How long do you wait before you go to plan B?

mstephens

5-Year Member
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Mar 25, 2010
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My son is still waiting to hear from both the Naval Academy and the NROTC scholarship. He has gotten scholarships from other colleges and needs to let them know if he is going to accept those. At what point do you decide you are not going to get a positive answer, and proceed to getting things in line with another college? As an aside, my son is triple qualified, played 3 sports, is president of the National Honor Society and active in many other organizations with lots of leadership. I just wonder why he didn't get an LOA.
 
We are in a similar situation - still waiting to hear from USNA/ROTC, but facing scholarship deadlines. I called the Plan B school (Va Tech) and was advised to have DS accept the scholarship and send in his deposit. The woman I spoke with said this happens every year and if DS receives an appointment to just let them know and he can withdraw. The only penalty would be if he withdraws after May 1 we won't get the deposit back. She was very nice and said they always lose a few kids to the academies in April/May, so they factor that into their scholarship offers.
 
My son has accepted his scholarships to his Plan B schools. We have made his tuition deposit and his housing deposit.

I figure if he gets into the Academy and we can't get our money back from the Plan B college, we're happy to make that donation!
 
I just wonder why he didn't get an LOA.

Very few LOA's are given. While your son sounds amazing, rest assured, so are several thousand others. Who are still waiting to hear from an SA.

I have a client whose son did not get in to USNA last year. My son did get in. His son had two more points on ACT than mine. He points that out to me at various social situations. Repeatedly. Gaining acceptance, via LOA or not, to any SA is a mysterious combination of character, leadership, recommendations, strength of high school, community service, athletic ability, interview, essays, as well as medical qualification. Plus another intangible, the needs of the Navy (Army, etc.)

A super qualified kiddo who gets scholarship offers from outstanding schools may not get in to USNA or another SA. My oldest is in vet school at Texas A&M. He received a President's Endowed Scholarship there in 05. The Honors Program at TAMU awarded over 1400 prestigious honors scholarships that year. USNA will have only approximately 1250 in the class of 2014. Compared to most of the "plan B" universities, the odds are quite different at a Service Academy.

Yes, at this point in the game, the pool of applicants to USNA is narrowed down to those who are 3-Q'd and have a nomination. I think if any of us could leaf through those packets, we would be AMAZED at the quality of the applicants.

Sound advice presented by the two previous posts. Pursue Plan B. Most who earn an appointment to a SA keep plan B paid up right through I-Day. We did last year.
 
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A trio at least...

mstephens and brass strings, we are in the same boat...not that that helps, but at least you are not alone!

Kat
 
For our older son we paid deposit to Plan B and applied to housing and orientation as soon as that school became his choice for backup to USAFA. Glad we did since he got the TWE in April.

Once the rest of younger son's acceptance/declines arrive next week he'll decide on the back up school if injury or cold feet happen between now and I-day. We'll pay the deposits for security. But read all fine print to make sure you have a way out of the housing contract!

Most schools have a May 1 deadline.
 
My son is still waiting to hear from both the Naval Academy and the NROTC scholarship. He has gotten scholarships from other colleges and needs to let them know if he is going to accept those. At what point do you decide you are not going to get a positive answer, and proceed to getting things in line with another college? As an aside, my son is triple qualified, played 3 sports, is president of the National Honor Society and active in many other organizations with lots of leadership. I just wonder why he didn't get an LOA.

All but one of my 8 qualified candidates are still waiting to hear. The process does seem "slower" this year . . . don't know if it's the snow or something esle.

How far you go w/Plan B depends on your finances. As noted above, some keep an option open thru Plebe Summer -- that's up to you. The civilian school doesn't care -- if you back out at the last minute, they have your money and an open slot for someone else (and someone else's money). It's win-win for them.

As for the LOA . . . if everyone with your son's qualifications received one . . . let me put it this way . . . On I-Day, you and your son will probably find about 1200 other new plebes with similar qualifications. I'm not denigrating your son's accomplishments, only suggesting that those qualifications are more or less the norm of appointees.

I've been doing this for a decade now and still can't figure the LOA thing. Also, this year I have three kids with LOAs and no noms. So, an LOA isn't always the golden ticket.
 
USNA 1985--- I am glad to hear all but one of your 8 candidates are waiting to hear...sounds silly, but I find comfort in that fact...especially since we are from OHIO, even my son's BGO is stumped as to why my son has not heard yet, he told us back in September that our son has the strongest packet he has seen from our area in 7 years...still, we wait....

We did however have son accept 3 academic rides to 3 universities, so he is ready for plan B(back in early February)...we will send in the deposits this week if we do not hear anything....he is entirely too bright of a young man with a very promising future ahead of him....we did not want him stressing about his future plans and to feel secure in the "WHAT IF" plan....

Good Luck to all still waiting...and may we all hear the good news we have been waiting for soon...:thumb:
 
You'll find a lot of us in the same boat, mstephens. We should be receiving news by mid April.
 
Similar but a little different here. We have been notified that son received NROTC marine option scholarship but no word yet on what choice he got or if the units have room. He was accepted to all of his schools with the exception of one which he was put on a waiting list. So I don't know which schools need deposits because not sure where he is going should we need to take plan B. So I am waiting until the 15th, hoping NROTC will shake out by then and will be hustling to get all deposits in by the 1st of May.
 
I feel better!

Thanks for the posts. Knowing that other super kids are in the same boat (no pun intended) as my son makes the wait a little more tolerable. We have sent in the deposits for housing and now my son doesn't seem as anxious over his future either. Not knowing is the hardest part. We hope that we hear something soon one way or another. We would prefer a BFE to a TWE, but either way we will finally know an answer.
 
Last year at this time we were still waiting to hear ... and my son's acceptance came this very weekend ... so hold on to hope ... we had several very good Plan B colleges lined up ... but you are not obligated to put $$$ down quite yet ... best of luck ... and I hope the "right" thing happens for your candidates ...
 
One of NAVY's prime objectives is to let all candidates know their status vis a vis offers of appointment so that they may proceed accordingly. As others already have noted it is wise to keep Plan B alive just in case. I have been a BGO since 1991 and this is one of the most competitive years in my memory. I have one congressional slate that has at least 9 extremely competitive candidates - all of whom look prime for the Class of 2014. Five of them have received offers, the rest haven't but still are hopeful. BTW, I am in northeast Ohio, and while events are unfolding slowly, it is shaping up as a banner year for the number of appointments offered and accepted. I know the waiting is excruciating and the other BGOs will join me in saying we also feel the agony of the process with our candidates and their families. But the successes are fantastic! Best wishes to those who still are waiting.
 
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