USAFA and AFROTC, how to handle Plan B?

We have been blessed with both an appointment to USAFA and a type 7 AFROTC scholarship. My son absolutely wants to go to the Academy but we are also working on Plan B in case the the unthinkable, injury or illness, occurs. Can we keep the ROTC scholarship until he is through BCT? Is this ethical? Do others do this all the time? We have to respond to AFROTC by 2/25.

Thanks for your advice!

If you are to respond with an answer by 2/25 then that is your cut off date as determined by Maxwell. I have never heard of the scholarship being available after May.

IMHO it is not unethical, but it would be wrong to play that game of trying to keep it through the end of BCT. Life is about rolling the dice and taking chances. There will be a candidate that is applying only for ROTC and the pot of money only goes so far. You holding on until they are through BCT means that another qualified candidate got less or nothing at all and may not be eligible to attend their dream college. The AF is about brethren, and supporting your peers, it is not about what is best for me, and me alone.

There are no guarantees even after BCT is over. 25% of AFA cadets will not graduate from the AFA. That is reality, will your child re-apply every yr in case they might one day be in the 25% group? Of course not! You have to hope for the best, and have a plan B for the worse.

Most people when referring to plan B are speaking of the fact that they pay the housing deposit in case something happens before or during BCT. Many actually contact the back up university and explain the scenario, most dets get it and will allow you to hold that spot a little longer than the avg student. That is the plan B for the stage of an appointee. For others, plan B also includes the case of not getting an apptmt, but you already have that parameter filled. Your plan B now should be to move forward, try not to get injured and keep your fingers crossed that they will make it through BCT without a turn back. The scholarship part is now a non-issue.

It has been several yrs since our DS went through this, but if my memory serves correctly, if you do not respond yeah or nay by that due date, the offer of the scholarship is immediately withdrawn...check the fine print.

If you've made up your mind to accept the appointment to USAFA, then the right thing to do would be to immediately decline the ROTC scholarship.

PDub said:

If you've made up your mind to accept the appointment to USAFA, then the right thing to do would be to immediately decline the ROTC scholarship.

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I agree, I declined mine after I accepted my appointment.

My D declined her RTOC Scholarships soon after she accepted/confirmed into AFA.

My sons mailed their NROTC decline at the same time they sent the acceptance to USAFA.

Same here. I saved the scholarship for about a week until my status was updated to "Appointment Accepted." When it changed, I declined the scholarship offer.

Later,

Brian

I declines my USCGA and USMMA appointments at the same time I accepted my USMA appointment and am declining the AROTC scholarship I recieved this week. My plan B is to wait for the May 1 deadline to decline my acceptance to UPittsburgh.

Well, it looks like we'll have to decline his ROTC scholarship. The only thing is he hasn't received the BFE yet so he hasn't accepted his appointment. His status has changed to "Appointment offered". ROTC response is due tomorrow. Argh! I'm sure it will all be OK. Thanks for all your input.

mom14 said:

Well, it looks like we'll have to decline his ROTC scholarship. The only thing is he hasn't received the BFE yet so he hasn't accepted his appointment. His status has changed to "Appointment offered". ROTC response is due tomorrow. Argh! I'm sure it will all be OK. Thanks for all your input.

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BFE?

While I definitely do agree with holding onto the ROTC scholarship through BCT; I don't see anything wrong with holding it until you graduate High School. Most colleges and universities start the last week of August. Scholarships and acceptance to school are 2 different things. While there may definitely be someone out there that can use the the ROTC scholarship, they are still accepted to the school. It is unlikely that giving back an ROTC scholarship on 1 June is going to hurt someone applying for an ROTC scholarship. They still have time to award it to someone else.

But I do believe that it's OK for you to hold it until "High School" graduation day. Because until then, a lot of things can change. I've seen injuries. I've seen people who still wanted the military, but changed their mind at the last minute. I saw an illness in the immediate family, and the person turned down West Point so they could go to the local university so they could be closer to their family. There are countless reasons why you should hold onto the scholarship. But I do think it's wrong to make it unavailable to someone else. JUNE 1st: When school gets out; make a choice. 1) Do I still want to go to the academy? If yes: give back the ROTC scholarship so someone else can have it. 2) Do I want to go to a civilian school and do ROTC instead? If Yes: Then turn down the academy and let them give an appointment to someone else. (Yes, they still give appointments up to the last couple days). Either way, give one back. I don't think June 1st: is unreasonable. A lot can happen and change between now and then. Best of luck. Mike....

Oh, sorry. The Big Fat Envelope which I gather has all kinds of good info in it and a way to accept the offer. We are stalking the mailman for the BFE

But CC, ROTC wants a response tomorrow. Are you saying accept the ROTC scholarship and release it later? Can they give it to someone else that late? We have figured that if the worst occurs (injury, etc) we could pay one year ourselves and then reapply to the AFA and ROTC at that point. We are holding housing and will pay deposits at his chosen school as plan B.

My apologies for not seeing the part about response by the end of February. Is that for the ROTC scholarship or for the school? We still have 2 kids working on trying to get AFROTC scholarships, so obviously they can't respond yet, because they haven't received one yet. I don't know what the cutoff is for replying.

Have you accepted the academy appointment yet? Have you checked with the ALO for some advice. Just like the academy, you can accept an appointment and change your mind the day before you leave for BCT. While I do prefer that people who apply to the academy and ROTC do in fact really want those options; I'd rather they change their mind at the last minute than to go ahead with something they don't really want to do.

This is one of those times that you probably need to see if Steve (Flieger) can jump in; talk to your ALO; and talk to the academy counselor and ask what your options are. Your son definitely earned the right to keep as many options open as possible.

Mom, I think he should accept the ROTC scholarship, and withdraw it later once other plans are firm. I don't know about AF, but the NROTC scholarship paperwork plainly states that accepting the scholarship does not obligate you in any way. There is even a blurb on the website saying that if you are uncertain, they recommend you accept it. Your son worked hard to be in a position to have these options. ROTC plans for a certain number to be declined at a later date, and they do continue to award unused/returned scholarships until late spring, early summer.

Contact Maxwell ASAP, they will give you the true answer.

IMHO if you hold onto the scholarship after accepting the appointment is wrong unless you have received approval from Maxwell. You are taking the assumption that if they are turned back from the AFA that ROTC is still an option. Some times yes, some times no! Maxwell will give you the true answer.

The military is not about what is best for you, and that is why the statement SERVICE BEFORE SELF exists. The service comes first, you come second. You should become accustomed to having permission first before you do anything. Another cliche, but it is better to beg for forgiveness instead of permission does not fly in the military.