blueskies18

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Jan 20, 2022
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130
I am currently a grade 11 student (a junior), studying in Toronto, Canada, as an American citizen (dual citizenship). I am starting to think seriously about applications for next year, and was wondering if anyone had any advice. In terms of the fitness, I also needed some tips on how I could improve my times/numbers, since I know they arent great right now. Currently here are some of my stats: Pushups-27, Situps-35, 1-mile run: 8:30 (I'm a female, so compared to those standards). My main extracurriculars are: Royal Canadian Air Cadets, learning Russian, flying planes (just got my private pilots license), and work (Im a TA for a math school + work at a helicopter company), plus the athletics council at my school and a couple small clubs My grades range from 88-99, and I still have to take the ACT/SAT. Based on this information, how do my chances on getting in look/how can I improve in the next couple months. Any advice appreciated :)
 
Extracurriculars: looks good, just make sure that you are learning and gaining valuable leadership experience. The Academy values depth over breadth, so pick 3-5 of your best/favorite extracurriculars and really pour your time and efforts into those.

Physical: Not sure if you do a sport, but if you are involved in one, stay in. I haven't looked at the CFA standards in a while, but I think that you will benefit from improving pushups and situps. Run looks decent, but just keep in mind that you are going to be running after doing pullups, pushups and whatever other crazy stuff the CFA includes. The key to improving physical fitness is consistency. It doesn't matter if you do a killer workout only once a month. Work with a high school coach or go online and find a workout routine that fits your goals. Aim to exercise 3-4 times a week, and you will be well prepared for the CFA your senior year. Additionally, a workout partner can also go a long way in holding you accountable when it is cold and rainy outside and your bed is nice and warm.

Academics: Definitely take the ACT/SAT soon. Most candidates retake them at least once if not twice. You will want to have enough time to rest/recuperate/study between attempts. As always, make sure you are challenging yourself with the academic courses you are taking in school while maintaining good grades.
 
You have an impressive start! I have a couple nuggets of advice to offer, but the decision is yours to make as to whether or not you'll take them.

Extracurriculars - Your learning of Russian is great, but how well do you know it? If you are learning more than what your graduation minimum requires, go for a Seal of Biliteracy (which can usually be obtained through passing a level 4 AP test in your desired language). It shows dedication to learning a language, and will help you with your application to USAFA and even some jobs. Your PPL is amazing, but only if you're looking to be a pilot in the Air Force. Is that truly what you want to do? The same applies for your position at the helicopter company. You say you are in a couple small clubs at your school, but are you in any national-level clubs? I'm not sure exactly how the system works in Canada, but join a club or organization that's larger than just your school. In the U.S. we have National Honor Society, so see if you can join that through your dual citizenship or join a Canadian equivalent. Are you in any leadership positions in your clubs? Do you manage anything? If not, do so immediately. The same goes for your job. If possible, also try to volunteer as frequently as possible, and become a servant-leader.

Academics - Push. That. GPA. Higher. If you aren't already on the path to be Valedictorian, then get straight A's like you life depends on it. I believe the most currently released class information showed a cadet average of 3.89 on a 4.0 system, but I'm not entirely sure. Strive to have the highest class rank possible. A competitive class rank would be within the top 8% of your class, but you should shoot for top 5%. Enroll yourself in the most challenging STEM courses that your school offers. An A+ in Algebra 2 as a senior is not even a bit impressive. Take the ACT or SAT as soon as possible!!! Those scores make up a considerable chunk of your academic rating during the admissions process, so it's important that you take one or the other multiple times and study to improve your score. You can choose either test to take, as you may find one easier than the other (as I find the SAT easier). A competitive ACT score would be a 32 composite, and a competitive SAT score would be a 1500.

Fitness - You say you are in the athletics council at your school, but are you in any sports? If not, it's never too late to join! I myself joined my first sport senior year, and it really helped me to lose weight and raise my fitness levels. I highly recommend you join Hockey, Cross Country, or Volleyball, all of which will improve your stamina and teach you some aspect of teamwork (which the academies LOVE seeing you learn). If you want to do even better, become a team captain or play for your school's varsity team. How often do you workout? As @Small_Goose mentioned in message #2, having a workout routine and/or partner will take you the extra mile to become more physically prepared for USAFA. Have you practiced the CFA yet? If not, start practicing it as you would if it was the official test once a week. Also try to practice each "event" on its own at first, then slowly begin adding them together in order. Minimum scores and events can be found here: <https://www.academyadmissions.com/requirements/physical/>

Motivation - Think hard about what you want to do in life. Think really hard, and think for a while. Are you ABSOLUTELY SURE that applying to USAFA is what YOU want to do, and not what your parents want you to do? If you join USAFA, you will receive a great many things. This includes but is not limited to: a monthly stipend while in the service academies, a community of peers that measure up to your level, a guaranteed career if you graduate, and an all-expenses-paid degree. However, joining a service academy also means a completely different lifestyle than what most other people experience. If you make it into an academy, there will be no boozing up with others, no sleeping in, no lavish shopping trips, no fancy outings with friends, little-to-no room for failure, little-to-no free time, and a helluva lot of hard work. If you graduate, you serve a minimum of 5 years in the military, with maybe even more depending on your career choice. If you do something illegal, you go to a completely different judicial system than regular citizens, one that is much harsher than a regular court. If you are expelled from an academy, it is very possible that you will have to pay 10s of thousands of dollars in reimbursement to the government for your education. Joining a service academy is an extraordinary challenge designed to only allow through the most hardworking, disciplined, and strong-willed people in the world. It has a great amount of hardships it will give you. If this does not sound like an challenge you are willing to endure, DO NOT APPLY.

I know that's a great deal of information to throw at you, but I hope that you stick with your decision of joining USAFA and potentially one of the other service academies. There's no other way to better yourself as a person, and if you believe in yourself, I believe in you. Good luck on your journey to the academy!
 
This piece of advice is more on the physical side, when it comes to training physically focus on what you need to improve on, and it should improve quickly. Fortunately, most of the CFA events are easy to improve upon. For running alternate speed and endurance runs, and when it comes to push ups, pull ups/flexed arm hang, and sit ups do them as much as possible. Those exercises respond very well to repetition I have found. I agree 100% with what the above replies said about academics, extra curricular activities, and motivation but just wanted to toss in a little advice that worked personally as well as for many others. It’s not about where you start physically, it’s where you end. Start now, work hard, stay consistent, and it will surely pay off.
 
You have an impressive start! I have a couple nuggets of advice to offer, but the decision is yours to make as to whether or not you'll take them.

Extracurriculars - Your learning of Russian is great, but how well do you know it? If you are learning more than what your graduation minimum requires, go for a Seal of Biliteracy (which can usually be obtained through passing a level 4 AP test in your desired language). It shows dedication to learning a language, and will help you with your application to USAFA and even some jobs. Your PPL is amazing, but only if you're looking to be a pilot in the Air Force. Is that truly what you want to do? The same applies for your position at the helicopter company. You say you are in a couple small clubs at your school, but are you in any national-level clubs? I'm not sure exactly how the system works in Canada, but join a club or organization that's larger than just your school. In the U.S. we have National Honor Society, so see if you can join that through your dual citizenship or join a Canadian equivalent. Are you in any leadership positions in your clubs? Do you manage anything? If not, do so immediately. The same goes for your job. If possible, also try to volunteer as frequently as possible, and become a servant-leader.

Academics - Push. That. GPA. Higher. If you aren't already on the path to be Valedictorian, then get straight A's like you life depends on it. I believe the most currently released class information showed a cadet average of 3.89 on a 4.0 system, but I'm not entirely sure. Strive to have the highest class rank possible. A competitive class rank would be within the top 8% of your class, but you should shoot for top 5%. Enroll yourself in the most challenging STEM courses that your school offers. An A+ in Algebra 2 as a senior is not even a bit impressive. Take the ACT or SAT as soon as possible!!! Those scores make up a considerable chunk of your academic rating during the admissions process, so it's important that you take one or the other multiple times and study to improve your score. You can choose either test to take, as you may find one easier than the other (as I find the SAT easier). A competitive ACT score would be a 32 composite, and a competitive SAT score would be a 1500.

Fitness - You say you are in the athletics council at your school, but are you in any sports? If not, it's never too late to join! I myself joined my first sport senior year, and it really helped me to lose weight and raise my fitness levels. I highly recommend you join Hockey, Cross Country, or Volleyball, all of which will improve your stamina and teach you some aspect of teamwork (which the academies LOVE seeing you learn). If you want to do even better, become a team captain or play for your school's varsity team. How often do you workout? As @Small_Goose mentioned in message #2, having a workout routine and/or partner will take you the extra mile to become more physically prepared for USAFA. Have you practiced the CFA yet? If not, start practicing it as you would if it was the official test once a week. Also try to practice each "event" on its own at first, then slowly begin adding them together in order. Minimum scores and events can be found here: <https://www.academyadmissions.com/requirements/physical/>

Motivation - Think hard about what you want to do in life. Think really hard, and think for a while. Are you ABSOLUTELY SURE that applying to USAFA is what YOU want to do, and not what your parents want you to do? If you join USAFA, you will receive a great many things. This includes but is not limited to: a monthly stipend while in the service academies, a community of peers that measure up to your level, a guaranteed career if you graduate, and an all-expenses-paid degree. However, joining a service academy also means a completely different lifestyle than what most other people experience. If you make it into an academy, there will be no boozing up with others, no sleeping in, no lavish shopping trips, no fancy outings with friends, little-to-no room for failure, little-to-no free time, and a helluva lot of hard work. If you graduate, you serve a minimum of 5 years in the military, with maybe even more depending on your career choice. If you do something illegal, you go to a completely different judicial system than regular citizens, one that is much harsher than a regular court. If you are expelled from an academy, it is very possible that you will have to pay 10s of thousands of dollars in reimbursement to the government for your education. Joining a service academy is an extraordinary challenge designed to only allow through the most hardworking, disciplined, and strong-willed people in the world. It has a great amount of hardships it will give you. If this does not sound like an challenge you are willing to endure, DO NOT APPLY.

I know that's a great deal of information to throw at you, but I hope that you stick with your decision of joining USAFA and potentially one of the other service academies. There's no other way to better yourself as a person, and if you believe in yourself, I believe in you. Good luck on your journey to the academy!
Thank you so much for all the information! I will definitely take all the advice and put in into action. The following will be a response to each of the comments:

Extracurriculars/Academics: I'll definitely try and get some sort of proof of my Russian learning, I agree with that. In terms of GPA, I currently have a 4.0, so I'll try and maintain that for next year which will be hard (also my school has no AP programs, but Im taking all University level courses, which are harder compared to the college level). And if I were to go to USAFA I would hope to become a pilot, and then my main goal after that would be to become an astronaut. I forgot to mention but I'm also a part of DECA, which is a national competition, and I am an executive so I train other members. In cadets I teach lessons to younger cadets since Im a Flight Corporal, and so that would be a sort of leadership role. I will definitely try and find something like the honour society.

Fitness: I am currently not on any sports since my school has not done them for 2 years because of covid. Its been really hard to try and find a playing sports team, but I am working on it. Pre covid I was on basketball, vball, track, cross country, etc. The advice about being consistent is really important, I really want to work on that. Ill start practicing now, and hopefully be ready in 6ish months.

Motivation: Im doing as much research as possible, but from everything I know I think that the USAFA would be the perfect fit for me. I like the good and the bad, and think it would really motivate me. I would be definitely going for myself, because if anything my parents would rather I go to a "normal" university.

Anyway, thank you for all the advice, I'll keep working on everything!
 
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