US Air Force Academy (USAFA)

Re: How are my chances lookin?

raimius — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 07:15:11 GMT

(also a 3 dig)

That's generally good advice. I did have a couple comments about my Eagle in my nom/app process. It is not a hugely important thing, but it is a good thing. The rank itself is not of extreme importance, it is what you have to do to get there. Titles are great, but leadership, work, and commitment are what they are really looking for.

Re: How are my chances lookin?

xknightsgambitx — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 18:02:04 GMT

Hi, I'm currently a third class cadet at the Academy. Your grades are looking good. As long as you have the SAT or ACT to back it up, you should be fine. As for sports, somewhere around 87% of cadets got a varsity letter in some sport in high school, so you can bet it would help to do something. Judging by the amount of running you do, why don't you join the cross country or track team? Probably the most important thing for you right now is to get leadership opportunities. Student council looks good, but I would recommend becoming a team captain of a sports team. Being a boy scout doesn't mean squat unless you make Eagle scout (the highest rank), and even then, I haven't really seen it help people get in.

Go check out academyadmissions.com if you haven't already. Good luck.

Re: How are my chances lookin?

aneoalo — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 03:17:52 GMT

I second Raimius; work on getting a sport. At USAFA, everyone does sports, either intramural or intercollegiate. Since you said you run a lot anyway, join the track and cross coutnry teams. Ideally, get on the team at your high school. If that doesn't work, try for a civic one, like a running or mountain/road biking club.

By the way, there is no point to accepting what you already know will be a negative on your application when you can change it; if you really want something (i.e. to go to the Academy), take action now to do what you need to in order to get it.

Re: How are my chances lookin?

raimius — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 22:00:01 GMT

You are in decent shape. How many leadership activities do you have? Just being on Student Council is a little weak for leadership. I would try to find at least one sport. I didn't start playing on my tennis team until my junior year, so it is definitely not too late for that. Being in good shape will help, but sports are important too.

Keep up your GPA! That is a big plus, especially considering academics make up 60% of the application.

Where in Illinois? I'm from the NW suburbs of Chicago.

How are my chances lookin?

IllinoisBoy15 — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 03:01:44 GMT

Hi, I'm currently a sophomore in HS with a 4.1GPA so far. I take many Honors classes and will be taking AP classes next year/senior year. Now for the negatives... I don't play any sports at school, but I'm in pretty good shape. I run everyother day and workout at the gym on the days I do not run. I have a spot on the Student Council and participate in various clubs and activities at school. I know my GPA is a big plus but how bad will not being in a sport/boy scouts hurt me? Thanks!