Would I be competitive for USAFA?

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academyquestions

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I am a freshman in high school, and I want to apply to the Air Force Academy. I have a 4.0 unweighted GPA, am in IB, and I have a 1300 PSAT score. I am in my school's swim team and swim year-round at a swim club. I am a Civil Air Patrol cadet, am in Key Club, MUN, and am involved in student government (not an elected position, but I plan to run next year), and I plan to apply to NHS next year. I also plan to work on getting my Private Pilot License through the CAP. I know I have a lot of time to work on everything since I'm just a freshman, but would I be a competitive applicant to the Air Force Academy if I seek leadership positions in extracurriculars (CAP, student government, clubs, etc.), and if I improve my PSAT -- and later on -- my SAT scores?
 
academyquestions said:
I am a freshman in high school, and I want to apply to the Air Force Academy. I have a 4.0 unweighted GPA, am in IB, and I have a 1300 PSAT score. I am in my school's swim team and swim year-round at a swim club. I am a Civil Air Patrol cadet, am in Key Club, MUN, and am involved in student government (not an elected position, but I plan to run next year), and I plan to apply to NHS next year. I also plan to work on getting my Private Pilot License through the CAP. I know I have a lot of time to work on everything since I'm just a freshman, but would I be a competitive applicant to the Air Force Academy if I seek leadership positions in extracurriculars (CAP, student government, clubs, etc.), and if I improve my PSAT -- and later on -- my SAT scores?
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I'm no expert, but you already have an outstanding resume in my opinion. If you are able to get a similar and hopefully higher score(s) on the SAT along with continuing everything listed here (such as continued good performance in IB classes, involvement and leadership in your extracurriculars, and varsity swim in your case), you're in good standing. When your junior year comes around, I'd research Boys State for your state to see if you would be able to attend - it is a good leadership program & overall a pretty fun experience.
 
Absolutely!! Keep up the great work.

Rise as high as you can in CAP. Your minimum goal should be Mitchel but as your currently a freshman you probably have a great shot at Spatz. Go for it.
Boys State would be great.
Start preparing for the SAT. Kahn academy is a great tool for that. And it’s free.
Check in with your congressional reps to see when they hold service academy nights and attend them each year to get yourself on their radar.

And don’t forget about community service. I’m sure your CAP squadron provides plenty of opportunities for that, participate in as many as possible.

Your in great shape. Stay focused, It will be your turn to apply before you know it.
 
Thank you both so much for your input and support! I'll definitely keep that information in mind as I work towards getting appointed!
 
Last item: it is not too early to practice the CFA events. I would especially start a running program. I recommend pushing up to 10 miles per week, at 3 miles at a time. Move to this distance slowly, especially if you are in season with swimming. Best of luck and keep up the good work!
 
I would say you are in really good shape! Your PSAT is actually very high for a 9th grader. I believe it is the 97th percentile for a 10th-grader, so I don't see anything that is problematic. The other posters gave you great advice as well.

The only other thing I would say is to look for leadership opportunities everywhere. If you can earn a Captain spot on your swim team...that will be huge so be a great teammate and lift others up. Lastly, you will need letters of recommendation from math, English, and I think a third (I am forgetting) plus a coach I think. Don't just be a great student...be the type of student your teachers want to brag about. Help others who are struggling, befriend the new kids in school who don't know anyone. Be a leader. You will be fine. Keep up the great work and good luck!
 
@academyquestions - you have the beginning of a solid resume that would be competitive. What you do between now and your application will determine if you have enough.

Academics - solid. Keep it up. Maintaining status quo will get more challenging as other things demand more of your time.
Fitness - as @AcadAdmCoach pointed out - you know the test answers and have 3 years to prep for the exam. Will you take advantage of the gift of time and answer key? Swim will benefit you as both a varsity sport and potential leadership opportunity.
Extracurricular - CAP is great. The question will be what you do in terms of rank advancement AND leadership development.

Your time is the scarce and limited resource. As a proactive applicant with the goal of admissions in mind, you are doing the right things. For serious applicants, there is a balance to be struck between spending time on things you like and spending time on things that you think will help your chances for admissions. In an ideal world, all of your actions align with the goal and you enjoy doing the activity. Admission is not guaranteed, so you need to be a little guarded in terms of spending all of your time working on things that should theoretically benefit your whole candidate score but bring you little joy.

Based on your current resume, it sounds like you are on a path to a resume that would be deemed competitive. As you grow within the organizations you currently participate in, seek to take on leadership roles. Team Captain, CAP Squadron Commander, Student Gov officer, Boy/Girl State delegate with a private pilot license would be impressive. To go yet another step beyond - seek to be a leader with impact. You need examples of leadership that you can convey to your nomination board interview and your applicant essays. As a freshman today, you can map out these bigger initiatives and space them out on the calendar to make it possible. Inside every organization there are members, leaders, and then leaders with impact. Be a leader with impact and let the chips fall where they may come admissions time.

Best of luck!
 
Thank you so much for the input! I have one more question though: does it matter if you only take either the SAT or ACT? A good score on both would probably help you, but does it hurt your application if you only take one of the two, even if you get a good score?
 
academyquestions said:
Thank you so much for the input! I have one more question though: does it matter if you only take either the SAT or ACT? A good score on both would probably help you, but does it hurt your application if you only take one of the two, even if you get a good score?
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Should not hurt at all. DD only took the ACT and she received an LOA then an appointment. Good luck!
 
The SAs require SAT or ACT, not both. Make sure you read the USAFA website very carefully. Attention to detail is vital in SA applications.
 
@academyquestions you've already taken the PSAT. I would be sure to sit for a free proctored (with time constraints) ACT practice exam. Our local library offered them over the summer. You will most likely perform better on one of the formats. Once you decide which test you perform better on, I would stick with that one and do lots of practice tests over the next few years. You do not need to take both tests and you certainly don't need the added stress. Focus your energy on mastering the ACT or the SAT. You have PLENTY of other things to do during the application process. Good luck.
 
I got into Navy and I did/do high school and club swimming too! One of the things that I was able to talk a lot about in interviews and write about in essays were leadership opportunities in swimming. I coached the younger kids on my club team for 2 years and then did a summer as assistant coach of my community pool. I think a nice progression of a "I'm good at swimming" to "I'm giving back to my community" is good and shows a lot of leadership, which is what I had to write and talk about a lot. If you are friendly with your coaches, I would lock down some leadership in the swim area since its pretty fun too.

Also, AP or IB tests they seemed to really value, so I would do as many as you can manage.
 
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