Happy New Year!
I hope that you had an enjoyable Holiday Season, and I hope that 2007 is your best year ever!
Did you make any resolutions for the New Year? No matter what your answer is to this question, I wanted to give you a couple of things that you can take action upon during this New Year, starting right now.
One of my commitments, of course, is to give you the best possible chance to help you win admission to the Air Force Academy, and to succeed in life. So I want you to think about the following three ideas, and think about making these your commitments for your best year ever!
- Commit to yourself that you are going to make the best grades that you can possibly make. This is a commitment that you must renew to yourself every single day.
Your academic performance is going to factor heavily into the Air Force Academy’s admissions process. Sixty percent of your admissions that the Air Force Academy is going to assign to your application is going to be made up of your “academic composite score.” That’s made up of your G.P.A., your grades, and your standardized test scores.
Because academics is going to play the biggest role in the admissions process, doesn’t it make sense to make the best grades that you can possibly make?
So renew your commitment to yourself that you are going to make the best grades that you can possibly make in 2007. And to make the best grades that you can possibly make, you are going to have to renew this commitment every single day.
- Commit to getting yourself in the best physical shape possible during 2007.
You will have to pass a physical fitness test to win admission to the Air Force Academy. The test includes a mixture of running, push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and a couple of other events.
If you have never taken up running before, now is the time to start. Many communities have listings of running, bicycling, and multi-sport events available online. In Charlotte, it’s Active Zach http://www.activezach.com/ . If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, check out www.pctrailruns.com for trail running events.
No matter where you live in the United States, there should be an online forum listing of events near you. Cool running, http://www.coolrunning.com/, is a useful resource for finding out about some races in your state, and the website also has training suggestions and tips. Make sure that you check with your doctor before starting up a new exercise program.
But whatever you do, commit to getting in the best physical shape that you have ever been in this year. You’ll be better prepared for the Candidate Fitness Assessment, and you’ll be better prepared to handle everyday stress in life as well.
- Commit to giving back to your community.
You can’t help but feel good about yourself if you know that you have contributed to someone else’s life. Whether it is as simple as donating blood or as involved as teaching someone to read, you’ll feel great knowing that you have made a difference.
As a first step, make a list of your interests and skills. You may want to start off by volunteering in a way that closely matches your own interests. For example, if you are interested in sports, you can volunteer to be a coach for a youth sports team at your local community center.
If this sounds like too much for your schedule right now, that’s OK. Just make sure to make 2007 a year of giving back, even if it is in a few small ways. You’ll be glad that you did.
If you have purchased my manual, Zoomie to Be: How to Win an Appointment to the Air Force Academy, you should quickly see how these commitments fit into your overall plan for winning admission to the Air Force Academy.
If you haven’t purchased the manual yet, make that your first step right now. Hop on over to www.airforceacademyappointment.com . You can also buy the manual in paperback at www.lulu.com/content/364596 . Get your copy right away.
To your Success,
Elizabeth