<p>Anyone know what the drop out rate is for the USAFA? I’ve heard widely varying figures. Any thoughts on why most dropouts occur? I wondered if it tended to be academics, dislike of the military regimen, or some other factor.</p>
<p>Over the last several years, the drop-out rate has been at about 25% total over 4 years. That's a MUCH higher graduation rate in four years than almost any school in America. About half of that attrition occurs among freshmen. Over the Academy's history, it has been as low as about 21% and 6 or 7 seven classes (in the psot-VietNam era, 74-84) had attrition of over 40%. My class had 1498 report for BCT and only 876 graduate. "Change of career goals" is the most common factor cited in attrition, followed probably by flunking out academically.</p>
<p>How would you interpret "Change of career goals?" What would that include?</p>
<p>I think that would be interpreted as I don't want to go into the military anymore.</p>
<p>I'm sure that's a much higher graduation rate than most schools but, after all, these kids are cream of the crop! It's good to know that academic problems are not the main reason that cadets drop out. Maybe some of them are because of those aforementioned girlfriends back home! ;-)</p>
<p>Often times "change in career goals" is a euphemism for, "the academics are too tough, so I've decided I don't want to be in the military." I've known cadets get kicked out of USAFA for bad grades then go to some pretty reputable schools ang et 3.5+</p>
<p>I feel I might have some insight as I dropped out of the academy at the beginning of my sophomore year just when I was told life was supposed to become bearable.</p>
<p>I originally left on an ‘administrative turnback’, and was set to return and finish my 3 years after a year off due to family issues at home…but after attending a university in my home state I decided that I could be just as successful coming out of a regular state university than the academy. Now I still plan on joining the Air Force Reserves when I graduate and still have a dream of one day flying, I just had a couple issues with the academy that I ultimately couldn’t resolve. The biggest one touches on the topic of the original question. </p>
<p>There are a good number of cadets that flunk out academically, and about 100% of them are recruited athletes that couldn’t handle the academics. This was a huge issue for me…I didn’t appreciate that there were so many cadets accepted solely on athletic ability that skipped the regular application process when the academy is about a whole lot more than just sports. They got out of a majority of military obligations and were usually the cadets that couldn’t care less about the rules and tradition that surrounded the institution, so naturally it made it harder for me to buy into the entire system (which believe me, I wanted to). I also need to say that not all the athletes were part of the problem, my freshman year roomate was on the cross country team and he was an awesome and driven guy. But I should mention, he was accepted through the regular application channel and actually recruited for the team after his acceptance, so he may not be the best example. I had a couple other grievances with the academy that would simply take to long to articulate, but I also had a couple smaller issues relating to the military as a whole. For instance, the whole “Hurry up and wait” deal…honestly the saying is an understatement. The military can get to be so bureaucratic as there are so many inefficient processes and policies, and you have to fill out a form for just about everything. It kind of makes you feel so insignificant and caged up (which is kind of the point haha). Now, that problem wasn’t a deal breaker, as I imagine this kind of stuff exists within any large organization, and like I said, I still see the military playing some role in my future. But I thought it was worth mentioning.</p>
<p>And yes, though the academics are hard, I will say that they don’t give the cadets a whole lot of room for other distractions (particularly freshman). The faculty is also great about providing support for cadets. This is all often very different from college student experiences at other universities. So its not quite as difficult when all things are considered. I’ve honestly almost had a harder time being as successful within my business school as I was at the academy where I was in the top 5% academically, and top 6% overall (physically/militarily/academically) out of my class. I was on the Superintendent’s list when I left and was also awarded the “Doolie of the Semester” award from my cadet group for my first semester which is a very prestigious award to receive (only 4 cadets per semester out of a freshman class of 1,200 cadets). Needless to say, I was quite successful during my short 14 months there and I owe a lot of it to the entire system of discipline and the huge amount of opportunities afforded to every cadet at the academy. Though it can be very stressful at times, its almost difficult to not be successful in such an environment. In a University, it can be so difficult to stand out amongst your peers. I am surrounded by plenty of incredibly smart and driven people just within my university’s business school whom I know are bound for a life of success. I feel the competition is way higher because there are so many more people, and not nearly as much opportunity for leadership and experience compared to the academy, where you can jump out of planes, spend entire summers and semesters overseas, and serve in huge positions of leadership after only one year of attendance. But I suppose that is why it is considered such a prestigious institution in which the government heavily invests.</p>
<p>Ultimately, I guess that once I realized that the Air Force Academy wasn’t my only avenue for an accomplished and successful career, I started to think twice about investing my entire life into such an intense lifestyle at what I think is an early age. And I don’t regret it. I’ve managed to perform well academically and be very involved in my school, church and community. I was granted an incredible internship with a very reputable company, and have gotten to stay home. All the while, I was never expected to adopt a new lifestyle or move far away and give up all the time I could have had with family and friends at home. But I suppose that is more a decision of preference based on a person’s priorities than a universal truth, and I’m just glad God blessed me with a great college experience that lined up well with mine.</p>
<p>Sorry for the long post, and I hope it’s useful for anyone who ever reads it!</p>
<p>My understanding of the causes:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Quitting - for whatever reason it is by far the largest reason people leave - including the unwillingness to commit for a minimum of 7 more years after their sophomore (3C) year.</p></li>
<li><p>Academics - whether they quit trying or just can’t handle the difficulty and time management, dis-enrollment for academics is the 2nd most common reason.</p></li>
<li><p>Honor Code violations and medical reasons take a toll but much smaller than the two above.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>IMHO - if you are “good” enough to receive an appointment AND you give 100% effort without quitting…you have an excellent chance of successfully graduating from the USAFA.</p>