USAFA Summer Seminar Details

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neonloop

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Hello! I just got accepted to the USAFA Summer Seminar and just had a few quick and general questions.

Anyone have any advice on what I should do to possibly prepare for the Summer Seminar?

Does anyone have any general advice for the Summer Seminar or just anything they think would be useful to know?

And a last quick question. I know that the Academy themselves say being accepted or not has absolutely no impact on your appointment chances, but an ALO and Cadet had said that yes, it doesn't mean it's a one way ticket, but you got your name out there. Is there truth in that? I know it's a topic that is often up for debate so I was just curious what others with experience may think.

Thank you so much!
 
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Prepare yourself physically because you will have the option to take the CFA during summer seminar. It’s always good to put your name out there and attend a program so that you can see what life is like at USAFA.

Good Luck!
 
The official statement from the USAFA admissions site is:

Please keep in mind that selection to attend Summer Seminar is NOT in any way a prerequisite for admission to the Academy. Summer Seminar is NOT a pre-screening or pre-selection program. All students applying for Summer Seminar are encouraged to apply for appointment to the Academy, regardless of selection for Summer Seminar. There is no correlation between selection for Summer Seminar and appointment to the Academy. If you are not selected for Summer Seminar, it should not be interpreted as a reflection on your qualifications or ability to successfully pursue an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy.​

Summer seminar is listed as an outreach program that helps broaden the base of student that might be interested in applying to the academy. If you don't get accepted, please don't dwell on it. If you do, then make the most of the opportunity (bad attitude/performance at SS may cause a negative impact on your application).
 
neonloop said:
Hello! I just got accepted to the USAFA Summer Seminar and just had a few quick and general questions.

Anyone have any advice on what I should do to possibly prepare for the Summer Seminar?

Does anyone have any general advice for the Summer Seminar or just anything they think would be useful to know?

And a last quick question. I know that the Academy themselves say being accepted or not has absolutely no impact on your appointment chances, but an ALO and Cadet had said that yes, it doesn't mean it's a one way ticket, but you got your name out there. Is there truth in that? I know it's a topic that is often up for debate so I was just curious what others with experience may think.

Thank you so much!
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thats awesome that you got in! I will see you there in June
 
neonloop said:
Hello! I just got accepted to the USAFA Summer Seminar and just had a few quick and general questions.

Anyone have any advice on what I should do to possibly prepare for the Summer Seminar?

Does anyone have any general advice for the Summer Seminar or just anything they think would be useful to know?

And a last quick question. I know that the Academy themselves say being accepted or not has absolutely no impact on your appointment chances, but an ALO and Cadet had said that yes, it doesn't mean it's a one way ticket, but you got your name out there. Is there truth in that? I know it's a topic that is often up for debate so I was just curious what others with experience may think.

Thank you so much!
Click to expand...
First, congratulations on being accepted to the Summer Seminar.

I was also told that being accepted to summer seminar does not guarantee you being accepted into the Academy last year. I used the summer seminar as building block on my commitment to the Air Force Academy. On my nomination form, it specifically asked if I attended any summer seminar to any academy. This does help building a case for your commitment. When I interviewed with my MOC, I spoke of my experience at the summer seminar and what I learned from the experience. I received my appointment last month from the Air Force Academy.

My advice is ensuring your are physically ready for the program. I would make sure to do your research and ask questions of the cadets that will lead you while at the summer seminar. It was a great experience and enjoy it.
 
Sock said:
neonloop said:
Hello! I just got accepted to the USAFA Summer Seminar and just had a few quick and general questions.

Anyone have any advice on what I should do to possibly prepare for the Summer Seminar?

Does anyone have any general advice for the Summer Seminar or just anything they think would be useful to know?

And a last quick question. I know that the Academy themselves say being accepted or not has absolutely no impact on your appointment chances, but an ALO and Cadet had said that yes, it doesn't mean it's a one way ticket, but you got your name out there. Is there truth in that? I know it's a topic that is often up for debate so I was just curious what others with experience may think.

Thank you so much!
Click to expand...
thats awesome that you got in! I will see you there in June
Click to expand...
bizzy1013 said:
neonloop said:
Hello! I just got accepted to the USAFA Summer Seminar and just had a few quick and general questions.

Anyone have any advice on what I should do to possibly prepare for the Summer Seminar?

Does anyone have any general advice for the Summer Seminar or just anything they think would be useful to know?

And a last quick question. I know that the Academy themselves say being accepted or not has absolutely no impact on your appointment chances, but an ALO and Cadet had said that yes, it doesn't mean it's a one way ticket, but you got your name out there. Is there truth in that? I know it's a topic that is often up for debate so I was just curious what others with experience may think.

Thank you so much!
Click to expand...
First, congratulations on being accepted to the Summer Seminar.

I was also told that being accepted to summer seminar does not guarantee you being accepted into the Academy last year. I used the summer seminar as building block on my commitment to the Air Force Academy. On my nomination form, it specifically asked if I attended any summer seminar to any academy. This does help building a case for your commitment. When I interviewed with my MOC, I spoke of my experience at the summer seminar and what I learned from the experience. I received my appointment last month from the Air Force Academy.

My advice is ensuring your are physically ready for the program. I would make sure to do your research and ask questions of the cadets that will lead you while at the summer seminar. It was a great experience and enjoy it.
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Thank you so much for the advice and information!
 
I have said this before in previous years and will say it again. :)

I was rejected from summer seminar and got into USAFA the following year. I believe a significant fraction of the Cadet Wing could say the same thing. I wouldn't worry about it. Compared to the importance of what you accomplish in the next year, Summer Seminar is a hill of beans. (And as you probably knew, no one cares once you get here, UNLESS you show up to I-Day wearing a SS shirt. :director:)

Good luck! :thumb:
 
Make sure and actually read the ‘Not Selected’ letter. About 60pct of USAFA incoming class was NOT selected for SS. That’s the majority. It’s not a reflection of ones competitiveness. It cant be as they don’t have all the candidate information that will be required to compete. So do not be concerned at all if you weren’t selected. It means nothing. At all.
 
This may be a bit late, but congratulations on being accepted!

Like stated above, it would be beneficial to show up in good physical shape; when I went last year we did some morning workouts and a practice CFA.

When you first arrive at the Academy you will be given a roommate and the two of you will be assigned to an element of roughly 6 other summer seminar attendees. My number one recommendation for you would be to enjoy that week with your element and your roommate. I'm a pretty quiet person and didn't talk much for the first day or so, but by the end of the week our element felt like a family. I ended up staying up until like 2 in the morning the last day just talking with my roommate in our dorm, and I just wished we could have been able to have more time together. So just cherish and enjoy your summer seminar experience, because you will probably remember it forever.
 
Best preparation is to bring an open mind, a great attitide and thoughtful questions that can't be answered via the USAFA website or other easily accessible sources. You'll be interacting with cadets, active-duty officers and professors. So take advantage by asking questions that will help you with what lies ahead, at USAFA and on ADAF.

Oh, and run, run, run. Colo Springs sits above 6000 feet. If you're a flatlander, you'll likely feel it immediately and all week. DD said quite a few folks were throwing up in trash cans during PT because the altitude hit them hard.
 
HB2019 said:
Prepare yourself physically because you will have the option to take the CFA during summer seminar. It’s always good to put your name out there and attend a program so that you can see what life is like at USAFA.

Good Luck!
Click to expand...

I don’t know where you got this information, but I attended last year and no one was given the option to take the CFA when we were there do to altitude adjustment.
 
Last year there was barely any PT. We did CFA "stations" where they taught us technique but everything was very much self-paced. There was one morning where we did "PT" but it was also self-paced and pretty easy, although I went to the second session and I believe they changed the PT because during the first session too many people struggled because of the altitude.
 
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