Service Academy Admissions

By Ashley Schmitt and Lauren Elliott

Need help with your Military Service Academy Application?

Everything you need to fill out that overwhelmingly complicated Service Academy Application has been simplified and explained within this book.

Service Academy Admissions: An Insider's Guide to Getting Accepted is a comprehensive manual explaining everything you need to complete your application for the Naval Academy, the Military Academy, or the Air Force Academy as well as your applications for the various Nomination Sources. 

This is the ultimate How-To workbook written by a former Service Academy Admissions Officer that will cover:
 

• Deadline Management
• Brainstorming Unique Essays
• Writing & Editing Essays
• Acing Interviews
• Interview Question Bank
• Letters of Recommendation
• Resumes
• DODMERB
• Candidate Fitness Test - Preparation, Tips & Tricks

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ashley Schmitt
• Release date: Feb 20, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386379577

Ashley Schmitt

Ashley Schmitt is a former College Admissions Officer who served as a Regional Director of Admissions at the United States Air Force Academy. The Air Force Academy is one of the most selective universities in the country. Only 1 in 12 students gets accepted and the competition is fierce. Ashley has read and evaluated 20,000+ student application packages and understands what college admissions panels are looking for. She knows first-hand what makes a student stand out from the crowd and what mistakes a student should avoid. She is the author of I Can Write an Extraordinary College Essay and I Can Ace My College Interview. She currently is a college consultant at CollegeEssayNinja.com who helps students get into the college of their choice.

Book preview

Introduction

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The room was quiet except for the hum of the florescent lights above and the scratch of pens on paper. The smell of warm pizza and melted cheese motivated the group of about forty people inside to finish up the file they were working on and take a well-deserved lunch break—-spending entire days reading admissions packages was exhausting work.

I broke the silence and nudged the fellow admissions officer next to me. You have to read this essay.

As a Regional Director of Admissions at the United State Air Force Academy Admissions Office, I lived for the opportunity to read an interesting essay. Thousands of names and files went across my desk each year, and there were so few of those kids that I remember. The grades, resumes, essays, interview evaluations, and letters of recommendation became a blur, but there were a few I still remember very clearly. Those were the students that I followed through the admissions process and fought for when I was asked for a recommendation.

I pushed the student’s file across the table toward my colleague. She took the package and began to read the essay. A smile formed on her lips, and she nodded as she handed the file back to me.

Wow, she replied.

I know, right? I said.

I finished evaluating the student’s file and put it into the Highly Qualified category. The recommendation didn’t mean the student would get into an Academy, but it did mean that the file would be handled with care and consideration. There are many factors that go into the Highly Qualified category (grades, test scores, etc.) but the essays, interview, and letters of recommendation are a large part of that as well, and they are the part of the application that you can control at this very moment. True, you could take your ACT/SAT again and get higher results, but that isn’t guaranteed.

This book offers a step-by-step, easy to understand, and practical way to impact your application at this very moment. It will help answer that burning question...What makes an Admission’s Officer say Wow?

This book was designed with you, a high school student, in mind. The writing is straightforward, easy to read, without filler or fluff, and packed with lots of exercises to help you fill out your application, practical advice, and examples that are based on real students’ experiences. The methods taught in this book are simple to understand and are very effective when applied. I designed this book to be the definitive how-to guide to completing your Service Academy Application.

Here’s the thing. When I want to do something new, whether it is competing in an Ironman Triathlon or building a Lego table for my kids, I go out to the library, bookstore, or Amazon and buy a bunch of books to learn how. The thing that always upsets me is lots of advice, but no real how-to information.

I promise you that this book has the how-to information and practical examples. I want this guide to be used in conjunction with a notebook (so you can write down all the information and your answers to the exercises in one place), and dragged around with you everywhere as you go through the admissions process.

I based this book on my experience working as a Regional Director of Admissions at the Air Force Academy, working with Admissions Officers from all of the Services Academies, and advising students applying to the Air Force Academy, Naval Academy, Military Academy, Coast Guard Academy, and Merchant Marine Academy. Check out my website www.AcademyPros.com Also, I am a graduate of the Air Force Academy, class of 2000 and very familiar with Academy life.

As Regional Director, I sat on Admissions Panels and have reviewed thousands upon thousands of student files for admissions. After reading thousands of files, you start to see what type of answers set students apart and what makes an impression on admissions boards.

That’s what I want for you. I want to help you develop a unique voice that stands out and makes Admissions Officers take notice. I want you to write your essays and interview in a way that makes you interesting and fascinating to not only your Admissions Officer but also to the Nomination Panels. Both are looking for the same types of things.

Now, I want to emphasize that being interesting and fascinating does not mean that you must have traveled the world, baked a two-story tall cupcake, been on television, or anything crazy. People are ALL fascinating; it is the little details about our lives that make us unique and interesting to others. I will say that again it is the little details that make us unique. In broad sweeps many of us sound or appear alike. For example, you can group students by SAT/ACTs and grades. Those within certain ranges have very similar profiles, similar scores, similar grades, and many times the same activities. That is what Admissions Officers see. They see a set of students within a certain range. The broad stroke approach makes all the students look the same. As an Admissions Officer, I knew they were not the same. I tried to dig a little deeper and look for interesting details that made the person unique.

I found that many students only gave vague details with no interest or color. I pulled out very little that seemed different. Some students were the exception. They gave me colorful stories and insight into how and why they thought a certain way. Those students stood out to me, and I made sure to carefully read and evaluate their files. The details matter. They can make a difference.

The stories about you and your life matter. They make you the unique person you are. This book was written to help you search inside yourself for the details. It will help you find the interesting, daily events that are the golden nuggets necessary to make excellent essays and answers to interview questions. This book will help you craft those stories into amazing essays about your life as well as formulate awesome answers to the interviews you will encounter throughout the admissions process.

Follow the advice in this book, and you will have essays and interview results that make an Admissions Officer take notice. They’ll remember you and seriously consider you for admission into West Point, Annapolis, or the Air Force Academy.

Deadline Management

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Filling out a single application for West Point, Annapolis, or the Air Force Academy is like filling out three regular college applications. There are so many pieces and parts, and it is important to stay on top of them because many come due all at the same time in the early fall. Students are busy with academics and sports. Not to mention the fact that many students apply to all of the Service Academies to include the Coast Guard and Merchant Marine Academies. Applying to a Service Academy is almost a full-time job, but unfortunately, you do not have that luxury. So, the best way to get everything done is to plan ahead.

The first step to keeping ahead of the work and deadlines is to write everything down in one place. Since this is an e-book version you will need a notebook. There are places within this e-book that I will have you pull out your notebook to write something down or accomplish an exercise. On the next page a list of major milestones that you will need to keep track of and know when each item is due. I suggest writing down each item that applies to you and start looking up the due dates. Also, leave space for other bits of information: such as if an application must be postmarked by, received by, submitted online by, or whatever else you think you might need to know at a glance.

Grab a pen and start looking up all the due dates immediately. Put this information at the very beginning of your notebook so that it is easy to find. Add additional dates and information as you receive it.

I promise you will be glad you have them all in one place rather than searching around at midnight for a due date a few days before a deadline.

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Academy Applications

Air Force Academy 

Military Academy 

Naval Academy 

Nomination Sources

Senator

Senator

Congressman

President 

Vice President 

Other Important Milestones

DoDMERB Exam 

CFA Practice Test 

CFA Test 

Interview

Air Force Academy 

Military Academy 

Naval Academy 

Senator

Senator

Congressman

Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA) Practice Test

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You would not believe how many brilliant, AP taking, captain of the football team, cross country running students do not get accepted into an Academy because they fail the Candidate Fitness Assessment. They think that because they do sports, they will be fine and that taking the test will be a breeze. Don’t fall into that trap!

Here’s something to think about. Just because you are a fantastic runner does not mean you can pass the sit-up or pull-up portion of the test. You must pass every single portion of the test to be considered qualified to attend an Academy

What is passing you may ask? Well, only the Admissions team of that particular Academy knows, but if you are close or you have exceeded the posted averages, you will be fine.

Back to the point of this chapter... You need to take a CFA practice test to see where you are at this moment in time. I realize you may not be in a position at this very second to put your running shoes on and go out to take the test, but I want you to pull out your planner or smartphone and schedule a time to go take the test in the order that is stated by the Academies. It is important that you take the entire test in order. Students find that they have more difficulty with certain portions of the test due to the short rest time and the order of events. You need to understand this early so you can be aware of your strengths and weaknesses.

So what are you waiting for? Grab your planner and schedule a time!

Use the next page as an example of  what you should put in your notebook to record your score. Make sure to look up the posted averages of the Academy so that you have something to compare your