes are not precluded from being humans who are well-rounded and intelligent.

Varsity athletes are usually expert time managers, often fill leadership roles on their teams, give up holidays because of team requirements, learn how to compartmentalize and get things done when they are exhausted, ill or injured, develop strong bonds with teammates and understand the principle of putting team before self, regularly operate in high-pressure, physically demanding, chaotic situations where training and fast brainwork and grit and perseverance carry them through to a goal. Could these be desirable traits in a junior officer?

At a SA, not everyone is there with stars shining in their eyes as they dream of a life of service to the nation. There will be some who are there for free educations in exchange for some years of obligated service, some who are there because of family pressure, some who are there because they needed a ticket out of a bad family situation, some who want to continue to play their sport and think the SA may be a path for that, and many other reasons. This is absolutely okay and expected by the SA and the service, whether at an SA, ROTC, enlisted boot camp or other accession point. The key thing is all that people are expected to do is serve honorably, perform their duties adequately and take care of their people. Many join for pragmatic reasons but come to love the idea of serving and aspiring to a high standard of personal and professional conduct. That is normal and okay too.

These thoughts are offered to help you cope with a challenging time. You can drive yourself crazy by looking right or left; it is not a productive use of time. Open your heart and mind just a bit wider and be open to the full range of talented people who might become your closest friends starting when you get off a bus in Colorado Springs.

If you like, read the article below about two USNA varsity athletes and think about whether these would have been people you would like to have served with.

Brothers Forever: How Two Friends Came to Rest Side by Side at Arlington National Cemetery | Parade: Entertainment, Recipes, Health, Life, Holidays

When the poop is hitting the fan, and your people are looking to you for decisions and guidance and action, I guarantee you they are not thinking, “Hmmm, I wonder if Lieutenant got a perfect SAT score and had a high GPA and did community service,” they just want to know they can trust their ell-tee to have sufficient brains and a comprehensive toolkit of skills and experience to make good decisions and lead them well.

SA Admissions are staffed by humans, so certainly choices are made - across all “types” of appointees - that in hindsight were not the best choices. By and large, though, Admissions teams build classes each year that represent a rich, deep and broad array of talent.

I apologize to all for clamping the thread in my teeth and running away with it.

 

[moho]

Perhaps I can offer a bit of clarity.

Athletes who are offered a “spot” and then do that process called “committing” in a nice photo opp with a letter, does not mean the same as it does at civilian colleges. It is more of a showpiece thing, meaningful to the athlete, and what it really conveys is that the SA athletic department has offered a spot on the SA varsity team, but not necessarily a guarantee of appointment. Only Admissions can do that.

Recruited athletes have to go through the same detailed application process, application for nominations, and be found fully qualified: academic, DoDMERB and CFA, plus all the other things that get looked at. If they are not fully qualified, they do not receive an offer of appointment. They may get sent to the prep school if the SA believes they need polishing; many other non-athletes and prior enlisted are also offered prep opportunities, because the SA values a range of traits and skills, and sees something in these people for which they are willing to wait. .

Every SA strives for diversity across a full spectrum of factors, including those who are more athletically inclined to those who are more scholastically inclined. A class packed full of non-athlete scholastic high achievers with eye-watering stats might be just right for MIT, but not for a service academy whose mission is to produce warriors prepared to go in harm’s way.

Varsity athletes are usually expert time managers, often fill leadership roles on their teams, give up holidays because of team requirements, learn how to compartmentalize and get things done when they are exhausted, ill or injured, develop strong bonds with teammates and understand the principle of putting team before self, regularly operate in high-pressure, physically demanding, chaotic situations where training and fast brainwork and grit and perseverance carry them through to a goal. Could these be desirable traits in a junior officer?

Lastly, at a SA, not everyone is there with stars shining in their eyes as they dream of a life of service to the nation. There will be some who are there for free educations in exchange for some years of obligated service, some who are there because of family pressure, some who are there because they needed a ticket out of a bad family situation, some who want to continue to play their sport and think the SA may be a path for that, and many other reasons. This is absolutely okay and expected by the SA and the service, whether at an SA, ROTC, enlisted boot camp or other accession point. The key thing is all that people are expected to do is serve honorably, perform their duties adequately and take care of their people. Many join for pragmatic reasons but come to love the idea of serving and aspiring to a high standard of personal and professional conduct. That is normal and okay too.

These thoughts are offered to help you cope with a challenging time. You can drive yourself crazy by looking right or left; it is not a productive use of time. Open your heart and mind just a bit wider and be open to the full range of talented people who might become your closest friends starting when you get off a bus in Colorado Springs.

If you like, read the article below about two USNA varsity athletes and think about whether these would have been people you would like to serve with.

Brothers Forever: How Two Friends Came to Rest Side by Side at Arlington National Cemetery | Parade: Entertainment, Recipes, Health, Life, Holidays

I apologize to all for clamping the thread in my teeth and running away with it.

I am not necessarily agreeing with the original comment, but from what I understand "fully qualified" and competitive enough for appointment are two different things. But you may have more insight than I do

 

[Stealth_81]

But you may have more insight than I do

She does.

Stealth_81

 

[ModernDayKnight]

Why do athletes not have to go threw the same process to get into the AFA? Calls are made to athletes and offered appointments and then if they accept they do everything. You work your entire life for a dream( you get the grades, do sports, community service, high SAT scores, win awards, have a dad who served as an officer in the AF for 26 years) and then you get beat out by a football player that never wanted to be in the military but wanted to play D1 football. It just isn't right...feeling sad and defeated! I know it's not over yet but it's hard!

"Tho much is taken, much abides, and tho we are not now that strength which in old days moved Earth and Heaven. That which we are, we are: one equal temper of heroic hearts, made weak by time and fate, but strong in will, to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield" (Tennyson). Everyone faces failure, some look up, some look down, I've done both. Here's the thing though, if you look down you see the shadow of another passing cloud, if you look up then you see the vast expanse of the sky - and a new sunrise. See my signature , hang tough!

 

[hopefulmom1972]

I doubt that anyone that just wanted to play D1 football would even consider a SA. An athlete that is good enough to play football for a Power 5 school will have many offers to choose from, all of which are full rides, and no post graduation commitments.

 

[moho]

She does.

Stealth_81

Duly accepted

 

[AJAX09]

Perhaps I can offer a bit of clarity.

Athletes who are offered a “spot” and then do that process called “committing” in a nice photo opp with a letter, does not mean the same as it does at civilian colleges. It is more of a showpiece thing, meaningful to the athlete, and what it really conveys is that the SA athletic department has offered a spot on the SA varsity team, but not necessarily a guarantee of appointment. Only Admissions can do that.

Recruited athletes have to go through the same detailed application process, application for nominations, and be found fully qualified: academic, DoDMERB and CFA, plus all the other things that get looked at. If they are not fully qualified, they do not receive an offer of appointment. They may get sent to the prep school if the SA believes they need polishing; many other non-athletes and prior enlisted are also offered prep opportunities, because the SA values a range of traits and skills, and sees something in these people for which they are willing to wait. .

Every SA strives for diversity across a full spectrum of factors, including those who are more athletically inclined to those who are more scholastically inclined. A class packed completely full of non-athlete scholastic high achievers with eye-watering stats might be just right for MIT, but not for a service academy whose mission is to produce warriors prepared to go in harm’s way. Athletes are not precluded from being humans who are well-rounded and intelligent.

Varsity athletes are usually expert time managers, often fill leadership roles on their teams, give up holidays because of team requirements, learn how to compartmentalize and get things done when they are exhausted, ill or injured, develop strong bonds with teammates and understand the principle of putting team before self, regularly operate in high-pressure, physically demanding, chaotic situations where training and fast brainwork and grit and perseverance carry them through to a goal. Could these be desirable traits in a junior officer?

At a SA, not everyone is there with stars shining in their eyes as they dream of a life of service to the nation. There will be some who are there for free educations in exchange for some years of obligated service, some who are there because of family pressure, some who are there because they needed a ticket out of a bad family situation, some who want to continue to play their sport and think the SA may be a path for that, and many other reasons. This is absolutely okay and expected by the SA and the service, whether at an SA, ROTC, enlisted boot camp or other accession point. The key thing is all that people are expected to do is serve honorably, perform their duties adequately and take care of their people. Many join for pragmatic reasons but come to love the idea of serving and aspiring to a high standard of personal and professional conduct. That is normal and okay too.

These thoughts are offered to help you cope with a challenging time. You can drive yourself crazy by looking right or left; it is not a productive use of time. Open your heart and mind just a bit wider and be open to the full range of talented people who might become your closest friends starting when you get off a bus in Colorado Springs.

If you like, read the article below about two USNA varsity athletes and think about whether these would have been people you would like to have served with.

Brothers Forever: How Two Friends Came to Rest Side by Side at Arlington National Cemetery | Parade: Entertainment, Recipes, Health, Life, Holidays

When the poop is hitting the fan, and your people are looking to you for decisions and guidance and action, I guarantee you they are not thinking, “Hmmm, I wonder if Lieutenant got a perfect SAT score and had a high GPA and did community service,” they just want to know they can trust their ell-tee to have sufficient brains and a comprehensive toolkit of skills and experience to make good decisions and lead them well.

SA Admissions are staffed by humans, so certainly choices are made - across all “types” of appointees - that in hindsight were not the best choices. By and large, though, Admissions teams build classes each year that represent a rich, deep and broad array of talent.

I apologize to all for clamping the thread in my teeth and running away with it.

I do hope there is consideration of the impact during COVID times to what otherwise would have been a normal academic athletes high school career.

Out of roughly 52 baseball games scheduled for 2020 my DS played 8 before the mass shutdown. His team stayed connected, and hopeful for the next season they did virtual workouts together. My DS helped some teammates through the loss of close loved ones as he unfortunately experienced that long before high school.

The fall of junior year for my DS was also online and he continued the online workouts with his team. Spring 2021 came around and excitement for in-person school and the season turned into more canceled games and then ultimately the season being canceled. There was no after school practice permitted and the team was seperated into micro units for during school practice and workouts. They attended another roughly 8 games of which 4 were called for lack of players on the other team before the season was canceled.

Fall 2021, limited after school practice was permitted for fall sports only. Spring 2022 came and the school just recently, since spring break, lifted all sports restrictions.

My point: it's been a very unusual and difficult time for all the candidates and I hope consideration is being taken for their actions inspite of the unique challenges they have faced during these times.

My 2cents.

 

[FlyFalcon]

My point: it's been a very unusual and difficult time for all the candidates and I hope consideration is being taken for their actions inspite of the unique challenges they have faced during these times.

My 2cents.

I would say there has been a bit of consideration at least from where I stand. My track season was canceled and I know many others didn't have a fall season. Not having these two seasons was noted but never negatively put against me in an interview. Same with test scores. I'm incredibly lucky with getting a falcon scholarship, however, my act score wasn't doing me any favors in admissions. Test anxiety was a real thing I had during covid times. I was the sole driver as my parents were quarantined in a different location (military and a counselor, they were almost constantly exposed). I took my sister to other events while doing my school work and other activities. This was noticed by my interviewers too.

 

[crys4701]

Why do athletes not have to go threw the same process to get into the AFA? Calls are made to athletes and offered appointments and then if they accept they do everything. You work your entire life for a dream( you get the grades, do sports, community service, high SAT scores, win awards, have a dad who served as an officer in the AF for 26 years) and then you get beat out by a football player that never wanted to be in the military but wanted to play D1 football. It just isn't right...feeling sad and defeated! I know it's not over yet but it's hard!

I can tell you as a recruited athletes mom (not football) my DD who committed to USAFA, "blue chipped", and signed in Nov, we are still waiting on her appointment. She has had to fulfill ALL of the same requirements, got her nomination, and jumped through all the same hoops (gpa, sat, community service, etc) as every other qualified candidate. We are in the same position as everyone who has not received their appointment yet, waiting patiently and hoping she has done enough to earn her spot. It takes special kids to want to serve their country and I commend every student wanting to attend USAFA!! My DD has trained 6 days a week 25+ hrs for over a decade and passed up scholarship opportunities to play at civilian D1 schools for the chance to serve her country while doing the sport that she loves, she is working just as hard to be here! When she signed she gave up the ability to go anywhere else to play, putting all of her hard work and dreams of collegiant sports on the line for the chance to earn a spot at USAFA, in spite of USAFA recruiting her and committing her.

 

[bimbadgen]

I can tell you as a recruited athletes mom (not football) my DD who committed to USAFA, "blue chipped", and signed in Nov, we are still waiting on her appointment. She has had to fulfill ALL of the same requirements, got her nomination, and jumped through all the same hoops (gpa, sat, community service, etc) as every other qualified candidate. We are in the same position as everyone who has not received their appointment yet, waiting patiently and hoping she has done enough to earn her spot. It takes special kids to want to serve their country and I commend every student wanting to attend USAFA!! My DD has trained 6 days a week 25+ hrs for over a decade and passed up scholarship opportunities to play at civilian D1 schools for the chance to serve her country while doing the sport that she loves, she is working just as hard to be here! When she signed she gave up the ability to go anywhere else to play, putting all of her hard work and dreams of collegiant sports on the line for the chance to earn a spot at USAFA, in spite of USAFA recruiting her and committing her.

And that is the way it should be. So happy she will be representing. However, I know this FB player and the family and know how it all went down and he did not do any of the above until three weeks ago when he got the call. Congratulations, to you daughter.

 

[Capt MJ]

And that is the way it should be. So happy she will be representing. However, I know this FB player and the family and know how it all went down and he did not do any of the above until three weeks ago when he got the call. Congratulations, to you daughter.

Then perhaps noting in your original post that you know “a” football player who did things a certain way, relating it as an anecdote that you have observed and interpreted, rather than grabbing the roller brush and painting an entire group of fellow applicants with negative language might have been more accurate and fair to hundreds of people who may be your future classmates and wingmates.

I can certainly see why the actions and attitude of someone you observed could be annoying. You have it in your power to not let yourself get bothered by things like this which you cannot control, and stay focused on your own path. Two years from now, that person could be totally committed to the idea of service and done a complete turnaround to what you perceive their attitude to be. Two years from now, you could be agonizing over whether you want to return for a third year and commit to the service obligation.