USAFAPS Questions

LFry94 said:
Hello everyone. Being a curious kind of guy, I have a few questions about USAFAPS. If you could answer any of these, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

1. Does the prep school have an intermural or professional level marksmanship/shooting team? If so, what are the requirements to join this marksmanship/shooting team?

2. What is BMT like and how much does it differ from BCT other than being shorter? I'm assuming Jack's Valley isn't part of the prep school's BMT?

3. What are prep schoolers referred to as? I know a C4C is referred to as a basic cadet until recognition, so what do they call prep schoolers?

4. Do prep schoolers interact with USAFA cadets much/at all?

5. When attempting to obtain nominations for the USAFA class of '17, I will be applying for noms in my home state correct?

6. Would it be a good idea to schedule a visit to USAFA, or is that not something prep schoolers can/should do?

7. What are the costs of USAFA prep school? Do we have to pay for books?

8. How much of a stipend do the prep schoolers recieve monthly? Roughly $990 before taxes right? Is this enough to cover any costs I may have at prep school?

8a. Are prep schoolers given credit cards or debit cards to make their transactions at the store? (Not a huge fan of credit cards just because I don't like debt, but I'm not a big spender so I'm not worried. Just want to know what I'll be using.)
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9. I heard prep schoolers are allowed off campus on the weekends if they have satisfactory grades/military performance. What opportunities and activities are available to prep schoolers off campus on the weekends assuming they don't have studying to do?

10. What are the meals like? Do we get to dine in Mitchell Hall with the cadets and basics? :smile:

Thanks again!
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I can answer all of these.

1.) No, there is no marksman team. The sports here are pretty limited since money's tight.

2.) No Jack's Valley type of thing here. Just a team challenge course at one point. It was pretty easy in my opinion. This isn't the Marines or anything.

3.) We're called Cadet Candidates, or C/Cs for short.

4.) We're not allowed to talk to cadets. It's considered fraternization. Of course, it'll still happen anyway. You can never get everyone to follow all the rules.

5.) You apply for nominations from your home states. You will need to do it again, so start it early when you get the chance.

6.) I don't know how visits work for here. You'll have to call on that one. Right now is a bad time to visit anyway since the moths are everywhere right now.

7.) You'll spend over $2000 when you first get here. All of it will be charged to a Military Star Card. We're trying to reduce this for next year's class. The MSC sucks, and I suggest you shred it after paying it off. Anything else you want to buy is with your own cash/card.

8.) I don't know how much the stipend is, but it's plenty enough for whatever you need. People were buying iPads and Xboxes right after Parent's Weekend.

9.) Anything within an 100 or so mile radius of the Academy is open for your entertainment. I know people who spend the weekends at Keystone sometimes as well.

10.) Meals aren't too great and you don't eat at Mitch Hall. The dessert bar is usually the favorite of everyone. Expect lots of dry meat.
 
Spend Over $2000

Hi ColinBlueMoon... You mentioned...

7.) You'll spend over $2000 when you first get here. All of it will be charged to a Military Star Card. We're trying to reduce this for next year's class. The MSC sucks, and I suggest you shred it after paying it off. Anything else you want to buy is with your own cash/card.

What will they be having to buy that costs over $2000?
 
All of your books, uniforms and school supplies. Trying to get your money back for anything you don't use is an uphill battle.

Also, word of caution to all incoming prep schoolers:

DO NOT USE YOUR STAR CARD UNTIL THE $2000 GOES THROUGH!

First time Star Card users get a 10% discount on their first purchase, so that initial $2000 or so you pay will be reduced by 10%. If you buy something with the card before it goes through, you won't get the discount on your $2000, but instead on whatever you purchased. I got mine on a $10 purchase. Whoop de do! I thought after 2 months enough time would've passed to where the card registered the purchase, but turns out it didn't.

Also, if you do like some people here did and buy an iPad or other toys on their Star Card before the charge happens, then when it does finally arrive, you'll find that you just went over your credit limit. It takes months before it will show up.
 
Unless you're coming with your own scholarship, grant, etc. then no, nothing is covered. I don't know where you heard about a scholarship from.
 
Adrian S said:
SO, I'm assuming these are items NOT covered by the "scholarship"?
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P school direct entry students get a monthly stipend equivalent to 35% of an O-1 pay, about $990 per month. That is part of the "Scholarship". Out of that, the Cadet Candidate will pay for uniforms, books, etc. That is what the Star card is for. It allows the Cadet Candidate to pay for everything and then pay it back out of their stipend. The "Scholarship" also includes, room and board, tuition, etc, just like a full ride scholarship at a civilian university. It doesn't really cost you anything to go there. Yes, you have to pay for things up front, like the aforementioned uniforms, school supplies, including a computer, but they give you the money to pay for it in the form of a stipend. The stipend will be a total of about $10,000, as I believe it is a 10 month program, so even after paying $2000 up front for stuff, you still have about $8,000 of stipend left over for incidentals. Not a bad deal, once you understand how it is handled. I am assuming Colin is Active Duty. They are paid according to their rank when they enter the P, but they still have to pay for the same stuff the direct entries do. Hope this helps.
 
I guess it's a scholarship in that you don't have to pay for your classes or rooms. Other than that, you're buying the books and supplies from your own pocket and will continue to do so for the rest of the year. Meal deductions automatically come out of your stipend.
 
ColinBlueMoon said:
I guess it's a scholarship in that you don't have to pay for your classes or rooms. Other than that, you're buying the books and supplies from your own pocket and will continue to do so for the rest of the year. Meal deductions automatically come out of your stipend.
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I was not aware they took meals out of the stipend. Thank you for clarifying! this is very helpful.

Can you give us an average monthly cost for meals?
 
Please, DON'T get me wrong.

My daughter and I are TOTALLY thrilled that she has even been offered this "once in a lifetime" opportunity. Trust me, I am in NO way complaining! This has been her dream for years now, and I am here as her "cheerleader" as I call it. Supporting her 100% on her journey.

This is such a small price to pay, for the education that she will receive... and the service she will offer.
 
Going to the prep school actually is enlisting in the Air Force Reserves. You get that stipend because in reality it's your paycheck for being E-1. I don't know why it's once a month when normal military is the 1st and 15th. You're getting all these perks because you're joining the Air Force Reserves, not because it's a scholarship.

Meal deductions fluctuate each month. Mine have been between $200-$300. There's never a set amount that will always be taken.

Direct entry prep schoolers should be explained this fact better. We actually had one person get an "Other Than Honorable Discharge" from the prep school for failing a urinalysis.

On a positive note, your time here does get earn you partial amounts of the Post 9/11 GI Bill if you stay longer than 90 days. Some C/Cs stayed around 6 or so months, quit, and still got around 50% of the Post 9/11 GI Bill. That's pretty much a steal. By the way, 50% of the Post 9/11 GI Bill is $8750 a year for tuition and fees.
 
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ColinBlueMoon said:
Going to the prep school actually is enlisting in the Air Force Reserves. You get that stipend because in reality it's your paycheck for being E-1. I don't know why it's once a month when normal military is the 1st and 15th. You're getting all these perks because you're joining the Air Force Reserves, not because it's a scholarship.

Meal deductions fluctuate each month. Mine have been between $200-$300. There's never a set amount that will always be taken.

Direct entry prep schoolers should be explained this fact better. We actually had one person get an "Other Than Honorable Discharge" from the prep school for failing a urinalysis.

On a positive note, your time here does get earn you partial amounts of the Post 9/11 GI Bill if you stay longer than 90 days. Some C/Cs stayed around 6 or so months, quit, and still got around 50% of the Post 9/11 GI Bill. That's pretty much a steal. By the way, 50% of the Post 9/11 GI Bill is $8750 a year for tuition and fees.
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Actually, although you are correct that when you go the P as a civilian, you must become a member of the Air Force Reserves, the stipend is not E-1 pay. E-1 earns about $1491 per month. I believe the stipend is set by Air Force regulations put in place when the P school was originally set up.

I am surprised you feel it should be explained better. All this information is clearly stated in the Prep School Catalog. In addition, in the Instructions to Cadet Candidate Appointees, which you were sent shortly after accepting your appointment to the P school, it clearly states that you are to become a member of the Air Force Reserves upon arrival, it clearly states what your stipend will be, and it clearly states that your meals are to be taken at the High Country Inn dining facility at no cost.

So I am confused about the fact that you say your meals are deducted from your stipend.

In addition, it clearly states that you will participate in unit and random drug testing throughout the year. You have to sign a document that says so. So if someone failed a drug test, I am not surprised they were discharged in that manner.
 
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The direct entry guys told me the wrong thing then. I probably should've figured they never check their paycheck statements. I see it in the 2012 booklet I got. As someone mentioned earlier, I was prior service, so my pay circumstances are a little different.

The Post 9/11 GI Bill qualification is never told to direct entries as far as I know. Then again, it would probably do terrible things to the retention rate if they knew that just surviving 6 months would net them a lot of cash for school. It does say you are a part of the Air Force Reserves, but very few of them actually understands what that means in terms of benefits besides military discounts at restaurants.
 
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FAFSA

Ok, so here is another question. Would a cadet be able to use any of their grants from FAFSA to pay for laptop, books, materials, uniforms since they are required?
 
Adrian S said:
Ok, so here is another question. Would a cadet be able to use any of their grants from FAFSA to pay for laptop, books, materials, uniforms since they are required?
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I don't believe that the AFA Preparatory School qualifies. It is not a college and Cadet Candidates do not get college credit for their studies there. The P exists solely to prepare Cadet Candidates for success at the Air Force Academy. The scholarship covers your room and board and tuition. The monthly stipend is more much than enough to pay for the required laptop, books, materials, uniforms.
 
Adrian S said:
Ok, so here is another question. Would a cadet be able to use any of their grants from FAFSA to pay for laptop, books, materials, uniforms since they are required?
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Unless they gave you cash in hand, the restrictions on those things don't just magically change. Why would you waste your school money on gadgets anyway?
 
I would doubt the FAFSA would apply to AFA either. Because everything is covered at the AFA there is no "cost of attendence". Please correct me if I am misinformed.
 
ColinBlueMoon said:
I can answer all of these.

1.) No, there is no marksman team. The sports here are pretty limited since money's tight.

2.) No Jack's Valley type of thing here. Just a team challenge course at one point. It was pretty easy in my opinion. This isn't the Marines or anything.

3.) We're called Cadet Candidates, or C/Cs for short.

4.) We're not allowed to talk to cadets. It's considered fraternization. Of course, it'll still happen anyway. You can never get everyone to follow all the rules.

5.) You apply for nominations from your home states. You will need to do it again, so start it early when you get the chance.

6.) I don't know how visits work for here. You'll have to call on that one. Right now is a bad time to visit anyway since the moths are everywhere right now.

7.) You'll spend over $2000 when you first get here. All of it will be charged to a Military Star Card. We're trying to reduce this for next year's class. The MSC sucks, and I suggest you shred it after paying it off. Anything else you want to buy is with your own cash/card.

8.) I don't know how much the stipend is, but it's plenty enough for whatever you need. People were buying iPads and Xboxes right after Parent's Weekend.

9.) Anything within an 100 or so mile radius of the Academy is open for your entertainment. I know people who spend the weekends at Keystone sometimes as well.

10.) Meals aren't too great and you don't eat at Mitch Hall. The dessert bar is usually the favorite of everyone. Expect lots of dry meat.
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Excellent information. Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions. Doesn't the prep school give you an opportunity to open an account with a bank there in CO, upon arrival? If so, it sounds like it'd be in my best interest to have the monthly stipend directly deposited into an alternate banking account and to pay off the MSC as quickly as possible.

I plan on saving as much money as I can throughout prep school and first two years of USAFA with the plans of being able to purchase a cheap/reliable car my C3C year should I be appointed to USAFA. I don't know how realistic of a goal that is, but it's my plan at this point.

Thanks again for your answers. I appreciate it.
 
LFry94 said:
Excellent information. Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions. Doesn't the prep school give you an opportunity to open an account with a bank there in CO, upon arrival? If so, it sounds like it'd be in my best interest to have the monthly stipend directly deposited into an alternate banking account and to pay off the MSC as quickly as possible.

I plan on saving as much money as I can throughout prep school and first two years of USAFA with the plans of being able to purchase a cheap/reliable car my C3C year should I be appointed to USAFA. I don't know how realistic of a goal that is, but it's my plan at this point.

Thanks again for your answers. I appreciate it.
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Good plan!
 
I think they characterize the meals as 'no cost' because they give you $990 per month to cover your expenses. So you have no 'out of pocket' expenses.
 
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