At USAFA, you will be given opportunities that no other college student will ever have, all the while defending the United States. However, you will be pushed far beyond your limits. Come only if you truly want to be here.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
Take hard classes in high school: the admissions panel would rather see a person apply with a 3.0 who took exclusively AP classes than a person with a 4.0 who took exclusively easy classes. Stay in good physical shape, and excel in a small number of extracurricular activities rather than be simply involved in a great many. Community service is also good to have. The most important thing to keep in mind is that the application process is long and arduous; many fewer people will not make it in on the first try than those who don't. Keep applying if you don't make it. That will show that you really are serious about attending the Academy.
Do you find there’s enough academic rigor at your school?
Academics here are not for the faint of heart. In addition to the military training that occurs cadets usually take six or more classes a semester. Furthermore, since almost everybody here was strong, academically, in high school, instructors grade classes extremely hard. The average GPA for each graduating class dips more than a point from high school to the Academy.
However, despite the difficulty, all the instructors here are here specifically to teach and develop cadets, and are available virtually any time. No instructor has research of their own to worry about, and since the majority of instructors are active duty officers, you can learn much more than school material from them.
Describe the dorm life at your college.
Dorm life varies considerably depending on several factors, first and foremost being whether or not you are a fourth classman (freshman), in which case dorm life is not pleasant whatsoever. After Recognition (something you'll learn plenty about here), however, life improves markedly. All the facilities are generally good, and there's a good amount of space to neatly store those things that you are allowed to have.
Describe the food and dining at your college.
It may come as no surprise that the dining facility, Mitchell Hall (also known as Mitch's or Billy's), tasked with feeding over 4000 cadets, three times a day, may not be able to produce the most gourmet fare out there. However, there is plenty of food to eat, and it's always free. If Mitch's doesn't suit your fancy, you can always get a pizza or some Chinese food delivered.
What’s there to do for fun at your college?
The weekends usually coincide with an exodus from the Academy to Colorado Springs, which is but a couple miles away from the Cadet Area. The Springs has all the amenities of a mid-size city, and is a great place to enjoy oneself. Skiing and outdoorsy stuff is also abundant in the area.
For those times when you can't get away from the hill (there will be plenty of that), there are a variety of inane things that cadets do to pass the time that simply have to be experienced. They are fun, although you wouldn't think so if I described them here.
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
Considering that you get paid to come here and tuition is free and you have few other expenses, and that you have more opportunities than a typical college student could dream of (such as getting your basic parachuting wings in two weeks and soloing an airplane), financial value is literally divided by zero.
Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus
There is a website called the USAFA folklore wiki that has pages and pages of all the unusual stuff that occurs here. There simply isn't enough room on this form to even begin.
Which types of students will excel at your college?
Any highly motivated, high energy people do well here. If you've ever wanted to join the military, this is about as good as it gets for an entry path. Finally, as the curriculum is very heavy on math and science, people wanting to go into technical fields are at an advantage.
Oh, and anyone who doesn't want to pay for school.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
If you're interested in it, it's probably here. If it isn't, you can make it happen.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
Doesn't exist. Instead, we have cadet squadrons, which are far tighter-knit and more valuable to your development as a human being.
How would you describe campus safety? Do you feel safe on campus?
There are armed guards at the entrances to the academy. However, over a million tourists come here every year, and we are stationed between about four other important military installations, so it's a pretty big target if somebody really wanted to start something. Fortunately we have briefings and exercises to be prepared in the unlikely event that something does get started.
At USAFA, you will be given opportunities that no other college student will ever have, all the while defending the United States. However, you will be pushed far beyond your limits. Come only if you truly want to be here.
Take hard classes in high school: the admissions panel would rather see a person apply with a 3.0 who took exclusively AP classes than a person with a 4.0 who took exclusively easy classes. Stay in good physical shape, and excel in a small number of extracurricular activities rather than be simply involved in a great many. Community service is also good to have. The most important thing to keep in mind is that the application process is long and arduous; many fewer people will not make it in on the first try than those who don't. Keep applying if you don't make it. That will show that you really are serious about attending the Academy.
Academics here are not for the faint of heart. In addition to the military training that occurs cadets usually take six or more classes a semester. Furthermore, since almost everybody here was strong, academically, in high school, instructors grade classes extremely hard. The average GPA for each graduating class dips more than a point from high school to the Academy. However, despite the difficulty, all the instructors here are here specifically to teach and develop cadets, and are available virtually any time. No instructor has research of their own to worry about, and since the majority of instructors are active duty officers, you can learn much more than school material from them.
Dorm life varies considerably depending on several factors, first and foremost being whether or not you are a fourth classman (freshman), in which case dorm life is not pleasant whatsoever. After Recognition (something you'll learn plenty about here), however, life improves markedly. All the facilities are generally good, and there's a good amount of space to neatly store those things that you are allowed to have.
It may come as no surprise that the dining facility, Mitchell Hall (also known as Mitch's or Billy's), tasked with feeding over 4000 cadets, three times a day, may not be able to produce the most gourmet fare out there. However, there is plenty of food to eat, and it's always free. If Mitch's doesn't suit your fancy, you can always get a pizza or some Chinese food delivered.
The weekends usually coincide with an exodus from the Academy to Colorado Springs, which is but a couple miles away from the Cadet Area. The Springs has all the amenities of a mid-size city, and is a great place to enjoy oneself. Skiing and outdoorsy stuff is also abundant in the area. For those times when you can't get away from the hill (there will be plenty of that), there are a variety of inane things that cadets do to pass the time that simply have to be experienced. They are fun, although you wouldn't think so if I described them here.
Considering that you get paid to come here and tuition is free and you have few other expenses, and that you have more opportunities than a typical college student could dream of (such as getting your basic parachuting wings in two weeks and soloing an airplane), financial value is literally divided by zero.
There is a website called the USAFA folklore wiki that has pages and pages of all the unusual stuff that occurs here. There simply isn't enough room on this form to even begin.
Any highly motivated, high energy people do well here. If you've ever wanted to join the military, this is about as good as it gets for an entry path. Finally, as the curriculum is very heavy on math and science, people wanting to go into technical fields are at an advantage. Oh, and anyone who doesn't want to pay for school.
If you're interested in it, it's probably here. If it isn't, you can make it happen.
Doesn't exist. Instead, we have cadet squadrons, which are far tighter-knit and more valuable to your development as a human being.
There are armed guards at the entrances to the academy. However, over a million tourists come here every year, and we are stationed between about four other important military installations, so it's a pretty big target if somebody really wanted to start something. Fortunately we have briefings and exercises to be prepared in the unlikely event that something does get started.