Has Anybody Here Graduated from the US Air Force Academy?

[Constinator25]

If so, I have some questions for you.

I'm a 15 year old freshman in a smaller private school and I want to go to the USAFA. Besides the usual requirements like good grades, sports, clubs, extracurricular activities, leadership etc., what other things can I do to elevate my chances on making it into the academy? Also, I would like to know the step-by-step processes that you went through to be accepted. I've looked all over but haven't found a straight, "cut-and-dry" answer.

Thanks in advance!

[weengo]

Good question Connor, i would also like to know.
Exept i will be joining the RAAF, and the process would be similar right?

[tigisfat]

I didn't go, but I'm in the USAF and half of my family members sit on the academy alumni associations. I'm VERY familiar with the process. I can help you get started, because you need to start now. It can take years to secure your place. I've actually put enlisted people from the USAF into the academy myself.

PM me with your name and address, and I'll have the alumni association in your area contact you. The first step is an interview. Most people contact the academy itself to find this stuff out and get referred to the alumni associations, but I can refer you myself. The admissions team and alumni association will send a graduate to your house to meet you and your parents. I can set you up, but I can't give you the right answers. I have faith in the screening process and they can tell if you're meant to go. If the Alumnist reccomends you after the initial interview, you will be guided through the process by a liaison who's sole job is to help you prepare a package and fill your resume.

Here are the most important steps, but these aren't all. You'll find out more later.

1. Get an interview with an academy graduate. (PM me and I'll get the ball rolling)

2. Start the activities they reccomend to make your package look better.

3. Get a Congressional appointment--you will be helped with this, and you may compete with others in your district for a spot. You will likely all interview the same day. Be mature and appear smart and driven!!

4. Get into awesome shape. You should be able to do 100 push ups, 100 sit ups, and run 2 miles at a fast run without putting yourself out.

5. Keep absolutely no criminal record. Disassociate yourself from friends that smoke weed or harder drugs. Yes, I'm serious. COMPLETELY stay away and don't be stubborn. You won't keep all of your current friends forever, and you'll be dissapointed later if you choose friends that do drugs over a great career that keeps giving back forever.

6. get in!! Complete four years of difficult school and military training. If you want to be a pilot, you must sign for 12 years beyond your time at the academy, but it's worth it.

[Amtran618]

Good stuff, especially the distancing yourself from druggies, and the physical fitness.. but come on, 100 pushups.. give the kid a break, if he can do 4 sets of slow controlled pushups of 20 reps with 2 to 3 minutes of rest between each set be will be fine. And dont bust your back doing situps, get on a pullup bar and do 3 or 4 sets of hanging leg raises every day and you will get a well developed 6 pack in 6 weeks, and when it comes time for the fitness test the situps will be cake for you.. situps can damage your back dont work out doing them, do leg raises.

And it is funny calling the air force academy military.. girl scouts are more like it, if you want military the Marine Corps is waiting.

[weengo]

Good stuff, especially the distancing yourself from druggies, and the physical fitness.. but come on, 100 pushups.. give the kid a break, if he can do 4 sets of slow controlled pushups of 20 reps with 2 to 3 minutes of rest between each set be will be fine. And dont bust your back doing situps, get on a pullup bar and do 3 or 4 sets of hanging leg raises every day and you will get a well developed 6 pack in 6 weeks, and when it comes time for the fitness test the situps will be cake for you.. situps can damage your back dont work out doing them, do leg raises.

And it is funny calling the air force academy military.. girl scouts are more like it, if you want military the Marine Corps is waiting.

Interesting take on the PT stuff, RAAF seems to have a much lower PT test:

10 pushups, 40 situps, 6.4 on beep test

I think i will try to achieve the US airforce standards, seeing that will make me be able to pass RAAF standards easy

[ArrowPilot]

Interesting take on the PT stuff, RAAF seems to have a much lower PT test:

10 pushups, 40 situps, 6.4 on beep test

I think i will try to achieve the US airforce standards, seeing that will make me be able to pass RAAF standards easy

Wow that would be easy. I've already managed 57 situps in a minute (I just missed 60 ) 43 pushups in a minute (needs work) and 13.4 on the beeptest at 15 years of age. RAAF here I come!

[tigisfat]

Good stuff, especially the distancing yourself from druggies, and the physical fitness.. but come on, 100 pushups.. give the kid a break,

I'm not giving anyone a hard time, I'm telling him the standards. I take the standardized USAF PT test the same as he will. The academy is even more discriminating. Please be careful about the advice you give. He's not looking for fair fitness advice, he's asking about the United States Air Force. Our PT test is NOT fair; it expects and demands a high level of athleticism and fitness from it's members.

if he can do 4 sets of slow controlled pushups of 20 reps with 2 to 3 minutes of rest between each set be will be fine.

People get flat out booted out of the military for not conforming to the USAF standards. There is no other way about it. Your suggestions won't help him at all. An 18 year old needs to be able to 70 pushups and situps in a minute, all controlled to guarantee good marks. I don't care who you are, that's fast. To move that fast commands an ability to do at least 100 at a normal speed. Again, I speak from personal experience. I didn't do this 30 years ago, I'm doing it now. The academy won't 'whip him into shape' either. He needs to be capable upon arrival.

And dont bust your back doing situps, get on a pullup bar and do 3 or 4 sets of hanging leg raises every day and you will get a well developed 6 pack in 6 weeks, and when it comes time for the fitness test the situps will be cake for you.. situps can damage your back dont work out doing them, do leg raises.

That's not true, but you're right about situps damaging his back. However, he will be tested on situps in one minute, not his six pack appearance. What military were you in?

And it is funny calling the air force academy military.. girl scouts are more like it, if you want military the Marine Corps is waiting.

Girl scouts? Are you kidding? Do you have any idea what a USAF academy alumni has been through? I'm trying to give the kid real advice from someone in the USAF.

[FearlessTower]

I'm not giving anyone a hard time, I'm telling him the standards. I take the standardized USAF PT test the same as he will. The academy is even more discriminating.

This is actually true for most of the academies. PT standards are generally higher for the Academy cadets/midshipmen than they are for the rest of the service or ROTC units.

100 pushups seems a bit high, but then again, I only ever look at the chart for my age......for the Navy 35-39 age bracket, 33 pushups is good enough for me!

[Amtran618]

I'm not giving anyone a hard time, I'm telling him the standards. I take the standardized USAF PT test the same as he will. The academy is even more discriminating. Please be careful about the advice you give. He's not looking for fair fitness advice, he's asking about the United States Air Force. Our PT test is NOT fair; it expects and demands a high level of athleticism and fitness from it's members.



People get flat out booted out of the military for not conforming to the USAF standards. There is no other way about it. Your suggestions won't help him at all. An 18 year old needs to be able to 70 pushups and situps in a minute, all controlled to guarantee good marks. I don't care who you are, that's fast. To move that fast commands an ability to do at least 100 at a normal speed. Again, I speak from personal experience. I didn't do this 30 years ago, I'm doing it now. The academy won't 'whip him into shape' either. He needs to be capable upon arrival.


That's not true, but you're right about situps damaging his back. However, he will be tested on situps in one minute, not his six pack appearance. What military were you in?





Girl scouts? Are you kidding? Do you have any idea what a USAF academy alumni has been through? I'm trying to give the kid real advice from someone in the USAF.

I was enlisted Marine Corps

Is the air force academy fitness test different than the air force fitness test?, I am familiar with the air force fitness test, very weak if you can even call it a fitness test, a mile and a half run.. the fitness test is 3 miles in the Marine Corps and 20 pullups, and 80 situps in two minutes.

[FearlessTower]

While I am not an academy grad, (I'm Navy and went to a state maritime academy), but I can provide a little insight into the selection process since I did a brief stint as a congressional intern and one of the areas I worked was service academy selections.

First off, I think you pretty much mentioned the important things that are within your control. Now, I'm not trying to discourage you, but want to point out that there are a couple of big factors that are not necessarily within your control, but they do indeed play a role in the selection process.

First - Gender and Minority status. Whether you like it or agree with affirmative action, it IS a big factor in the ranking of candidates for nomination and selection. Being female or being able to claim minority status gives a candidate a considerable ranking boost. If you are a caucasian male, you will need considerably higher test scores, grades and extra-curricular activities to be competitive than those who are female or can claim minority status. That doesn't mean that caucasian males don't get selected.....it just means that they start off in the selection process at a disadvantage.

Second - Where you live when you apply matters. This is simply a matter of statistics comparing your application to the pool of applicants. Your odds of selection for a congressional nomination are less if you live in a huge city/congressional district like Los Angeles, Phoenix, Chicago...etc vs if you are coming from a low populated rural district. The kid applying from some place in the middle of nowhere has fewer people to compete with for a nomination than the one living in the big city.

Some things to consider - don't necessarily limit yourself to one academy. In my experience, the people that applied for nominations and only applied to one academy did not fair as well in the selection process as those that applied to alll or multiple academies. This seems counter intuitive and you'd think that service loyalty would be an important factor in selection, but from what I saw it did not.

You need to ask yourself what is your motivation/what is most important to you?

Is it to serve in the USAF? If so, shoot for the Academy, but keep in mind that there are other avenues and don't get discouraged if you aren't selected.

Is it to fly airplanes (or rotary wing) for Uncle Sam? If so, apply to the Naval Academy and even the Coast Guard Academy - the USCG has been hurting for pilots.

Also, don't discount the Merchant Marine Academy (unless you just hate ships and/or get sea sick). Most people don't think about applying to USMMA, so consequently, if you apply, you may have a better chance of getting a nomination there and it has the same benefits as the other service academies.....PLUS, graduates of USMMA are eligible to go on active duty in ANY of the armed services.

Bottom line is decide now what is important to you and work toward that as your goal. Have backup plans - The Academies are great opportunities, but not the only opportunities. Do not get discouraged if you don't get selected.

I'm Navy, but have worked with Army, Air Force, Coast Guard and Marine Corps officers and can tell you that in the end it ultimately doesn't matter what your commissioning source was. What matters most is the person. Academies, ROTC units and OCS all produce their fair share of career officers and short-termers as well as outstanding leaders and absolute garbage. Whatever your long term goals are - strive to be the outstanding leader!