As a parent the waiting is tough

jag3

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Feb 28, 2016
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first post. Hello all. Our son is a senior and ranked 19th in his class of 155 with a gpa of 3.8+. His gpa the past two years has been over a 4. Our school does their gpa a bit different than some I have seen. An A+ is a 4.0. A is 3.75, etc. he has taken quite a few 5pt dual credit college classes the past 2 years such as Calc, Chem1 & 2, psych, etc. He will graduate in June with honors and is in their honor society.

His superscored ACT is a 32, with individuals of 34,32,32,31

He has participated in sports all through school and will have 4 letters and the fact that this Spring will be his final season of baseball is a bit surreal as that is what he loves and we as parents love to watch. He has also volunteered locally and with the school through student council which he is a member of.

To his credit he has handled every bit of his apps to the AFA and the CGA and AFROTC and even to the college he attended Boy's State at for a week. He received his nomination towards the end of last year to the AFA.

He logged me into his Coast Guard and AirForce pages last night so I could finally peek at them. Everything is in order and as a dad that has really tried to keep him on top of things I have to say I am impressed that he has done so. He has also kept his various social media items clean and free of stupid stuff. I have told him for a couple of years not to post anything he wouldn't feel comfortable explaining in a face to face interview.

Now we are at the dreaded waiting part. I hate it and so does my wife. Probably the worst part is that everyone that knows him or us is constantly asking if he has heard anything.

I do have a question in here though....should he not get accepted to any of the above military options are there better options available to him other than simply walking in and enlisting? Can the AFA or CGA extend an offer for something else? Sorry if this is a dumb question but we really don't have any knowledge of this. He has been accepted to that college noted above and they have offered him a nice scholarship. I read on here to keep that option available even if it costs us something so we have basically an insurance policy for him.

Also he has a current up to date passport card as we go to Quebec and fish each year. Would he need to do something with that or get a book should he be accepted?

I am sure I left some of his highlights out and I will likely have more questions I will remember later!

Thanks for any and all comments, advice, suggestions!
 
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should he not get accepted to any of the above military options are there better options available to him other than simply walking in and enlisting? Sorry if this is a dumb question but we really don't have any knowledge of this. He has been accepted to that college noted above and they have offered him a nice scholarship.

There are several options if he wants to serve as an officer.

I'm assuming there is an AFROTC detachment at the college/university he has already been accepted into? He can still join AFROTC on campus and work to earn a scholarship there. https://www.afrotc.com/college-students

He can also graduate college, never having done ROTC, and join the AF as an officer by applying once he has his degree and going through Office Training School (OTS). http://www.au.af.mil/au/holmcenter/OTS/index.asp
 
We need a little more information to help you out.
Being a non military noob myself, you do realize that if you enlist in the military you become are an enlisted member of that service. If you want to be an officer you commission and become a commissioned officer. So does your DS want to be an officer in the air force or does he want to become enlisted in the air force. Two different paths.
To be an officer you need a college degree, either through a civilian college or through a SA.

For the officer rout follow @Falcon A advice above. He could type faster than me.
 
we are definitely noobs to all of this.

He isn't set on being an officer.

I believe he feels like the academy thing is an all or nothing for him and that if he fails to get accepted to either or the ROTC that he is going to simply go and attend that college minus the military aspect. As his parent I feel that he would be selling himself short to just attend college.
 
His stats look good and if he isn't offered a direct appointment they could offer him a slot at the prep school. I know the Air Force Academy has one, not sure about Coast Guard, but you could definitely search that on here.
 
He needs to decide if he really wants to be an Air Force officer. If he does, he can join AFROTC, with or without a scholarship. It sounds like from your post he already has a non-AFROTC scholarship - those can be more desirable, because if he decides the military is not for him, will still keep his scholarship.
 
Is he from a competitive district? I'm Ohio and USAFA called me last week about a nomination (I got an loa back in December but no nom because I was focused on USMA). I've already accepted my appointment to USMA but I would say that your son should be hearing soon, as people accept/decline, don't get waivers, get disqualified, etc.
 
Looks like we are in District seven whether or not that is competitive I have no clue
 
We are hearing that it is too late to get into the ROTC officers programs. If you look on the service academies websites you should be able to see how to try again next year for the academies.

There are a few threads in here (if you search at the top) of individuals that have re applied after a year of college and gotten into an academy. They seem willing to help others in the same/similar situations. It may be too early to research this option as the academies are still on early notifications.

As another hopeful parent I know it is super tough and frustrating, but we gotta keep hopeful!
 
I believe he feels like the academy thing is an all or nothing for him and that if he fails to get accepted to either or the ROTC that he is going to simply go and attend that college minus the military aspect. As his parent I feel that he would be selling himself short to just attend college

AFROTC is not an accepted/non-accepted program until the spring of his sophomore year. Has he been awarded an AFROTC scholarship? Please take the time to research the ROTC forum here and of course afrotc.com. To make it simplistic, the majority of cadets in AFROTC are not scholarship. AFROTC scholarships are almost as competitive statistically as an SA appointment. @16-18% of the candidates boarded will receive a scholarship. Key word...boarded. However, the big difference is you can do ROTC without a scholarship by just signing up for ROTC classes at the college, there is no accepted process in the beginning.

Thus, unless he does not sign up for ROTC he will have that military aspect as a college student, but not to the level of an SA or an SMC. It is too late for him to apply for an AFROTC scholarship now. He will have the opportunity to apply as a freshman if they offer In College Scholarships next year. He should without a doubt join AFROTC if not appointed. A very big reason is that as an AFROTC cadet he will also be eligible for a ROTC nomination on top of the VP and his 3 MoC noms. Plus, the SAs like re-applicants.

AFROTC boards do not talk to USAFA and vise a verse. There are many candidates that get an appointment, but no scholarship, and many candidates that get a scholarship and not an appointment. Mainly the reason why is that their selection process from the get go is totally different. AFROTC does not superscore, it is best sitting. SA appointments start at a geo-centric (MoC) level and than go national. ROTC is national start to finish. AFROTC cares about their intended major (80-85% are STEM), USAFA does not care about their intended major as a candidate.

I get the stress of the waiting aspect as a parent...everyone gets it, but those of us that are fortunate enough to say our kids are deep down the path ...close to commissioning or now ADAF will tell you that it only gets more stressful later on. You will look back and laugh...trust me. For now, enjoy these moments and make memories because come either July or August you will walk into his bedroom that is now empty and wish you went out for pizza 1 more time.

OBTW, yes his stats look competitive, but it is also going to come down to how many slates (MOC noms) he is on before he has to compete nationally. Nobody can or should give any opinion on his chances because as good as his stats are we don't know what the other 9 on his slate looks like. Maybe 1 of them is an AFROTC cadet in college reapplying for a 2nd time. Maybe 1 has the same amount of sports, no Boys State, but an Eagle Scout. Maybe 1 of them has all of the same as him, but instead of being top 12% of the class, they are top 2%. All of those things can mean the difference from winning the appointment and going to the national pool.
 
We are hearing that it is too late to get into the ROTC officers programs.

Clarification for all posters.

It is too late to apply for an AFROTC scholarship. Yet, it is NOT too late to get into the program unless they are spring semester sophomore year (college)
~ AFROTC scholarships on this site are commonly referred to as a 2+2 scholarship.
~~ The 1st 2 years are guaranteed, but as a sophomore they will compete for Summer Field Training (SFT/EA) This is a board, and the board does not take into account if the cadet is on scholarship. In AF terms, the scholarship is what is called "masked". IOWS they have no clue if they are on scholarship or not when determining selection. If selected than the final 2 years will be picked up. If not selected, chances are high that they will be disenrolled from AFROTC and lose the scholarship for the last 2 years.

I am not trying to divert this thread, but to highlight the risk of going AFROTC on scholarship to any school if you need it financially for them to attend the school.

I really suggest for new posters that are having plan B (AFROTC) in place, but have yet to truly investigate that plan, take the time and now search/lurk through the ROTC forum here.

My very best wishes and hopes that all of you will get the BFE, but the reality is many will get the TWE within the next few weeks. Having plan B strongly in place will not only make the waiting more bearable, but if plan B becomes plan A than it can make it easier to accept the envelope because you know that life is still moving forward, and now you can enter ROTC on day one and tell them that you intend to re-apply for the class of 2021.
~ AFROTC Commanders do not look down on any cadet with this aspiration, at least good ones don't. They will do everything they can to make them competitive for USAFA. Their goal is not ROTC vs USAFA bragging rights. Their goal is to ensure that the AF has the best quality officers regardless of their commissioning source.
~~ ADAF officers don't care about the commissioning source (USAFA, ROTC, OCS) they care about them doing their job right!
 
For now, enjoy these moments and make memories because come either July or August you will walk into his bedroom that is now empty and wish you went out for pizza 1 more time.

How true. How true.

These last 2 posts from Pima are two of the best I've ever read concerning the key differences between AFA and AFROTC and the reasons all applicants should look in to both as they plan their future as an officer, regardless of which one is plan A or B.

Jag... Hang in there because it's still early on the "appointment clock". Most don't hear from the Academy until March or April and some after that. You are not alone in your "hate to wait". We've all (AFA/ROTC parents) been through it with our kids and it all works out when it's suppose to. Until then, enjoy every baseball game, every "at-bat", stolen base, pitch and catch. And go out for one more pizza than you had planned.
 
jag3,

Just my opinion, but my signature line sums it all up.

There is no such thing as an ending, it is just a place where you leave the story.

My other signature lines as a parent through the process of cadet to ADAF as a UPT student were:
Everything will be all right in the end... if it's not all right then it's not yet the end
...and my favorite for where you are now in life...
Teenagers are like nailing Jell-O to a wall.

This is the very 1st time you feel truly helpless. We get it...no condescending, just us saying to you right now, tonight wake up at 2 a.m. and for a few minutes stand outside that door and just watch him sleep. Than tomorrow morning when you wake up, I bet you will say it is okay regarding the wait because now you get how your heart will break when you walk by the room after they leave.

FYI in the military it a running joke...hurry up and wait! This is what it will be for the next 9 years at least (4 USAFA/AFROTC, and 5 owed back)
~ No flaming ...I know AFROTC is 4 years and the door, but they will usually wait 6-9 months before they go AD, hence it is 5 years for them too.
 
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