As the season of college decisions kicks off, Chamblee High School seniors begin to commit to the schools they will be attending after graduation. Many students choose to attend colleges in-state, while others go off to a variety of out-of-state schools. Nathan Jovanovic, a senior at Chamblee, has chosen a different type of college experience and has committed to the military school of the Air Force Academy. 

“I want to become a pilot, so the Air Force Academy is a free education for 4 years and then you come out and you get a pretty well-paying job. It also just creates a lot of great opportunities,” said Jovanovic. 

Jovanovic plans to receive a large portion of his education at the academy and the abundant programs the school offers for his interests make this time well spent.  

“It’s a minimum commitment of five years and then with pilot training and becoming a pilot, it’d be 10 years,” said Jovanovic, “but the academy is all paid for everyone, you just have to serve five years after. Plus it’s like you get a free job coming out after you serve.”

In actual education and opportunities for students, the Air Force Academy provides a unique type of college experience for students. 

“I think it’s definitely more disciplined because you don’t get as much freedom. You don’t get to bring a car until your junior year, and the freshman year is considered the hardest year. There’s like a bunch of rules that you have to follow, like one thing is, whenever you’re walking to classes you have to run across it’s called running strips so you have to run wherever you go,” said Jovanovic, “Then of course, you have to maintain your room, make sure it’s clean and tidy, as well as your hair of course and your uniform, just a strict conduct.”

This type of routine does not intimidate Nathan, however, it actually excites him. 

“I think it’s good because I kind of thrive under structure so I think it’s pretty good,” said Jovanovic. 

The admission process for the academy is different from the typical college application process as well.   

“For the application, you have to get a congressional nomination and then you have to pass the fitness exam, and then pass the application board, so it’s like a three-step process. It takes a while,” said Jovanovic. 

Just like any other college, however, students still get the chance to choose a major after going undecided in their first year. 

“I’m thinking about aeronautical engineering right now. Maybe computer science, but I just want to become a pilot, so we’ll see,” said Jovanovic.

Jovanovic also plans to run the D1 track at the Air Force Academy and was undergoing the recruitment process at the same time as the admissions process. 

“ For the academy, it’s a little different, because you have to get into the school itself first,” said Jovanovic, “I run track, and I reached out to the coach– sent him an email– two years ago. 

So although I talked to the coach, and he said that I had a spot on the team, I still had to get accepted to the academy first.”

Just as at most schools, being a college athlete at the Academy is a big commitment, but comes with its perks. 

“For track or for sports in general, you get a little more leniency because normally on weekends there’s military training, but if you’re a committed athlete, you don’t have to do that as much. So it’s kind of nice,” said Jovanovic. 

With track, training, and studying, Jovanovic is prepared to balance a lot next year.

“Sports is definitely hard, because [the school is] definitely heavy on academics, and there’s also the military aspect of it, of course,” said Jovanovic. 

However, the benefits the Air Force Academy provides students with outweigh the intensity of the education. 

“Whenever I graduate, I have a job coming out. And also all the connections that come with attending the academy is huge, connections are a really big thing.”

Funnily enough, Nathan’s connections are what sparked his interest in the academy in the first place. 

“I have a brother that goes to West Point and a lot of people, my family had been in the military, and there’s just a lot of opportunity,” Jovanovic. 

Once Nathan visited, the pieces of his future seemed to fall right into place. 

“It’s in Colorado Springs, and I’ve visited twice now, and I have also reached out to a few of the track members on Instagram,” said Jovanovic. 

Nathan’s post-graduation plans are certainly impressive, and he is looking forward to the next steps in his education. 

“I’m excited to meet new people and also the elevation and snow will be cool,” said Jovanovic.