The waiting game is hard, hang in there!

T

TriMom64

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Joined
Dec 23, 2022
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22
I just wanted to wish all of you waiting for a decision the best of luck, and let you know I have been there with my cadet in the agonizing waiting game that you are all currently going through. My 4/c Class of 2027, submitted her application EA, was a recruited athlete (3 varsity,1 club sport), did not attend AIM, though she was accepted, we just couldn’t work out the timing. Her conditional appointment arrived with the last EA bunch on 12/23/22. She required a medical waiver, due to being prescribed an inhaler after the age of 13. This was due to swimming in an indoor environment after years only swimming outdoors. We weren’t required to submit any new documentation regarding the waiver, it was just handled through the Academy and their internal medical review. She received notification that her waiver had been approved on 1/26/23 and her full official appointment on 2/27/23. By then with pressure from other colleges and coaches, she had a stack of offers to choose from. In the end it did take her until April to accept her appointment to the USCGA. She now is thriving, and can’t imagine having made another choice. Hang in there, the wait can be worth it!
 
A year ago our family was going through what many of you families are now waiting for the early admission decision to The USCGA… Our son a 4 year varsity football player, football captain, Vice President of his class for 3 years, NHS member, community service over achiever, top 10 of his class with a GPA of over 4.2, 1310 SAT and AIM graduate was locked on and waiting for appointment.
As early action notification ended he learned he was rolled into regular admission. This required updated transcripts, an additional essay as well as submitting numerous new awards and citations that had been received since submitting the EA application.
As regular admissions notifications came to an end, an email Arrived stating that he been waitlisted and that he should accept other offers but let the USCGA know if he would accept an appointment if offered from the waitlist.
This was devastating news to him as the USCGA was “The Plan”. He accepted plan B and notified the USCGA that he would accept appointment from the waitlist. In the first week of June he received the official email that the class was set and that was not going to be part of it, however as a waitlisted candidate he would be able to apply for EA again and was told that acceptance would be high likely because in essence was already accepted, there was just not a space for him.

What he learned after the fact and if you do some digging, there is a formula that is used, it’s not just academics, athletics, and leadership that is openly spoken about it also includes race, gender, specifics sports needs of the academy music needs of the academy and geographic location of where you are from. Ultimately it not just how good of a candidate you are its are you a good candidate that the academies needs at that moment. (There is a webinar out there with this info and the red green and yellow color charts that are used by admissions that I wish we saw before so we truly understood the process)From speaking with someone my son was able to learn that if he lived in Nebraska and not New England he would have been offered appointment during EA. For our son the kiss of death was he was competing against so many other highly qualified candidates from the same area which happens to be one of the largest applicant pools for the USCGA, and the academy needed to fill seats with people from different states.
I don’t write this to discourage anyone because going through the process was great for my son he was so locked on for the USCGA process that it opened so many other doors that he otherwise may have never explored.
Because of the goal he set with USCGA he was able to attend a regimental college with a major more in line with his career goals and attend tuition and fee free.
He considered applying EA again to the USCGA however he felt it would be disingenuous as he accepted a full four year scholarship that is only offered to incoming freshman, and that by only going to the school for year he would have robbed someone else deserving of the scholarship.
Although our son was disappointed initially with being waitlisted he feels that he made a great decision and that he is the school that he was supposed to be at.
If your son or daughter does not get offered an appointment and they are qualified it’s not a reflection of them, it’s a reflection of the needs of the future of the USCG do not let it discourage them.

Best of luck to all class of 2028 applicants.
 
Here is a link to a webinar of how admissions decision are made at that academy. The is from a lunch and learn webinar from last April. It answers a lot of questions that many people have about what goes on at the academy with the applications and why someone is picked over someone else…. May be something as simple as where they live, gender, or they play the drum.
 
2027USCGAnomore said:
A year ago our family was going through what many of you families are now waiting for the early admission decision to The USCGA… Our son a 4 year varsity football player, football captain, Vice President of his class for 3 years, NHS member, community service over achiever, top 10 of his class with a GPA of over 4.2, 1310 SAT and AIM graduate was locked on and waiting for appointment.
As early action notification ended he learned he was rolled into regular admission. This required updated transcripts, an additional essay as well as submitting numerous new awards and citations that had been received since submitting the EA application.
As regular admissions notifications came to an end, an email Arrived stating that he been waitlisted and that he should accept other offers but let the USCGA know if he would accept an appointment if offered from the waitlist.
This was devastating news to him as the USCGA was “The Plan”. He accepted plan B and notified the USCGA that he would accept appointment from the waitlist. In the first week of June he received the official email that the class was set and that was not going to be part of it, however as a waitlisted candidate he would be able to apply for EA again and was told that acceptance would be high likely because in essence was already accepted, there was just not a space for him.

What he learned after the fact and if you do some digging, there is a formula that is used, it’s not just academics, athletics, and leadership that is openly spoken about it also includes race, gender, specifics sports needs of the academy music needs of the academy and geographic location of where you are from. Ultimately it not just how good of a candidate you are its are you a good candidate that the academies needs at that moment. (There is a webinar out there with this info and the red green and yellow color charts that are used by admissions that I wish we saw before so we truly understood the process)From speaking with someone my son was able to learn that if he lived in Nebraska and not New England he would have been offered appointment during EA. For our son the kiss of death was he was competing against so many other highly qualified candidates from the same area which happens to be one of the largest applicant pools for the USCGA, and the academy needed to fill seats with people from different states.
I don’t write this to discourage anyone because going through the process was great for my son he was so locked on for the USCGA process that it opened so many other doors that he otherwise may have never explored.
Because of the goal he set with USCGA he was able to attend a regimental college with a major more in line with his career goals and attend tuition and fee free.
He considered applying EA again to the USCGA however he felt it would be disingenuous as he accepted a full four year scholarship that is only offered to incoming freshman, and that by only going to the school for year he would have robbed someone else deserving of the scholarship.
Although our son was disappointed initially with being waitlisted he feels that he made a great decision and that he is the school that he was supposed to be at.
If your son or daughter does not get offered an appointment and they are qualified it’s not a reflection of them, it’s a reflection of the needs of the future of the USCG do not let it discourage them.

Best of luck to all class of 2028 applicants.
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Thank you for sharing your story. My DD was the same exact story except that she was able to reapply. She received a 3 year scholarship that does not kick in until next year. She is in an amazing ROTC program, playing sports in college as well. She is unsure what she will decide if offered but just hoping for the opportunity. Only other difference is she did attend AIM and was hooked. Good luck to your son and it sounds like he ended up where he is supposed to be.
 
The waiting stinks. You will never know how close you were to being in or out. Try to be patient with the process, but our family was on pins and needles from October to June. He was accepted in November, but there is always another hurdle such as dodmerb, passports, etc. Our son is a 4c now and could not be more happy to be where he is. We are not a military family, but the one thing that sold me on the USCGA (and also usna) was my son relaying the everyone he met at the academies were the the best humans you could hope to be around. Hang in there. Maybe one day our paths will cross in New London!
 
AG8297 said:
I assume the portal updates before the BFE arrives? Or is there a different process for USCGA? I know not all SA do things the same way and we're new to all this!
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Often, applicants will get notified with a phone call from a coach or admissions officer giving them the good news if they are being offered an appointment.
 
AG8297 said:
I assume the portal updates before the BFE arrives? Or is there a different process for USCGA? I know not all SA do things the same way and we're new to all this!
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Like proudmom7 said, often a call from admissions or coach saying an appointment (or conditional appt) is coming, then the official email will come directing you to appointment notification in portal, then last but not least, there's a link to click confirming interest in accepting the appointment which will trigger thr BFE.
 
It varies, so watch the portal, watch the mail and answer all calls, but most of all find something better to do than hovering. You'll certainly hear something by Christmas, but pining away at the computer is just unhealthy. I know it's hard, but healthy waiting is an excellent skill to nurture for anyone hoping for a career in the military.
 
Are feedback and/or results from CCEB sent back to applicant? or no news is = good news?
Has anyone rcvd CCEB feedback?

Thank you all for sharing.
 
StPaulDad said:
It varies, so watch the portal, watch the mail and answer all calls, but most of all find something better to do than hovering. You'll certainly hear something by Christmas, but pining away at the computer is just unhealthy. I know it's hard, but healthy waiting is an excellent skill to nurture for anyone hoping for a career in the military.
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New to the forum having 'lurked' for a while but couldn't help but laugh at this: 'healthy waiting'! So true....
 
cgaapplicant0 said:
Are feedback and/or results from CCEB sent back to applicant? or no news is = good news?
Has anyone rcvd CCEB feedback?

Thank you all for sharing.
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The decision will come first...Appointment/Denied/waitlist. If denied, in the letter, I believe think they recommend reaching out for feedback from admissions on how to strengthen application if you decide to reapply. I don't believe they proactively push out any specific feedback.

That's my understanding anyway.
 
Eaglehurst said:
New to the forum having 'lurked' for a while but couldn't help but laugh at this: 'healthy waiting'! So true....
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DD is doing great with the wait, me not so much. She's already got 2 EA decisions back from civ colleges (plan B's).
 
Wonder when the accepted class 2028 thread will open. Objee posted on 11/19/22 that some acceptances had gone out the night before, and more reported on 11/23/22. These kids are rockstars during this for sure.
 
11pucks said:
DD is doing great with the wait, me not so much. She's already got 2 EA decisions back from civ colleges (plan B's).
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Same here...DS is doing well although he has a heavy load of AP classes that are helping him with that!

He has a LOA from USMMA, waiting on USCGA and USNA and obviously outcomes from nominations interviews.

He was at an overnight at USCGA on 26/27th October and the admissions team told him then that they expected to start communicating decisions in the next 2-3 weeks so it really should be any day now for the first round of EA candidates.
 
Eaglehurst said:
Same here...DS is doing well although he has a heavy load of AP classes that are helping him with that!

He has a LOA from USMMA, waiting on USCGA and USNA and obviously outcomes from nominations interviews.

He was at an overnight at USCGA on 26/27th October and the admissions team told him then that they expected to start communicating decisions in the next 2-3 weeks so it really should be any day now for the first round of EA candidates.
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Congrats on the LOA from USMMA! That's wonderful. DD only applied to USCGA for SA, but 22 civ colleges (bubble year of high birth rate and none compared to her top choice of CGA). She's in the same boat, AP's and sports, work commitments are keeping her busy.
 
Well, if waiting isn't difficult enough, ol Murphy had to raise his miserable head. DS took eye exam Monday and was scheduled for physical tomorrow and then the State Championship swim meet on Friday and Saturday. He came home this morning with the flu!!! No state swim times, had to reschedule physical and lost one night hotel charges due to late cancellation!!! You just have to laugh or you'll cry. DS is probably taking it a lot better than I am!!!
 
Another step forward - DODMERB Current Medical Status: Qualified
I would love to make the assumption that investment of time and money from the SA to proceed with DODMERB/DODMETS means positive news are coming before 12/23.
 
cgaapplicant0 said:
Another step forward - DODMERB Current Medical Status: Qualified
I would love to make the assumption that investment of time and money from the SA to proceed with DODMERB/DODMETS means positive news are coming before 12/23.
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It's at least a step in the right direction! If you are fortunate enough to receive an appointment, at least you can be super happy and relieved and not have "Dodmerb Conditional" hanging over your head.

Good luck!
 
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