Help for a Discouraged Applicant

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E.Cadet.18

5-Year Member
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Mar 25, 2014
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I know a family close to my town that has a DS who is currently an applicant for the Class of 2019. He is nominated, competitive and has been sent to the national pool to await word on an appointment. The bad part is that during soccer season this year he injured his knee and it never healed. Long story short, he just had major knee surgery last week. He is extremely discouraged, to say the least, since rehabilitation will take a few months. This means USAFA is apparently not an option this year. He has connected some with my DS (Class of 2018) and I am acquainted with his parents. I plan on talking to them soon.

My question is: What advice can I give him and his parents? Has anyone faced this situation? What brought encouragement to you? If he wishes to continue his pursuit of USAFA in the future, is his only option to reapply next year (I'm assuming he will have to do everything all over again)?

I have heard of appointees getting injured and then coming back the next year, but not an applicant that is so close to receiving a decision. I am assuming they have contacted USAFA concerning his situation. If not, I will advise them to do so immediately.
 
Yes he will have to reapply next year. Alot of his application will not have to be redone, but some will. My recommendation is to follow the general advice for anyone who is reapplying and go to a 4 year university if possible and take a Plebe/Knob like schedule. The sticky at the top of the forum for USAFA has tons of great advice on things to focus on for reapplication. I would also recommend that he take some time before re-writing his essays for the application and Noms. He has obviously faced a tough challenge and will grow immensely from the injury and moving on to college. Let that process take place and then reflect on it and write the essays. He will have grown, matured, and gained alot of knowledge. Because he will fall into reapplicant category they will not look at him until his first semester college grades are in, so he has time to work on these items. As far as encouragement, he has to want to reapply and go down this path. If the school he plans to attend enroll in ROTC. He might not be able to PT right away, but eventually he will.
 
E.Cadet.18 said:
I know a family close to my town that has a DS who is currently an applicant for the Class of 2019. He is nominated, competitive and has been sent to the national pool to await word on an appointment. The bad part is that during soccer season this year he injured his knee and it never healed. Long story short, he just had major knee surgery last week. He is extremely discouraged, to say the least, since rehabilitation will take a few months. This means USAFA is apparently not an option this year. He has connected some with my DS (Class of 2018) and I am acquainted with his parents. I plan on talking to them soon.

My question is: What advice can I give him and his parents? Has anyone faced this situation? What brought encouragement to you? If he wishes to continue his pursuit of USAFA in the future, is his only option to reapply next year (I'm assuming he will have to do everything all over again)?

I have heard of appointees getting injured and then coming back the next year, but not an applicant that is so close to receiving a decision. I am assuming they have contacted USAFA concerning his situation. If not, I will advise them to do so immediately.
Click to expand...

Navyhoops gave some good advice! Just tell him to keep his head up and not let it get him down. And it doesn't mean the end of his journey either. My ALO told me of a kid that was appointed who hurt himself and had to recover so he had to wait to join the next year but he did get in, just a year later. Waiting will give him time to focus and start those college courses, even make him an even stronger applicant because now he has more time to fine tune his paperwork. IG he has good support, hell get through it. Good luck to him!
 
Don't know if this will help. But my DH was in same scenario in 1993. He had appointment in hand then an injury happened during spring high school soccer. He ended up not going to the USAFA. He ended up at another university and got his engineering degree. By the time he had completed his first year in college he wasn't interested in reapplying the USAFA. He had pledged a fraternity and met a girl. :) He married that sorority girl and we have been married for nearly 20 years and have 2 kids. Sorry that's sappy. It is right for your friend's son to be discouraged right now but I thought I would share this story to show life goes on. There is a plan for each of us and just need to have faith.
 
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DD graduated with a kid who was recruited to play football for AFA, senior prank went wrong and he broke his wrist. He had to wait a year to go to the AFA. Played 2 yrs at AFA and decided not to return for his Jr. yr. Injuries and reapplications happen propably more frequently than we realize.
 
One piece of encouragement you can offer... The SA's and many MOC's really LOVE re-applicants. I know that MOCs even reserve their principal nominations for re-applicants.

As long as they do the right things in the intervening year, they are looked upon as having the kind of determination needed to be a great officer candidate. So while nothing is a guarantee of course, the odds of him getting in second time around are probably higher than the first time even.
 
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