Summer Seminar

[K128]

Hey all,

I am currently applying for the USAFA Summer Seminar. Based on my application do I seem like a good candidate? Are there any recommendations for some good extracurricular activities that I can join?

I have a 4.3 Highschool GPA (weighted) and a 3.97 GPA (unweighted). I am taking PSEO classes and have a college GPA of 3.89 for the first semester. - I have completed about 20 college credits and I am a Junior in Highschool. -I am on the younger side because I skipped a grade.

I am an officer in the Civil Air Patrol and am on Cadet Advisory Council. I also volunteer at my church as a Student Leader. In ninth grade, I was a Student Ambassador representing the Student Body.

I am athletic but I am not currently in a sport. I participated in sports when I was younger but ended up quitting to join Civil Air Patrol. I used to play Volleyball, Soccer, Run for XC, and play golf. I am very good at sports but I am worried that if I rejoined one of these sports I would be behind.

 

[PositiveEnergy]

Hey all,

I am currently applying for the USAFA Summer Seminar. Based on my application do I seem like a good candidate? Are there any recommendations for some good extracurricular activities that I can join?

I have a 4.3 Highschool GPA (weighted) and a 3.97 GPA (unweighted). I am taking PSEO classes and have a college GPA of 3.89 for the first semester. - I have completed about 20 college credits and I am a Junior in Highschool. -I am on the younger side because I skipped a grade.

I am an officer in the Civil Air Patrol and am on Cadet Advisory Council. I also volunteer at my church as a Student Leader. In ninth grade, I was a Student Ambassador representing the Student Body.

I am athletic but I am not currently in a sport. I participated in sports when I was younger but ended up quitting to join Civil Air Patrol. I used to play Volleyball, Soccer, Run for XC, and play golf. I am very good at sports but I am worried that if I rejoined one of these sports I would be behind.

Im gonna say this before you get told by others, dont join a club or sport to put it on your application.

-Becoming a leader or even participating in clubs would be great, if theres not a club that you would like to be in at your school create a new one. USAFA is big on taking charge with things like that.

-academically you look to have a solid footing but without looking at all your classes i cant tell for sure. Im unfamiliar with PSEO classes, do those not impact your weighted GPA? your weighted and unweighted GPA seem incredibly close to me, are you in honors classes?

-you should try and have some more community service, church is great but there are so many other opportunities that you can be doing especially right now!

-sports seem to be a big lacking point im not sure its weighted as heavy in the summer seminar as it is in the actual application but you need to be showing more physical activity. They dont really care about anything before high school (assuming when you were younger means before high school). Even if the activity isnt through your school you need to be doing something to prove that youre able to keep up with the active lifestyle.

Im going to be transparent and say that I was not chosen to participate in the summer seminar when I first applied. My package was exceedingly lackluster at the time and my junior year was really "the year" where my package went from average to something that might be able to qualify for admission. I can give more feedback or ideas on how to improve your package but not much of it would be able to be accomplished before you turn in your summer seminar application. Finally and most importantly please remember that the summer seminar is meant to be an outreach program, apply to navy and army if youre interested and apply even if you dont get the chance to go this summer.

 

[Eagle26]

Hey all,

I am currently applying for the USAFA Summer Seminar. Based on my application do I seem like a good candidate? Are there any recommendations for some good extracurricular activities that I can join?

I have a 4.3 Highschool GPA (weighted) and a 3.97 GPA (unweighted). I am taking PSEO classes and have a college GPA of 3.89 for the first semester. - I have completed about 20 college credits and I am a Junior in Highschool. -I am on the younger side because I skipped a grade.

I am an officer in the Civil Air Patrol and am on Cadet Advisory Council. I also volunteer at my church as a Student Leader. In ninth grade, I was a Student Ambassador representing the Student Body.

I am athletic but I am not currently in a sport. I participated in sports when I was younger but ended up quitting to join Civil Air Patrol. I used to play Volleyball, Soccer, Run for XC, and play golf. I am very good at sports but I am worried that if I rejoined one of these sports I would be behind.

I am also in the process of applying to the summer seminar right now, and like Positive Energy stated, it is super important to begin getting involved in leadership roles within your school and community. From what I have heard, SS is mostly a recruiting tool and so the person seen as most qualified may not get in, and the person seen as least qualified may be accepted. That being said, your academics look strong (I don't how well you have done on PSAT/SAT/ACT), but besides CAP, your ECs and athletics may have some room for improvement. But again, strive to create leadership opportunities for yourself in things you are genuinely interested in, not just what you think the academy wants as well as do your best to stand out through the required essays. Lastly, it is important to note that no one knows besides the admissions board, whether you will or won't get into the SS.

 

[EastRound]

Im gonna say this before you get told by others, dont join a club or sport to put it on your application.

-Becoming a leader or even participating in clubs would be great, if theres not a club that you would like to be in at your school create a new one. USAFA is big on taking charge with things like that.

-academically you look to have a solid footing but without looking at all your classes i cant tell for sure. Im unfamiliar with PSEO classes, do those not impact your weighted GPA? your weighted and unweighted GPA seem incredibly close to me, are you in honors classes?

-you should try and have some more community service, church is great but there are so many other opportunities that you can be doing especially right now!

-sports seem to be a big lacking point im not sure its weighted as heavy in the summer seminar as it is in the actual application but you need to be showing more physical activity. They dont really care about anything before high school (assuming when you were younger means before high school). Even if the activity isnt through your school you need to be doing something to prove that youre able to keep up with the active lifestyle.

Im going to be transparent and say that I was not chosen to participate in the summer seminar when I first applied. My package was exceedingly lackluster at the time and my junior year was really "the year" where my package went from average to something that might be able to qualify for admission. I can give more feedback or ideas on how to improve your package but not much of it would be able to be accomplished before you turn in your summer seminar application. Finally and most importantly please remember that the summer seminar is meant to be an outreach program, apply to navy and army if youre interested and apply even if you dont get the chance to go this summer.

Idk man. I joined XC and track to put it on my app but I ended up loving it and have become super involved. Also made varsity for both and have greatly improved my endurance for long distance runs. I would join a sport for your app and for yourself to prepare you for the physically demanding life of a soldier. Give it your all though, don’t just sign up. Go to every practice and meet and push yourself hard. My 2 cents on that particular issue.

 

[PositiveEnergy]

Idk man. I joined XC and track to put it on my app but I ended up loving it and have become super involved. Also made varsity for both and have greatly improved my endurance for long distance runs. I would join a sport for your app and for yourself to prepare you for the physically demanding life of a soldier. Give it your all though, don’t just sign up. Go to every practice and meet and push yourself hard. My 2 cents on that particular issue.

Didn’t mean that to be my own personal belief, just stating it before other did. There are definitely a few things I did just for my app that I’ve fallen in love with. But I think 8/10 times they are correct with that advice.

 

[uefhwuhf3[3[[]

Hey all,

I am currently applying for the USAFA Summer Seminar. Based on my application do I seem like a good candidate? Are there any recommendations for some good extracurricular activities that I can join?

I have a 4.3 Highschool GPA (weighted) and a 3.97 GPA (unweighted). I am taking PSEO classes and have a college GPA of 3.89 for the first semester. - I have completed about 20 college credits and I am a Junior in Highschool. -I am on the younger side because I skipped a grade.

I am an officer in the Civil Air Patrol and am on Cadet Advisory Council. I also volunteer at my church as a Student Leader. In ninth grade, I was a Student Ambassador representing the Student Body.

I am athletic but I am not currently in a sport. I participated in sports when I was younger but ended up quitting to join Civil Air Patrol. I used to play Volleyball, Soccer, Run for XC, and play golf. I am very good at sports but I am worried that if I rejoined one of these sports I would be behind.

You look like a great candidate, but USAFAs summer seminar is known to reach out to underrepresented areas, low income, and minorities. If you do not get accepted it is not an indication of your competitiveness.

Secondly, I HIGHLY recommend that you do EVERYTHING in your power to max your cfa. that will show admissions that there is no gap athletically.

Also go to boys state

 

[2025mustelse]

You look like a great candidate, but USAFAs summer seminar is known to reach out to underrepresented areas, low income, and minorities. If you do not get accepted it is not an indication of your competitiveness.

Secondly, I HIGHLY recommend that you do EVERYTHING in your power to max your cfa. that will show admissions that there is no gap athletically.

Also go to boys state

Is it competitive? Yes. Does it reach out to underrepresented districts? Probably. However, so does admissions. It is a good evaluation of where you are as a candidate at that time. Getting in or not getting in shouldn’t be validation. Both should add fuel to the fire.

 

[Firstgo]

I agree that summer seminar is used as a out reach program but much past that I am not clear on what type of applicants they are looking for. My daughter applied to both Naval and Air Force SS and was not selected for either. Later she receive the Falcon Foundation Scholarship and currently is a cadet at the USAFA. I feel that part of the selection is based on applicants who had not participated in activities at the academies. These experiences give you some exposure to what the academy environment is like. Our daughter was selected to attended the SAME Air Force Camp at USAFA and also attended a Candidate Visit Weekend (CVW) at the Navel Academy before the SS selection dates. She also had gone to a rowing camp at the Navel Academy. The interesting thing though was her roommate at the rowing camp the week before had just finished going to the Navel Academy SS. Both of her parents had attended the Navel Academy and she was not a diversity applicant. Either way keep up the hard work

 

[BuckeyeDad20]

My Doolie son was denied USAFA SS and went to USNA SS. We live an hour from a large AFB and both his parents were USAF. Not getting into SS means one thing - they don't need to work extra hard to find kids like you in that part of the country. SS is about outreach and recruiting to demographics that they need to bolster recruiting efforts. It is competitive to a degree, but it is much more about them shaping the makeup of the class than anything else.