<p>Certainly the academy is very competitive, but maybe not so scary-competitive as it might seem at this stage of the process. The academy will send out about 1700 acceptances to fill a class of 1300. Of the original 9 or 10 thousand applicants many will be disqualified outright for medical reasons. Also the nomination process is not as defeating as it might seem. Virtually everyone the academy wants gets a nomination of some sort. Even the superintendent is authorized to give nominations. If your son has high SAT/ACT scores, good grades, athletic and leadership achievement, and presents himself well in his interviews there is a very good chance he will be accepted. I know the waiting is hard, but the time will go by faster than you think. As for backup schools, even the most competitive schools rarely have deadlines earlier than Jan 1. We waited till November and once our son had an LOA, it made all the extra trouble and expense unnecessary. Some people continue with backup plans just in case of an injury or a change of heart, but that’s something you should deal with as a family based on your own nervousness quotient. LOA’s continue to be sent after November (rolling admissions). As far as USAFA updating your admissions file on the web, they are notoriously slow about that, and at this point you are way ahead of the game. Pity the seniors who wake up in November and decide to apply to an academy. Some manage to pull it off, but generally it really is the early bird who gets the worm (is that a mixed metaphor?)!</p>