Worried DS is giving up on Academy dream to jump at NROTC Scholarship

Over the years I have seen many kids jump at the opportunity that came first. It is great to feel wanted. I currently have a young man I am the BGO for that was USNA all the way. He was accepted at another SA first. He then went all in that way. Then USNA came thru. I told him to take a pause and let it sink in, talk to his parents and grads of each, take a visit to both if possible. He came back to USNA in the end. I have seen it happen time and time again when there are multiple SA and/or ROTC scholarships in the mix. USNA may or may not come through. He needs to Lay out all the options out then decide. He needs to own the decision.

And just one note about USNA... yes there is set study time, doesn’t mean they can make you. I have seen tons of Mids manage their time just fine while juggling a million things to include D 1 sports. I have also seen Mids play video games all night and rarely study. Yes, some Grads party at flight school, most don’t. Saw the same with every type of commissioning source out there.
 
thibaud said:
Can't go wrong either way, but Yale will open up worlds and forge valuable relationships that will serve him well beyond the military.
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Yes, the many folks he'll meet or that will be impressed by his alma mater at places like GE, Boeing, etc. That was my experience as a USNA grad. I have those relationships and they benefited me greatly both in corporate America and internationally as I represented my company and country in a multinational Gov't/Industry consortium.

thibaud said:
At Yale your son will meet and learn from some of the best minds operating in a wide variety of disciplines and cultural pursuits, and his classmates will include many of the nation's future political, business and cultural leaders. It's really an extraordinary opportunity that retains all of the upside for his intended Naval career.
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Yup - also true at USNA. Gov't and even religious leaders abound among the alumni.
 
There will be a few units in Newport for NSO this year. Our DD will be there with HC. It’s also the OCS hub. Living so close I think while our DD is getting beat up I’ll take my wife out the brick alley pub for dinner and then walk down the street to one pellem east for a cool drink.
 
I dont know how you can beat Yale with a 4 year scholarship. To me it is winning the lottery. I get that their are people who want the academy and all that comes with it and wouldnt be satisified not getting in, but in general, Yale for free or with a nice big discount is pretty sweeet
 
OldRetSWO said:
thibaud said:
Can't go wrong either way, but Yale will open up worlds and forge valuable relationships that will serve him well beyond the military.
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Yes, the many folks he'll meet or that will be impressed by his alma mater at places like GE, Boeing, etc. That was my experience as a USNA grad. I have those relationships and they benefited me greatly both in corporate America and internationally as I represented my company and country in a multinational Gov't/Industry consortium.

thibaud said:
At Yale your son will meet and learn from some of the best minds operating in a wide variety of disciplines and cultural pursuits, and his classmates will include many of the nation's future political, business and cultural leaders. It's really an extraordinary opportunity that retains all of the upside for his intended Naval career.
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Yup - also true at USNA. Gov't and even religious leaders abound among the alumni.
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True but, for what it's worth - IMO, a lot, but YMMV - Yale also produces many of our greatest cultural leaders: our best literary critic (H. Bloom), top novelists, actors, artists, musicians. It's also a short train ride to Manhattan.
 
It’s about picking the environment that is best for him. Yale has a great name, reputation and education. Be an amazing experience. Same with USNA. The end is the same but the path is different. For some the academy structure would be a nightmare. For others they want it and thrive within. Being surrounded by 4500 like minded individuals is really motivating to them. Also his scholarship could be for engineering but maybe he is more drawn to history which he could do at USNA. All things to think about and consider.

For me, an Ivy looked like a nightmare. Took two recruiting trips to them and hated both within 30 seconds of campus. USNA felt like home in seconds. Let the excitement die down. If he hasn’t visited them, if possible, do that. Take the emotions out of it and pick what is best for him.
 
AROTC-dad said:
NavyHoops said:
USNA felt like home in seconds.
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I cannot emphasize how important it is to visit a campus. No amount of online videos can really capture the flavor, fit and "feel" of being there. You will usually know within seconds what Hoops is talking about when you visit the campus you "belong" at.
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Amen. Go to each place - while school is in session, mind you, so your son can get a real feel for the actual experience of being there as a student - and your son will know right away which is best for him.
 
uncblue94 said:
We're not a military family, so know very little about all these things. DS has dreamed of USNA since he was tiny--we're still CPR, so dream is not dead. But now he's received an NROTC scholarship and admission at Yale. Clearly, Yale is an incredible option, and he's so excited that he's certain he'll be at Yale next year. He's not saying this, but I suspect he has given up on an appointment to the Academy. However, I'm afraid that if he receives one, he might still choose Yale. We hate to see him give up on a dream, and wonder if there will be any negative to his Naval career if he commissions out of NROTC vs. USNA?
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There will be no negative impact, as someone who was once in your DS's shoes, if they do not get in they can always reapply but the ROTC way of life can be a great route for some people!
 
Totally agree with the above statement. DS was an ISR recipient in October '14, so he had some time to visit a number of different schools. Thought he'd love Texas A&M, visited, and was not a fan. Visited several other schools, was admitted to them, and made a February visit to RPI, and was supposed to visit Penn State the next day. He fell in love with the RPI campus, size of the university and the unit. Knew that this is where he wanted to be, and cancelled his Penn St. visit (and went to the Baseball Hall of Fame the next day.)
 
ArmyBuckeye2022 said:
ROTC way of life can be a great route for some people!
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It ended up being a great fit for my DS.

He said to me in his MS-I year, "there is no way I could have been a snowboard instructor on the weekends as a plebe at the academy!
 
AROTC-dad said:
NavyHoops said:
USNA felt like home in seconds.
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I cannot emphasize how important it is to visit a campus. No amount of online videos can really capture the flavor, fit and "feel" of being there. You will usually know within seconds what Hoops is talking about when you visit the campus you "belong" at.
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And it’s best to visit while school is in session to get a true feel for the vibe of the campus. Also schedule a visit with a department head to discuss the program. These visits are always good things to refer to in essays too.
 
DD visited USNA for Summer Seminar and fell in love with the academy. The next week she visited Yale and fell in love with Yale also. Very different, but they both had their strong points. The one thing she didn't like on her visit to Yale was that the LT she met with was very opposed to non-scholarship students, and DD wasn't planning to apply for an NROTC scholarship but planned to go as a College Programmer. But when she visited Yale later during Bulldog Days, that LT was gone and her replacement was positive towards non-scholarship students. All that is to say when you visit a school, realize that the Cadre turns over regularly so don't base too much on who is in charge at the time.
 
DanGir said:
I hope this doesn't come off as condescending.... Is the USNA his dream, or your dream? Either way, he has an excellent plan B. Congrats.
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Definitely HIS dream, but he's had it so long it made me nervous to see him dropping it so quickly for the excitement of Yale admission. His dad and I are both nerdy scientists, so his desire for a military career has always seemed completely foreign to us. That part of his plans has not changed, just the path to get there.
 
bucketheadsdad said:
Totally agree with the above statement. DS was an ISR recipient in October '14, so he had some time to visit a number of different schools. Thought he'd love Texas A&M, visited, and was not a fan. Visited several other schools, was admitted to them, and made a February visit to RPI, and was supposed to visit Penn State the next day. He fell in love with the RPI campus, size of the university and the unit. Knew that this is where he wanted to be, and cancelled his Penn St. visit (and went to the Baseball Hall of Fame the next day.)
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It's funny, my DS has also gotten into RPI and decided not to even go visit because they lack the variety in courses outside his major that both USNA and Yale offer. He's visiting Yale this week and went to CVW at USNA last year (along with summer stem several years ago). He loved the academy while he was there. We'll see if he has the same reaction at Yale. Thank you for the advice.
 
I was in the same situation like you when my DS chose VMI over USMA and USAFA after all the paper work including DODMERB. It is all good now and I learned that the road may be different but destination is the same.
 
My DS had dreams of going to USNA ever since I can remember. We visited Annapolis and VMI on the same trip and he loved VMI so much that he didn’t even apply to USNA. I was so surprised (and yes maybe a little disappointed) but I guess they know what they want when they see it. We are so blessed with all of these kids who at 17 and 18 years old have the ability to know what they want, go after it and obtain it, all in pursuit of serving their country.
 
uncblue94 said:
We're not a military family, so know very little about all these things. DS has dreamed of USNA since he was tiny--we're still CPR, so dream is not dead. But now he's received an NROTC scholarship and admission at Yale. Clearly, Yale is an incredible option, and he's so excited that he's certain he'll be at Yale next year. He's not saying this, but I suspect he has given up on an appointment to the Academy. However, I'm afraid that if he receives one, he might still choose Yale. We hate to see him give up on a dream, and wonder if there will be any negative to his Naval career if he commissions out of NROTC vs. USNA?
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Hello and congratulations to your son and to you as a parent!!, I can tell you just ONE thing, support your DS in his decition because is his first big step in adult life. Having the ANAZING opportunity to choose and Ivy League University as Yale is an amazing opportunity in his future and the finest top education in the world if he decide to go there. In other hand the Academy is another increíble opportunity and a different experience, in both he will have excellent academics opportunities but different type of life, at the end of the day is his choice, and at the end of the day he will graduate as an Officer in same rank.
Believe me I know what I’m talking about because my DD was in the same “boat” last week, undecided between College with AFROTC Scholarship vs Academy, she have already the Appointment, she was ready to go , until YALE said yes, and now she will go to YALE, and we are excited and proud for her (same as if she had chosen the Academy).
Good luck!!
 
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