USAFA essay prompts from year to year?
- Thread starter pv123
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They were the same from 26' to 27'.
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They definitely 'can' change, but if the AFA summer seminar essay is any indication, then the three essay prompts will likely be the same. We'll find out in July! However, students/candidates have lots of items they can address now, such as preparing for the CFA, seeking recommendation letters for their nominations, continuing to seek ways to expand their résumés with leadership opportunities, making plans for the summer, etc. 
You can start roughing out some general ideas. Challenges you've faced, special circumstances in your life, why you want to be an Officer. Put together a resume to capture everything you've done. Most importantly, research. Read everything you can on the application process, your nomination sources, CFA prep, and interview prep. You will need recommendations from your 11th-grade Math teacher and 11th Grade English teacher. I would give them a heads-up now, and arrange fro a contact method this summer, especially if they aren't coming back. The same goes for your guidance counselor. Some are great and really know about SAs, others, not so much. If at all possible, arrange for a good support system (parents, trusted advisor, teacher, etc) to run in the background, proofread, back you up on dates, and hold you accountable.
Don't forget about backup plans. Most schools start accepting applications in mid-Aug, so work on your common app in parallel with your SA plans. Realistically, the SAs have about a 10% acceptance rate so you need really solid backup plans.
Don't forget about backup plans. Most schools start accepting applications in mid-Aug, so work on your common app in parallel with your SA plans. Realistically, the SAs have about a 10% acceptance rate so you need really solid backup plans.
pv123
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Great to know. Thanks!
If there is one thing I wish I could have helped DD organize better, it would be all the essays.
At a minimum, you'll probably be asked Why military/this SA? About a time you failed/hardship, Diversity question, and the Anything You Want essay. The key is keeping these organized and then the nuances of word/character count. For example, I recall the USCGA and other SAs had similar prompts, but the catch was one was 250 words/characters and the others were 500/3000 or similar.
My advice; when you see all the essays - 5 SAs, ROTCs, civilian colleges, nomination sources - use index cards and put the prompt in it's entirety in the middle, then in the 4 corners write the SA/college/nom source, word/character count/due date, Essay # out of x (ie, if 3 essays inclusive of optional, this one is #1/3 etc) and on the back are notes on when/who/how you moved through it....like first draft, second draft, review by GC/English teacher, and then FINAL. Then you can put them in columns and see how many times you have to rehash the same essay, tweaking for word/character count.
Advice for parents: If you post/lurk, you're a helo just like me, so own it. Set up your own parent account on the common app now and work through the fill-in-the-blanks. When your child opens their own portal, they can blast through the nonsense bits, like your colleges/grad schools and move quickly to the meat - Honors, Activities, essays, and short answers. Key: anything that requires stringing together a sentence or phrase and essays leave for your DD/DS. But once they know what's coming, for my DD it made it easy to know how many characters and yr vs. year vs yr. are tedious and to get those tweet length descriptions down early.
At a minimum, you'll probably be asked Why military/this SA? About a time you failed/hardship, Diversity question, and the Anything You Want essay. The key is keeping these organized and then the nuances of word/character count. For example, I recall the USCGA and other SAs had similar prompts, but the catch was one was 250 words/characters and the others were 500/3000 or similar.
My advice; when you see all the essays - 5 SAs, ROTCs, civilian colleges, nomination sources - use index cards and put the prompt in it's entirety in the middle, then in the 4 corners write the SA/college/nom source, word/character count/due date, Essay # out of x (ie, if 3 essays inclusive of optional, this one is #1/3 etc) and on the back are notes on when/who/how you moved through it....like first draft, second draft, review by GC/English teacher, and then FINAL. Then you can put them in columns and see how many times you have to rehash the same essay, tweaking for word/character count.
Advice for parents: If you post/lurk, you're a helo just like me, so own it. Set up your own parent account on the common app now and work through the fill-in-the-blanks. When your child opens their own portal, they can blast through the nonsense bits, like your colleges/grad schools and move quickly to the meat - Honors, Activities, essays, and short answers. Key: anything that requires stringing together a sentence or phrase and essays leave for your DD/DS. But once they know what's coming, for my DD it made it easy to know how many characters and yr vs. year vs yr. are tedious and to get those tweet length descriptions down early.
pv123
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Wow! What a great plan of attack! Love it. Thanks!!
This sounds like it would be helpful for my DS. Would you mind sharing a "template" of how you did it? I'm more visual, so I'm trying to picture.
@bethf , just try using a few index cards and see how you can organize. My DD has her drafts all over our spare bedroom and it would have been easier to use an index card to represent each essay. She used them for the common app descriptions and coalition, so if I remember correctly, it was 10 and 12 max on the activities section. That was a good way to move them around and "see" what were the most important things, what order, etc.
You will also have essay prompts from your Senators and Member of Congress. Pay attention to word counts. They are a maximum, not a recommended amount. Make each word count. It is a lot of writing, especially considering you also have a common app essay, plus essays for each backup school, and each service academy you apply to. Organization is key! Remember that you are writing to someone who has no idea who you are.
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Also, optional prompts or questions on the applications should not be viewed as extra homework. They are another opportunity to introduce yourself and say wonderfully flattering things about your candidacy. Don't throw those chances away. There is something interesting about everyone that does not fit into the lists and check boxes on the forms, and your job is to figure it out and highlight it. Maybe you played club sports instead of varsity, had to hold a job instead of some extra-curriculars, you moved twice and had trouble catching up at your last school, or this academy has been my dream since I was nine and is the only one I'm applying to and if you don't take me I'll reapply next year. There's frequently some small tale that'll illuminate your numbers or your motivations that you might want to think about in case a spot for it appears on the forms or in interviews.
No such thing as optional.
