USAFA Waiting Thread C/O 2027

[bballdad]

DS got the USAFA TWE on the 18th - no email, just showed up on his portal. He had already received appointments to USNA and USMA months ago. Based upon lurking and participation in the forum, I'll never quite understand how these admissions folks make their decisions, but I think the most accurate answer is "It depends. Lots of variables. Do your best."

Good luck to all those who are waiting. If you're here, you or your child should be commended on many fronts regardless of the outcome... and GO NAVY!

 

[1967chevy]

What does it mean if I still haven’t heard back by this time? Are my chances of receiving a TWE higher? Or is it a good thing to not have heard back yet?

I’m in the same boat

 

[Pattonsghost]

I’m in the same boat

What does it mean if I still haven’t heard back by this time? Are my chances of receiving a TWE higher? Or is it a good thing to not have heard back yet?

I don't think it's possible to know. My only guess is that by the end of this week most people will know one way or another. It seems clear that USAFA has back-loaded the TWE which is probably smart. It means they have been building the class without prematurely rejecting people. Somebody on the USMA page said they got a TWE in January or February and then like a month or so later they got an acceptance letter. No explanation it was just there.

 

[ConflictedMom]

Nothing to hide my friend. I am on the global and happy to hear from others in the same shoes. Best of luck to all, my son believes those that got in are just better and I will not deter him (no matter what Dad really thinks). Im very bitter but it helps nothing to be angry and he has been accepted to another really great school in a great location and I really look forward to spending the entire summer together, lots of flying and traveling!

Let me start this reply with I am not wearing my tin hat (currently). Also, my DS received his TWE yesterday. I want to be honest and allow anyone reading beyond this point to understand my motivation in this response. My DS is exceptionally qualified, and he checked every box that we are aware of. However, there are many similarly amazing DSs and DDs being mentioned in this thread, and I can identify areas where he could have improved his application. Still, realistically he did not lack in any area. He had MOC and Senator nomination for USAFA, 8 AP classes, 2 years of Calculus, great SAT, GPA, Class rank, 7 Varsity letters, Team captain for two different sports, crushed the CFA ....you get the picture. Many sons and daughters meet, and some exceed his achievements, and yet here we are, trying to understand why they received a TWE. For the last 2 hours, I have been combing the USAFA Academy forum, looking through all of the posts back to 2006 (yes, I am obsessed). I can't find a single year when so many amazingly qualified candidates were rejected (I didn't see many posts where people even mentioned their stats). I didn't find a single post in the last 3 years where anyone with your son's qualifications, or my son's, were reporting a TWE. Yet I have counted over 10 posts in this thread where a parent/applicant posts amazing achievements followed by a TWE.

At this point, I don't know what the SAs are looking for. I do know that outside of the SAs, there is a push to promote DEI at our local universities. The Supreme Court will release a ruling in June addressing Asian students v. Harvard admissions which is being watched closely by the admissions offices across the country. I saw a regression analysis of a University of California data set that showed acceptance positively correlated with certain zip codes and negatively correlated with others. There was also an analysis showing a positive correlation between lower California standardized test scores for English with acceptance to California universities (above a certain score, the applicant had a decreased probability of acceptance). My DS has friends who were AP students and weren't accepted into a single California University. We are living in strange times. I am leaving my tin hat on the table and will assume that nothing nefarious is happening and that the SAs will continue to be merit-based, but for this to be true, this year has to be a serious anomaly. On to PLan 1B!

Thank you for your service and enjoy your retirement!

I will say that we saw the same with civilian unis this year. I live in NJ, our school district is #1 out of the 300+ in the state in diversity (student population speaks 62 languages). DS is a first generation American (both dad & I are foreign-born naturalized citizens) and he is three or more races (the ones that tick all the DEI boxes). His qualifications ranked him above the averages (SATs, GPA, etc) for the cohort that are normally accepted to these schools.

He received rejections from the Ivies, multiple prestige engineering schools in CA. He was recruited hard from universities in the midwest, the south, and the East Coast. He received hundreds of thousands in scholarship offers from places that didn't rank high on his preference list. It was a bit like whiplash with such a disparity in his college search process.

He reached out to USAFA admissions to understand why he was rejected and received a generic email in response stating that he should try to reapply next year, take more challenging classes (at 17 he's 4 classes shy of an associates degree and has taken 13 APs & is a National Merit Scholar, AP Scholar w/Distinction, etc.) to increase his likelihood of an acceptance next year.

I'd say we can probably attribute this year's anomaly to two things; economic downturn with rising college costs and the TOP Gun effect.

 

[Osprey123]

I will say that we saw the same with civilian unis this year. I live in NJ, our school district is #1 out of the 300+ in the state in diversity (student population speaks 62 languages). DS is a first generation American (both dad & I are foreign-born naturalized citizens) and he is three or more races (the ones that tick all the DEI boxes). His qualifications ranked him above the averages (SATs, GPA, etc) for the cohort that are normally accepted to these schools.

He received rejections from the Ivies, multiple prestige engineering schools in CA. He was recruited hard from universities in the midwest, the south, and the East Coast. He received hundreds of thousands in scholarship offers from places that didn't rank high on his preference list. It was a bit like whiplash with such a disparity in his college search process.

He reached out to USAFA admissions to understand why he was rejected and received a generic email in response stating that he should try to reapply next year, take more challenging classes (at 17 he's 4 classes shy of an associates degree and has taken 14 APs & is a National Merit Scholar, AP Scholar w/Distinction, etc.) to increase his likelihood of an acceptance next year.

I'd say we can probably attribute this year's anomaly to two things; economic downturn with rising college costs and the TOP Gun effect.

He needed to get his SATs into an elite range not above average especially if academics was his selling point. 1540+ or at least a 34 ACT could have sealed the deal. Most kids applying to highly selective schools aim for a 35 ACT.

As a NMS, he should have great affordable options. And if it is his dream reapply.

 

[Korab]

My DD (also NJ) has a resume very similar to you DS...although your son eclipses her on the SAT and number of AP classes. Here's what I'm convinced of.....it's athletics. They value athletics way more than they claim. They actively recruit and woo athletes with visits, phone calls, and letters encuraging them to apply. They make early agreements with them. Parents of USAFA applicants will ALWAYS open conversations with "what sports does your kid play?" There is no similar push for academic superstars. It is what it is. I would not encourage bright, scholarly, collaborative kids to apply to the service academies. It's for superior (but not superstar) academics with varsity sport achievements and leadership.

How conceited of you to think those two things can’t co-exist. You’d be surprised at how many recruited athletes are on the supe’s list.

 

[ConflictedMom]

He needed to get his SATs into an elite range not above average especially if academics was his selling point.

Academics wasn't his only selling point. He had the trifecta of athletics, academics and leadership along with 4 years JROTC, several years of Civil Air Patrol, a private pilot license, Scouts, volunteer hours, teaching for the S.A.F.E. Aviation Initiative, and "Diversity". He wasn't just one row on the bingo card.

Many schools are making SATs optional or not required as the data continues to show that the test is not a strong indicator of academic success.

My point if it wasn't clear; is that there hasn't been transparency on the criteria of selection and if the criteria as of late is weighted heavily on diversity then his diversity plus being a strong candidate that checked off the holy trinity should have tipped in his favor.

When asking for feedback (as has been suggested by many on the thread) the response he received from admissions team to his email was; improve your academics.
______________________
I thank everyone who has posted messages, it has been extremely helpful as we processed our emotions on receiving his TWE. We are at the "acceptance stage" of the grief cycle. While he's received an opt for the Naval Prep School I can't see squandering a year when he's not academically-athletic-leadership deficient.

To say as a non-military family that we were ignorant on this process at the onset is an understatement (we celebrated when he got his MOC nomination thinking we had it in the bag). The community on this board have provided a wealth of knowledge to educate us along the way. For which we grateful.

As many have identified there's always a Plan B and we're moving on to evaluating the 7 scholarship packages for the unis he received.

 

[DTT!FSA!]

Lots of sour grapes and barely-veiled compensatory defense-mechanism-bragging going on this year in this and several other threads.

I get it. Rejection sucks. And sometimes it sucks more for parents, especially parents who are living vicariously through their kids, than it does for the applicants themselves.

Every year there is speculation that the only way an applicant didn't receive an offer of appointment is because of some bias in the system.

Because it's easier to blame the rejection on some amorphous conspiracy than the fact that offers of appointment are extremely hard to receive and that the various Academies are completing jigsaw puzzles with many different pieces. Duplicate pieces, regardless of how precisely cut, are not needed in the final product unless one of the originally positioned pieces becomes lost, or damaged.

 

[franknd]

While he's received an opt for the Naval Prep School I can't see squandering a year when he's not academically-athletic-leadership deficient.

I'm shaking my head at this. I'm certain there are thousands of unsuccessful SA applicants this year who would crawl through broken glass for this offer. Kudos to your son for receiving it, and I certainly wish him well whatever he chooses; but dismissing the offer out of hand -- presuming the applicant really wanted an academy appointment -- is kind of hard to fathom. In any event, I'm also certain that if he does turn it down, another fortunate applicant will eagerly celebrate his/her great fortune.

 

[Jetbill]

Sponsored prep is an amazing opportunity. If adding 1 year is that much of a hindrance, and it really feels like "squandering" a year, then obviously Service Academy is not for you. Even Academic superstars are far better prepared for SA life with a year of Prep. Statistics show that outcomes and retention are considerably higher with prep for SAs, despite Academic results in HS. Just not applicable nearly as much for Civilian U.
Tons of kids going to civilian universities take 5 years to graduate anyways.
No offense, and maybe Im off base for suggesting this. (And believe me I understand your frustration). But i hope you're not gonna let the sting of a percieved "slighting" stand in the way of an unbelievably awesome opportunity. If that is indeed the case, I know there will be someone just as "qualified" who will jump at the same opportunity in your place.
In the face of your self admitted "ignorance" of this pathway, i beg of you to keep an openmind. Your suggested opportunity of sponsored prep almost certainly has NOTHING to do with being "academically-athletic-leadership deficient", as you suggested. On the contrary, they WANT your child. They likely just don't have the space out of your district. This is mostly not a national competion or award ceremony. More of an audition. (As someone wisely noted earlier in this thread). Geography is not everything, but plays a huge part.
If your kid truly wants to serve our nation, there are other paths, but the Naval Academy Academy is obviously very successful to this end. They build world class Leaders.
Respectfully, please reconsider the opportunity.

 

[HopefulMom4]

Academics wasn't his only selling point. He had the trifecta of athletics, academics and leadership along with 4 years JROTC, several years of Civil Air Patrol, a private pilot license, Scouts, volunteer hours, teaching for the S.A.F.E. Aviation Initiative, and "Diversity". He wasn't just one row on the bingo card.

Many schools are making SATs optional or not required as the data continues to show that the test is not a strong indicator of academic success.

My point if it wasn't clear; is that there hasn't been transparency on the criteria of selection and if the criteria as of late is weighted heavily on diversity then his diversity plus being a strong candidate that checked off the holy trinity should have tipped in his favor.

When asking for feedback (as has been suggested by many on the thread) the response he received from admissions team to his email was; improve your academics.
______________________
I thank everyone who has posted messages, it has been extremely helpful as we processed our emotions on receiving his TWE. We are at the "acceptance stage" of the grief cycle. While he's received an opt for the Naval Prep School I can't see squandering a year when he's not academically-athletic-leadership deficient.

To say as a non-military family that we were ignorant on this process at the onset is an understatement (we celebrated when he got his MOC nomination thinking we had it in the bag). The community on this board have provided a wealth of knowledge to educate us along the way. For which we grateful.

As many have identified there's always a Plan B and we're moving on to evaluating the 7 scholarship packages for the unis he received.

Did they actually say “improve your academics?” This is unlike the email my child received which gave a numbered list of items to improve on. Maybe this varies by team. I do see that your son received a nomination. We have to remember that every applicant is compared to the others in their nomination category. I’m sure he’s outstanding, but it is something to think about going forward (if he wants to apply again.)

 

[Pattonsghost]

I'm shaking my head at this. I'm certain there are thousands of unsuccessful SA applicants this year who would crawl through broken glass for this offer. Kudos to your son for receiving it, and I certainly wish him well whatever he chooses; but dismissing the offer out of hand -- presuming the applicant really wanted an academy appointment -- is kind of hard to fathom. In any event, I'm also certain that if he does turn it down, another fortunate applicant will eagerly celebrate his/her great fortune.

Plus, unless Navy is different from the other SA, prep school offers are, by definition, for candidates who are "deficient" in some way. USMA, for example, will only admit people who did not qualify academically. So, something very specific must need work and they think that a year at a Prep can possibly remedy

 

[Texas_Dad]

I'm shaking my head at this. I'm certain there are thousands of unsuccessful SA applicants this year who would crawl through broken glass for this offer. Kudos to your son for receiving it, and I certainly wish him well whatever he chooses; but dismissing the offer out of hand -- presuming the applicant really wanted an academy appointment -- is kind of hard to fathom. In any event, I'm also certain that if he does turn it down, another fortunate applicant will eagerly celebrate his/her great fortune.

My DD too has a NAPS appointment and will attend in a heartbeat if not accepted to USAFA. ANY appointment is awesome!! I suspect we will hear from USAFA tomorrow as her portal has yet to be updated with a golden envelope. Good luck everyone!!

 

[Texas_Dad]

My DD is now on a USAFA Prep School wait list. Glad to be on it but does this ever end.

 

[usafacan2023]

My DD is now on a USAFA Prep School wait list. Glad to be on it but does this ever end.

How do you know she’s on the wait list?

 

[AFDAD718]

My DD also found out this evening that she is on the prep wait list.

The golden envelope said,

“We have determined that you would be an excellent candidate to attend our Preparatory School should an opening become available. Therefore, we are offering you the opportunity to be placed on our waitlist to enter the United States Air Force Academy Preparatory School.”

 

[AFDAD718]

My DD too has a NAPS appointment and will attend in a heartbeat if not accepted to USAFA. ANY appointment is awesome!! I suspect we will hear from USAFA tomorrow as her portal has yet to be updated with a golden envelope. Good luck everyone!!

Congrats! My DD was also accepted into NAPS and got word she is on the waiting list for USAFAPA. She’d prefer to go AF but will certainly go to NAPS. How are you guys planning on remaining in the running for the waitlist and still respond to the NAPS 1 May deadline?

 

[cottontail1111]

Congrats! My DD was also accepted into NAPS and got word she is on the waiting list for USAFAPA. She’d prefer to go AF but will certainly go to NAPS. How are you guys planning on remaining in the running for the waitlist and still respond to the NAPS 1 May deadline?

My DS is same situation as your DD.at least no more stress for waiting.

 

[Bamagirl33]

Well, April 21st is finally here! (And really hoping today is the day - and not the 24th as some have indicated!) Sending good luck, prayers, or good vibes (whatever your fancy) for great news today! I work in child welfare and see intense sadness every day, Let’s all be thankful we have such amazing kids that have gotten to this point. It really does give me hope for humanity!

 

[Texas_Dad]

Congrats! My DD was also accepted into NAPS and got word she is on the waiting list for USAFAPA. She’d prefer to go AF but will certainly go to NAPS. How are you guys planning on remaining in the running for the waitlist and still respond to the NAPS 1 May deadline?

We spoke to my DD’s AF ALO and NAPS admissions a few weeks ago. Both told us to accept the NAPS appointment ASAP because it’s reserves your spot and does NOT commit you to going. If accepted to AF Prep we will simply go to her NAPS portal and decline the offer.