USAFA Waiting Thread C/O 2027

Sqwak7700 said:
Thanks for your response. I read it with acute interest since we have some things in common. I am also a retired military aviator! And I agree that the best pilots didn't need to be the best students. Rather, they needed to practice the best CRM (crew resource management...names vary among institutions). The strongest pilots I've met combined superb airmanship skills with a healthy dose of humility. Some of the worst pilots I've worked with were extremely smart individuals, but completely lacking in any humility or modesty. The results ranged from "mildly annoying to fly with" to "downright dangerous."

My DD and I have come to the slow recognition that her lack of athletic prowess (and her petite form...she's 5'6" and 110 lbs) will probably not serve her well at USAFA. Example....We were at Yokota AFB for spring break (on a vacation) and I tried to imagine my daughter leading, motivating, and encouraging the recruits and airmen that we saw on base. The military has changed a lot since I got out 10 years ago. The military bearing, appearance, professionalism, weight standards, and even hygiene have all suffered in the intervening years. My experience at Yokota was a wake-up call....I couldn't really imagine my daughter being able to inspire and motivate many of those troops. She would probably have better luck building teams of engineers at Google than she would supervising watchstanders at a USAF command. The silver lining of all this is that she is going to be mostly immune to the sting of a TWE from USAFA next week. It'll probably bother me more than her. At this point, she might even decline an appointment.

I hope you get good news. It would be a thrilling to receive an appointment. But if his outcome is TWE, I also hope that he has a good backup plan that he can get excited about and quickly pivot towards with eagerness. Our "backup" plan has emerged as the new primary plan, and we're excited about it.
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Is it realistic to think that most correspondence from USAFA next week will be TWEs with only a handful of appointments? I don’t want to delude myself.
 
Sqwak7700 said:
One thing that's coming into starker focus for me (as I gather anecdotal information from conversations with the parents of other applicants, newspaper articles, and this forum) is that I completely underestimated USAFA's emphasis on sports and athletics as a precursor for admission. I'm pretty certain a TWE is in our future this week. Like many parents here might be doing, I'm already conducting a "post-mortem" to determine where my DD probably came up short....and it can only come down to her relatively modest participation in organized sports. 10 AP classes in high school, 9 honors classes, Calculus course completed (A-) at the community college over the summer between junior and senor year. Absolute straight A's at the end of every semester...not one B on her report card ever. Civil Air Patrol Master Sgt and "Cadet of the Year" award last year. Completed Girls State, USAFA Summer seminar, Coast Guard AIM, and Civil Air Patrol encampment last summer. 2 summers of employment that required Red Cross certification. Swim team at a summer swim club....but not at school, and not "lettered" in any way. SAT was right in the middle of their bell curve (50 percent scored higher, and 50 percent lower). Every conversation with a parent (at summer seminar and CG AIM, or just via networking) starts with "What sports does your child play?" Conversations are never about the rigors of our kids' schoolwork. The academies don't want super-star students with stellar leadership qualities. They want superior students who are physically competitive, aggressive, and channel their ambition with laser like focus. I assumed the Academy would value a productive and inspiring collaborator as much as a competitor. I don't believe that anymore. A solid academic record will get your foot in the door. But sports and athletics will distinguish an applicant over everything else.
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Since she did AIM, did she apply to the CGA?

In terms of academics, I wouldn't underestimate the importance of SAT/ACT. What I gather is that those test scores, particularly math, seem to be considerably more important than grades/having a 4.0. Personally, I agree with that idea, but I could certainly see that as a bitter pill to swallow for a high-class-rank/moderate SAT applicant.

Finally, the only kid my son knows who has a direct appointment to USAFA so far was not a varsity sport letterman, but he is otherwise a high SAT/grades/CAP applicant. So I'm not entirely convinced that your read is correct.
 
AdrianStonebreaker said:
Is it realistic to think that most correspondence from USAFA next week will be TWEs with only a handful of appointments? I don’t want to delude myself.
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At the risk of being corrected by posters with direct knowledge, while it seems that this week should provide AN answer to most everybody, I believe there are a considerable amount of offers remaining. And I suspect they will be parceled out through May. Of course, I could also be entirely wrong.
 
AdrianStonebreaker said:
Is it realistic to think that most correspondence from USAFA next week will be TWEs with only a handful of appointments? I don’t want to delude myself.
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As an ALO, I have to temper my posts at times; this is one of those times.

Plan on a VERY large number of "non-select" notifications to go out on the 21st. They may choose to start them earlier, or later.

Will there be "many/ANY" offers of appointment sent out this week, as in a "large group" or "slug"? The answer is, "I don't have anything from USAFA/RRS that says they will and I don't have anything that says they won't." However, past experiences tell me that they've probably made the vast majority of their offers already. Why do I say this?

May 1st is traditionally the deadline to accept/decline offers of appointment. I haven't seen anything from USAFA that has changed that for this year. If any of you has an offer, is that the date they gave you? With that date only two weeks away, it makes sense that most offers are out there. Once those decisions are made, if there are many declinations, then USAFA/RRS will return to their list of qualified alternates and make offers on a case-by-case basis until they fill the class.

I know this isn't the answer anyone wants to hear.

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
flieger83 said:
As an ALO, I have to temper my posts at times; this is one of those times.

Plan on a VERY large number of "non-select" notifications to go out on the 21st. They may choose to start them earlier, or later.

Will there be "many/ANY" offers of appointment sent out this week, as in a "large group" or "slug"? The answer is, "I don't have anything from USAFA/RRS that says they will and I don't have anything that says they won't." However, past experiences tell me that they've probably made the vast majority of their offers already. Why do I say this?

May 1st is traditionally the deadline to accept/decline offers of appointment. I haven't seen anything from USAFA that has changed that for this year. If any of you has an offer, is that the date they gave you? With that date only two weeks away, it makes sense that most offers are out there. Once those decisions are made, if there are many declinations, then USAFA/RRS will return to their list of qualified alternates and make offers on a case-by-case basis until they fill the class.

I know this isn't the answer anyone wants to hear.

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
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Steve,
This is almost verbatim what my ALO friend told me. This was after the last big drop on 20 March. Again, just as you said, it was his educated guess. He said start working harder on Plan B, but not to give up! As long as your portal says 100%, you’re not done yet. We took his advice and paid the deposit at another university so he could select housing.
There are so many great people on this forum, and I wish the best for all of them!
 
Tigers2023 said:
Steve,
This is almost verbatim what my ALO friend told me. This was after the last big drop on 20 March. Again, just as you said, it was his educated guess. He said start working harder on Plan B, but not to give up! As long as your portal says 100%, you’re not done yet. We took his advice and paid the deposit at another university so he could select housing.
There are so many great people on this forum, and I wish the best for all of them!
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Your ALO and I have the same "source."

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
franknd said:
Since she did AIM, did she apply to the CGA?

In terms of academics, I wouldn't underestimate the importance of SAT/ACT. What I gather is that those test scores, particularly math, seem to be considerably more important than grades/having a 4.0. Personally, I agree with that idea, but I could certainly see that as a bitter pill to swallow for a high-class-rank/moderate SAT applicant.

Finally, the only kid my son knows who has a direct appointment to USAFA so far was not a varsity sport letterman, but he is otherwise a high SAT/grades/CAP applicant. So I'm not entirely convinced that your read is correct.
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After completing CG AIM, she did NOT apply to the USCGA. She realized she was an aeronautical and space domain enthusiast, and not a "nautical" ocean going person. She was impressed with the Coast Guard (frankly speaking, they ran a *much* tighter program than USAFA's summer session), but just wasn't into the CG mission. She also made it very clear in her USAFA app that she would NOT be applying to the USCGA, or any other academy.
 
@flieger83 - Does USAFA do a waitlist like USNA? Reviewing past Class appointment there are
flieger83 said:
Your ALO and I have the same "source."

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
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@flieger83 - Does USAFA do a waitlist like USNA? I thought I saw some appointments came after a TWE and changed to appointment in previous year board. Does that happened?
 
FVHSGrad2023 said:
@flieger83 - Does USAFA do a waitlist like USNA? Reviewing past Class appointment there are

@flieger83 - Does USAFA do a waitlist like USNA? I thought I saw some appointments came after a TWE and changed to appointment in previous year board. Does that happened?
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USAFA maintains a list of fully qualified candidates that are "rank ordered: in a "rack and stack." This gives each candidate a "weighted composite score or WCS." So, a candidate that had a high "WCS" might receive a TWE...and then later, after several candidates decline their appointment offers, that previous candidate might suddenly be "next in line." And then USAFA/RRS could reach out to them with an "oh, by the way..." message.

It's not that common, but it does happen occasionally.

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
flieger83 said:
USAFA maintains a list of fully qualified candidates that are "rank ordered: in a "rack and stack." This gives each candidate a "weighted composite score or WCS." So, a candidate that had a high "WCS" might receive a TWE...and then later, after several candidates decline their appointment offers, that previous candidate might suddenly be "next in line." And then USAFA/RRS could reach out to them with an "oh, by the way..." message.

It's not that common, but it does happen occasionally.

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
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If a candidate declines their appointment is attached to a Senator or MOC, does a person from the same slate get offer an appointment or do they just pick the candidate with the highest WCS?
 
I am hoping to not receive a TWE, but it is seeming more likely as the days pass. Would it be worth it to apply for the class of 2028, especially in my case of being a third-time applicant when that admissions cycle begins?
 
flieger83 said:
As an ALO, I have to temper my posts at times; this is one of those times.

Plan on a VERY large number of "non-select" notifications to go out on the 21st. They may choose to start them earlier, or later.

Will there be "many/ANY" offers of appointment sent out this week, as in a "large group" or "slug"? The answer is, "I don't have anything from USAFA/RRS that says they will and I don't have anything that says they won't." However, past experiences tell me that they've probably made the vast majority of their offers already. Why do I say this?

May 1st is traditionally the deadline to accept/decline offers of appointment. I haven't seen anything from USAFA that has changed that for this year. If any of you has an offer, is that the date they gave you? With that date only two weeks away, it makes sense that most offers are out there. Once those decisions are made, if there are many declinations, then USAFA/RRS will return to their list of qualified alternates and make offers on a case-by-case basis until they fill the class.

I know this isn't the answer anyone wants to hear.

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
Click to expand...
Yes, My DS was given a May 1 deadline to accept his appointment (appointment was received in Jan).
 
Sqwak7700 said:
One thing that's coming into starker focus for me (as I gather anecdotal information from conversations with the parents of other applicants, newspaper articles, and this forum) is that I completely underestimated USAFA's emphasis on sports and athletics as a precursor for admission. I'm pretty certain a TWE is in our future this week. Like many parents here might be doing, I'm already conducting a "post-mortem" to determine where my DD probably came up short....and it can only come down to her relatively modest participation in organized sports. 10 AP classes in high school, 9 honors classes, Calculus course completed (A-) at the community college over the summer between junior and senor year. Absolute straight A's at the end of every semester...not one B on her report card ever. Civil Air Patrol Master Sgt and "Cadet of the Year" award last year. Completed Girls State, USAFA Summer seminar, Coast Guard AIM, and Civil Air Patrol encampment last summer. 2 summers of employment that required Red Cross certification. Swim team at a summer swim club....but not at school, and not "lettered" in any way. SAT was right in the middle of their bell curve (50 percent scored higher, and 50 percent lower). Every conversation with a parent (at summer seminar and CG AIM, or just via networking) starts with "What sports does your child play?" Conversations are never about the rigors of our kids' schoolwork. The academies don't want super-star students with stellar leadership qualities. They want superior students who are physically competitive, aggressive, and channel their ambition with laser like focus. I assumed the Academy would value a productive and inspiring collaborator as much as a competitor. I don't believe that anymore. A solid academic record will get your foot in the door. But sports and athletics will distinguish an applicant over everything else.
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Hi

If your DD doesn't get an offer, then that will change my whole outlook on this whole thing. She sounds like a phenomenal kid.
 
ALO's

I'm wondering how much weight/clout LOR's from flag officers are given? My DS got a glowing one from an active 2-star.
 
Skyhigh315 said:
ALO's

I'm wondering how much weight/clout LOR's from flag officers are given? My DS got a glowing one from an active 2-star.
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Great question! I assume most FGO and above LORs are about the same. An active 2-star is certainly impressive and as a board member, I'd like to know if the 2-star actually knows the kid or just hooking up a parent. Hopefully, the letter will articulate an actual relationship more than just a "push". The SA board members would be able to distinguish the difference.
 
FAR Cadet said:
I am hoping to not receive a TWE, but it is seeming more likely as the days pass. Would it be worth it to apply for the class of 2028, especially in my case of being a third-time applicant when that admissions cycle begins?
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ABSOLUTELY YES! For DS, "Third time's the Charm"! Two years of no appointments to any SAs and this third go around he was offered appointments at all three SAs he applied to. USCGA, USAFA and USMA.
In his case he worked extraordinarily hard to strengthen everything in his applications, especially leadership activities. He's at MMI where he has truly grown and matured. They offered great support, etc....But we can't help thinking that just the fact that he was willing to apply this third time weighed heavily with admissions at ea Academy.
I am no expert, but feel confident in telling you that Perseverance is a huge plus in the eyes of the gatekeepers. Both congressional and SA admissions.
We come from a very competitive district in N.TX, so when he received his decline last year, and naturally didn't feel it was "fair", I said, "yes, you are very well qualified, and maybe you could have received appointment, but are you the best qualified in our congressional district"???
So reapply, Yes! But outwork the odds, and be determined to be "best qualified" in your district! Good Luck!
 
Skyhigh315 said:
Hi

If your DD doesn't get an offer, then that will change my whole outlook on this whole thing. She sounds like a phenomenal kid.
Click to expand...
Skyhigh315 said:
Hi

If your DD doesn't get an offer, then that will change my whole outlook on this whole thing. She sounds like a phenomenal kid.
Click to expand...
Honestly my whole opinion of this process is not good right now! My DD has Two Congressional nominations - maintains a 4.3 GPA all honors and AP classes - Team competitive gymnast for the past 10 years, Student pilot with several solos under her belt, volunteer coach at gym, National Spanish honors society and just an all around amazing kid - cryptic message from her today seems like she might have received a rejection - Not hearing back just a :( text from her. My heart is breaking right now
 
Beach66 said:
Honestly my whole opinion of this process is not good right now! My DD has Two Congressional nominations - maintains a 4.3 GPA all honors and AP classes - Team competitive gymnast for the past 10 years, Student pilot with several solos under her belt, volunteer coach at gym, National Spanish honors society and just an all around amazing kid - cryptic message from her today seems like she might have received a rejection - Not hearing back just a :( text from her. My heart is breaking right now
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She sounds like an amazing kid. DD was turned down last week from USNA and we're still waiting to hear from USAFA. In the same boat, but don't be discouraged. As @Capt MJ and so many others have stated, these are ALL amazing kids. It is heartbreaking and stings a bit, but don't let it change your outlook. She should apply again! Perseverance and determination goes a long way.
 
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