Please help me

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

<p>this is me , my name is Steven from the Bronx, New York and i would like to know what should i work on. i just finished my freshman year in high school. i’ve have been wanting to go the Academy since 8th grade, i have already contacted my ALO and he came to my house and i asked a lot of questons, i plan to visit the academy soon. im not very atheletic, im over weight, but i run every day and manage to have a mile time of 7-9 minutes around there. im studying hard for the PSAT and SAT, i hope to be a national merit scholar. besides running, i lift wieghts. i want the academy sooo bad, please anyone help me and tell me what should i work on. </p>

<p>3.7 cumaltive GPA
Top 5% Percent in Class
Class President and VP of englsih class</p>

<p>Air Force JROTC
NCOIC/Section chief of “community service” (in charge of seeking out
and organizing community
service activites for corps participation)
formal promotions: c/ab c/a1c, c/ssgt, c/tsgt
first sergeant/second in command to "academic section in support sqdrn
was in charge of conducting tutoring for cadets
class/flight leader</p>

<p>Drill Team
Commander of New cadet basic sqad
member of unarmed standard regulation
member of unarmed inspection team</p>

<p>Awareness presentation team
make two presentations to public on HIV/AIDS and conflict resolution</p>

<p>cadet council
counselor for cadet,s make sure the corps is run effiectly </p>

<p>Baseball
junior varsity
team manager</p>

<p>mannas college of music preparatory school
senior choros
music piece soloist </p>

<p>awards and accomplishment
Youth leadership conference
youth leadership and diversity leadership conference
National Young leaders conference </p>

<p>Awards
outstanding cadet of the month (x2)
plaque for outstanind drill team member
plaque for outstanding assistent section cheif
trophy for highest ROTC average
trophy for highest academic average
executive officer recognitoin award
American veterans (AMVETS) award
NAtional SCholar Medalist
Youth LEadership Award</p>

<p>Honors:
Academic Honor Roll (2 times)
Taking Honors Classes
Who’s Who among high school
member of the NAtional Socitey of High School Scholars</p>

<p>Community Service
Soup kitchen
college fair
church activites
tutoring
hours : 10 or more</p>

<p>summer camps:
Air Force JROTC Aerospace and Technology Honors Camp</p>

2

<p>If you could give us some specifics on your physical fitness stuff, we could help more in that area. How fast is your average mile time? (7-9 is a big range) Seven minutes is fairly good, nine is not. You still have lots of time to improve though. How many push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups can you do correctly? Look at the CFA or PFT and try them out.</p>

<p>Your extracurriculars look pretty good to me.</p>

<p>Your GPA is a tad bit low, but you are in the top 5%, which helps. (From what the ACT says, the average USAFA cadet had a 3.8.)</p>

<p>Basically, do what you can to get in better shape (I wish I had started earlier) and keep your grades and community involvement up.</p>

3

<p>GPA isn't low if you are in honors type classes -- 5% is key and excellent. Your lack of athletics is the biggest hole in your record. I would focus on getting in shape, joining the track team (or another sport) and really turning this around. Hey, if not for the Academy, then just for you -- what an accomplishment that would be in and of itself! Best of luck!</p>

4

<p>Sounds like you're on the right track! One word of caution, though. On your application and all official correspondence, please make sure your spelling is perfect. It looks like you're a little challenged in that area.!</p>

5

<p>lol, thanks everybody, my spelling is questionable because i type very fast. But your right i should focus a lilte bit more on that. Well i took the Presidential Physical Fitness Challenge at Honors Camp. I took this test in July
Sit Ups: 37 (2 mins)
Pull Ups : 0
Mile run: 9:20
Shuttle run: 10.8 seconds
Push ups- 20 (2 minutes)
V- stretch - 11 inches</p>

<p>I've have got a little better with the running.
With the push ups, I don't think I do them correctly because I dont go all the way down. I go untill the're like 5 inches left b/w my chest and the floor.</p>

6

<p>You definitely, need to bring those pushup numbers up. I know for the Naval Academy PFT, men are suppose to have at least 45 pushups in 2 minutes, and that is to get a score of 60% out of 100% (D). On your pushups, make sure that you are going all the way down. If you have a sibling or even one of your friends can help you, correct this. Have them make a fist, then get up in the pushup stance, and have them put their fist right under your sternum (the bone connecting your ribcages), then go all the way down until your chest hits their fist, then come back up, this is 1. Also for men, for sit-ups you need at least 65 in 2 min (D). You definitely need to work on your pull-ups, I'm not sure how many men need, so if someone else could chime in, that would be great. At the Naval Academy, for the 1.5 mile run, men need to have at least a time of 10:30; this is approximately 1:45 for 1 lap (.250 of a mile). This equals to a 7 min. mile. I am also not to sure on the pull-up amount, I think it is 5, but again not to sure. Also check look at the basketball throw, because I have the max. score, but not the min. score. Keep working on your shuttle run, I think most people get around 10-12 sec. but that is only what I heard.
These are for the United States Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy, should relatively be the same, but I would go on their website (usafa.af.mil) so that you know what they require. Do not go only for the amounts listed above as minimum, work as hard and as long as you can, and shoot for the maximum.
I just came up with a personal 13 week fitness plan, if you want it, I can send it to you. Just give me a personal message.
It is great that you are interested in applying now! I have been reading things since the 4th grade about the United States Naval Academy, and I am also going into the 10th grade. I have talked to my BGO many times, gone to a couple admission briefings I have another one in September, and gone out to the air field to fly small aircrafts. BTW, I want to be an officer in the Marine Corps first and foremost, that is my dream, but my highest goal is to become a fighter pilot in the Marine Corps, flying either F-18 super hornets, or the Harrier.
I apologize to everyone else out there, if I am coming off as a "know-it-all", I got all of these statistics from my BGO, books, and the website. If anything is wrong or there is a discrepancy, please just go ahead and prove me wrong, I would like to know more, and some things could have changed.
Good luck! Sorry if this is a little long.
Respectfully,
Usnahopeful</p>

7

<p>no no no, i appreciate everything that you tell me. Ill work hard. very hard.</p>

8

<p>i plan to fly the F/A 22 Raptor, I want to become an officer in the air force. I thought the Harrier (Marine Corps plane i think) retired?</p>

9

<p>i broke my left arm when i was a little kid, i had two operations on it and i have two scars on it. My right arm has always been stronger that the left. for example i can lift a dumbell 10 times with my right arm, but only 7 with my left. Do you think this will prevent me from joining the military?</p>

10

<p>If it is limiting they will have a lot of follow ups on your arm.</p>

<p>USAFA standards for CFA: min avg max
Pull -ups: 6 8 18
Shuttle Run: 7.30(ish) 10 11.8(?)
Sit-ups: 58? 65 95
Push-ups: 35 41 65
Mile: 5:20</p>

<p>Keep in mind the PFT and AFT while here is a little different and the requirements and scores for everything are higher. (Bit higher than the navy ones it seems as well)</p>

<p>Your academic and leadership activities seem pretty strong, but you have a lot of work in the physical department. Start fixing that now if you are serious about this.</p>

11

<p>Physical fitness is important 1) to get in 2) to remain a cadet in good standing 3) to make it easier on yourself while here.</p>

<p>You need to work-out. I know that I did not take my own advice, and am regretting it now. Find someone to work with you. This will help to keep you on schedule. As long as you keep up with a good work-out plan, you definitely have enough time to improve.</p>

<p>Try to do a CFA on your own every month or so to check your progress.
(avg mile for the CFA is 7:00min IIRC)</p>

12

<p>well thanks for all the advice guys. but here is the horrible truth. I've been running everyday everywhere. I have increased stamina over time. Last july i took a test. in Georgia Tech Campus gym and got a 9:08 mile run. Today i went to a nearby community college that had a dirt track outside. inside the track had a two baseball fiields. today i went there to see if i had made any progress. i streched and drank plenty of water before i ran. a mile is 6.5 laps around the track. I dont know what the hell happened, but i finished that mile with at 13.54, whats worst is that i dont think i even completed it, i forgot whether it was the 5th lap or 6th lap. i dont know guys, i just keep staring at the watch. i lost hope but didnt stop. i didnt stop. almost everybody i know that i told personally in school dont believe i will make it. im starting to beleive i dont belong here. this is something i was with all my heart, it is the hardest route on becoming an officer anda pilot. but i guess i'm not up for it. what the hell is wrong with me, if i dont pass the candidate fitness assesment i cant even go to a prep school. i hope God can help me in this dilema.</p>

13

<p>The track, or you counting of laps is not accurate. It would be very obvious to you that you would be that slow as that is a moderate walking pace. If you feel like you were running at a similar pace as the 1st test then that is probably the pace you were running. Best bet is go to a certified high school track to test your pace.</p>

14

<p>Don't give up, because if you want this as much as you say you do, then you can and will achieve it. Number one, start eating healthy. Being overweight will really hinder your progress in the running department, so it is very important that you work on that. It's easy to want a fast fix, but you can't think that way. You have plenty of time before the application process really starts, so use it. Run every day and set goals for yourself. Start out with a few miles. Run as much of it as you can, then fast walk the rest. If you do that daily, then things will start moving along, trust me. But do not give up. You must commit to making the right choices every day for a while before it becomes habit and you get into a disciplined lifestyle. You will not see results immediately, so you must be patient and dedicated. If you aren't in any sports, then go out for cross country this year. That's what I did my freshman year and it really whipped me into shape fast. Plus, they won't cut you off the team because of any lack of athletic ability. You will be on JV, but it is still a huge advantage because you get an intensive workout each day that meets you right where you're at. Swear off ice cream, cookies, soda, and any other crap that you might be eating. Go for protiens and vegetables and complex carbs that will keep your metabolism going and keep you burning fat. You're a young guy and you're meant to be very active, so make sure you're working out every day. If you do this and have someone who can hold you accountable, then you will see huge results. You just have to decide to do it. You're involved in a lot of extra-curriculars, but that's only about 10% of what the academy looks for. 60% is academics, so get your GPA up and take the most demanding class regimen that is available at your school. Challenge yourself physically and don't be afraid of a little bit of pain, because there will be plenty of it at the academy, and if you aren't used to disciplining yourself then you will not be successful as a cadet. Hope that helps. Best of luck to you. I know that you can make some really positive changes if you put your mind to it.</p>

15

<p>thanks a lot. i dont know what would i've done w/o your advice. thank you. i'll try to my extreme.</p>

16

<p>I could not run the mile at the start of my freshman year, now, I am at about a 6:40 mile time...and improving. Just keep running. More later, it's TAPS and I must go to sleep.</p>

17

<p>c/falcon,
are you now a sophmore? What school did you attend last year? You said that your 9th grade extra curriculars don't count. What don't they count towards? Is that because Freshmen do not attend the same school as grades 10-12? Was your JROTC part of your daytime school schedule? Most of the HS in our area have grades 9 - 12 in the same building. That would kind of stink if you can't count 9th grade activities. :(</p>

<p>Are you still running? Did you ever get your school principal to start a JNHS or NHS? If so, when did students get to apply for membership?</p>

18

<p>I think hes saying his ECA's for 9th dont count because the application doesnt ask for them (maybe?) the parts where it lists all of the possible activites and you fill in the circle, doesnt have a circle for freshman year activities.</p>

<p>if this is what you mean, do know that you can list that stuff on the resume at the end of the app.</p>

<p>As far as your fitness i would suggest finding a place to run that is around 3 miles long. make it a goal to run as much of it as you can everyday. learn to deal with the pain. run until you are dead tired and then go for another tenth of a mile. one more thing, this may sound silly, but go buy an AF or USAFA shirt and wear it when you run/workout. I have found that it gives me inspiration and makes me work harder because i can just look down at my chest and remember what I'm working for</p>

19

<p>I think that br2011 gave you some good advice there, c/falcon. When you think you can't go any further, take a few more steps. That's the difference between giving 100% and giving 110%.</p>

20

<p>Freshman year does count my ALO told me. It just doenset count on the PCQ. However on the full evaluation it counts. (I THink). When i go running i wear the Air Force PT (physical training uniform). and dog tags that say air force academy. Also, I even have a water bottle that say U.S. Air Force JROTC. When I go running I sing jodies in my head. </p>

<p>Everywhere we go!
People wanna know!
who we are.
so we tell them!
we not the army!
groundin poundin Army!
where not the marines!
jarheard jarhead marines!
where not the navy!
deck swabbin navy!
were not the coast guard!
lazy lazy coast guard!
We are the AIR FORCE!!
MIGHTLY MIGHTY AIR FORCE!!</p>

<p>My half brother who is a tech sergeant in the Air Force sent me the officeial air force PT uniform. THe jacket and sweatpants that say air force.
This all increases my motivation. I study the Air Force Regualtions regarding the Air Force Academy. This is what i want more than anything else. I wish i had an air force academy t-shirt though...lol.</p>