There are lots of candidates similar to your DS. He is not unique. And also a good example of part of the reason there IS a waitlist.
Also, please know, that it isn’t a ‘one for one’ situation where your son accepting, or declining, necessarily equates to an actual offer, or not, to another candidate. It isn’t. In the big picture, it’s a product of overall yield.
Often, the settlements of where an appointee is CHARGED isn’t completed until well after the class is appointed. Charging shuffles around to get their class.
Point is this. He should treat HIS OPTIONS as his. Unrelated to other candidate offerings, or not. If he would truly serve at his second choice? He should accept it. If he isn’t interested in a 2nd choice at this point? He should decline. This IS the way he manages this, waiting to see if 1st choice comes through.
It could be that should he decline his slates offer, not another person on that slate will be offered an appointment.
And respectfully, USNA is doing their very best. They aren’t holding out to cause angst. Or being lazy. Personally I’m grateful they don’t act with haste in order to meet a date. Deadlines change all the time in the real world. They state that they ‘aim to let MOST know by April 15th’. They have met that goal.
Im a (newer) BGO, and have not received any official notification that there is an issue with Salesforce. Doesn’t mean there isn’t, but if there is? I’m certain usna is working their tails off to solve it. And no, USNA and USAFA are two separate organizations. They don’t have the exact same process.
The staff working through this are real people. With real families. Who have kids who have soccer games, and family dinners. That I’m sure they are missing out on this time of year. I’ve met a couple of them and they are awesome. And I'm grateful to know grateful are taking this who process so seriously. Many of them also attended USNA and know this feeling of waiting.
I also know, as a mom of somone who was funneled through several waitlist TWE’s, and pulled later from the list, that if it happens, the wait was well worth it.
Absolutely he should accept USAFA if he is willing to serve in the AF. There is nothing unique about later declining should USNA come through and he decides that’s where he belongs. This is a perfect example of the ‘yield’ that USNA plans for. And if he declines, it MAY or MAY NOT result in somone else (
) being pulled. If they have met their numbers? Him declining MAY NOT result in a pull from the wailtlist. EITHER WAY, his ‘spot’ will NOT go to waste.