<p>getintoafa, I just flew back from Denver last week with an AFA grad, he played starting left tackle for the Falcons. Because my younger boy has expressed some interest, I inquired with the burly chap who wore a dark blue cap with AF in white about getting into the academy.
First, according to what he told me, based upon your academic credentials, your EC’s and athletics, you’re definitely in the game in those areas, except in terms of the SAT. I strongly recommend you take the best prep class you can get - some of them through some schools offer reduced cost or waivers if that is an issue because they are expensive. But you need to hit that 2000 to be solid in that regard, and of course having the math component lead the way wouldn’t hurt.
The two keys, again from what this recent grad said, are distinctiveness and the commission. The commission is that which you need to obtain from your Congressman or US Senator, i.e. their recommendation of you. Obviously, lots of people ask this of pretty much every Member, so the key will be the other part, distinctiveness.
The AFA alum said that you need to develop your story - what others in the CC world would call your hook. You need it to get your Congressman’s attention and you also need it for the admissions officers. In our case, I’m very, very involved in local politics; I told my son that if he really wants to go, and makes the grades, Dad will take care of getting the appointment. For most people though, it’s a pretty serious hurdle all by itself. But hey - maybe your Congressman or Senator is an alum of one of the service academies. If so - or if another Member in your area is - you might start by requesting an appointment to speak with them about it, pick their brains. It will yield good info and of course will also put you on their radar screen. You have a year, basically, to take care of this part of it.
From what I can tell, the best approach to developing your hook, your distinctiveness, is to have a focused reason, specifically why going to the AFA is something that is not only logical, given your record and achievements, but central to what you want to do with your life.
Nearly all AFA cadets went there at least in part because they wanted to fly. What this guy said was that there is a quantity of “new pilot slots” authorized each year by the DoD. I believe the number he said was 1200. Of that, half - 600 - are allocated to the Academy, and the other 600 are spread amongst all of the AFROTC programs at universities across the US. So basically, if you want to fly, you have to get into the Academy. Interestingly, though, he did say that you can become an Air Force officer - complete with your slot - by attending ANY of the service academies. He said he had a friend, a guy he’d served with, who’d gone to West Point but was pre-designated as Air Force for when he graduated. Unlikely and circuitous but maybe something else to think about.
But what is it about your explorations, your studies, your outside activities, that points you inexorably toward the Academy? One place to start might be to take a careful look at which academic majors they offer at the AFA. Is it engineering for you? Physics maybe, or materials science? Aeronautical? I don’t see anything in what you’ve listed that suggests one area or another. Now Mr. Left Tackle (a really personable young man by the way, not a big clumsy ox) did say that being well-rounded is part of the story you need to have, and your range of coursework supports that, but where is the direction that says, “I need to get to the Academy to do what I’ve demonstrated I want to do?” Do you want to be a flight surgeon, go from the AFA to med school? Great, but likely that wouldn’t put you first in line for a pilot slot.
My suggestion - ask. Find as many AFA alums as you can (including, as I said above, your elected officials), even online folks, and ask them their stories, their pitch, their hook. Oh, speaking of that - look into the biographies of ALL of the elected officials who represent you and your family. If your mayor, for example, is an Annapolis grad, ask him. If your state representative was in the Marines, ask her. Do the homework. Most electeds know most of their peers; if you don’t have an “in” with your Congressman, but his buddy, your town Councilman, wears a service academy ring, having their recommendation might make the difference.
There is a ton of info out there, by the way, about getting into the AFA, including books and courses. From what I’ve seen though, if you’re enough of a self-starter to qualify for the Air Force Academy, you have what you need to find out what you need to know.
Good luck - make us proud!</p>