<p>I believe the OP was talking about the USAFA. One thing I have learnt is that there can be substantial admissions differences between the different academies.
The USAFA website has some good advice:
"While preparing for the Academy, we also recommend that you select an additional top three to five college or university choices and get all the detailed information you can about their admissions requirements. </p>
<p>Make a list of the requirements and decide what are the most important things to do to become competitive for admission.
Visit all the schools if possible. Apply to all of your top choices and make your final decision about which school to attend after all the offers (or rejections) are available.
By concentrating on your top choices, you’ll have the best chance of getting into one or more of them. Pick too many schools and there might be too much to do and not enough time to give your best effort. Pick too few schools and you may not have any options if you’re not accepted for admission/appointment."</p>