USAFA or College

hambam

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Jun 22, 2019
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Hello all, this is my first post. I am currently going through the nomination process and applying to the USAFA.

On top of the USAFA, I am also applying to various other UC schools in my home state of California. If I were to get a good scholarship offer from a UC, or a AFROTC scholarship, I would potentially reconsider going to the Academy (that is, if i was accepted). But I wanted to see if anyone has any idea how late you can decline an offer of appointment, and if you accept it but change your mind, can you withdraw it?

Thank you in advance for any help
 
Officially you must accept your offer of appointment by May 1 — the official day for just about every other college — but you can also just choose to not show up on the first day of I-Day/R-Day. Unlike civilian schools, there’s no deposit for you to lose.
 
Hello all, this is my first post. I am currently going through the nomination process and applying to the USAFA.

On top of the USAFA, I am also applying to various other UC schools in my home state of California. If I were to get a good scholarship offer from a UC, or a AFROTC scholarship, I would potentially reconsider going to the Academy (that is, if i was accepted). But I wanted to see if anyone has any idea how late you can decline an offer of appointment, and if you accept it but change your mind, can you withdraw it?

Thank you in advance for any help
Your decision will certainly be one of the most important one you would ever make. It is a personal one, yet somewhat of an ethical one.

For every one appointee who accepts multiple offers and just not show up on I-Day, there's one equally qualified candidate who should have been offered that appointment. He/she would have gratefully accepted and reported to I-Day. So, if you were to receive multiple offers and then change your mind about your appointment, be sure to not wait until June to let the academy admissions knows. This way, the slot won't be wasted.

Just my 2¢. Best of luck to you.
 
Not true, imo. If you are unsure, as probably most rising seniors are, there is nothing wrong with going for any/all that interest you. There will be a whole year of growth, clarity, and maturity that happens senior year. I have 3 adult children now, and none of them are the same person they are at the beginning and end of senior year. There is so much growing and maturing that occurs as a senior class leader! DS would not currently be at an SA if he did what he thought he was COMPLETELY sure was his path at the onset of his senior year.

My mantra is to not close a door until you are sure you want it closed. Leave them open until you have to shut them. Once shut, it’s shut. That doesn’t mean apply to everything just to collect appointments. But don’t feel like it’s not normal or ok to not know for sure at this point.
 
As you go through this process, you need to ask yourself if you want to be an officer in the United States Air Force. At the end of the day, that is what attending USAFA, or for that matter any SA, is all about.
 
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It's an important question regarding civilian colleges, as they require sometimes large deposits, often nonrefundable. You can change your mind about an SA - and many people do - after BCT, before Recognition, before Commitment. No harm, no foul (for you, though you may indeed have taken the spot of an equally qualified young person, so discern carefully). If you change your mind last minute at Flagship U, you and/or your parents could be looking at a hefty loss of cash, sometimes well over $1000.

Ultimately, the choice of SA or ROTC is about being an officer in the US Military. When you sign on the line for the appointment and arrive for I-Day, you are no longer 18 year old just graduated high school student, you are the "property" of the AF/Army/Navy, whose assigned duty is to attend and do well at a US Service Academy. Sure, "no charge", but you must be prepared for five or ten or even more years of service to your country.
 
It's an important question regarding civilian colleges, as they require sometimes large deposits, often nonrefundable. You can change your mind about an SA - and many people do - after BCT, before Recognition, before Commitment. No harm, no foul (for you, though you may indeed have taken the spot of an equally qualified young person, so discern carefully). If you change your mind last minute at Flagship U, you and/or your parents could be looking at a hefty loss of cash, sometimes well over $1000.

Ultimately, the choice of SA or ROTC is about being an officer in the US Military. When you sign on the line for the appointment and arrive for I-Day, you are no longer 18 year old just graduated high school student, you are the "property" of the AF/Army/Navy, whose assigned duty is to attend and do well at a US Service Academy. Sure, "no charge", but you must be prepared for five or ten or even more years of service to your country.
Or seventeen and a half year old... My DD made it by 9 days.:cool:
 
My advice is to do what is best for you. The colleges and SA will do what is best for them. Preferrably let the SA know by May 1 if you are going or not. If you say yes and not show up, yes it probably sucks for the person who may have been offered you spot, but attending because you feel obligated isnt smart either. I dont imagine a time where the SA will have open spaces because people changed their minds at the last second.
 
For every one appointee who accepts multiple offers and just not show up on I-Day, there's one equally qualified candidate who should have been offered that appointment. He/she would have gratefully accepted and reported to I-Day. So, if you were to receive multiple offers and then change your mind about your appointment, be sure to not wait until June to let the academy admissions knows. This way, the slot won't be wasted

That is not necessarily true... Admissions at each of the Service Academies recognizes that more Offers will be made than those that accept, and those that show. Applying for, and getting accepted to a Service Academy doesn't necessarily take a slot away from someone else that wants it more. That said, there are numerous threads on this site about the ethics of accepting more than one offer, and I fall firmly in the camp of accepting only one offer, unless it is clear and agreed by both parties that acceptance of the second is a back up /contingency if someone becomes disqualified for the Service Academy.

In other words, by all means, apply to whatever schools you are interested in, and take until the designated deadline to make your decision, but once you make a decision, you should be 100% committed to success. That doesn't mean you can't change your mind and walk away before beginning of your Second class year, but if you don't go in committed, you will be miserable and fighting an up hill battle.
 
It's a good opportunity to practice being true to your word. If you accept an offer, actually accept it. If you say you will attend, do it. If some some unforeseen reason you cannot stay true to the agreement you have made, inform the other party as soon as you can, to give them the courtesy of time to change their plans.

Some people get appointments a few days prior to I-day, because someone else was mature enough to tell the academy that they would not/could not make it, after accepting an appointment.
 
I dont imagine a time where the SA will have open spaces because people changed their minds at the last second.

But this does happen, every year! That's how people get that thick envelope... in mid May!
 
DS was accepted to 4 colleges and received AFROTC type 7.
We forked out $250 (advertised as non-refundable) to hold his spot at one of the colleges when we were questioning if he would receive appointment. He received appointment in late April. We notified the college and they refunded $150 of the $250.

In retrospect, I would honestly wait until BCT was nearly over before I notified the college that he would not attend. Every year cadets get injured in BCT and if they don’t finish they are sent home and they have to reapply the next year. Best to keep your options open just in case.
 
My son is part of the class of 2023 at USAFA- started BCT last week. He was accepted at USAFA, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and UC Davis (all with 4-year AFROTC/NROTC scholarships). Being accepted to USAFA was a dream come true for him (he earned an appointment in January of 2019). He found out about the AFROTC and NROTC scholarships in December of 2018 and learned of his acceptance to the UC schools in March of 2019. He thought for a quick minute before assuring himself that USAFA was where he wanted to be, but kept his options open in case something happened (injury or illness) before reporting to USAFA in June. He put his deposit down at one UC school (only one deposit allowed) and was transparent about his plans to the ROTC office (important). He had to decline the AFROTC scholarship before I-day at USAFA. As long as you are transparent about the process with the UCs and ROTC programs, they tend to understand.
 
There has been quite a bit of good advice given here. I am going to simply give you my points on the matter. Parts of it are similar to some others already posted.

If you are offered an appointment to the academy, then YOU EARNED IT! As such you are free to do whatever you want with it. Don't let people try and convince you that you're "Taking away a slot" from another person if you change your mind at the last minute. YOU'RE NOT. The academy knows people change their minds. That's already factored in. Also; there's a number of appointees who will go to basic training and realize it's not for them and they'll quit in the first few weeks/months. There will be some others that quit after 1, 2, 3, or 4 semesters. And there is absolutely NOTHING WRONG with this. The academy is not for everyone. And there is not enough information in the world that can prepare you 100% for what you're getting into. You'll only know once you get there. And if it's not for you, then you shouldn't stay. And if the academy isn't your #1 choice, and you get a better option for school prior to attending the academy and you change your mind, then that's totally ok. Even if it's the day before basic training. Again; YOU EARN THAT RIGHT!!!

People like your parents, family, teachers, coaches, etc. may have encouraged you throughout your life, but it WAS YOU who accomplished what was necessary to get an appointment to the academy. It WAS YOU who did what was needed to get accepted to the other colleges. You do what is right FOR YOU. And you don't owe anyone else anything when it comes to your choices. If you want to hold onto an academy appointment until all your other options are available and change your mind about attending the academy, then that's totally ok. You EARNED THAT RIGHT.

Now, having said all that. Remember; while the academies are indeed universities; they are FIRST and FOREMOST....... THE MILITARY. You are JOINING the military. Except for a few hours a day when you're in classes, it's NOT the same as "Going off to College". So make sure you're applying for and attending the academy for the RIGHT REASON. I can tell you right now..... If you're only applying to the academy because it's a free college education; then you're applying for the wrong reason. There's nothing wrong with getting a college education funded for you. But the military is giving you this education as payment for a COMMITMENT on your behalf. You have to be willing to serve your country in the military for a minimum of 9 years. 4 at the academy and 5 more full time military when you graduate. While many parents mistakenly believe that the academy is similar to their kid "Going Off to College"; it isn't. And you'll know that the first 10 minutes you get off the bus at the academy and stand on the footsteps. So, if you want to serve your country; serve in the military; don't mind 9 years of the military controlling you; and in return being given a great education; then definitely apply. If you don't think that sounds good, then definitely reconsider. Because if your heart, mind, and soul isn't in it, you WILL be miserable. And you'll probably wind up quitting anyway.

But assuming the academy is something you're willing to give of yourself, but you're also looking at other options, then definitely look at all of the options. You've busted your butt for 12+ years academically to get to the position to have choices. Many people have limited choices. If you have the benefit of the academy and numerous other universities, then definitely do what is BEST FOR YOU. And if that means accepting the academy, then changing your mind at the last minute because a better option came available, then don't worry about it. Again; YOU EARNED THAT RIGHT. You don't owe anyone else an explanation or consideration for the choice you make.

Now; as I close; a little FYI: The FACT IS: the vast majority of the time, you will find out about ALL your other choices for schools, WAY BEFORE you find out about being accepted to the academy. Usually, people are being pressured to accept/decline a traditional university offer, and/or put money down, etc. and they're still waiting to hear back from the academy. And the academy is their #1 choice, so they are really in a predicament. So, if the other options are higher on your priority list than the academy, I wouldn't worry about it. You'll most likely know the results of those applications before you know about the academy. Best of luck.
 
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