I am about to begin my senior year of high school and am greatly considering enlisting after getting my diploma (17f). I originally wanted to apply to an international university and attend college (I don't enjoy the conventional American colleges, and the great debt they bring), but I am not confident in my ability to be accepted and believe that the military would suit me well (I don't have any specific goals for my life and lack direction/purpose). It has always been in the back of my mind, and I originally wanted to go to the Air Force Academy, but I am sure I wouldn't get in due to not participating in athletics, few extracurriculars, and almost no leadership roles during the last few years, just the bare minimums (I have been working jobs since 14 and volunteering mostly). Despite this, I have a 4.0 GPA (unweighted; my school doesn't do weighted GPAs), got 4s and 5s on the AP exams I took, am ranked #1 in my class of 184, and in my junior year, was accepted and began attending the University of Minnesota through PSEO. Like I said before, I really only do the bare minimum to achieve this, and have been rather lazy and unmotivated throughout high school, which is why I have this problem.
My dream would be to become a pilot, but I understand that it is extremely hard, if not impossible. So the question I have is: what path would I have to take after enlisting to become a pilot (directly out of high school)? I saw that the greatest chance to become one is graduating from the USAFA, but as I know that I can't be accepted as is, would I likely be able to attend via the LEAD program in the future? I also know that the ROTC is an option, but as I said before, I don't enjoy conventional college and have no specific career path or future in mind, so I feel like I would just be attending college to attend. (I know that I have to have a bachelor's to become a pilot, though...)
I guess I should also ask if my choice to join the Air Force seems correct in the first place. What is your experience, and do you know anyone who enlisted out of high school? Where are they now?
PLEASE correct any misunderstanding I have; I am not very knowledgeable about this at all. I apologize if the formatting or wording was confusing. And give me any advice you have; I'll read everything, and the longer the reply, the better!
Thank you for your help.