Col Rick Thompson (USAF, Retired) Admissions Liaison Officer

Five Military Service Academies Air Force Academy Colorado Springs, CO Military Academy West Point, NY Coast Guard Academy New London, CT Merchant Marine Academy Kings Point, NY US Naval Academy Annapolis, MD 2 of 29

Snapshot of Service Academies Appointment to a Service academy is the equivalent to a 4-year scholarship U.S. govt provides room & board, medical & dental care, textbooks & a monthly salary (latter does not apply to Merchant Marine Academy) Selection rate is approximately 16%, with about 1,350 students entering the Military, Naval & Air Force Academies, and 275 students entering the Coast Guard & Merchant Marine Academies In addition to academics, Service Academies focus on “Whole Person Development”: Military, Athletic & Character and Leadership Service Academy graduates earn a Commission as a military officer Graduates (except Merchant Marine) incur a minimum five-year active duty commitment & an additional three-year reserve commitment Merchant Marine Academy graduates are not obligated to join the active-duty military, but they do have a service obligation 3 of 29

Eligibility Requirements U.S. citizen 17 - 22 years of age (25 for Merchant Marine Academy) Be unmarried, not pregnant, and have no legal obligation to support children or other dependents (does not apply to Merchant Marine Academy) Good moral character 4 of 29

Basic Steps to Admission To be eligible to compete for an appointment, applicants must: Have an Official Nomination (excluding the Coast Guard); Be Academically Competitive; Be Medically Qualified; and, Be Physically Qualified 5 of 29

Academy Nominations To be considered for an appointment to a service academy, an applicant must have a nomination from an authorized nominating source Congressional Both U.S. Senators Representative Vice President Military Related Presidential Regular / Reserve Components Honor Military Schools / ROTC / JROTC Deceased / Disabled / MIA Medal of Honor 6 of 29

USAFA Admission Measures 7 of 29

USAFA Academic Composite (60%) GPA / Class rank / AP & Honors Courses School’s percentage of graduates going on to college SAT and ACT Scores Highest individual scores from multiple test dates taken Profile of the USAFA Class of 2010 HS GPA - 3.86 #1 in Class - 8% Top 10% - 50% Top 25% - 81% SAT Verbal - 630 Math - 660 ACT English - 28 Math - 29 Reading - 29 Science Reasoning - 28 8 of 29

USAFA Extracurricular Activities (20%) Athletic & Non-Athletic Profile of the USAFA Class of 2010 Class President/Vice President - 18% National Honor Society - 63% Eagle Scout/Gold Award - 13% Civil Air Patrol - 11% Athletic Letter - 81% 9 of 29

10 of 29

USAFA “Other” (20%) Admission Liaison Officer Evaluations Teacher Evaluations Common fitness assessment required by all service academies Max Score Event Men Women Averages Basketball Throw 102’ 66’ 70’ / 41’ Pull-ups (Flexed-Arm Hang is 18 7 8 / 2 optional for females) Shuttle Run (4x10 yd) 7.8 sec 8.6 sec 10.0 / 11.5 Crunches 95 95 65 / 65 Push-ups 75 50 50 / 30 One-mile Run 5:20 6:00 7:00 / 8:00 12 of 29

USAFA Admissions Calendar Senior Junior Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Take ACT / SAT Complete Admissions File Take Medical Exam Take CFA Request Nom Appointment Offers Class Enters Class Filled Request and Return Application 13 of 29

Current & Projected U.S. Demographics vs. USAFA Cadet Wing 90.0% 80.0% 70.0% 60.0% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% 10.0% 0.0% Caucasian African American Hispanic/Latino Asian/Pacific Islander Native American Race and Ethnicity USAFA Cadet Wing 2000 U.S. Population 2040 U.S. Population 14 of 29

Academy Life is Regimental School Day Time Activity 5:15-7:20 a.m. Personal time 7:25-7:40 a.m. Breakfast 7:50-11:43 a.m. Classes (4) 11:50-12:20 p.m. Noon Formation & Lunch 12:30-1:20 p.m. Professional Military Training (Ancillary Training on Tuesday & Thursday) 1:30-4:23 p.m. Classes (3) 3:30-6:30 p.m. Practice for Cadets Involved in NCAA Intramural Sports (Others Participate in Intramural Sports Twice Weekly) 5:00-7:00 p.m. Optional Evening Buffet 7:10-11:00 p.m. Academic Call To Quarters (Tuesday & Thursday Includes Military Call to Quarters for 30 Minutes) 15 of 29

USAFA Majors/Minors* Offered Basic Sciences Engineering Humanities Social Sciences Aeronautical Foreign Area Studies Behavioral Science Bio Chemistry Astronautical English Economics Biology Civil Foreign Language* Geospatial Science Chemistry Computer History Management Electrical Political Science Mathematics Environmental Legal Studies Social Science Meteorology General Mil Strategy Ops Research Mechanics Philosophy* Physics Systems Space Ops Systems Mgt 16 of 29

Academy Life is Regimental--Cont Uniforms must be worn during the school day Cadet rooms must be maintained in “inspection state” Privileges earned Only 15 days of personal time during summer--remainder of summer is training 17 of 29

Preparatory Schools Each of the 5 military service academies offer preparatory schools-- most are co-located on the Academy grounds Intended for Academy applicants who have potential and are otherwise qualified except for a slight deficiency in grades, physical fitness, or extracurricular activities 10-month program of intense academic preparation, military training, and athletic conditioning, designed to develop the skills and character necessary to be successful at the academy Curriculum is focused on mathematics, English & basic sciences Intended for active military, minorities & athletes High school students may not apply directly to the Prep School Between 75 and 80 percent of all entering students earn an appointment to the academy 18 of 29

Academy Summer Programs “Summer Seminar” (Navy and Air Force) “Summer Leaders Seminar” (Army) “Academy Introduction Mission” (Coast Guard) Six-day experience for high achievers who have completed their junior year in HS (Coast Guard’s is one-week) Intended to teach interested students about the respective service academy Selection and eligibility criteria varies by Academy--at a minimum: Unmarried, not pregnant and have no legal obligation to support anyone; Superior HS performance to include: GPA, class standing, and/or strong PSAT/SAT/ACT; Demonstrated achievement in athletics and extracurricular activities; and, Physically fit and in good health 19 of 29

Academy Summer Programs - Cont Cost is $350, which pays for room and board, as well as a variety of materials. Students are responsible for arranging their own transportation Naval, Air Force and Coast Guard Academies offer three sessions, while the Military Academy offers two sessions Students apply on-line 20 of 29

Snapshot of ROTC Reserve Officers Training Corps (“ROTC”) is the program for training students in colleges/universities to serve as officers in the military Can attend colleges/universities that offer ROTC or through “cross- town” agreements, i.e., attend college/university that does not offer ROTC and participate in ROTC classes at a nearby college/university ROTC offered by the Army/Navy/Air Force ROTC encompasses leadership development, military skills & adventure training Graduates earn a commission as an officer in the military 21 of 29

AFROTC Academic Requirements Applicants are measured on academic performance using an Academic Composite SAT and/or ACT scores (no mixing allowed) Class rank GPA # of advanced placement or honors courses completed through 11th grade Profile of AFROTC scholarship recipients for 2009 Class Rank Top 12% Average GPA 3.77 Average SAT 1260 (Math and Verbal portion only) Average ACT 27 22 of 29

AFROTC HS Scholarship Program Scholarships are based on a student's merit, not financial need Students can apply on-line beginning May 1st of their junior year to Dec 1st of their senior year Type 1 Pays full college tuition, most fees and $900 per year for books Type 2 Pays college tuition and most fees up to $18,000 and $900 per year for books (if tuition exceeds $18,000 per year, then student pays the difference) Type 7 Intended for in-state colleges/universities with a cap of $9,000 and $900 per year for books—tuition above $9,000 is not qualifying Cadets receive a nontaxable monthly allowance during the school year $300 for freshmen, increasing annually, $500 for seniors 23 of 29

Contrasting ROTC vs Academy Similarities Very competitive process--applicants must be well-rounded and meet Academic, medical and physical requirements Both Academy & ROTC graduates earn a degree Both Academy & ROTC graduates earn a commission as a military officer Graduates can be directly sent to medical school or law school at govt expense Selection extremely competitive 1 additional year of commitment for every year of school Non-Similarities Nomination not required for ROTC ROTC is far less regimental Greater likelihood for Academy graduates to get pilot slots 24 of 29

How You Can Help Students Let students know about service academies early Encourage qualified students to: Take IB, AP & Honors courses, including: Computer Science--minimum of 1 year English: 4 years, including written composition Foreign Language--minimum of 2 years Math: 4 years of college-prep, including algebra, geometry & trigonometry Lab Sciences--4 years, including biology, chemistry, and physics Social Sciences--3 years, including history, economics, government & behavioral sciences ACT/SAT early & often Take on leadership roles in all activities Be involved in athletics 25 of 29

Orientation Tours for Educators Air Force and Naval Academies have programs that bring educators to the respective academies Deadline to apply for Air Force‘s program is 6/1 for sessions offered in first week in Nov and Dec Navy offers sessions during 1st and 3rd quarters—deadline to apply is typically four months prior to session Four day program Some out-of pocket expenses, e.g., Air Force pays transportation and meals, but not lodging 26 of 29

Websites and Local Points of Contact Military Academy - http://www.usma.edu/ POC: Leah Scherr, 702.435.3849 , Bllmks88@aol.com Summer Leaders Seminar: http://admissions.usma.edu/moreinfo/summer.cfm Naval Academy - http://www.usna.edu/homepage.php POC: Ed Joyce, 702.452.3657, edj@cox.net Summer Seminar: http://www.usna.edu/Admissions/nass.htm Air Force Academy - http://www.usafa.af.mil/ POC: Major Jennifer Morrison, 702.326.8489, usafa1994@live.com Summer Seminar: https://admissions.usafa.edu/secure/online/onlineapplication.exe?SS=true 27 of 29

Websites and Local Points of Contact - Cont Coast Guard Academy - http://www.cga.edu/ POC: Norm Simpson, 702.435.3849, WhatNBlazes@aol.com Academy Introduction Mission - http://www.uscga.edu/display.aspx?id=2942 Merchant Marine Academy - http://www.usmma.edu/ No local POC 28 of 29

Questions 29 of 29