Insurance at Local U

2

23Lt

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Sep 24, 2016
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284
Hello everyone. I was recently offered an appointment to USNA, and I plan to accept. However, I want to make sure if anything happens (injury, etc), I can still go to college and re apply. Should I make arrangements with the local U to "save me a spot" in the very worst case scenario?
 
Lots of historical discussion on this topic. Suggest you search under "deposit" and "Plan B" on this forum.
 
23Lt said:
Hello everyone. I was recently offered an appointment to USNA, and I plan to accept. However, I want to make sure if anything happens (injury, etc), I can still go to college and re apply. Should I make arrangements with the local U to "save me a spot" in the very worst case scenario?
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Read the old threads on the potential downsides and decide what is best for you:
  • Best scenario - contact Plan B and ask them to save a spot. No risk. Many won't agree to this, but some will.
  • Understand the ways you can get caught using a college as Plan B without their approval.
 
jl123 said:
  • Best scenario - contact Plan B and ask them to save a spot. No risk. Many won't agree to this, but some will.
  • Understand the ways you can get caught using a college as Plan B without their approval
Click to expand...

If i have been accepted to a college, i can simply not enroll, but if i had to reapply because of some injury, incident, etc, it would probably be too late to enroll.


AM I OVERTHINKING THIS?
 
23Lt said:
Hello everyone. I was recently offered an appointment to USNA, and I plan to accept. However, I want to make sure if anything happens (injury, etc), I can still go to college and re apply. Should I make arrangements with the local U to "save me a spot" in the very worst case scenario?
Click to expand...
Nothing wrong with sending in a deposit to Plan B school to save a spot. Most deposits are between $250-$500? Mid August after completion of Plebe summer you can call the school and tell them you have decided to join the military or attend another university. Most colleges understand, that is why they have a waitlist.
 
Blessedmom said:
23Lt said:
Hello everyone. I was recently offered an appointment to USNA, and I plan to accept. However, I want to make sure if anything happens (injury, etc), I can still go to college and re apply. Should I make arrangements with the local U to "save me a spot" in the very worst case scenario?
Click to expand...
Nothing wrong with sending in a deposit to Plan B school to save a spot. Most deposits are between $250-$500? Mid August after completion of Plebe summer you can call the school and tell them you have decided to join the military or attend another university. Most colleges understand, that is why they have a waitlist.
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Here we go again :) (this comes up every year)

Most colleges do not understand when a student violates their agreement not to be committed to more than one institution. Whether or not they will do anything about it is debatable.

Here is a cut and paste from the last time this came up:

Many, many threads on this contentious subject. Read them and decide for yourself - nothing has changed since the last go around on this subject. It is not correct that most families maintain a Plan B, but if you do, make sure you do not get caught in an uncomfortable situation as some others have.

Here are the facts:
  1. If you make arrangements with the backup college beforehand and they agree to be the backup - no problem whatsoever.
  2. Almost all colleges consider it an ethical/contractual violation to use them as a backup without their knowledge. Most applications, including the Common Application, contain a clause that applicants agree not to be committed to more than one institution after May 1st.
  3. The two ways previous appointees have been caught and found themselves in an uncomfortable situation are: high school college counselor discovered violation or appointee told college when calling/emailing to let them know they wouldn't be attending.
  4. Virtually all colleges and high schools are institutional members and many individuals at those schools are individual members of the National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC) - USMA, USNA, USAFA, USCGA, and USMMA are members. The NACAC code of conduct states that it is unethical to be committed to more than one institution.
  5. There are known instances of appointees being threatened by colleges for using them as an unwitting backup.
  6. No SA has issued a policy on this practice and there has been no test case for how an SA will respond - there are no known instances of a college reporting the infraction to an SA.
You now have many questions - the answers are in the previous threads.
 
jl123 said:
Here we go again :) (this comes up every year)

Most colleges do not understand when a student violates their agreement not to be committed to more than one institution. Whether or not they will do anything about it is debatable.

Here is a cut and paste from the last time this came up:

Many, many threads on this contentious subject. Read them and decide for yourself - nothing has changed since the last go around on this subject. It is not correct that most families maintain a Plan B, but if you do, make sure you do not get caught in an uncomfortable situation as some others have.

Here are the facts:
  1. If you make arrangements with the backup college beforehand and they agree to be the backup - no problem whatsoever.
  2. Almost all colleges consider it an ethical/contractual violation to use them as a backup without their knowledge. Most applications, including the Common Application, contain a clause that applicants agree not to be committed to more than one institution after May 1st.
  3. The two ways previous appointees have been caught and found themselves in an uncomfortable situation are: high school college counselor discovered violation or appointee told college when calling/emailing to let them know they wouldn't be attending.
  4. Virtually all colleges and high schools are institutional members and many individuals at those schools are individual members of the National Association of College Admissions Counselors (NACAC) - USMA, USNA, USAFA, USCGA, and USMMA are members. The NACAC code of conduct states that it is unethical to be committed to more than one institution.
  5. There are known instances of appointees being threatened by colleges for using them as an unwitting backup.
  6. No SA has issued a policy on this practice and there has been no test case for how an SA will respond - there are no known instances of a college reporting the infraction to an SA.
You now have many questions - the answers are in the previous threads.
Click to expand...
Thank you!!!!
 
Many students get into their waitlisted schools over the summer after they have committed to other colleges. All colleges have a waitlist for this reason. Just be prepared to lose your deposit.

Committing to two colleges is unethical, perhaps give Plan B college a call and explain Plebe summer to them.
 
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Blessedmom said:
Many students get into their waitlisted schools over the summer after they have committed to other colleges. All colleges have a waitlist for this reason. Just be prepared to lose your deposit.

Committing to two colleges is unethical, perhaps give Plan B college a call and explain Plebe summer to them.
Click to expand...
It's my understanding and what the previous poster said that you cannot make a deposit to a second school (plan B school).
 
navymom17540 said:
Blessedmom said:
Many students get into their waitlisted schools over the summer after they have committed to other colleges. All colleges have a waitlist for this reason. Just be prepared to lose your deposit.

Committing to two colleges is unethical, perhaps give Plan B college a call and explain Plebe summer to them.
Click to expand...
It's my understanding and what the previous poster said that you cannot make a deposit to a second school (plan B school).
Click to expand...
Ignore is bliss. We didn’t know the NACAC rules. We made a deposit to plan B school & mid Aug told the college that son entered the military. They said wow congrats & good luck and returned our deposit. No questions asked.
 
Blessedmom said:
navymom17540 said:
Blessedmom said:
Many students get into their waitlisted schools over the summer after they have committed to other colleges. All colleges have a waitlist for this reason. Just be prepared to lose your deposit.

Committing to two colleges is unethical, perhaps give Plan B college a call and explain Plebe summer to them.
Click to expand...
It's my understanding and what the previous poster said that you cannot make a deposit to a second school (plan B school).
Click to expand...
Ignore is bliss. We didn’t know the NACAC rules. We made a deposit to plan B school & mid Aug told the college that son entered the military. They said wow congrats & good luck and returned our deposit. No questions asked.
Click to expand...
The agreement is usually overlooked among all the other verbiage in the application. If the high school counselor doesn't inform families during the application process, few will ever be aware of the issue (and in such a case the school probably doesn't monitor it).

Many colleges respond favorably, as you would expect. I post this warning each year because some do not - a couple years ago a distraught mom posted that the Plan B was threatening to report them to the academy when they informed them about their plans. In another instance a high school counselor had a stern conversation with a family when she found out about the Plan B - the Plan B sent the high school a list of all the high school's students accepting offers and requested that the counselor screen the list for students double committing.

If the high school counselor doesn't monitor violations and the appointee doesn't give a reason for withdrawing from Plan B, then it is very likely to go unnoticed.
 
This topic is about as gray as they come. We can debate the ins-and-outs all day long, and opinions run far and wide. This much I know: The rules are stacked in colleges’ favor.

My take: It’s a very personal choice. Let your conscience, risk tolerance and pocketbook be your guide. College — especially an SA — is too big a deal to leave to the opinions of those of us in the SAF peanut gallery.
 
MidCakePa said:
This topic is about as gray as they come.
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Don't count on it being gray .... if you are going to accept an offer from a back up school, it would behoove you to read everything they send you carefully. The back up school is anticipating you are attending and will be paying tuition for the next 4 years, and it would be well within their rights to include some commitment in their acceptance or deposit paperwork. Whether a school would spend the time and money to enforce such an agreement is another issue..but that is entirely within their control.
 
I feel conflicted about this. My kid is a recruited athlete with an LOA and MOC nomination. He committed to Navy and withdrew his application to another school. Assuming he gets an appointment, he's SOL if something happens between his appointment and I-Day. Am I missing anything?
 
DMV1962 said:
If something happens between his appointment and I-Day. Am I missing anything?
Click to expand...

That's the dilemma. In many cases "if something happens" USNA will allow candidate to attend in the folowing class if not medically disqualified. The questions is what do you do for that year ? If you are the type that needs to be able to answer that question, , my recommendation is to be upfront with the back up college and enter into a written agreement with them that they will admit your kid if "something happens" and they can't attend USNA in return for your payment of an appropriate insurance premium, ie. payment and forfeiture of a deposit.
 
Thanks for all the information. Another question: I have an application to the other service academies, but plan to attend (and have officially accepted) USNA. At this point, do I withdraw my applications to the other academies? I would feel really nasty about this because of all the effort I have put in, and considering I have nominations, etc to the other academies. I really would like to, and feel that, I deserve to know the outcome after months of work/preparation/stress/etc. If I happened to get another appointment, I would decline it immediately however to be fair to other candidates. Does anyone have experience with this?
 
@23Lt, if you had not accepted USNA already, I would say it’s OK to see how the others turn out. Practically speaking, it would allow you to consider the other offers before choosing one.

However, since you’ve already accepted USNA’s offer, it strikes me as selfish and a bit slimy to not pull your application. You have no intention of attending, so you’re just trying to stoke your ego. Why not just pat yourself on the back and move on.

My DD, immediately after accepting her USNA offer, called her liaison officers at USMA and USAFA to inform them and thank them for their help. I encourage you to do the same.
 
I don’t think it is wrong to accept a SA appointment and not withdraw applications from other colleges/SA. You have until May to notify them. My son wanted to know if he would get accepted to all the schools he had applied (especially West Point & few Ivy schools).
 
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