What if your ALO is kind of a dud?

[USAFA10s]

I find this thread interesting because, outside of my interview with my ALO I had NO interaction or help from him, at least none that I remember. I am pretty sure the interview happened with me wearing jeans and a T-shirt in my dining room, and I definitely didn't practice for it or have any idea how important it was at the time. I thought it was more of a conversation for the ALO to get to know me so he could help with the application in the future. I blundered around in the dark, absolutely clueless, and relied on google and this forum to get through the application. I don't ever remember even needing anything from him. I was able to find all the answers I needed to apply (and get in early) within the application itself, on here, or elsewhere on the internet. I even had to get medical waivers for 2 different things, but we still figured it out on our own (my mom helped some with that part when it came to scheduling appointments, but I did the rest).

I guess my point is, while it would certainly have been nice to have someone helping me, it wasn't required, and since I had to find all the answers for myself, I had a little more ownership over my application and the process than I think I would have otherwise. Although looking back, it would have been nice to know that the discussion I had with the ALO was an interview...I wonder what he thought of that conversation.

I also echo Steve's frustration with some of the recruited athletes, having seen many (including two of my freshman year roommates) have to quit the sport they loved to try to survive academically, and end up leaving anyway because it was just too hard. Both went on to get near straight A's at other schools while still playing their sport, but minus a year of eligibility. I was a recruited athlete as well, but not "blue-chip" as the coach was fairly confident I could get in on my own, and I wish that our tennis team and many other sports would play in Division II (or anything other than DI) so that we could be more competitive without having to recruit so aggressively. But that's another topic all together...

 

[NervousMother]

This year, so far, I have 28 candidates. That number may fluctuate as some may be added later and others may withdraw.

That's not an uncommon number for me or many of the ALO's here.

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83

Steve, I’ve been reading your posts and appreciating your input. I was wondering if you’d ever had a candidate you were just really upset did not get in? Or conversely, one that you were upset DID get in?

Upset that DID get in?

No, not really. I've questioned some of the "blue-chip athletes" and why were they selected over others as the purpose of the academy is to develop professional officers to lead the air force, not professional athletes. (Okay, I'm a curmudgeon.) More than a few times those "blue-chip" athletes were nowhere close to qualified academically/physically but...they were really good in their sport so... And sadly, at least with the athletes I've worked with, probably 75% either dropped out of the academy or dropped their sport within a year. The academic load was just too much. That's so unfair to the athlete that probably had scholarship offers to other schools where they would have been able to do both. That makes me sad.

As for being upset a candidate did NOT get in? OHH...that's a long list. The worst time...I sent a spreadsheet to the Director of Admissions with a listing of the appointees from our state on one page, and then my non-select candidate on another page. I then asked if my candidate was not appointed because he was a Caucasian-American. Turned out that was NOT the way to make a friend of the Director. By the way, that non-select was offered appointments to ALL FOUR of the other academies. He is now a graduate of West Point (with Honors) and is an army officer.

I can easily be disappointed that a candidate didn't get an offer. I've been SO blessed over the years to work with such amazing young men and women! To say I had a small part in whatever their future holds is perhaps a little egotistical, but it really feels good and I have a deep sense of pride in their accomplishments. And I keep in touch with quite a few of them. The scariest (as in how fast time flies?) ONE of my first "candidates" is a Lt Col and squadron commander and should make Colonel next year! That tiny little 5'0" 14-year-old 9th grader...

I'm greedy for my candidates...when a deserving one isn't selected it hurts. That's why we always discuss "plan B and C and D..."

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83

Thanks for this reply. My son is really lucky to have an incredible ALO. He’s been so helpful and a great guide. My husband went with my son for the ALO to administer the CFA. He mentioned that it seemed like this guy really liked my son. My husband joked that he knew my son would be heartbroken if he doesn’t get an appointment, but he was worried the ALO would take it harder. I’m certain this man takes the same amount of time and interest in all his candidates, so hopefully he’ll have a decent list of appointments.

 

[flieger83]

We also had a horrific experience with the local ALO. I am very glad USAFA Admissions changed the way they do business and now an ALO from somewhere else does the interview/evaluation. DS (who is also currently at USAFA) stated that he wanted to be an auto mechanic after his formal interview with the local ALO 3 years ago. I'm not bashing auto mechanics (a good one is often priceless), and I am good with a down to earth conversation about plans B, C and D but in my opinion, the outcome of that experience was not what we would expect after interacting with any USAFA rep. The local ALO said they were a reservist. If they were earning points to be compensated later with a paycheck for this type of interaction with my DS it should not go towards credit to count as a "good year." Who, what or where is the proper place to provide positive/negative ALO feedback?

If an ALO is unresponsive or acts in any way that you believe to be inappropriate, the first person you should speak with, if you don't believe speaking with the ALO will be of value, is the Liaison Officer Director (LOD) of the state/area. The LOD is the "commander" of the ALO's in that state or if the state is huge like Texas, California, and some others, then in their area. Politely explain to them precisely why you believe the ALO was not doing their job properly or was doing it inappropriately. Give whatever "documentation/examples" you can to help him/her get the entire picture.

This is something we all need to know; if we have a "bad" ALO, we want to know that because that's NOT what we want. A bad ALO hurts the entire process and needs to be identified quickly.

That being said, if you can't find the LOD for your area, I can...

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83