Hello everyone,

I’m wondering if I have a chance to get into the USAFA. I just put in my application and I’m feeling anxious.

My stats:

HS 3.91 GPA

30 ACT

Distinguished grad & STEM, Public Service, Multi Disciplinary endorsements

Ranked 5th out of 44

I completed a lot of dual credit, including getting my EMT certification from my JuCo. I desperately want to get in, can anyone give it to me straight up whether I have a chance or not?

TIA

This forum is a great help for applicants. Since being appointed though, I'm looking for a reddit(s) that address life/school tips at USAFA. Does any one have a recommendation?

I know my resume is not the strongest but here’s what I have

Currently a Junior

Acamdemics 3.5 GPA(UW) 28 ACT( retaking in June) 4 APS(BIO, Enviormental, Computer Science, Language, Literature)

Extra Curriculars 3 year wrestling team captain

• 3x state qualifier
• state placer
• lead team practices

Serves as a camp counselor 2 summers Currently have 78 service hours after this summer will be 100+

• 2 years varsity track
• 1 year varsity football

• School Ambassador(2 years)

+School Campus Minister(Catholic School)(1 year) +Heritage Pannel(2 years)

• Started a guys group my freshman year that was revolved around connecting underclassmen with upperclassmen to increase school unity

I’m pretty fit guy Can knock out 80 push-ups 100 sit-ups 5:25 mile( can be improved) 20 pull-ups

Promoted to candidate status two days ago

4.38 weighted gpa on a 4.3 scale (4.1 unweighted) 14 ap classes 3 varsity sports (cross country, swim, tennis), Ref soccer since 8th grade TSA nationals qualifier 34 act superscore Civil air patrol safety nco and alpha flight sergeant (soon to be flight commander) student council member roughly 100 service hours

To preface, I am a junior right now.

4.0 GPA, enrolled in diverse college level classes (OnRamps, TCC, AP)

1290 (610 math 680 english) SAT, I'm working on boosting that score, next test is June 1st,

Biomedical Sciences Academy - will be conducting a capstone research project senior year and getting CMA/EKG certified

Academic ambassador - promoting advanced classes to student body

NHS/SNHS - Member of both organization

STUCO - Class-rep

100 hrs of service this year, plan to continue that senior year

NO SPORTS, I'll be wrestling senior year. For CFA, I've been able to max sit ups, still have trouble with pushups , I max out at about 30, meet average for pullups, and have an ok mile time (6:14 last time I recorded one), haven't tested basketball throw, shuttle run needs a little bit of work.

My question is - what are some things I can do to make my application stand out? Where are there opportunities to network as a junior? What things can I do now that say I want to serve? My school doesn't offer ROTC.

So I got an email from academy admissions stating that my overall academic performance is not competitive.

Is this a rejection for the candidate status?

I still have the option to submit SAT scores, I just haven’t taken it yet because I’m waiting for the one in June.

Any thoughts appreciated.

Hey y’all, thanks for taking the time to look over my app so far. I’m a sophomore in high school and intend to be in the class of 2030. Biggest problem is I live in Colorado already and congressional nominations are super competitive from here at least.

3.6GPA uw pSAT was 1340/1440

Mostly honors/AP/IB classes. Also just advanced classes in general 1 year ahead of the rest of my grade. Also a few business classes CE at my local community college.

President/Founder of Rock Climbing Team and intend to join climbing team at USAFA if appointed.

Started a fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s research hospital

Started fundraiser for National Coalition for Homeless Veterans.

Theater experience. Every show I have acted in I have had a lead role, and that involves helping out the ensemble and smaller roles with most of your time. Last year our school won the state theater competition and were selected to perform in front of 7000+ theater students at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. I absolutely intend to join bluebards if accepted to USAFA. Also co-President of theater club.

Student Council experience (came within a few votes of losing class prez smh)

Work at a local bar in my town doing DJ Trivia.

Letter of Recommendation from a retired 3-Star Space Force General.

Interning for my local congressman

Mom is a soaring instructor at USAFA and we sponsor one of you cadets :)

Can apply for presidential appointment and 4th generation military aviator.

Trying to intern for a local Business Law office.

Getting my Ground School over the summer and intend to get a PPL before senior year.

All in all i would be over the moon to serve in ROTC. Academy or not, we’re all gonna fight the same fight and be officers in the greatest Air Force on the planet.

Im sophomore currently and the only motivation for me to live rn is to 'try' to get into the usafa. I dont want my hopes to be completely broken yet, but I need some advice. I'll provide my stats down below:
3.5 gpa uw <- im gonna become homeless 😭
fencing, yes i compete on a national level
varsity golf
Boy scouts, def can get eagle scout in like 3 months if i put in the effort
award winning journalism team at my school
Starting my PPL license this summer
Scuba diving
2 school clubs
Photography <- cant say much but i have a lot of work, got 4.5M views last month on my content, collaborated with f22 demo team pilot on insta
Could've gotten a lockeed internship this year but due to budget cuts and election year, no one was hiring, but I strongly believe next year will be a lot better in terms of them needing applicants.

Besides those kinda mediocre stuff i do (im being fr), I understand the nomination process quite well and what to come forward when the application date gets closer in the future. Ok yeah... so... i feel like i blew my chances... considering what other people have... but... yeah 😔

Good morning/afternoon, I wanted to know if my application would give me a decent chance of getting accepted. (I am a white male) 4.0 GPA, 1400 SAT, Civil air patrol squadron commander (was former flight sergeant and first sergeant), Coast guard auxiliary member, 35 hours community service, I received a disaster relief award in the civil air patrol, I raised several thousand dollars for my squadron by setting up a monthly trash pick up at a local car show, I got my squadron to participate in a local Veterans Day parade, and I raised an additional 1,000 dollars for my squadron through wreaths across America. I doubt this helps but I’ve done several recruiting presentations at schools for my squadron. Finally, I’m currently in intramural volleyball. On top of this, I have 400 hours of logged time in aircraft.

I’m extremely motivated to serve. Would this application give me a decent chance of being accepted? My first choice is the cost guard but a guaranteed pilot slot would be awesome. I’m also in an interesting situation. I’m a junior in HS but I skipped to grades so I’ll have to take a gap year to be age eligible. I plan on taking calc 1 and 2 at a local community college during that time.

Hello, I submitted my PCQ quite a while ago for the class of 2029. I’ve looked through the applicant booklet and have emailed the admissions contact, but they did not really answer my question. I was asking who to contact to change my PCQ ACT score as I can’t find where that information was again. (I’m applying to the USNA as well so it’s a bit messy) I believe the self-reported scores for the PCQ didn’t need to be sent through the ACT website using the academy’s code, but I’m very confused and am concerned about contacting them too many times. Any help is appreciated! Thanks!

Hello all,

I applied to USAFA during my senior year of high school and was rejected (only got nominated to USNA). I ended up going to another STEM college in Colorado and have been in AFROTC, I am currently an AS100 going into my AS200 year. I have been heavily weighing reapplying to USAFA, and am looking for advice if this is the right move. I am studying Electrical Engineering at my current school and will have taken most general education courses (calculus, diffeq, physics) by the time I finish my application.

I would be applying for the class of 2029, so I would lose the two years I've already spent in undergrad. My main motivation for reapplying is a better chance of a pilot slot.

Is this the right move? What would you do? Will I be a better office going through ROTC or USAFA? Thanks!

I am currently a Jr in high school and want to apply to USAFA. The problem right now is that I only realized this late, and am now wondering if I am still able to begin my application process. To be perfectly honest, I don't understand the admissions process very well and could also use help with that.

I understand that this must be a very commonly asked question, so if you could at least link a guide or something along those lines, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance

I submitted my PCQ as early as physically possible and I did not see that I wasn’t required to actually put in my ACT score. What I had then was a 22 and my most recent score is a 25. I’m going to study like crazy this summer since I got a 25 without studying and see what happens. I’m worried that I accidentally ruined my chances this year, however and that I won’t even make it past the PCQ because of my mediocre score. Any advice? I hear people are receiving their portal status updates already for the class of 29. Should I email the admissions office?

I just got an email notifying me that I am now a candidate after my PCQ! I asked my Admission Liaison Officer and he said that people aren’t usually notified until July….. why did I get the email so early?

For the SAT this Saturday should I hold off inputting their code until I see the results? I assume it doesn’t matter because they super score the results anyways.

Daughter is homeschooled, and has taken a few AP courses through local highschool. Better to list a 4.19 on a 5.0 scale or a 4.0 on a 4.0 scale?

I am a freshman in high school and I am wondering what I should prepare for before filling out my pre candidate form junior year. I am not worried about the fitness tests more the educational side. I also am at a high school that allows me to get an associates degree and the school is very easy so it’s easy for me to stay at the top 19% and keep a high GPA. But I have the option to switch to a much harder school with better education and possibly more higher level classes but I may be risking my high gpa for that. Does the board look at how difficult your school/classes are? If so should I go to the more difficult/advanced school?

a few months ago (december, junior year) i got a bad concussion, so bad they said if there had been any more trauma to the head i could have had permanent brain damage. (edit for extra context it was a more mild injury , but there had been repeated trauma, hence the long healing time and possibility of permanent damage, which is why i consider it a “bad concussion“) i didn’t heal until a month after i went to the hospital (i didn’t go to the hospital until a few weeks into having the concussion) over that time, my grades slipped (because i wasn’t able to do more than a few minutes of work at a time without severe pain, even in low stimuli environments) from a 95 unweighted to an 80 unweighted for the quarter, my grades are still suffering a bit because at the beginning of the quarter i was still making up work, so now in my junior year, my quarterly GPA’s were 92, 80, and 90. (my average goes up around 3 points weighted) when they used to be 94 and up. i have a few really strong extra curricular sports and such (all star cheer for 10+ years, girl scouts, drama club, NJHS, hopefully multiple seals on my diploma) and i am in all honors/AP, are my chances ruined even if i do really well for my last quarter of junior year? i really want to go to the academy and i’m really trying but its hard, are my chances ruined?

tl;dr : bonked my head mega hard, grades went downhill, are my chances ruined?

I was wondering what USAFA is looking for in an applicant. I’ve heard some people say they want people who are good in 1 sport and other people say they like it better if someone takes many sports but aren’t as good. I’ve also heard that they like people who volunteer a lot and have leadership roles. How much of this is true?

I’m being recruited to the basketball team and would love to hopefully get to talk to somebody on the phone who graduated and learn about their experiences and what life is like after graduation. I feel like the people recruiting me are only telling me the good things.

I had to move to a different country due to family circumstances and im wondering how lenient they will be to the fact that I bascially had to quit all my sports and pick up new ones, cant continue ap classes, etc.

Hello, I’m an indian american high school junior looking for some advice. I'd like to get into USAFA, though realistically my goal at the moment would probably be doing AFROTC. My GPA is decent (3.9) and I’ve taken a good mix of AP & honors classes (AP Physics I & II, Chemistry, US History, Comp Sci, Psych, World, Lang, etc.- 8 AP and 4 Honors) I’m a founding member of a female BSA scout troop and have been a member for 6 yrs with varied leadership roles, I’ll have my Eagle by fall. 

Recently got some scholarship money so will hopefully have some flight experience if not my PPL by end of summer. I’m also in a state aerospace program and I’ve done about 150 hrs as a volunteer science interpreter at an aquarium + volunteered a lot through scouting and NHS (maybe 70+ hrs?). 

However, I have never done any sports in high school, which is not great. Hopefully i’ll do XC this fall but damage is done. This summer I’ll be likely either doing an internship at an airport or working at a science museum. I’ll be taking the SAT in June. 

My goal is to be a pilot so I understand my best chances are applying for USAFA, however all the military pilots I’ve met have come through AFROTC so I didn’t think too much about it before. Sounds like I’d need some better varied leadership experience and sports experience to be competitive. Additionally I live in a district with a big city which might make getting a nomination hard (not completely sure how this works). A USAFA recruiter suggested I apply anyway (obviously lol) though I don’t think I have much of a shot at all. Not sure how much of this is in my head though, I didn’t know I wanted to apply until very recently, so would like thoughts. thanks! 

Heres a bit on why I want to serve if that matters:
I began becoming invested in conflicts around the world & military service after the invasion of Ukraine. I read a lot about geopolitics and truly began to appreciate the importance of harboring understanding over a cultural divide. I enjoy reading about the wide ranging effects of armed conflict and would like to engage with veterans and refugees more (trying to apply for a position at a nonprofit trying to start at my school to helping refugees/immigrants, also did an ambassador program with exchange students). It seems to me that the best officers are effective leaders because of their willingness to think critically and have empathy. I think I'd be a good officer for that reason, for my willingness to consider varied perspectives and help others. Volunteering and service to others has been deeply rewarding in my personal experience which, in conjunction with some very meaningful conversations with veterans and pilots have helped me realize I wanted to serve.

Wish I looked at applying sooner, don't know if these vacillations are overblown or if have a chance at getting in. I don't personally know anyone in the military so I'm a bit in the dark even with the help of the internet. Thanks in advance for any input.

Hi I am applying for the USAFA, USMA, USNA, and the USCGA(I know they don't require a congressional nomination for the class of 2029 and I was wondering the chance I had to get into any of these schools, more specifically the USAFA as that is my first choice.

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Background:

I am a South Asian(Indian) male looking to major in Computer Science or Military & Strategic Studies and looking to minor in either Religion Studies or Space Warfighting. I am middle class(90K). I am the Child of two immigrants and I am a first generation college student. I attend a governors school in my state(a school where kids from 16 different counties apply to try and get in, 2nd best public school in the state).

Stats:

3.86 W gpa - 14 honors courses, 8 ap courses, 2 dual enrollment courses so from freshman to junior year, and I will be taing 3 aps, 3 dual enrollment, 1 honors course, and a study hall next year.

SAT: 1500 superscore(780 math 720 lang)

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Extracurriculars:

I have been doing CS internships since the 9th grade. I have done an cloud computing internship at an Australian based contracting company, a cybersecurity and data internship with my local school district, a cloud computing educational internship with a local non profit that I volunteered at, a quant based internship where I helped develop algorithms that help traders make decisions about stocks and now I intern/volunteer at an open source startup for a messaging platform. I also work as a teacher teaching children 7 -15 how to code.

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I have over 500+ volunteering hours(expecting it to go up to 700 hours by the end of the summer). I volunteer with a local peace organization center where I help lead workshops on conflict resolution. I volunteer for my internship on drafting up letters to try and support open source projects. I teach children how to code(voluntarily) at the same local non profit I used to Intern at.

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At school, I am part of a few clubs. I was the assistant project manager for my robotics team, I am the assistant head of lighting for my schools drama club. I am also the secretary of my schools programming club. I am also part of NHS(and will hopefully become secretary next year if I win the elections). I am also the treasurer of my schools Young Republicans club.

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I also do Civil Air Patrol(My school doesn't offer any sort of JROTC so I decided to do CAP instead). In it, I am the leader of my squadrons CyberPatriot team, Flight Sargent, part of my Squadrons honor guard and color guard team, part of my groups Cadet Advisory Council, Cadet Cyber Education NCO, Cadet IT NCO. I will also be attending the United States Air Force Civil Engineering Academy this summer. I am also going to be doing an apprenticeship at an engineering company.

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Questions I have:

Does my lack of sports automatically kick me out? I was unable to do any sports due to the fact that I had to take care of people at my home and I could not attend practices. I was able to do wrestling for a bit but practices unfortunately did not line up with my schedule. I play basketball and stay active in my freetime, but I do not do any school sports.

How bad will my accent affect me? I have a strong Indian accent due to the fact that I learned English primarily through my parents. I can speak very confidently and my English skills are not subpar(as can be seen through my English SAT score and my decision to take AP Lang this year.). I am not really afraid of discrimination at the academy as I have dealt with it all my life and I have been able to stop discrimination whenever it happens to me, but I am afraid that it may affect me through the application process.

Will race play any part into the admissions process?

I was wondering if my race will give me any sort of advantage or disadvantage in the application process.

My passion:

I have always wanted to serve my country since I was a little kid. My parents immigrated from South Asia with no money and were able to live out the American Dream. My parents always taught me the importance of America and how it had helped us so much, and I wanted to give back by serving as an officer in the United States armed forces. I am truely passionate about serving and becoming an officer, also planning to apply to AFROTC, AROTC, and NROTC, and I was wondering if that will be helpful in my application process.

Thank you so much for any support or advice you may have!

Edit:

List of ap: apush, ap physics, ap calc ab, apes, ap macro and micro, ap gov, ap csa, and ap lang, and I plan to take ap comp gov, ap lit, and ap csp

Dual enrollment: photography and engineeejng, and I plan to take stats, and calc 2

Hi, I’m in a very unique situation where I’m currently serving in the Korean Army(stationed in Korea) but hold US citizenship(dual citizenship) and have guardians who live in Texas right now. Am I allowed to apply for congressional nominations to the district that my guardians are currently in?(I did graduate high school from this district) If somehow I do get an interview, do I have to show up in person?(This wouldn’t be possible for me). I was just wondering since my current “residency” would be in Korea. (I’m trying to apply for the class of 2029 and my ETS is in mar 2025. So I’m trying to do this whole app process while serving in the military)

Another thing, I’m a “transfer” student who finished freshman year in college(taking gap years due to mandatory military service). However, I don’t have any contact with college professors since it’s such a huge school(Texas A&M) with huge classes and I did get a rec letter from my high school english teacher but my math teacher’s contact info is no where to be found. But I could get rec letters from US army officers since I also “serve” for the US army(KATUSA) if USAFA accepts these letters as replacements for the required teacher’s rec letters. Is there any way to solve this silly problem?

Ive worked on my resume for the past year and have been able to add a lot to it. Here it is:

Currently 30 hours in a Cessna, solo'ed.

3.6 (will be 3.8 after this semester) GPA with 22 college credits and 2 honors classes (Algebra 2 and smn else i cant remember). Here are the college classes I've taken: CAM 160-400: Machining I, CAM 161: Machining II, CAM 122: CNC Mill Applications, CAM 216: Basic CAD/CAM, ENG 111: Composition 1, EET 101: Circuit Analysis I, EET 165: Automation Control: PLC I, ENG 130: Intro to Technical Comm, SKT 153 Fluid Power: Pneumatics/Logic. I also have a 10 hour OSHA certification and a Snap-On multimeter certification if that means anything.

My GPA has improved massively since Freshman year, from 2.9 too now.

Will have an internship starting this summer HOPEFULLY at GM Powertrain (GM and there internship program is kind of falling apart right now) but it will be anywhere with manufacturing. If that doesn't workout, it will be a place with a large focus on CNC machining and designing. I currently have a job landscaping.

Was Vice-President of a financial literacy club, and President of Chess Club for one year. Member of debate club for 2 years. Current a member of a community service club getting service hours and I also signed up to volunteer at Special Olympics on February 23rd. I'm also apart of a peer-to-peer mentorship program as a mentor. I'm also signed up for Red Cross volunteering over this summer.

Currently signed up for the Marine Core Marathon in October and I've gotten a ACCESS GRANTED pass from running and finishing the Marine Core 17.75. I'm an avid weightlifter and have gotten to 5'10" 240lbs (like 40%bf) to 185lbs (19-20%bf) in a little over a year. Still losing weight and getting leaner. My school offers 1 sport without a varsity letter (bowling) so I didn't care to participate in it.

I believe I'm competitive for a nomination from my congressional representative as the school I go to is held in fairly high standards by her and the district itself has very little competition.

I took my SAT and got a 1300 first time. I'm very confident I could score better as I wasn't able to study as much as i wanted, really only getting like 2-4 hours a week.

If i got my SAT up to 1400, am i competitive?

I’m applying to the USAFA and USNA class of 2029 and want to know if I have a decent chance at getting accepted.

GPA: 4.25 (3.8 unweighted) ACT: 28 5 HS sports but only lettered in 1 President NEHS Vice President NHS 40+ volunteer hours Multiple part time and full time jobs Top 20% of class rank 5 AP and multiple honors classes taken

Hi everyone, I got accepted into something called the martinson honors program at USAFA. The acceptance letter gives me a vague description, but frankly I can’t really tell if it’s a good deal. Anyone on this sub have experience/ know if it’s a good idea?

hi everyone, I got accepted to USAFA and after thinking it’s what I wanted for so long, I’ve started to have doubts. Mainly, I’m worried about losing my personality and becoming a shell of my former self as a result of the military aspect of the academy. I really don’t want to lose who I am; and I’m terrified that the rest of my life will melt away at the academy. Does anyone have any advice/ regrets from the mental side of USAFA?

I got this email today,

Dear [x],

I want to consider you for admission to West Point. Please take a moment to submit your Candidate Questionnaire.

Applying to West Point is a multistep process that starts in your junior year, and submitting a Candidate Questionnaire is the very first step. Please submit your Candidate Questionnaire today so I can review your candidacy. I’ll be in touch soon afterward with next steps.

We have simplified the application process for you in the following ways: West Point has no application fees, because we believe that every American should have access to a high-quality education. Standardized tests are not required to open your Candidate Questionnaire. Later in the application process, you will be asked to submit your SAT or ACT scores. Submitting a Candidate Questionnaire is not a commitment to West Point, but it does enable you to learn more about us and to keep us as an option during your college search. You may have already heard about our world-class academics and accessible professors, but did you know that at West Point, every cadet is an athlete? Competition through our NCAA Division I sports, competitive club sports, and intramural athletics is critical to developing lifelong leadership and teamwork skills, and especially critical for building personal bonds. At West Point, your teammates in company athletics, club, and team sports will become a tight-knit family.

Take the first step on your path to success and submit your Candidate Questionnaire today. If you're accepted for admission to West Point, your journey will continue to unimaginable heights.

Sincerely,

Rance A. Lee Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army Director of Admissions United States Military Academy 606 Thayer Rd West Point, NY 10996

Is this sent to everyone or a good sign

Class of 2028 discord or any group chats? Would like to be added for some more information. TIA