Is USAFA impossible for me?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Air Force Academy - Colorado Springs
1

<p>I’m presently 18 and I’d really like to go to USAFA, but do I have any chance whatsoever? Even 5% odds? Please tell me what you think.</p>

<p>The interesting part starts when I sort of dropped out of second grade. From that point on I was somewhat “unschooled” (no curriculum). I spent my days learning about things I was interested in (computers, science, aviation, business, etc.) and working. At the age of 16 (or was I 15?) I started a small corporation which employs between 6 to 12 people throughout the year.</p>

<p>From being a business owner these last few years, I’ve come to realize a few things.</p>

<p>My first realization is that I’m really bored with my life. Running a business is NOT something I want to do for a living, even if it could potentially make me rich. I feel as though this lifestyle is slowly draining my life away. All I am really doing on a daily basis is getting older and watching my life slowly drain away into oblivion. I have to find some way to end this ASAP or it’s going to drive me insane.</p>

<p>My second realization is that I enjoy learning and self-improvement (something I’m not getting to do enough of lately). I used to hate math and homework back when it was forced on me, but now that I have been apart from all that for a few years I’ve really grown to appreciate it. I truly enjoy studying now and would like to do more of it.</p>

<p>My third realization is that I really enjoy challenges. Unfortunately, my life lacks any real challenge at the moment. Nothing I do in business gives me much sense of victory or accomplishment… Two feelings I crave now more than ever.</p>

<p>Is there any way for me to get into the USAFA at this point? I’ve always been interested in aviation. For as far back as I can remember I’ve dreamt of being a pilot in the USAF.</p>

<p>I would be willing to drop everything and apply myself 24/7 for the next few years in order to make it (USAFA) happen.</p>

<p>Any advice on what I should do or whether I’ve even got a chance would be appreciated…</p>

<p>Stoic</p>

2

<p>Wow, where do you begin with this kind of post! Do you have any kind of offical high school transcript or homeschool records? Have you taken any exams such as ACT or SATs? Are you prepared to go back to HS school now? Is that even a realistic option? Have you demonstrated athletic capabilities? Are you only interested in flying or are you interested in becoming an air force officer, even if you ended up not being qualified to fly?<br>
Based on what I read thus far, your best bet may be enlisting into the air force and trying to qualify for the Academy or OCS from there. I would try to answer some of these questions and maybe other posters will respond more fully with additional info. Note: check out the military.com forums for a better understanding of the route that I suggested here (i.e. enlisting first).</p>

3

<p>I agree with AFDAD that you should try enlisting, but not in the active duty. I recommend enlisting in the guard and going to a year of college. I never would have gotten into the Academy out of high school myself, and this is the route I followed. The combination of college and experience in the Air Force will make you a strong candidate. If you get good results on the SAT and GED and demonstrate your academic aptitude in college, I can’t imagine them holding your lack of formal high school against you. Leadership experience is very important, so owning your own business should be a huge kicker on your resume. </p>

<p>Speaking of college, I wouldn’t worry about trying to go back to high school. Get you GED and move on. I hope you aren’t intimidated by the idea of jumping into college without any high school experience. It’s clear that you are very bright and already know how to write well. Very, very few freshmen college courses build on anything your classmates will have learned in high school. Even courses like chemistry and other sciences assume you forgot everything you learned in high school. Math is the exception to this rule—and of course literacy, but obviously you aren’t worried about that. I recommend taking a course in algebra at the local community college and maybe a few other classes like college composition before entering a full-time program at a university. This will get you in the swing of academics and the algebra will give you the background to enter pre-calculus and subsequently calc 1. The Academy likes to see math and science courses on your transcript.</p>

<p>On a side not, instead of saying you didn’t go to high school, you should call yourself home schooled, especially on your application paper work. I was home schooled, and the Academy is pretty understanding. </p>

<p>This is all going to take time, so I’m glad you are willing to commit a few years and don’t expect immediate results. Start talking to a guard recruiter soon, it can take some time to get dates for basic, especially if you want a certain job. I could tell you more about recruiters too, but that’ll have to wait (in short, read everything and don’t believe anything they say). You can’t turn 23 before June 30th on the year you want to enter, so you have time, but get the ball rolling.</p>

4

<p>Much better answer Surfnkid!</p>

5

<p>Im just curious... if you are interested in the AFA it means you ultimately want to become an officer.</p>

<p>ROTC does that and pays a huge chunk (if not all?) of your college education.</p>

<p>Im just worried with your lack of high school and sports etc that comes with it will yo ube able to get an appointment... but you can still become and officer! </p>

<p>Btw, your story is very inspiring!</p>

6

<p>I don't have any background in sports whatsoever. My good scores on the physical fitness test helped balance this out. Also, sports are important for leadership, which can be made up by enlisted experience and especially your business experience. </p>

<p>Once again, if you can succeed in college, who cares about high school? If you do reasonably well in your college classes (shoot for a 3.2 GPA or better) and get good SATs and a GED scores, you'll be fine. </p>

<p>ROTC is an alternative, but since you want to fly, it's not the best. Academy grads are all but guaranteed pilot slots as long as they are medically qualified while competition is fierce among ROTC applicants. We get the same number of slots each year as all of ROTC, but of course they have far more graduates. </p>

<p>More importantly, you say you want challenge and self-improvement. There is no better place to find these things.</p>

7

<p>Thanks for all the replies.</p>

<p>Here is what I am already doing, plan on doing, or otherwise intend to be able to present to the USAFA when the time comes:</p>

<p>--- ACADEMIC ---</p>

<p>Mathematics - If I invest several hours every day into mathematics, I should be on top of calculus well within my time frame. Should I delve very deep into trig, or stick mainly (solely) with calculus?</p>

<p>Science and Other Subjects - I'll skim over (in detail) the various subcategories in order to at least match the knowledge of my average highschool "peers" (which from what I understand is far from substantial).</p>

<p>GED - For multiple reasons, I never saw much point in having one of these. Now that I plan on being employed by the government however, a need has arisen. I'll get my GED ASAP.</p>

<p>SAT - For some reason I'm thinking 1100 or above would be acceptable... What's my magic number here? I guess 1200+ would be a better goal.</p>

<p>College - I'll enroll for the short term in order to get my name back in the system and make some grades.</p>

<p>--- ATHLETIC ---</p>

<p>Hockey - I used to play hockey. This is really the only team sport I have any interest in.</p>

<p>Sporting Clays - Experience with bullet lead has been a proven benefit for combat pilots since WW2. This is a current hobby of mine.</p>

<p>Martial Arts - I took Tae Kwon Do for several years. The most difficult part about resuming this is that most schools (around here) produce nothing but "paper tigers". If I can find a decent school for TKD (or any other decent martial art), I'll resume training.</p>

<p>Wakeboarding - An extreme water sport. Not quite what they're looking for, I know. But it's physical and I have plenty of experience with it.</p>

<p>AFA Physical - As Surf'n'Kid mentioned, scoring well on the physical can't hurt. I'm going to start preparing for it now.</p>

<p>--- EXPERIENCE ---</p>

<p>Private Pilot License - This has to be worth something. Right?</p>

<p>Private Glider Pilot License - May not be worth much, but I'll mention it anyway.</p>

<p>Private Helicopter Pilot License - Never flown a chopper before, but I'd be more than willing to get certified if it would help.</p>

<p>USPA D Skydiving License - I've got quite a ways to go on this one, but it should be doable. I know, I know; this is probably not going to help much.</p>

<p>S-Corporation - Launching my business (to keep it short, a screenprinting and embroidery company) has definitely been one of the more educational experiences I've had. I could not even begin to compile a list of the things I have learned and experienced over my last few years in business. It has obviously put me into an "early-life crisis", if that's any testament to its experiential power.</p>

<hr>

<p>Anything I should add or alter? I've seen community service being mentioned; would volunteering as an EMT be good? What about memberships to such organizations as the US Chamber of Commerce? Is that a card worth playing? Will trivial skills such as scuba make me any more desirable?</p>

<p>I appreciate any and all of your comments and suggestions.</p>

<p>Thanks,
Stoic</p>

8

<p>A truly solid grounding in algebra is more important than calculus at this point. A great grade in a college calculus course would be a definite plus.
An 1100 SAT is not good enough. Average at the academy this year was 1290. At least shoot for average there.
Team sports will be better than individual sports. Work for leadership positions there and in other activities.
Pilot training is great, but it's just one of many activities they ask about on your application.
Interestingly, Toastmasters would carry more weight than most people realize. You are too old for their Youth Leadership program, but you are old enough to join a local Toastmasters club. Getting a leadership position should be easy, and USAFA values public speaking ability more than most people realize. Winning a few contests would add a lot of points to your application.
I think you can make this happen. As the old saying goes "plan your work, and work your plan."</p>

9

<p>Another thought. Consider swimming. Every doolie has to pass a swim test. You might be a great cross country runner, but if you can't swim, there'll be the devil to pay.</p>

10

<p>I agree with RTB. Your background is intriguing and, as was noted, inspiring actually! I think an admissions board would similarly be intrigued. Keep us posted and best of luck!</p>

11

<p>I wouldn't worry too much about trig. I took calculus without ever taking a real trig course and did fine. You should understand the basics, like how to use sine and cosine though. Although calculus is not depended on trig, some basic trig concepts will arise in the problems.</p>

<p>I agree with RTBdad about SATs. I don't think you'll have any problem scoring highly on it though. And if you don't, just keep taking it until you do. Many people take it several times or more and often improve their scores significantly. </p>

<p>I wouldn't worry about swimming. Doolie year you won't being swimming at all. The water survival courses are during your second year at the Academy, and although they are difficult, they shouldn't be on your mind now. I never hear of someone being booted because they couldn't swim well. </p>

<p>I'll reemphasize college. I think it's pretty important to get a good full year in (25-30 credits) if at all possible. I think you've got the leadership part of your application nailed. They're going to need solid proof of your academic ability. </p>

<p>Also don't underestimate the importance of the physical test. My very experienced ALO (academy liaison officer) told me that my physical test scores were one of the primary factors that got me in.</p>

<p>Your application is the opposite of the average. It's full of great hooks and "wow factor," like the business and flying experience, but short on the things most applicants take for granted -- like high school. I think a board looking at your app is going to say "wow, we want this guy," but you've got to give them the basics -- like academic record and physical shape -- to allow them to justify their decision.</p>