Accepted but injured - How do I respond?

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bananafish

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Dec 22, 2022
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Today I received my acceptance (on the condition of a passing medical evaluation). I have not submitted any part of DODMERB.

Over a month ago I tore my ACL. Around then I talked to a coach at USAFA who informed me that with my injury there was absolutely zero way that I could attend the academy for class of 27. I emailed my mentor ALO explaining my situation and asking if there was a withdrawal process. She said yes but I never received an explanation of what the process was. So I did absolutely nothing with my application.

Now here I am with an acceptance in hand. Previously, I had eradicated any notion of attending USAFA as class of 27 from my mind. But now that I actually have a conditional acceptance I can’t bear declining it. Is there any way that I could attend USAFA next year? Any advantage to waiting to decline the acceptance?

I am getting surgery this week. It’s estimated that I’ll be running by July or August, fully returning to sports by November or December, and 100% recovered in a year. This timeline obviously would not work well with attending basic. But, if I dedicated all of my time and resources to recovering, and moved up each recovery checkpoint by a few months, is it conceivable that I could find a way to attend as class of 27?

I assume the answer is no. However, is there any other reason that I should wait before declining the acceptance? Should I communicate with USAFA that I want to attend but will certainly be medically disqualified if I follow through with the medical evaluation process? Is there a certain way that I should go about this if I am planning on reapplying?

I would appreciate advice on navigating this and anecdotes from those with similar experiences.
 
Notify DODMERB and your admissions team. They will advise you from there. You will probably not attend BCT this year but they will extend an appointment for next year. Do not decline the appointment in your portal! Talk to your admissions team 100%. I am sorry this happened to you and I hope you get better quick!
 
Gravity0329 said:
Notify DODMERB and your admissions team. They will advise you from there. You will probably not attend BCT this year but they will extend an appointment for next year. Do not decline the appointment in your portal! Talk to your admissions team 100%. I am sorry this happened to you and I hope you get better quick!
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By notify DODMERB do you mean email/call through whatever contact info they have, or submit my medical history paperwork and including my current injury? Also, could you tell me more about the possibility of my appointment being extending to next year? My understanding was that I would have to reapply next year and test my luck once again.

Thank you for the get better encouragement!
 
“I talked to a coach”

where you being recruited for a d1 varsity program? If so call coach back and ask if prep school is not an option? May be harder now that you have been accepted to the SA?

i know several sports types , at least one with an ACL, who spent a year at SA prep school , after getting injured, getting stronger, smarter, and way more rehabbed.
 
bananafish said:
By notify DODMERB do you mean email/call through whatever contact info they have, or submit my medical history paperwork and including my current injury? Also, could you tell me more about the possibility of my appointment being extending to next year? My understanding was that I would have to reapply next year and test my luck once again.

Thank you for the get better encouragement!
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I know that medical turnbacks are allowed to return the following year if their medical condition is expected to improve. No doubt you'll still have to get a waiver, but I suspect if you talk to them and explain it, you will be considered under this "medical turnback" thing. And I mean email them any records about your condition that you have to their email. Explain the situation to them and admissions.
 
Your best understanding will be to talk with Admissions about your situation and what the next steps are, and how it would work for you next cycle. They are accustomed to candidates getting “broken” in the months before reporting, so they can give you accurate and current advice as your primary and official source.

They might give you an LOA for next year, and tell you what they need you to do for application steps.

Be sure you are clear on nominations, once you settle DoDMERB and Admissions. That will likely take calls to your nom sources.

Just go direct to the official source. This is an anonymous unofficial Internet forum, great for general advice and anecdotal insights, but not what you need right now. Time to exercise your live call phone skills! Organize your questions beforehand. Have a paper and pen ready to take notes. Keep a log of who you talked to, when, and what you were told. Listen carefully, and reconfirm major points as you wrap up a call. “Thank you Captain Jones, may I summarize what I heard you tell me today? A, B, C, and I will owe you D, then E and F….”
 
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Small Team Bacsi said:
“I talked to a coach”

where you being recruited for a d1 varsity program? If so call coach back and ask if prep school is not an option? May be harder now that you have been accepted to the SA?

i know several sports types , at least one with an ACL, who spent a year at SA prep school , after getting injured, getting stronger, smarter, and way more rehabbed.
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I was essentially being recruited but I had not committed because I was still on the fence and the coach was aware of this. Also the coach stated he would prefer that I was accepted on my own so that he could recruit someone else who would be less likely to be accepted on their own. I am not very interested in prep school because I am already academically qualified (strongest part of my application) and the prep school does not have my sport
 
bananafish said:
I was essentially being recruited but I had not committed because I was still on the fence and the coach was aware of this. Also the coach stated he would prefer that I was accepted on my own so that he could recruit someone else who would be less likely to be accepted on their own. I am not very interested in prep school because I am already academically qualified (strongest part of my application) and the prep school does not have my sport
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You won’t be playing your sport anyway. You will be rehabbing.

The last one I saw—-April surgery for a really fit d1 recruit for an ACL. Rehab an entire year plus , almost every day, without playing.

Shows up at pleb summer, well over a year after surgery, spends much of pleb summer limping and on crutches.

Good luck on the class of 28
 
bananafish said:
I was essentially being recruited but I had not committed because I was still on the fence and the coach was aware of this. Also the coach stated he would prefer that I was accepted on my own so that he could recruit someone else who would be less likely to be accepted on their own. I am not very interested in prep school because I am already academically qualified (strongest part of my application) and the prep school does not have my sport
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Do not rush to dismiss the prep school option, if offered, whether USAFAPS or scholarship sponsored prep. If your goal is to attend USAFA and go in to commissioned service as an AF officer, then the prep school route is a golden ticket. Complete satisfactorily, and a seat is saved for you in Class of 2028. On their dime at USAFAPS, or quite a bit of the cost at other prep schools.

Think through a scenario where you are medically DQ’ed from attending USAFA this year. You would them presumably execute one of your alternate plans for a year, taking similar classes to USAFA first year cadets. Would you be able to play your sport right away at that school? ACLs are no short-haul overnight fix. There is rehab and reconditioning. Would you be ponying up the money for that alternate plan? If the alternate plan is out of town, how will you work the recovery rehab?

Much will hinge on what DoDMERB and Admissions advise as your path forward. Only they can tell you. Maybe it will be an LOA for 2028, local community college is deemed okay while you rehab and re-apply -but only they can tell you. If you want this, you make the calls to get correct advice now, put your head down and execute and get through the next year doing whatever it takes to become fully qualified again.
 
bananafish said:
I was essentially being recruited but I had not committed because I was still on the fence and the coach was aware of this. Also the coach stated he would prefer that I was accepted on my own so that he could recruit someone else who would be less likely to be accepted on their own. I am not very interested in prep school because I am already academically qualified (strongest part of my application) and the prep school does not have my sport
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Rehab is a full time sport. Provided no complications and nominal recovery it will be a full year. Pro athletes can shave this down to 9 months but it’s their full time job with the best trainers and facilities on the planet.
 
Small Team Bacsi said:
You won’t be playing your sport anyway. You will be rehabbing.

The last one I saw—-April surgery for a really fit d1 recruit for an ACL. Rehab an entire year plus , almost every day, without playing.

Shows up at pleb summer, well over a year after surgery, spends much of pleb summer limping and on crutches.

Good luck on the class of 28
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I appreciate the comment but to be blunt I trust my doctors more than a 2nd hand story from the internet. As far as I am aware now, I will be drilling and lightly training by next fall, and I will be fully playing by next winter. The following ~ 9 months of drilling and ~ 6 months of competing that I would miss at prep school are very significant to me. Even if, God forbid, something went wrong with my surgery and recovery process, I would miss out on the upper body and mental aspect of my sport that I could practice with a coach.
 
For your primary source research, here is the medical accession standard, see page 37:

You know what to do - have the conversations, get facts, realign plans and timetables, determine your path. If you really want this path, you will do what it takes, even if it means waiting for class of 2028. Or you may find you don’t want it quite as much as you thought, and decide to go a different way - and that’s okay too. Don’t delay anymore - get facts, assess, take action.
 
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Capt MJ said:
Do not rush to dismiss the prep school option, if offered, whether USAFAPS or scholarship sponsored prep. If your goal is to attend USAFA and go in to commissioned service as an AF officer, then the prep school route is a golden ticket. Complete satisfactorily, and a seat is saved for you in Class of 2028. On their dime at USAFAPS, or quite a bit of the cost at other prep schools.

Think through a scenario where you are medically DQ’ed from attending USAFA this year. You would them presumably execute one of your alternate plans for a year, taking similar classes to USAFA first year cadets. Would you be able to play your sport right away at that school? ACLs are no short-haul overnight fix. There is rehab and reconditioning. Would you be ponying up the money for that alternate plan? If the alternate plan is out of town, how will you work the recovery rehab?

Much will hinge on what DoDMERB and Admissions advise as your path forward. Only they can tell you. Maybe it will be an LOA for 2028, local community college is deemed okay while you rehab and re-apply -but only they can tell you. If you want this, you make the calls to get correct advice now, put your head down and execute and get through the next year doing whatever it takes to become fully qualified again.
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Thank you for the response. I will consider the prep school a little more. But, to explain my position against attending prep school a little more:

1) My primary goal at this point in my life is to regain my health and become an elite level athlete, hopefully on the international stage within the next several years. Although I’d like to be an air force officer, it would be disingenuous to say it is my primary goal
2) As I state in another reply, based on my surgeon and PT’s predictions for my recovery I would miss out on 9 months of drilling and 6 months of competing if I attended prep school.
3) Even before my injury, my parents told me that they would support me taking a gap year to focus on athletics
4) I applied almost exclusively to schools with my sport and I’m sure that I could find a way to walk on to nearly all of them
5) I think I have a fair-ish shot at being accepted to an ivy league or similar school. I’m not really sure what my point is here but I guess I just want to clarify that my current backup plan isn’t to attend local CC.

Again, thanks for your advice. You made many interesting points, but I wanted to clarify my situation a bit. I still don’t see the prep school as a great fit for me unless a series of unfortunate events occurs eg financial inability to attend elsewhere, surgery complications). But I’ll think over your points and get in contact with admissions
 
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You've received some outstanding advice here!!!

CaptMJ filled a senior role at USNA...and their process is fairly similar to USAFA's...her advice on how to approach this is exactly what I'd have said (although she seems to say it better at times).

An ACL repair, full recovery...you'll be ready for the Class of '28.

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
bananafish said:
Today I received my acceptance (on the condition of a passing medical evaluation). I have not submitted any part of DODMERB.

Over a month ago I tore my ACL. Around then I talked to a coach at USAFA who informed me that with my injury there was absolutely zero way that I could attend the academy for class of 27. I emailed my mentor ALO explaining my situation and asking if there was a withdrawal process. She said yes but I never received an explanation of what the process was. So I did absolutely nothing with my application.

Now here I am with an acceptance in hand. Previously, I had eradicated any notion of attending USAFA as class of 27 from my mind. But now that I actually have a conditional acceptance I can’t bear declining it. Is there any way that I could attend USAFA next year? Any advantage to waiting to decline the acceptance?

I am getting surgery this week. It’s estimated that I’ll be running by July or August, fully returning to sports by November or December, and 100% recovered in a year. This timeline obviously would not work well with attending basic. But, if I dedicated all of my time and resources to recovering, and moved up each recovery checkpoint by a few months, is it conceivable that I could find a way to attend as class of 27?

I assume the answer is no. However, is there any other reason that I should wait before declining the acceptance? Should I communicate with USAFA that I want to attend but will certainly be medically disqualified if I follow through with the medical evaluation process? Is there a certain way that I should go about this if I am planning on reapplying?

I would appreciate advice on navigating this and anecdotes from those with similar experiences.
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DS received his appointment from the USCGA and in it it says if he gets hurt he needs to report that injury to DODMERB ASAP.
I wouldn't decline the appointment I would let them DQ you so you can go the medical wavier route and go through that process.
I hope and pray you get what your heart desires and a speedy recovery.
May I ask what sport you were competing in ?
 
If your primary goal is to be an elite athlete, and not an Air Force Officer, and you are not interested in prep at all, you could simply withdraw your application.

I wouldn’t recommend that, I would head Capt MJ’s advice. But you do have the ability to put a stop by withdrawing.

Or you could proceed and see what happens. Leaving the door open until you choose to close it.
 
Luke Gs Dad said:
DS received his appointment from the USCGA and in it it says if he gets hurt he needs to report that injury to DODMERB ASAP.
I wouldn't decline the appointment I would let them DQ you so you can go the medical wavier route and go through that process.
I hope and pray you get what your heart desires and a speedy recovery.
May I ask what sport you were competing in ?
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I had a similar thought. However, it seems unlikely that I would be able to qualify for a waiver by May 1. Also going through the DoDMERB process in the coming weeks would be difficult for many reasons,
but most prominently because I’d be recovering from surgery.

I am hesitant to post my sport because it could help easily identify me. I don’t think I’ve said anything too embarrassing, though, so it’s not a huge deal if you think it would be critical to giving advice or if you’re extremely curious and want to direct message me


Edit: Realized that my first paragraph might come across as shooting you down. I have a tendency to shoot down all suggestions in conversation. Not my intention. I appreciate your response. Just trying to show why I haven’t already decided that way. I’m not sure if it’s worth it to go through with a medical eval which I will obviously fail spectacularly in hopes of getting a waiver for something that’s possibly un-waiverable. But I don’t know how hard it is to get a waiver and how long I have to get one
 
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bananafish said:
I had a similar thought. However, it seems unlikely that I would be able to qualify for a waiver by May 1. Also going through the DoDMERB process in the coming weeks would be difficult for many reasons,
but most prominently because I’d be recovering from surgery.

I am hesitant to post my sport because it could help easily identify me. I don’t think I’ve said anything too embarrassing, though, so it’s not a huge deal if you think it would be critical to giving advice or if you’re extremely curious and want to direct message me


Edit: Realized that my first paragraph might come across as shooting you down. I have a tendency to shoot down all suggestions in conversation. Not my intention. I appreciate your response. Just trying to show why I haven’t already decided that way. I’m not sure if it’s worth it to go through with a medical eval which I will obviously fail spectacularly in hopes of getting a waiver for something that’s possibly un-waiverable. But I don’t know how hard it is to get a waiver and how long I have to get one
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No hard feelings at all.
You will have to report your injury to DODMERB not matter what. If you do not and when they find out you did not share that info then the Sheet will hit the fan and it would be a lot worse senerio.

Good luck in what ever you decide and I hope all goes well.
 
My daughter, USAFA Class of 2026, went through the admissions process last year. A few weeks after she submitted all her paperwork, she blew out her ACL and tore her meniscus. She had surgery on 7DEC2022. She submitted her update to DODMERB and they cleared her. She had to report on 23June2023, and they in-processed her. A couple of times her knee swelled up and they took her out of the drill. There were also a couple of drills that they wouldn't let her participate in at all. She told me there was someone else there who had their ACL surgery in March 2023 and they were also in-processed (not sure of the details on that one). If you still want to attend, I would get the surgery as soon as possible and see what happens.
 
teksmith said:
My daughter, USAFA Class of 2026, went through the admissions process last year. A few weeks after she submitted all her paperwork, she blew out her ACL and tore her meniscus. She had surgery on 7DEC2022. She submitted her update to DODMERB and they cleared her. She had to report on 23June2023, and they in-processed her. A couple of times her knee swelled up and they took her out of the drill. There were also a couple of drills that they wouldn't let her participate in at all. She told me there was someone else there who had their ACL surgery in March 2023 and they were also in-processed (not sure of the details on that one). If you still want to attend, I would get the surgery as soon as possible and see what happens.
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Thank you for the response. This is very interesting. I had assumed that there was no “easy” option for BCT - that is, that if you would have to step out from a few drills then you could not go at all.
 
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