What Is My Chance of Getting Into USAFA. Please be honest! Thank you!

Can I get into a Service Academy?

  • Total voters
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JunSin said:
If I may ask, how exactly could I boost my Sports activities?
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My DS attends a charter high school without any sports programs. When we visited USAFA, we were told my the admissions counselor that there are separate scores for athletic and non-athletic activities. While DS was very fit and active (running, weights, etc.) and could pass the CFA, he would still have a 0 for athletic participation, and have difficulty overcoming that with other areas. AC agreed that running in a local 5K race series would help him show consistency in participation, speed, etc.
It was good advice! Proud to say that he has been appointed to USNA and is still hopeful, waiting for USAFA.
And in light of your applications to the Ivies... He has a 4.0 unweighted, he got a 34 on his ACT, but was still turned down flat by Cornell for ED with no deferment. No word yet from UPenn.
Did I mention he was born in Seoul?
 
You want to submit a package that wouldn't "offend" anyone. Now, "offend" is wide open and you can never make everyone happy.

This is NOT an example of what I'm talking about:

"I play the flute." "Yeah, but trumpet is better."

While technically the trumpet is a far superior instrument, something like that won't ruffle feathers.

BUT:

"I work with ACORN" or "I'm in a Planned Parenthood organization" or "I like killing whales" or "I like beating people who kill whales"....

These kinds of things, may, rightly or wrongly, ruffle feathers. When all they have to go on is a submission, you want to keep as many people on your side as possible, and that means avoiding some things you MAY be proud of, but may generate strong feelings from the humans reviewing it.
 
To the original poster.

The Academy has always looked to fill its ranks with people who will graduate and populate the Active Duty AF with mentally tough, academically strong that know how to get the job done.

Grads make up a small part of the officer corps but their job is to make as much positive impact they can.

So, are you the type of person that takes on all challenges and doesn't quit until the job is done? Are you self motivated, or do you just do what is required of you. Do you seek out new challenges? Or do you have a checklist do things to do that look good on a resume.

Here is an example. As a freshman in HS I decided I wanted to play football...I never did any extracurricular sports before then. I knew it was something I needed to do for my personal development...no matter how painful it was. I didn't think about the Academy till two years later.

I did it because it needed to be done, I continued for 4 years because I thought it was important, and I wasn't going to take the easy way out and quit.

I carry that same attitude to this day.
 
JunSin said:
So basically why I am not applying to ROTC and applying for the Academies is because first, the difference in benefits.
From what I know the benefits the ROTC and the level of training it offers is just completely lacking when compared to an Academies teachings.
Thus i'd outweigh going to a regular top school instead of inlisting for a lackluster army program (just comparing to Academy, I'm not trying to completely downplay the ROTC program, which is great.)
I believe that going to a regular school wouldn't allow me to learn and go throught the learning opportunities that the Academies could offer me.
Therefore, I believe that a service academy would be fitting for my goal in life.
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So, I was in the IB curriculum (got my diploma July 2013) and I would really encourage you to embrace the TOK concept of "knowledge by experience".

Service academies, and the military in general, take a very complex approach to knowledge by experience in that they train their enlisted, cadets, soldiers, etc... with a slight "knowledge by authority" approach too.

That being said, you really need to understand what the military is about. The service academies are very prestigious institutions, but are not like other prestigious civilian schools. Not considering ROTC because of rumors of "lack of preparation" means you don't REALLY understand what a service commitment is.

Sophomore year I had no idea what I wanted to do and I just began exploring my option of a service academy, I have been in your shoes where I was hoping to get into a service academy and wasn't really considering other options (ROTC, OTS) because I was enamored with the almighty "Big three" service academies. Please PLEASE debate with yourself more because you're going to get a MASSIVE wake up call at BCT and.. through the next four years at the academy...


You really need to sit down and think if this is what you want to do for not just a college... but for a career. It's A LOT longer than 4 years. You are a competitive candidate, but the military has their ever-changing demands, so nothing is a guarantee. USMA has actually started taking out LOA's (letter of assurances) and have been giving triple q'd candidates LOE's (letter of encouragements) to make the message clear that nothing is guaranteed.

Also, I've met some exceptional officers that went through ROTC programs. Please do not degrade all ROTC programs because every school is different and every program is different. At the end of the day, everyone is an officer in the US military and that should be your main goal.

What I'm trying to say is: You don't know everything now and you never will know all the answers to life. You will constantly be overcoming challenges BY YOURSELF and learning through KNOWLEDGE BY EXPERIENCE. Look long and hard into the military career route. Please do not go into this half-hearted because you will have a long ride ahead of you.
 
Longest "what are my chances" thread ever


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Hello, so I'd like to add to my "future resume" 2 more things. So my school is very eager to send me to Boy's State so I will be attending Boy's this Junior Year. Also at school, my friends have created an Ultimate Frisbee Team for leisure (They are very good and have potential to make at least state at official tourneys for boys league), so I took the initiative to create and be president and one of the team captains of the Ultimate Frisbee Club which will compete at official All NW competitions! I'm wondering if this is a plus to my resume as boy's state is presumably very appealing on the app along with being president and captain of an intramural sport, Ultimate Frisbee!?

And thank you for messaging me (don't know your name) but I will be retaking the SAT to get at least 740 on the Math, and around 700 on the CR! The test I took is, I don't think, the peak of my academic ability!
 
You still have not articulated on this post WHY you want to be an officer in the US military.

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Officer

One of the most important aspect that the military academies are looking for is that you plan to pursue serving our country with integrity and selflessness. It's bigger than just yourself and you need to portray that in your application.

Everyone is correct, you need to re-think "why" you want to attend an academy.
 
In the end getting the BFE from an SA is different than those top 15 schools on their list because to get it they need an MOC nom. There will be at least essays, if not interviews in front of a committee.

If we are questioning their motivation over an anonymous forum, I believe the ALO and the MOC committee will see it too.

I also think Jun has left the building
 
Thank you for all the replies! :)
I completely understand my fault in not properly articulating my reason for wanting to become an officer. I see that I have failed to convey my true motivation, which is the dedication to become the best person I can become, as a leader and role model for others. [Not saying that I wouldn't become a person of high morals and correct integrity (in reply to someone who pointed that out)]

Again, thank you! All replies are very helpful!
 
I mean this with the utmost kindness and respect, but again your response feels "pat" as in something you think we want to hear/read.

In the next few months you will be writing a lot of essays, and I am not talking college admissions, I am talking just for the AFA process. Most MOCs will require at least one essay and they have their own prompts.

If you decide to go down the path of the AFA will offer me the best chance to become a leader than you might decrease your chances regardless of how many APs you have on your resume. The reason why is that will be a pat answer. These committees can read 500 or more essays. You need to set yourself apart. The I want because it will....is common. Most posters here will tell you that they have seen that type of essay every year.
~~~ Do a search and look for MedB's DDs MOC essay on what characteristics she has that would make her a good cadet. It is on the nom forum, I believe the title is called a different kind of an essay.

I wanted to meet this kid after reading it. The first and only time I have ever felt that way after reading an essay on this forum. Most of the time, I zone after the 1st paragraph because I have read it all too often and now I am looking for grammatical errors or how many times I read I, me, and myself in the essay.
~~~ Hint Service before Self. Think Kennedy, do not ask what this country can do for you....

Substitute country with AFA.

Just trying to give you a craniums up that between the ALO interview and your essays you might want to think about your response when asked why the AFA, and more importantly the AF.
~~~ Be ready to answer your career goals and the what ifs.
What if you don't get AFA will you go AFROTC?

That is going to be a problem for you since you believe AFROTC are not at the caliber you want to be associated with during college. Which you really need to re-think. I still think Colin Powell would have an issue with that assumption along with the 50% of flag officers.

What if they offer you RPA or ABM and not UPT, how will you feel?

Many ALOs like to talk to the folks to get a sense of the level of support within the home. Where do the folks stand?

Just food for thought.
 
JunSin said:
Thank you for all the replies! :)
I completely understand my fault in not properly articulating my reason for wanting to become an officer. I see that I have failed to convey my true motivation, which is the dedication to become the best person I can become, as a leader and role model for others. [Not saying that I wouldn't become a person of high morals and correct integrity (in reply to someone who pointed that out)]

Again, thank you! All replies are very helpful!
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+1 to Pima. Although you have admirable goals for yourself they don't speak to me specifically about being a military leader/officer. Seems to me you could work out achieving your goals almost anywhere. Most people want to be the best person they can be. Most people want to be a leader, a role model, and an example of integrity. Most of these people do NOT go into the military. So I'm left with the question - exactly why do you want to become an officer?
 
totally agree with Kinnem. You STILL have not given any reason as to why a military academy should pick you over someone who wants "service before self". Every explanation you have given has not said anything about anyone but yourself. I think you need to rethink this route.
 
I'm going to agree with everyone else here.

When you get to those essays and interviews, you're going to have to be able to tell them what you really mean, not what you think they want to hear. Tons of kids walk in with generic, flowery reasons for why they want to attend a SA. If you walk in and start spilling meaningless, empty speeches about your dedication to being the best, you'll get some sympathetic smiles...but no nomination, and definitely no appointment..

I understand wanting to get in because it's a competitive school and it would be a major achievement, but it will take a lot more than want to carry you through all the years of commitment involved.

I received three nominations, and my essays were received extremely well. I can PM a few of those to you, if you want to see the general direction of where your thoughts should be.

Service academies are not just free school. You devote part of your life, and potentially dedicate your life itself, to your country. The college education is a nice bonus that comes along with that risk.


Disclaimer: I'm only a candidate, and haven't been appointed yet, so I could be wrong..
 
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I'm going to disagree with most of the recent posters about how you need to be 100% into service in order to get into USAFA. I agree that it is an "ideal" that someone going to a service academy is doing it for reasons of giving to their country. However the reality is that there are a lot of appointees every year who are going to USAFA for the free education and don't think a whole lot above that. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with that.

I will use my own son as an example. He never had any burning desire to be an Air Force officer. He wanted to fly jets and USAFA was the best way that he saw to do that. His essays were nothing spectacular, in fact in them he talked about wanting to go to USAF to fly jets and not much else. (I just read them again.)

He did not apply for an AFROTC scholarship because he didn't want to do ROTC. He wanted to go to USAFA, and he wanted to fly jets. No other higher calling, no noble cause, nothing else. Now he is an Air Force officer and flies jets, just like he wanted to do.

I think we scare a lot of posters here into thinking that they aren't good enough for USAFA because they aren't the perfect, 100% committed candidate. That is simply not true. Many, many of the appointees each year are just trying to figure out life like the rest of us.

JunSin, if you want to apply to USAFA, go ahead and do it. Do it because it is what you want to do, and don't worry about what anyone else thinks of your reasons for doing it.

Stealth_81
 
Stealth_81 said:
I'm going to disagree with most of the recent posters about how you need to be 100% into service in order to get into USAFA. I agree that it is an "ideal" that someone going to a service academy is doing it for reasons of giving to their country. However the reality is that there are a lot of appointees every year who are going to USAFA for the free education and don't think a whole lot above that. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with that.

I will use my own son as an example. He never had any burning desire to be an Air Force officer. He wanted to fly jets and USAFA was the best way that he saw to do that. His essays were nothing spectacular, in fact in them he talked about wanting to go to USAF to fly jets and not much else. (I just read them again.)

He did not apply for an AFROTC scholarship because he didn't want to do ROTC. He wanted to go to USAFA, and he wanted to fly jets. No other higher calling, no noble cause, nothing else. Now he is an Air Force officer and flies jets, just like he wanted to do.

I think we scare a lot of posters here into thinking that they aren't good enough for USAFA because they aren't the perfect, 100% committed candidate. That is simply not true. Many, many of the appointees each year are just trying to figure out life like the rest of us.

JunSin, if you want to apply to USAFA, go ahead and do it. Do it because it is what you want to do, and don't worry about what anyone else thinks of your reasons for doing it.

Stealth_81
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That is true....I did come across quite a few cadets while visiting USAFA that said they wouldn't be there if they could get free college somewhere else.

JunSin does look really competitive, and would realistically probably have a good shot at getting appointed. As I said, I have no idea what the admissions board likes to see. I can only guess.
 
WHY does a person apply to the academy(ies)? Actually, everyone here is correct. Stealth, Pima, etc. There's no doubt that individuals apply to the academy(ies) for various reasons. Free education. Stable employment. Job Skills. Travel. Medical Benefits. Patriotic reasons. etc...

But again, everyone is correct. The most important thing about Pima's comments, isn't that it may discourage an individual from applying. What's most important is that if you are applying to the academy(ies) and thus to become a military leader; it's probably going to be a little "easier" to accept and deal with the negatives that come along with that decision if it's for the Hoorah reasons. And let's all be honest, there are definitely "negatives" that come with attending the academy(ies), ROTC, active duty, etc.

As a MINIMUM, you will have to put up with the "military" for 9 years. That's 4 years at the academy and 5 years minimum of active duty. That's a lot of time and "crap" you have to deal with to simply get a "Free Education". Or to travel, stable job, etc... It's obviously a lot easier to put up with all of the negatives if you buy into the "Something bigger than myself" and "Service before self" mentality. But that's not to say that a person can't deal with the 9 years because they wanted the education, travel, benefits, etc... Simply saying that it's much easier when you buy in and agree with the reasons Pima was stating.

But she is totally correct when she mentions "Setting yourself apart". I've read a few essays by candidates in my time. After a while, many of them tend to sound similar. I can only imagine how Steve "Flieger" sifts through so many after having done this since Moses was a Major and Christ was a Corporal. So setting yourself apart from the competition is very important. So it's ok to say why you want to go to the academy; whatever the reason. But add to that statement why YOU are different. If you say the canned answers about becoming a better leader, mention how you'll use that leadership training and experience. If you say it's so you can fly jets, say how you'll use that training to better the air force and those paying your pay check.

Whatever you write is ok. It really is. There's no wrong answers in an essay. What matters is HOW you say it; WHY you say it; that it's YOU that is saying it; and why you are DIFFERENT from all the OTHERS who are saying it. Best of luck......
 
Wow this thread is definitely opening me up to different perspectives that I had not seen before, and this is great!
Lillian I would be really grateful if you could PM me your essay(s)! :)

sorry I'm doing my chemistry IA, so can't say everything I want to say XD
 
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