Thanks guys means a lot. Great insight. I know for a fact I would regret passing up my opportunity at a service academy. And the whole missed summer trip is just something that brought me down a little bit the other day. I know the academy experience is worth much more than that
Your head is telling you it's the best thing for you, your heart is saying you want to stay with your friends or girlfriend or whomever. I felt the same way when I decided to enroll full time in college my senior year of high school. Sure I'd still graduate with them, but I thought about all the fun times I'd miss with my friends in school, about how little time I'd have with my boyfriend, how I loved being in the orchestra and my sports teams and would miss them. Logically I knew this was the best way to improve my resume and help me in getting an AFROTC scholarship (I knew I didn't want to go for the Academy, wanted to go to the best school for my major and I did, plus my college is close to home and my family is really close so it's great that I can be here for another couple years and enjoy my college experience even more), but I was really having trouble letting go of HS and all the things I thought I'd miss. But I did what I knew I should do and had an even better time than I would had if I'd given up the opportunity. Not to mention it helped me get what I really wanted, a scholarship so I could afford my school of choice and start working on my goal of becoming an Air Force Officer. It was a hard step to make, but it's been one of the best decisions of my life as it led to so many more opportunities.
What your feeling is totally normal. Don't let anyone tell you that because you're not feeling 110% siked for the academy that you don't deserve to go over someone else who is, or that if your having doubts now you shouldn't go. That's total BS. Feeling bad about not being around your girlfriend and being afraid of missing out on things does not mean that at all. It means you need to sit down with yourself, think about what you really want out of life and if the academy is the best way to achieve that. Keep in mind that there are people that will be in your life for a season, and people that will be there for a lifetime. I don't know which category the people you know now are in, but I will tell you that you will absolutely meet people in college, ROTC, or in your case the academy, that will be there for a lifetime. Just because military life is regimented, doesn't mean you won't have the best time of your life doing it. I'm in AFROTC at my #1 school. I love my school and ROTC makes it 100 times better. I have met people in the past 2 years that know and understand me better than anyone I knew in HS ever could. My ROTC family is the best resource I have for help with classes, and some of the most fun I have during the day is at PT or at Leadership Laboratory. I couldn't imagine college life without the military being a part of it.
AFROTC life is great, I have the military life but I also have a lot of freedom. It's far more difficult to stay in AFROTC though than it is to stay in the academy for someone who really wants to be there. Just take a peak at the ROTC part of the forum. With the academy, once you get in and continue to do what you need to do as far as grades and conduct, you will be well on your way to commissioning. You can commission with a 2.0, you won't get your choice of jobs but you'll at least still be an officer. For AFROTC, even if you have a scholarship, if you're gpa is not in the competitive 2.9-3.0+ range or if your major is not a tech or critical major, you may very well be cut after your 2nd year. In previous years the gpa requirements were maybe .2 lower, but with budget cuts this year has been the most competitive year in AFROTC history. Out of 2600 that went up for selection, 1590 got a slot. Average gpa was a 3.38. So you can go the AFROTC route, but know that your chances of commissioning are a lot higher with the academy since you're not competing with your peers for a commissioning slot.
I think that if you feel that you will regret it if you pass up your appointment, you already have your answer. You know yourself best and I think that you know that the academy is the best for you. And like you said, you're only 18 and you can't say for sure if you can commit now to the next 9 years of your life (4 in school, at least 5 active duty). But after the 1st year there you will know. The good thing is if you go and find out it's not for you, you can leave and transfer your credits to another college. Don't make any decisions about leaving though before you complete BCT an the 1st semester at least, try to give yourself a year before you decide if it's not for you. It's not so easy the other way around. If you give up your appointment, go to a different college, and constantly feel the regret of not having gone to the academy, it'll be a lot harder for you to reply and convince the board you're serious about going this time.
I say go take some time with yourself, away from your family or anyone that's trying to sway your decision, to think about what your long term goals are and to come to the conclusion I think your subconscious has already come to.
Best of luck to you.