Reapplicant Question

Pwnasaurusrex

New Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2016
Messages
7
Hey everyone, I'm reapplying after I was rejected last year. I had competitive grades and athletics, but a horrendous interview and bad essays. Could these impact my chances this year?
 
Only if you let them!
Are you the same person as last year?
If so give same interview, if you have changed ( and you have) then work to highlight those changes and what did you do to improve yourself even down to your poor performance in the essays and interviews!
Remember the SAs are looking at character events and situations.
This time around work to do better, speak better, have a basic outline to work from in your mind, develop a deeper reasoning using the questions you remember from last time as a guide. Show and mention the steps you took to become better. Did you seek out various interview opportunities.. Did you volunteer in some manner that required you to communicate better while doing something worthwhile?
SAs are looking for applicants that strive to improve and show the initiative to learn, correct, grow, and get out of a comfort zone of good-enough...because they do NOT want good-enough..they are looking for those that seek excellence and maximum performance...especially demonstrated by overcoming and beating back life's challenges and disappointments how ever small or large!
 
Bad essays? No excuse. You had time and opportunity. Use your newly found wisdom and maturity to write the absolute BEST essays you can.

Horrible interview? This concerns me some as well. What constitutes a horrible interview?
 
I think you should take this time to practice your interview skills - in front of a mirror, your parents, friends, etc. Learn to make eye contact. *Think* before answering a question -- this is tough to do. Some people believe you have to have the answer on the tip of your tongue. It's ok to take a little time to formulate a thoughtful answer to any interview question. My DD actually asked if it would be ok to come back to a question because she wanted to think about it a little bit before answering.

As for the essay, identify why you think they were bad. Work on that. Have someone proofread it & offer suggestions to improve it. You may tweak those essays a dozen times until you're happy with them.

Good luck!
 
Bumping my own thread because I have two more questions.

If I took a DODMERB medical exam last year, will I need to take another this year?

Also, one of my required items is a college transcript. I won't have that until after my November 23rd deadline. Will my application still be considered without it?

Thank y'all for the help
 
I believe the DoDMERB exam is good for 2 years. They'll tell you if you need to do it again.

They also know the college transcripts come out later.
 
First the good news - one of my DS roommates was first rejected and then came after a year in AFROTC at Purdue. The Squadron leader was twice rejected before being accepted and has excelled in his three plus years at USAFA.

The bad news - you have to improve in order to expect better results. I am not sure I understand how you know it was your interview or essay that caused the rejection. I would assume I need to improve in every area possible and understand the pool in my area will be different this year (which could be good or bad for you).

As for you stated opportunities, there are guides to help you with both essay writing and interviews. The best advice my DS found (and it was on this board) was to focus on what makes you a great candidate and distinguishes you from other potential candidates. He asked his AP English teachers to review and critique his essay and revised it. To prepare for the interview he spoke to his ALO and other SA graduates to learn about the do's and don'ts for the interview (both the ALO and MOC interviews). He was prepared to answer questions about a weakness or sub-standard grade and to speak about why he wanted to attend a SA and why he felt he was a good candidate. It was about practice and sincerity.

However, if you only focus on the stated weak points then you likely will fall into the rejection category again. Work on improving everything and let that tell part of your story. Tell a story of your journey and improvement. It will likely serve you much better. Best of luck to you.
 
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