USAFA ESSAYS: HOW TO WRITE OUSTANDING ESSAYS TO GET INTO THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY
Academy Endeavors provides guidance on every Service Academy essay question.
USAFA Essays up next!
USAFA Essay #1:
Question: Describe a setback or ethical dilemma that you have faced. How did you resolve it? How did the outcome affect you? Most importantly, what did you learn about yourself and how would you handle a similar situation in the future? (3000 characters max)
Answer: Admissions wants to learn about how you respond to adversity, make choices under pressure, and bounce back and grow from it. Choose a topic that was difficult for you.
This is an invitation to tell a story. Use the STAR framework (Situation-Task-Action-Result) to explain the the steps you took to address the challenge, the lessons you learned along the way, and how you would handle a similar situation in the future.
Oftentimes, its the topic that gets people stuck. What should I write about? How my girlfriend broke up with me? How I was injured playing basketball?
Here’s our take: first, brainstorm 3 examples of times when you were at your lowest or most challenged spot. Write those down. Next, think about the attributes you want to communicate about yourself. When you read them, which one most communicate “fit” as a future leader of character in a 50-year old Colonel’s eyes?
When you have the right topic, and stick to the STAR framework, this one will be a home run.
Example:
USAFA Essay #2:
Question: What attributes, life experiences, unique perspectives, and/or special talents do you possess that would contribute to the classroom, student body, and/or Air Force Academy? (3000 characters max)
Answer: This prompt is an invitation to tell a story.
The #1 rule of Academy essay writing is “show, don’t tell.” It’s more powerful to display your resilience through a story than to say “I have great resilience.”
Think of two attributes or experiences, and give a supporting example/story for each.
The most challenging part of this essay is which attributes or experiences to choose, so try this. Look at your resume, and ask yourself, “do I have a story for that?” If it has an impressive result where you overcame an obstacle or solved a problem, then the answer is “yes.” However, if your story has no result or no problem to be overcome, its not a story.
End this essay discussing your AF career goal, intended major, and concrete plan for how you want to contribute to USAFA.
Example:
USAFA Essay #3:
Question: What attributes, life experiences, unique perspectives, and/or special talents do you possess that would contribute to the classroom, student body, and/or Air Force Academy? (3000 characters max)
A
Answer: Ohhh the dreaded open-ended essay question. What am I supposed to do with this?
This is a great opportunity to feature something (or multiple things) about yourself that hasn’t already been mentioned.
First, read USAFA essays 1 and 2. Don’t duplicate anything they’ve already seen.
Next, read your Resume, Congressional essay, or other Academy essays to see impressive stories or qualities that haven’t been mentioned yet. You could approach this as 2-3 mini-essays if they were brief.
This question can also be an opportunity to potentially address a weakness in your application. (i.e. C+ in Chemistry, gap in extracurriculars, etc.) If you do, take responsibility, but also explain the extenuating circumstances, so it doesn’t appear like you are hiding from it.
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