I only have two choices and one is way above the other. Do I scrap choice #2 and go for it all on choice #1? What if they want to give a nom to choice #2 and not #1? Should you just be grateful for any nomination?
There isn't one person here that can answer that question for you. If they try, they are unintentionally doing you a disservice.
Only you can decide if your 2nd choice academy is something you want to do or not. My son, like some others, was hell bent on the Air Force Academy. He didn't even want to be TEMPTED by an offer for another academy. So, he DIDN'T APPLY to anything except the air force academy. He figured that if he didn't get accepted, he'd try for OTS. (He like to do things 100%, so "Part Time Cadet and Part Time Student (ROTC) wasn't something he wanted to do). Luckily for him, it all worked out and he received his appointment.
But there are some that simply want to serve. For whatever reason, they are happy to serve any branch of the military, receive an education from any of the academies, and they applied to all of them. Again, this has to be YOUR decision. There is no right/wrong answer. What does matter, is that is doesn't matter what my son did, or Fencermom's kids did, or what Ramius and Hornet did, or what any of this year's applicants are doing. It only matters what you WANT to do.
Sorry that this isn't the advice you are looking for, but it's the right advice. If you really don't care what branch of the military you serve, then the choice is pretty easy. Apply to all, get nominations for as many as possible, hope for an appointment, and if you receive more than one appointment, enjoy picking. If what branch of the service does matter to you that you serve in, then you have to decide if another branch would be acceptable for your goals, aspirations, and your willingness to serve. Good luck to you. mike....