benefits/negatives of applying to more than one SA

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WestTexasmom

5-Year Member
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Feb 18, 2010
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I first want to say how much I appreciate the information I am finding here. I'm an addicted "lurker"!

With that said, I would greatly appreciate advice, thoughts, experience, etc. from BGO's, parents who have mids and mids on this question.

Are there benefits or negatives to applying to more than your first choice SA?

I have encouraged my son to apply to USMA and USAFA even though he really thinks he only would want to go USNA (marine option). He will be attending all 3 summer seminars this June:eek:, and I hope that will help him see the many options.

I guess I'm concerned whether or not applying to USMA and USAFA "looks" like he isn't as committed to USNA. On the other hand, it seems that it would show a greater commitment to being an officer in the US military.

We are seeing (in our community at least) most applicants putting all their eggs in the USNA basket, even saying they would rather reapply 3 years to get in rather than consider another SA.

I honestly don't know what my son would choose if he got an appointment to USMA or USAFA but not USNA. Plan B (or maybe I should call it plan c or d, following the other SA's) is Texas A&M NROTC (marine option)

I appreciate any experienced answers to this!
 
I do not know the consequences of only applying to one SA. Our US Representative's office and his nominating committee really urged all candidates to apply to more than one. They said it would increase your chances of getting an appointment somewhere. However, our area leans heavily toward Air Force.

That said, my daughter refused to apply for any SA but USNA. Even in her interview with the US Rep's committee she was asked if she was sure about the other SAs, She said that if she couldn't go to USNA she would go to Texas A&M-NROTC (she already had the 4 yr scholarship at that point).

Your son will know more after the Summer Seminars. He's already got a preliminary application since he going to those. That's when daughter scratched AFA (only person I know that dislikes the scenery in Colo Springs!).

My 2 cents.
 
Hello - I'll add my 2 cents to the pot. My son completed the admissions process and will be reporting to USAFA on June 24 with the class of 2014. He attended the summer seminar programs at USAFA, USNA and USMA last year and was going to apply to all 3 academies. USMA just didn't click with him so he focused on USAFA and USNA. I strongly recommend applying to a couple but not all the academies. It's kind of like buying a car. If you go to the dealer and tell them your heart's set on the red sedan and nothing else you lose your leverage. By telling Navy you're also interested in Air Force and vice versa you can have them compete for you (if your file is strong). My son's first choice was USAFA. USNA gave him an LOA first and he let USAFA know that and I think it helped generate a second LOA. Additionally, you also want to have options and alternate plans. Putting all your eggs in one basket is too risky. If your daughter wants to ultimately serve the country as a military office she should also apply to ROTC and several civilian schools with ROTC programs. Finally, when you interview for your nomination you can provide a great answer about why you chose two academies vs. applying for everything on the board. Again, this is my opinion.

Here's a great tip I learned this week at MALO training - Applying to ROTC can start the ball rolling earlier on getting the DODMERB physical completed. This can be one of the more time consuming steps in the admissions process. You want to start this as early as you can. Sometimes ROTC will put in the request to start the DODMERB before the academy and put your candidate ahead of the pack. Good luck and keep those excellent questions coming!
 
Here's the deal . . .

It's all about the noms. The SAs could care less whether you apply to more than one.

Thus, no downside to applying to USCGA along with other SAs b/c no noms are required.

As for the others, it depends on where you live. IF you live in a competitive geographic area (as determined by your MOC), your MOCs will likely require you to pick or rank your SAs. Thus, you may only be able to apply for one SA nom from each MOC.

As I've said many times, if you would be equally happy at more than one SA, then you may want to split your noms. If you have a preference, you're better off putting all eggs in one basket, so to speak.
 
Thank you all for great answers!

Guess your daughter that doesn't like scenery in Colorado Spr might love it out here in West Texas, where on a clear day you can see the back of your own head!

Especially appreciate the tip about DODMERB! He's about to get started on that app for NROTC!
 
Do EVERYTHING!

Others here are much more knowledgeable than me, I'm sure, but I thought I would briefly share our experience. DS has been all NAVY for some time. Went to NASS last summer, did very well there and loved it. Because he had an app at USNA, he was contacted by NROTC. Great. We now have a back up plan...or so we thought. All of his applications were done by 9-15-09. He got a letter from NROTC two weeks ago saying they weren't offering a scholarship. He got the TWE this week. This is tough on so many levels, but much worse because now we have a son who is at the top of his class, leader, "all that and more" without any other scholarships for college. We are now scrambling to put something together to pay for next year, but it is tough this late in the game.

My advice would be to apply to more than one SA, plus more than one ROTC scholarship program, PLUS apply for every non-military scholarship available as well. All of our eggs were in the Navy basket, which is still where DS's heart is, but this feeling of rejection would be softened quite a bit if we had something else to fall back on.

Our kids have very honorable aspirations. Serving our country is a very high calling. I think it's important to help them realize that there is more than one way to accomplish that.

Kat
 
Kat,
I feel so much for your son! You are very gracious to share the heartache with us. You have confirmed what I have felt in my gut, with the sting that I want to avoid. Thank you. And I pray for the door of opportunity to open for your son!
 
It not only is not a problem to the SA's that a prospect apply to more that one academy or the ROTC programs, they promote that course of action. Why? Because they know very well that strange things can happen along the way. As I tell my candidates: This ball bounces more like a football on a rough field that a basketball on a smooth wooden floor. Be prepared and protect yourself!
 
ADVICE:

Spring of Junior year, apply to all summer seminars (do coast guard and kings point have one?)
Apply to all academies, nominations and all ROTC programs.
Apply to a school that you can afford if nothing pans out, hunt out the schools with scholarships that are merit based on a scale that is easy to figure out.
Apply for every scholarship.
The cards will shuffle and fall, and you will be left with something in the end.
It might not be your dream school, son was waitlisted or rejected at a couple of those, but you will have something in hand.

Also, remember that schools have campus based scholarships.

Our experience:

My son applied to all three summer seminars. We figured at least one would accept him and if he got in to more than one, then great. That would mean he saw all three academies ahead of time. He was accepted to USAFA SLS.

THIS is the route to getting DODMERB done ahead of time. If you are a qualified candidate you will get a DODMERB file started.

The we encouraged son to apply for all three ROTC programs. For a 17 yr old in the spring of his junior year, he had yet to decide what he wanted.

By July before senior year he had attended USAFA SLS, sent in apps for MOC noms, applied to USAFA (except CFA), and had his apps in for AROTC and AFROTC. He also had applied to 2 backup schools with guaranteed tuition scholarships. PLAN C.

August comes around and 1 broken collarbone later, doesn't look like he'll be fit enough by deadline to finish USAFA CFA. Withdraws app to USAFA. Accepted with full tuition scholarships to PLAN C schools. They are out of state, but so what!

School starts next week, begin NJROTC....hmmm, Navy??? Applies to NROTC in October. USNA contacts him, he gets app completed for USNA. Contacts congressman to switch academy preference.

By December, son has all ROTC scholarships in hand and a nom to USNA.

February (month earlier than anticpated), he's cleared by doctor and dodmerb, takes the CFA sends it in to USNA. Accepted 1 week later.

Gave back AROTC and AFROTC scholarships. NROTC is PLAN B, 1 civilian school/scholarship is PLAN C.

The journey from AF to Navy was quite interesting. Son is very happy with his choice.


We went through every step of the way, keeping in mind that son would be denied or rejected...not a very positive outlook, I know, put it kept the options open.

Good Luck everyone.
 
Hey I think it's best to apply to all of them because you never know how things will turn out and all of the SA's are wonderful school's. I only wanted USNA last year but my dad encouraged me to apply to all 4 to have a better chance of attending an SA. As the year progressed I learned more about USMMA and how great of a school it is and even before I finished all of my nom interviews it became my new first choice and everything worked out.
 
I would also encourage applying to more than one SA and ROTC programs.
Our Experience:
Husband and I are USAFA grads,
son has always had a desire to serve, and has always thought he wanted USAFA--its sort of a family legacy, he has Grandpa, uncle, mom, dad, and 2 cousins that are USAFA grads. Our next door neighbor is a USNA grad, and encouraged him to apply to NASS as well as AF SS. He was immediatley sellected for Nass, but didn't find out about AF SS until after he had accepted NASS, and the dates conflicted. SO, he turned down AF and went to NASS and LOVED it. This was his first introduction to USNA.

Right after NASS, he applied to both USAFA and USNA, and knew he would be equally happy at either one. He was eligible for a Presidential Nom for both, and recvd a USNA appoinment in October, so when he went for his MOC noms, he let them know he was only requesting a Nom to USAFA, which he recvd. Now he had two noms to USAFA and an appointment to USNA. By February, he hadn't heard anything from USAFA, and his heart was with Navy, so he accepted his appointment and was excited to forge his own path. In Feb, He recvd a NROTC scholarship to Ohio State as a Plan B.

This weekend he was denied an appoinment to USAFA, but was offered a Falcon Foundation Scholarship, but will turn that down in light of accepting his USNA appointment.
So now two USAFA grads will have to get used to saying " GO NAVY" and I have to repaint one of our cornhole boards with a goat instead of a falcon!
 
I really appreciate all of these posts!

Any thoughts on his VERY STRONG desire to be a Marine officer? I know he is only 16 and that could change. Are there ways to go Marine through the other SA's?
 
WestTexasMom- You can receive a commission as a Marine Officer through USMMA. Actually one of my good friends--and now classmate-- is going to Kings Point to be a Marine Officer.

Well what sold me was the fact that it is a great SA, like any of the others, but 1 out of the 4 years is spent serving at sea both on US Navy and US Merchant Marine ships. This is big for me because eventhough I don't plan on being a SWO in the Navy I get an oppurtunity to serve my country for a year before even graduating. USMMA is also the ONLY SA that is authorized to fly battle standard and constantly sends mids into battle zones. I just want to serve my country and this oppurtunity not only gives me a chance to do that while in attendance, but I also gain that year of real world experience so that when I do enter the fleet, I'm not as green as other ensigns will be.

You also graduate with a Coast Guard's Third Mates license so I will be able to pilot any ship of unlimited tonnage. Driving ships isn't my first choice but this license will be a foot in the door of a great back up career to the military, if for some reason i don't earn my pension from the USN. Down the road I'd like to have a family to support and this will ensure, more or less, I will have a great career opportunity to provide a well-off life for my family. And as a side-note, the last few months have all seemed to lead to USMMA and I believe that's where God wants me to be and it is where I'm supposed to be.
 
Very well thought out response! Thank you. I will encourage my son to research USMMA. It sounds like you have incredible drive and vision for your future. You are no doubt on the right path!
 
During that year spent serving at sea (sea year) you get to travel to an average of 18-20 different countries as well. That sea year is broken up into 4 months during your sophomore year and 8 during your junior year. I can't wait for mine in a bout a year!
 
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