USAFA Acceptance

[ScuderiaFan_458]

Hello, my name is Quentin and I am a junior in high school. During high school, I had a tough time in my freshman and sophomore years due to some personal reasons, which results in my 3.41 GPA. If I continue to do well this year, as well as take all AP classes next year and achieve mostly A's, would the Academy board, instead of looking at just my overall GPA(which would end up at a theoretical 3.8), acknowledge that I put forth my best effort to change my academic standing in my final years of high school? I am curious to see if it is worth it(I think it is) to take an extremely unnecessary course load my senior year, or if it would not be acknowledged at all by the academy board. Also, would a high ACT score help offset it and what else could help?

 

[DrMom]

Congratulations on turning around your grades and for setting ambitious and achievable goals.
So, don't worry about the GPA and the standing--do your best with what you can control.

When you write your essay, when you give your interviews...you will talk about your challenges and what you have learned from them. This experience of overcoming challenges will demonstrate that you can do things that are hard and push through--also, it will make you a more compassionate leader of young men and women who face similar challenges.

So, continue to do your best at school, in sports, and in a club about which you care. Continue to find opportunities to exercise leadership.

Prepare to tell your story--and to press on with the important work of pursuing your dream of service to the Nation.

 

[Humey]

Testing is probably more important as an A or B from School 1 could be easierto get than an A or B from school 2. Since everyone takes the same national test, scores give a better idea of what you are capable off. If you have a 4.0 GPA and a 19 ACT score, maybe your school isnt very academic. As for your tough times, I am sure they would like to see a upward trend. If you had issues your first two years, they could be talked about when you write your essays

 

[AF22SIS]

Quentin,

I would encourage you not to let GPA or other factors prevent you from submitting an application. Choose to put in the effort to better yourself and your chances.
1) I know of many current cadets who had a below average GPA by academy standards. They offset this by taking hard classes and doing exceptionally well on the ACT/SAT. As Humey said, GPA is fairly subjective when using it to compare students across the country unlike standardized tests.
2) Working hard over your next few semesters will strengthen your application for other opportunities such as ROTC, other schools/scholarships, etc.
3) Still apply to USAFA. If you do not receive an appointment you may still get accepted to the Prep schools. If that does not work out and you choose to attend a different school, re-applying with strong college grades will greatly improve your application. From my observations USAFA loves re-applicants.

Never stop working towards your goal and keep aiming high. Best of luck.

 

[MidCakePa]

@ScuderiaFan_458, don’t get caught up in GPA, because SAs don’t. Rather than focus on GPA — which is highly variable and this undependable — SAs consider your total transcript in the context of your school’s profile to determine your scholastic achievement. They want to see that you took the hardest classes your school has to offer, and that you excelled at them, especially in the core subjects of math, English and science. They also like to see an upward trajectory in yearly performance (if you don’t have straight As). That deeper view — along with SAT/ACT — is how they determine your preparedness for SA academics. Not GPA.

 

[ginapenny]

The advice given here is very valuable and true!!!! My DS is living proof! Life =challenges! My DS has experienced his fair share....the toughest being this single mom! . However, take them and learn from them!
My DS grades weren't stellar. He did take 4 years of Russian starting in 8th grade, committed to sports, volunteering, working and AP classes! He showed USAFA that he was well-rounded. This has been a dream of his before I knew what USAFA was. I truly believe they saw what can be developed! While it is competitive....stay in the fight!!! My son will be headed to the prep school in July!!!! I honestly believe they look at more than just GPA! Do your best, work hard, pray and what will be will be!!!! Best of luck to you!

 

[Drizzt1969]

Good day everyone, my DS received the bad news in early February "Complete Disqualified", he looked me right in the face with the tears in his eyes and said I am re-applying. That is the kind of young man he is, and I could not be more proud of him, but it is really hard for me to be supportive and to go through this all again as the application and wait is grueling. Not going to ask the question "What are his chances?" I have read and heard the Academy loves it when candidates reapply, take it for what it is. He has no one to blame for this but himself (I will never tell him this, I would never kick a person little alone my own son when they are down). He failed his CFA, I had told him in early July 2018 to get to work as the physical demands of the CFA are looked at closely at USAFA due to the altitude, he did not start working on it until late October, to his credit he did well on upper body strength and the shuttle run, but failed the mile going 9:00 the first time and 8:30 minutes on the re-take. I know all candidates are different, but at a luncheon this last Sunday (2/17) a third year cadet made the statement "When I first entered USAFA I could only do 3 pull-ups", I thought the bear minimum was 12 or it was an automatic fail, trying not to sound like that parent, but that really through me for a loop. I do not believe in entitlement we all have to work for what we have, and with the Academy this is especially true.

Everything was there 4.8 GPA, 1300 SAT, Varsity baseball team, Varsity Rugby player, etc. 4 AP classes 2 Honors Classes, letter of recommendation from an active Lt. General of the AF Joint Staff, numerous leadership roles both in the community and at church, member of the national honor society, took 3rd in state 2017-2018 chess team going undefeated (1st in school history), and 6-1-0 at State 2018-2019 season. I do not mean to sound like I am bragging, just sharing his background and accolades to share with other candidates, and what gets passed over during appointments.

I am reaching out to parents of candidates and appointees how do I support him going forward? Even if he max's out of the CFA this year, and has all the previous accolades, he is still more than likely going to not be accepted and that is difficult to support. He is not used to always succeeding, he failed to make the HS baseball team Freshman year and rebounded Sophomore year, becoming team captain Jr. and Senior year, so he understands what he needs to do. My issue is that alot of kids apply and only a handful get in, how do I support him going forward believing this will happen again?

He is considering ROTC, but I can tell that is not where his heart is at. It longs for Colorado Springs, CO. I apologize if any of this sounds bitter in any way, I just need to reach out to the community for help as friends and family just will not understand, thank you and God Bless you all, and congratulations to all who did receive appointments for the class of 2023.

 

[Humey]

Good day everyone, my DS received the bad news in early February "Complete Disqualified", he looked me right in the face with the tears in his eyes and said I am re-applying. That is the kind of young man he is, and I could not be more proud of him, but it is really hard for me to be supportive and to go through this all again as the application and wait is grueling. Not going to ask the question "What are his chances?" I have read and heard the Academy loves it when candidates reapply, take it for what it is. He has no one to blame for this but himself (I will never tell him this, I would never kick a person little alone my own son when they are down). He failed his CFA, I had told him in early July 2018 to get to work as the physical demands of the CFA are looked at closely at USAFA due to the altitude, he did not start working on it until late October, to his credit he did well on upper body strength and the shuttle run, but failed the mile going 9:00 the first time and 8:30 minutes on the re-take. I know all candidates are different, but at a luncheon this last Sunday (2/17) a third year cadet made the statement "When I first entered USAFA I could only do 3 pull-ups", I thought the bear minimum was 12 or it was an automatic fail, trying not to sound like that parent, but that really through me for a loop. I do not believe in entitlement we all have to work for what we have, and with the Academy this is especially true.

Everything was there 4.8 GPA, 1300 SAT, Varsity baseball team, Varsity Rugby player, etc. 4 AP classes 2 Honors Classes, letter of recommendation from an active Lt. General of the AF Joint Staff, numerous leadership roles both in the community and at church, member of the national honor society, took 3rd in state 2017-2018 chess team going undefeated (1st in school history), and 6-1-0 at State 2018-2019 season. I do not mean to sound like I am bragging, just sharing his background and accolades to share with other candidates, and what gets passed over during appointments.

I am reaching out to parents of candidates and appointees how do I support him going forward? Even if he max's out of the CFA this year, and has all the previous accolades, he is still more than likely going to not be accepted and that is difficult to support. He is not used to always succeeding, he failed to make the HS baseball team Freshman year and rebounded Sophomore year, becoming team captain Jr. and Senior year, so he understands what he needs to do. My issue is that alot of kids apply and only a handful get in, how do I support him going forward believing this will happen again?

He is considering ROTC, but I can tell that is not where his heart is at. It longs for Colorado Springs, CO. I apologize if any of this sounds bitter in any way, I just need to reach out to the community for help as friends and family just will not understand, thank you and God Bless you all, and congratulations to all who did receive appointments for the class of 2023.

Sorry, but i am confused, I read he didnt get in because he failed the CFA. Why wouldnt get in next year if he passed the CFA or are you just playing the odds that most people dont get it and worrying how he would take it. As for the future, it seems like he should be able to get into just about any college he wants, so he should really take a look at Rotc. I get he wants to get into an academy, but its not an all or nothing game. He can still have a wonderful experience in college (possibly even better than in academy) and have a wonderful experience in Rotc and he will still commission as 2nd LT when he graduates just like every academy graduate. Trust me when I say I am not putting down the academies and would have loved if my son had qualified to attend, but sometimes I think the idea of attending the academy is better than the actual experience and I know there are vast benefits to attending one. My point being that you can reach the same destination with Rotc and have a rich life while attending a civilian college and if he gets accepted into an academy during his Sophomore year, even better for him.

 

[4BravoX1]

Good day everyone, my DS received the bad news in early February "Complete Disqualified", he looked me right in the face with the tears in his eyes and said I am re-applying. That is the kind of young man he is, and I could not be more proud of him, but it is really hard for me to be supportive and to go through this all again as the application and wait is grueling. Not going to ask the question "What are his chances?" I have read and heard the Academy loves it when candidates reapply, take it for what it is. He has no one to blame for this but himself (I will never tell him this, I would never kick a person little alone my own son when they are down). He failed his CFA, I had told him in early July 2018 to get to work as the physical demands of the CFA are looked at closely at USAFA due to the altitude, he did not start working on it until late October, to his credit he did well on upper body strength and the shuttle run, but failed the mile going 9:00 the first time and 8:30 minutes on the re-take. I know all candidates are different, but at a luncheon this last Sunday (2/17) a third year cadet made the statement "When I first entered USAFA I could only do 3 pull-ups", I thought the bear minimum was 12 or it was an automatic fail, trying not to sound like that parent, but that really through me for a loop. I do not believe in entitlement we all have to work for what we have, and with the Academy this is especially true.

Everything was there 4.8 GPA, 1300 SAT, Varsity baseball team, Varsity Rugby player, etc. 4 AP classes 2 Honors Classes, letter of recommendation from an active Lt. General of the AF Joint Staff, numerous leadership roles both in the community and at church, member of the national honor society, took 3rd in state 2017-2018 chess team going undefeated (1st in school history), and 6-1-0 at State 2018-2019 season. I do not mean to sound like I am bragging, just sharing his background and accolades to share with other candidates, and what gets passed over during appointments.

I am reaching out to parents of candidates and appointees how do I support him going forward? Even if he max's out of the CFA this year, and has all the previous accolades, he is still more than likely going to not be accepted and that is difficult to support. He is not used to always succeeding, he failed to make the HS baseball team Freshman year and rebounded Sophomore year, becoming team captain Jr. and Senior year, so he understands what he needs to do. My issue is that alot of kids apply and only a handful get in, how do I support him going forward believing this will happen again?

He is considering ROTC, but I can tell that is not where his heart is at. It longs for Colorado Springs, CO. I apologize if any of this sounds bitter in any way, I just need to reach out to the community for help as friends and family just will not understand, thank you and God Bless you all, and congratulations to all who did receive appointments for the class of 2023.

Just be honest with him about your worrying, but support him that is the best thing you can do as a parent, it'll hurt to see them fail but be so sweet when they do succeed.

A year of college or experience in the "real world" is good for anybody and could make him more well rounded. Even after all the **** I have been through with being married at 18 then divorced at 19 I would not trade the decision I made to enlist after high school even if i did it for "the wrong reasons" for anything in the world and I truly believe that it has made me a better version of myself and now I am applying to the academy. My point is see this as an oppertunity for him to improve. There will always be stumbling blocks, but it is about how you bounce back not how high you fly.

Aditionally, that letter of recommendation from a General isn't always a good thing if they do not actually know the candidate on a personal level as the academies can sniff out a form letter in an instant it is better to get someone who works with the candidate and know them on a personal level, because otherwise it is just like throwing away a potential letter of recommendation that could have advocated better for you.

 

[FireflyMom]

Good day everyone, my DS received the bad news in early February "Complete Disqualified", he looked me right in the face with the tears in his eyes and said I am re-applying. That is the kind of young man he is, and I could not be more proud of him, but it is really hard for me to be supportive and to go through this all again as the application and wait is grueling. Not going to ask the question "What are his chances?" I have read and heard the Academy loves it when candidates reapply, take it for what it is. He has no one to blame for this but himself (I will never tell him this, I would never kick a person little alone my own son when they are down). He failed his CFA, I had told him in early July 2018 to get to work as the physical demands of the CFA are looked at closely at USAFA due to the altitude, he did not start working on it until late October, to his credit he did well on upper body strength and the shuttle run, but failed the mile going 9:00 the first time and 8:30 minutes on the re-take. I know all candidates are different, but at a luncheon this last Sunday (2/17) a third year cadet made the statement "When I first entered USAFA I could only do 3 pull-ups", I thought the bear minimum was 12 or it was an automatic fail, trying not to sound like that parent, but that really through me for a loop. I do not believe in entitlement we all have to work for what we have, and with the Academy this is especially true.

Everything was there 4.8 GPA, 1300 SAT, Varsity baseball team, Varsity Rugby player, etc. 4 AP classes 2 Honors Classes, letter of recommendation from an active Lt. General of the AF Joint Staff, numerous leadership roles both in the community and at church, member of the national honor society, took 3rd in state 2017-2018 chess team going undefeated (1st in school history), and 6-1-0 at State 2018-2019 season. I do not mean to sound like I am bragging, just sharing his background and accolades to share with other candidates, and what gets passed over during appointments.

I am reaching out to parents of candidates and appointees how do I support him going forward? Even if he max's out of the CFA this year, and has all the previous accolades, he is still more than likely going to not be accepted and that is difficult to support. He is not used to always succeeding, he failed to make the HS baseball team Freshman year and rebounded Sophomore year, becoming team captain Jr. and Senior year, so he understands what he needs to do. My issue is that alot of kids apply and only a handful get in, how do I support him going forward believing this will happen again?

He is considering ROTC, but I can tell that is not where his heart is at. It longs for Colorado Springs, CO. I apologize if any of this sounds bitter in any way, I just need to reach out to the community for help as friends and family just will not understand, thank you and God Bless you all, and congratulations to all who did receive appointments for the class of 2023.

Aww I feel for both you parent and child . I understand how you feel , you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make em drink . My DS is a Reapplicant after TWE last year . My DS had low ACT/ SAT test scores of which I nagged at him to practice for , bought the test practice books , everything did he prep ? Heck no he thought he could get in because a previous kid from his AFJROTC unit got in 2 years ahead of him with lower ACT scores . Thankfully after his TWE he listened and took the tests like 3 more times and is in the qualifying range. It sounds like your son is only failed because of his CFA ! If he learns that lesson and works to improve that area of the test that should be a no brainer, he should reapply , but have a good plan B too . Sent mine as a self- prep to NMMI, doing great there plus it knocks out his first year in college. If I had to do different would have sent him to MMI where they have AFROTC. Anyways , your kid sounds like he really has tried his heart out and has the ability to get in , trust me as a mom and on my second go around with my DS all I could do was help him see what other commissioning options are out there , what he honestly needed to face as his weaknesses if he were to go for it again , and support his ultimate decision to reapply . It’s a gamble but it’s a life lesson . My
DS is still awaiting a decision , he’s qualified in everything with 2 noms as well but it’s really a crap shoot . But if we didn’t go for a second chance we would have never known. I don’t regret this second go around , I’m just glad the kid had the resilience and fortitude to try again . You can PM me if you wish ! I’m no expert but it’s been 2 years of this struggle lol

 

[HuskyPilot]

With all due respect, stay out of it. Let him make his own decision. Don't try to protect him from success and give him an opportunity to fail. Encourage his work ethic and provide what resources you can to assist but don't project your fears and anxiety onto your son regarding his own dream. I wish your family the best! You sound like a very loving mom.

 

[ringczar23]

Read through the Falcon Scholar appointment thread, you will find many other #2023 appointees that failed for one reason or another for #2022 but corrected their shortcomings at prep school and "earned" their appointments. Many great stories of overcoming exactly what you described. Best of luck to him.

 

[Drizzt1969]

Thank you all, as a dad and a parent we want the best for our kids, we want to see them reach their goals. I have stayed out of it, he just turned 18, he can make his own decisions. Lt. General I mentioned spent a week with my son, and really wrote an awesome letter for him, but I agree may be better to select someone who really knows him better, but the General offered so wevfogured why not. As far as failing the CFA and not getting in that is just me being a skeptic, comes with age I guess. He is resilient and that will serve him very well moving forward. My other concern is about nomination, he did get a congressional nomination, I wonder how Congressman and Senators feel about reapplicants? I guess only time will tell. I have and will stay out of this, just be encouraging and offering advice when needed. Maybe next year we can celebrate an appointment or I can share about a great ROTC experience with everyone here, thanks again and God Bless you all.

 

[emtet]

Hello, my name is Quentin and I am a junior in high school. During high school, I had a tough time in my freshman and sophomore years due to some personal reasons, which results in my 3.41 GPA. If I continue to do well this year, as well as take all AP classes next year and achieve mostly A's, would the Academy board, instead of looking at just my overall GPA(which would end up at a theoretical 3.8), acknowledge that I put forth my best effort to change my academic standing in my final years of high school? I am curious to see if it is worth it(I think it is) to take an extremely unnecessary course load my senior year, or if it would not be acknowledged at all by the academy board. Also, would a high ACT score help offset it and what else could help?

The only advice I can give you is to excel physically, socially, and academically. There are so many factors other than grades that impact your application, scrutinizing it too much isn't going to help. The only thing you need to focus on is excelling. WORK ON YOUR CFA, you'll thank yourself later. Join clubs, be active in your school and community. Don't try to get a high ACT score because you think it will help your application (it certainly won't hurt it), get that high score because that's the type of student you are. You'll see people say time and time again on these forums that no one can predict your outcome and it's true. You'll also see people say that there are many paths to the same goal, also true!
I wasn't accepted to USAFA c/o 22; however, I was offered a Falcon Foundation Scholarship. I was given the opportunity to strengthen my application at prep school (NWP is the best!) and now have an appointment to the c/o 2023. Initially, I was really sad because some of the friends I had made at SS had received appointments, and I had similar if not better grades, test scores, etc. After attending NWP, I could see that it was a blessing in disguise not getting that appointment. At our Thanksgiving dinner, many students said "as weird as it sounds, I'm thankful I got rejected." I have made some lifelong friends and also prepared myself even more both physically and academically.
*Last piece of advice* I recommend first-time applicants apply to ALL academies. After not being offered an appointment to USAFA (the only service academy I applied to) I had so many "what if?" questions concerning the other academies. Please spare yourself the torture.

Everything happens for a reason, and bad news isn't always as bad as it seems at first. I wish you the best on all your endeavors! Do not give up!

 

[charlestonmom5]

Good day everyone, my DS received the bad news in early February "Complete Disqualified", he looked me right in the face with the tears in his eyes and said I am re-applying. That is the kind of young man he is, and I could not be more proud of him, but it is really hard for me to be supportive and to go through this all again as the application and wait is grueling. Not going to ask the question "What are his chances?" I have read and heard the Academy loves it when candidates reapply, take it for what it is. He has no one to blame for this but himself (I will never tell him this, I would never kick a person little alone my own son when they are down). He failed his CFA, I had told him in early July 2018 to get to work as the physical demands of the CFA are looked at closely at USAFA due to the altitude, he did not start working on it until late October, to his credit he did well on upper body strength and the shuttle run, but failed the mile going 9:00 the first time and 8:30 minutes on the re-take. I know all candidates are different, but at a luncheon this last Sunday (2/17) a third year cadet made the statement "When I first entered USAFA I could only do 3 pull-ups", I thought the bear minimum was 12 or it was an automatic fail, trying not to sound like that parent, but that really through me for a loop. I do not believe in entitlement we all have to work for what we have, and with the Academy this is especially true.

Everything was there 4.8 GPA, 1300 SAT, Varsity baseball team, Varsity Rugby player, etc. 4 AP classes 2 Honors Classes, letter of recommendation from an active Lt. General of the AF Joint Staff, numerous leadership roles both in the community and at church, member of the national honor society, took 3rd in state 2017-2018 chess team going undefeated (1st in school history), and 6-1-0 at State 2018-2019 season. I do not mean to sound like I am bragging, just sharing his background and accolades to share with other candidates, and what gets passed over during appointments.

I am reaching out to parents of candidates and appointees how do I support him going forward? Even if he max's out of the CFA this year, and has all the previous accolades, he is still more than likely going to not be accepted and that is difficult to support. He is not used to always succeeding, he failed to make the HS baseball team Freshman year and rebounded Sophomore year, becoming team captain Jr. and Senior year, so he understands what he needs to do. My issue is that alot of kids apply and only a handful get in, how do I support him going forward believing this will happen again?

He is considering ROTC, but I can tell that is not where his heart is at. It longs for Colorado Springs, CO. I apologize if any of this sounds bitter in any way, I just need to reach out to the community for help as friends and family just will not understand, thank you and God Bless you all, and congratulations to all who did receive appointments for the class of 2023.

Look up Wild Blue Yonder on YouTube. The most recent post is all about this. He applied 4 times! Was rejected 3 times, but he is now in his Doolie year!

 

[Carm23]

Take this with a grain of salt because the info I’m giving you may not be completely accurate.

You WCS (whole candidate score) has different parts or sections. The academic part is what’s weighted the most, but it isn’t the ONLY THING the academy looks at, although I’m sure you know this. Within the academic score, they weight SAT/ACT first, class rank second, and your GPA third. This means that if you did well on the ACT (30+) or SAT (1200+ to even be looked at but hopefully high 1200 or into the 1300/1400 range) you could outweigh a lower than usual GPA. Also keep in mind that clubs and achievements, especially those in which you held a leadership position, bode well for your application. I’m talking JROTC, Boy Scouts, CAP, Model UN/debate, NHS, and definitely sports (showing dedication to one sport is okay, but lots of applicants are 2 or 3 sport athletes).

Im a senior right now, and personally, I was in a similar situation you’re in. My junior year GPA ended up at a 3.4, but the Air Force is my dream and the academy will help me achieve my dream, so I applied. I received my Congressman’s principal nomination, which guarantees an appointment so long as other basic standards are met. Out of my 7 class schedule, 4 are APs. My GPA may have been below standards, but I’ve done my best to show the academy I care and that I want to succeed.

Again, take this with a grain of salt, but your GPA isn’t everything. I read a post on here a while back about someone who got in with a 3.18, so it’s not over for either of us. Good luck on your application (it’s one doozy of a process) and hopefully if all goes well for both of us I’ll see you in 2020 getting yelled at by some firsties!

 

[nolongeractive]

Hello, my name is Quentin and I am a junior in high school. During high school, I had a tough time in my freshman and sophomore years due to some personal reasons, which results in my 3.41 GPA. If I continue to do well this year, as well as take all AP classes next year and achieve mostly A's, would the Academy board, instead of looking at just my overall GPA(which would end up at a theoretical 3.8), acknowledge that I put forth my best effort to change my academic standing in my final years of high school? I am curious to see if it is worth it(I think it is) to take an extremely unnecessary course load my senior year, or if it would not be acknowledged at all by the academy board. Also, would a high ACT score help offset it and what else could help?

I think that it will help. Even if you don't get in, your application to other colleges will be bolstered, so it won't be a waste. Also, if you get a good score on the AP tests, you could save some money at other colleges. Further, you could also go to a military prep school, which makes it easier to get into the academies.