<p>I’m new to this forum and heard it’s filled with lots of smart people so I thought I would try it out</p>
<p>This summer decided I wanted to go to the air force academy. I’m going to be a junior this coming year and have been very active in my community and have pretty good grades. As of now my GPA is about 94.5 and I am taking all pre ap classes and 1 ap class this year. </p>
<p>I am also in the marching band and concert band and am a section leader for the trombone section this year. I am also planning on running for drum major the end of this year and will most likely get it.</p>
<p>I was recently inducted into the NHS at my school and also plan on running for an officer position for that.</p>
<p>Currently I am an active member in Boy Scouts and right now am Senior Patrol Leader and have been for about six months. I have just started to work on my Eagle project and will have achieved Eagle in about a month or two.</p>
<p>I have been in a praise and worship band at my church named Brevity for about 3 years now and we have become sort of famous within the county. We play at lots of churches and church camps, which I have also worked at, including UM army and faith in action.</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure im doing well with my community stuff to get accepted into the air force academy but am still working on more to do. The only part I’m afraid of is the nominations. If anyone could tell me their opinion on my current situation about if it looks like I have a chance and/or what I can do to get a nomination I would highly appreciate it.</p>
<p>as most ppl on here will say (as many ppl like you ahve asked the same thing), your stats look good. the biggest thing we can say is first that stats are important, but you can never tell no matter how good they look. paper stats don't always turn into appointments, so while we can say you have a great chance, none of us can truthfully say you'll get in for sure. the other thing depends on the person you are. with interviews for nominations, they want to see someone who genuinely wants to attend. so be yourself, and if you really want it, they'll be able to tell.</p>
<p>so continue what you're doing, apply as soon as you can, and good luck. hope to see u in c/o 2013</p>
<p>Work hard on the nomination process, but it isn't as tough as you might think. Right now, I would suggest you develop yourself in sports. That will help your conditioning as well as your leadership resume. Both are critical for your application. Hope no one is tired of hearing me say this - prep yourself and do exceptionally well on the SAT/ACT. Low scores will stop your application dead in its tracks. Finally, read and reread the USAFA application website till you almost have it memorized. Treat your application as if it were a course in school and do your homework in it everyday!
Wishing you success.</p>
<p>thanks, I forgot to say that I was going to join the water polo team this year and try to join the swimming team and jrotc if possible. I have also been doing an SAT prep class online for the past year so I'm not worried about that.</p>
<p>Just work really hard to keep the grades up, try to get into sports as much as possible and give yourself the best shot possible when you start the application process. Also try to stay on top of the paperwork and everything during the application process, it can become a bit overwhelming at times (from what I can remember back then, of course things are different now...).</p>
<p>You'll never know your true chances of getting in until you get the paper in your hand from the academy.</p>
<p>As far as nominations go, you should'nt have too big a problem getting one, that is not the hard part of getting in. I think from what I know from when I applied something like 5-6 thousand get nominations, but only 1300 of those actually get in. </p>
<p>no no patriot, your memory isnt failing :) its still as overwhelming as i'm pretty sure it was for you.. i'd recommend what everyone else has said; get involved in sports, do your best.. try to find leadership roles in everything you're doing, and make good grades. everythin else will fall in its own place..</p>
<p>Ok, my 2 cents worth. I agree that no one on here can say for sure if you will get accepted, they can only offer observations based on your brief write-up. Since 9x% of the typical class at any Military Academy has some varsity sports experience, that is something to keep in mind. Physical conditioning is VERY important.</p>
<p>Also, ~10% (guessing from memory) of the people who apply actually get accepted, so be realistic and have a back-up plan.</p>
<p>Learn all you can about any and all of the Academies.....you will get asked why you are only interested in the Air Force if what you really want is to serve your country. Read all the things on the official websites, visit them if possible, try to get selected for any of those weeklong programs to see the place first hand (I think they all offer those prior to starting your senior year).</p>
<p>Finally, do the things the balance of your h.s. years because you enjoy them and/or think you are good at it. In the long run you will accomplish more that way then simply participating in something because it helps you fill out your resume.</p>
<p>Take a look at this website, it has an amazing trailer to a movie now in production about what it is like to be a cadet.</p>
<p>Not bad. Now then, it sounds like you may be over stretching yourself to get quantity instead of quality. The academy will want to see dedication, so it is best to find what you really enjoy and feel strongly about to pursue. Keep in mind that the standard is varsity sports, eagle scouts, high GPAs, NHS, etc. Find one of your activities that is out of the norm and do it well. This will give you an advantage in standing above everyone else applying. </p>
<p>In addition, I agree that athletics are a good avenue to work on, and testing as RTBdad said. I would suggest adding more than just one AP class if you feel you can handle it. This will show your ability to handle difficult academics on top of rigorous extracurriculars. The academy compiles your profile (60% academics I do believe) into a point system. AP is part of this. It will also prepare you better for the level of academics that most are not ready for. Good luck.</p>
<p>yah I know I only have 1 ap class this coming year but my senior year I will have ap gov, ap calc,ap physics, and either ap english or college english. And about the whole physical ability thing, I am in very good shape and can already do most of the fitness things above their average numbers. But yah, everyone brought up a good point about a sport, I think I've decided to go for swimming and water polo because I both enjoy it and am very good at it.</p>
<p>Not to restate too much on what others have already said, but waiting until your senior year to do AP classes could be a small problem. Most students have their applications to the academy completed usually by the time fall comes of their senior year. Therefor, the academy doesn't really see your senior classes. Yes, you will have it on your senior class schedule that you have to include from the school along with the school profile and your transcripts; but the transcript will only show the grades from your Sophomore and Junior years. Unless you are in a school that starts high school in the freshman year or you are in the IB program and started high school in your freshman year.</p>
<p>Definitely find a sport. They do ask if you "Lettered" in it so don't just take up a sport to fill a square. Although, that reason is still better than no sport at all. If you can maintain the academy average of 3.86 gpa or better, that is great. Sounds like the rest of your extra curriculum and leadership involvement is taken care of. But as others have already said, none of this guarantees anything. Same with any school. Last year, more than 30% of the straight "A" 4.0, Valedictorian students that applied to Harvard, were turn down. Same here. There are some very qualified students that won't get accepted. Give your all. Later.... Mike.....</p>
<p>The only problem about ap classes is at my school is there are only 2 ap classes I can take(aside from stat, but I have to take pre cal to be able to take calc ap senior year)</p>
<p>Not to be rude, but making excuses, especially on an online forum, is not necessary. You came here looking for advice, we are giving it. Trying to qualify yourself doesn't make sense, we're trying to tell you from another's point of view, those that have been in your situation and/or various stages of it what to expect and what USAFA is searching for. In no way are we trying to belittle you or your attempts, but give you ways to improve if USAFA is truly where you want to go. </p>
<p>You say you're in great shape. That's good, that allows you to concentrate on other areas to strengthen. If you can't take more AP classes, take the highest level you can. These things are taken into account in the application process. If you feel you can take something harder, investigate a local community college if you can take higher classes. This shows initiative and the ability to cope with college level academics. It is key to prove that you can handle and excel in math and science, even if it means seeking other avenues to succeed. </p>
<p>The military in general loves standardized testing and education, proving the ability to do well on such tests like the SAT and ACT further helps your application. </p>
<p>These are a few things from all of us that will assist you. Take it if you wish.</p>
<p>Sorry, I'm really not meaning to sound like I'm making excuses, I was just saying my situation at my school, but yah I'm looking into taking classes at our community college.</p>