<p>“Questions abound… My son is thinking of attending a large public school in the fall. He will probably place out of calc I and II, comp sci, physics I and II and possibly chem I due to AP placements. Should he go on and take the next level of classes as a freshman (Calc III, Dif Eq, etc.) or stay with the standard freshman classes to make sure his gpa is awesome. Also, since he is at such a big school, he will not make any of the official sports teams. Do intramurals count when it comes to sports participation? He plans on trying out for band and joining AFROTC - but there will be few opportunities for leadership in these orgs as a freshman. Any thoughts on how to ensure ‘whole person’ score is adequate?”</p>
<p>I was in a similar situation. I validated 33 credit hours coming into my University. Calc I and II, Chem I and II, Physics I and II, English Composition I.</p>
<p>This is my second year of college (going to USAFA as 2010). I’ve finished Calc III and Diff. Eq., all sorts of EE courses (Circuits I and II, Signals and Systems, Switching and Logic, Physical Electronics, Programming in C, etc.). My GPA is a 3.539. I’m only saying this to show it can be done. Yes, I’m fairly smart, but it sounds like your son is as well. People were often surprised when they realized I was a year or two younger than they were and in their same classes. But I flourished in that tough learning environment. Now I have 73.5 credit hours (1 semester skipped due to full-time co-op, part of the 5-year engineering program) and will coast by a lot of classes at USAFA.</p>
<p>I would recommend taking the hardest courseload. Sure, you can skate by in Calc I and II, but most likely your son will do no better in those than the harder classes. He’ll be bored out of his mind. Not to mention he needs to be ready for a rigorous Academy program, and the best way to prepare and know you can succeed is to attempt to mirror that, at least academically.</p>
<p>Also, if he does it like I did, he’ll find himself so far ahead at the Academy he’ll have to retake at least some courses. This is, IMO, a very good thing. It’ll give him a chance to really learn the material while also not taking classes so low it insults his intelligence. So yes, take the hardest classes he can.</p>
<p>Keep in mind, however, that the Academy may make him retake some chemistry/physics. The standards for getting out of classes are different.</p>
<p>At least at USAFA, you can talk to the departments if you don’t do well on placement tests, show them a transcript, and they’ll let you in something else.</p>
<p>For instance, at USAFA, they let about 8-10 people (not by choice but just because there are so few) straight into Diff. Eq. That puts you ahead. It opens more doors for more learning or a lighter course load.</p>
<p>Call all the departments and talk to them. At the SAs, people are almost begging to have a nice, long conversation. They were there for my questions, and I talked to several people in the math department to make sure that I was making the right choice. They’ll tell you the same thing that when you get there, you have three choices: re-take some classes or go for the harder ones, or something in the middle.</p>
<p>Also, just because you validate a course does not mean you can’t take it there. They leave the choice to you. And just because you don’t validate it doesn’t mean you have to take it, you can go talk to them.</p>
<p>I re-applied to USAFA and here’s what my resume looked like:</p>
<p>Several jobs: lifeguard at the school rec, co-op with a utility in engineering reliability, co-op with same utility at a nuclear power plant.</p>
<p>Fraternity: service chairman fall semester, organized around 600 community service man-hours, got about 45 myself. Talked about the events I organized, etc.</p>
<p>Also, naturally they still asked for my high school record.</p>
<p>The big thing I did was I wrote down everything I did. I included my resume as well as a few pages describing everything I’ve done in high school and in college. I had my employers write letters of recommendation, as well as my college advisor (who, per above, really liked me because I worked hard and showed dedication, I never saw his letter but I believe it was a big help).</p>
<p>Finally, your LOA plays a huge role. I know that my LOA and the head LOA for the region both liked me. They asked me straight-up why I wanted to re-apply, and I told them straight up: I had matured and realized this is my calling. They believed in me and, from what I can tell, recommended me highly. So, if your son is serious, tell him not to hide it.</p>
<p>And finally, MAKE SURE he stays in shape. My LOA had doubts about my physical abilities. I told him I ran 3 days a week and lifted 6, but I could see the doubt. That was until he saw my CFT scores. Then he believed me.</p>
<p>It’s the whole person. Show them that you’re serious academically, physically and leadership-wise, and they’ll believe in you.</p>
<p>Slack in one area, thinking your high school sports will let you slide in, or your grades or your leadership, and they’ll put the final nail in the coffin.</p>
<p>Remember: in college one good leadership role will trump a bunch of little things. Don’t take on too much. Find something good you enjoy and go for it. Stay in shape physically and challenge yourself academically.</p>