USAFA & USNA

C

chicago555

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May 2, 2021
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Have a big dilemma and looking for help. I was accepted to USAFA early this year, and was lucky enough to also get accepted USNA as well but that acceptance came very late. Thought I was going to attend USAFA since I received acceptance earlier this year, but USNA invited me to visit their facility for a tour but the tour did not happen until 04/30/21. As you know decision deadline is 05/01/21. I really enjoyed my tour of USNA, but without a lot of time to consider I accepted my appointment to USAFA. Now I am having doubts....did I make the right decision? I am really feeling I made a wrong decision by not accepting USNA over USAFA. I want to be a pilot (like almost everybody that applies to USAFA), and I know I can pursue that at both USAFA and USNA. However, if for some reason I cannot be a pilot I think there are more future opportunities for a career in the Navy rather than the Air Force. Not having seen USNA until late I feel that I rushed my decision. Is it at all possible to go back and accept the USNA and then turn down USAFA even though I accepted to USAFA just recently? I am hoping the some experts on this forum can help me. Thank you in advance!
 
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Was/is there a deadline for your USNA offer? Did you actively decline? In that case, I suspect the ship sailed without you.

It IS possible to accept, then later decline, an offer of SA appointment (I don’t think you meant “nomination”), and then accept another SA or ROTC scholarship that might come along. You would then go back and appreciatively and politely change your decision with the earlier acceptance.

If you already declined USNA, you may have already made somewaitlister’s day. If you want to be absolutely sure, call USNA, tell them you felt rushed with your late visit, which helped you adjust your thinking, and is by any chance your offer still available, with humility and appreciation. If it is, be prepared to accept on the spot and don’t look back. If it isn’t, they took you at your word and moved on. You then proceed to USMA if you wish, and give them 100%, no woulda coulda shoulda.

You do have other choices if you have come to the head-heart-gut realization the Navy is for you, no matter the path. Decline your Army paths, execute a NROTC alternate if you have one, kick butt, re-apply to USNA if you wish (your essays will show some growth with this story!) and press on toward a Navy commission. Draconian, yes, but you have that flexibility - if you want that path.

In my senior year of college, two months before graduation, I horrified my family and many professors when I declined a prestigious fellowship at a Top Five grad school, and headed off to Navy OCS. I had places to go, things to do, people to meet, and the idea of service, doing something entirely different than academia, and with a sea service called to me. I felt exhilarated, slightly terrified and absolutely right. My college faculty adviser, a former Army officer, told me to go learn to lead people, and if I wanted to get out at the end of my obligated service, he would help me get back into a top grad school.
 
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You may have dodged a bullet by accepting USAFA ;)

In all seriousness, consider why you made that decision. If being a pilot is your goal, would you rather fly in the Air Force or Navy? Off a carrier or with a transport or heavy bomber? And if you don't fly, would you be truly unhappy in the Air Force? There may be fewer combat-related Air Force careers, but in terms of "future opportunities" (graduate school, private sector career, building a family) USAFA is a comparable if not better route to those than USNA.

It's completely natural to feel that you made the wrong decision. I took a while to formally accept my USAFA appointment because I feared that it closed for me another door that might lead to a better career. If you genuinely believe this is a mistake, follow Capt MJ's instructions. I don't know anything about that. But if this decision was a toss-up between the two and you only felt strongly after you closed a door for yourself, chances are you knew what you were doing when you accepted the appointment. In that case, jump in with both feet and don't look back.
 
Capt MJ said:
Was/is there a deadline for your USNA offer? Did you actively decline? In that case, I suspect the ship sailed without you.

It IS possible to accept, then later decline, an offer of SA appointment (I don’t think you meant “nomination”), and then accept another SA or ROTC scholarship that might come along. You would then go back and appreciatively and politely change your decision with the earlier acceptance.

If you already declined USNA, you may have already made somewaitlister’s day. If you want to be absolutely sure, call USNA, tell them you felt rushed with your late visit, which helped you adjust your thinking, and is by any chance your offer still available, with humility and appreciation. If it is, be prepared to accept on the spot and don’t look back. If it isn’t, they took you at your word and moved on. You then proceed to USMA if you wish, and give them 100%, no woulda coulda shoulda.

You do have other choices if you have come to the head-heart-gut realization the Navy is for you, no matter the path. Decline your Army paths, execute a NROTC alternate if you have one, kick butt, re-apply to USNA if you wish (your essays will show some growth with this story!) and press on toward a Navy commission. Draconian, yes, but you have that flexibility - if you want that path.

In my senior year of college, two months before graduation, I horrified my family and many professors when I declined a prestigious fellowship at a Top Five grad school, and headed off to Navy OCS. I had places to go, things to do, people to meet, and the idea of service, doing something entirely different than academia, and with a sea service called to me. I felt exhilarated, slightly terrified and absolutely right. My college faculty adviser, a former Army officer, told me to go learn to lead people, and if I wanted to get out at the end of my obligated service, he would help me get back into a top grad school.
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Thank you for your reply. May try to contact USNA to see what they say.
 
falcon25 said:
You may have dodged a bullet by accepting USAFA ;)

In all seriousness, consider why you made that decision. If being a pilot is your goal, would you rather fly in the Air Force or Navy? Off a carrier or with a transport or heavy bomber? And if you don't fly, would you be truly unhappy in the Air Force? There may be fewer combat-related Air Force careers, but in terms of "future opportunities" (graduate school, private sector career, building a family) USAFA is a comparable if not better route to those than USNA.

It's completely natural to feel that you made the wrong decision. I took a while to formally accept my USAFA appointment because I feared that it closed for me another door that might lead to a better career. If you genuinely believe this is a mistake, follow Capt MJ's instructions. I don't know anything about that. But if this decision was a toss-up between the two and you only felt strongly after you closed a door for yourself, chances are you knew what you were doing when you accepted the appointment. In that case, jump in with both feet and don't look back.
Click to expand...
Thank you. Your reassurance regarding career opportunities with the Air Force is well received.
 
Capt MJ said:
Was/is there a deadline for your USNA offer? Did you actively decline? In that case, I suspect the ship sailed without you.

It IS possible to accept, then later decline, an offer of SA appointment (I don’t think you meant “nomination”), and then accept another SA or ROTC scholarship that might come along. You would then go back and appreciatively and politely change your decision with the earlier acceptance.

If you already declined USNA, you may have already made somewaitlister’s day. If you want to be absolutely sure, call USNA, tell them you felt rushed with your late visit, which helped you adjust your thinking, and is by any chance your offer still available, with humility and appreciation. If it is, be prepared to accept on the spot and don’t look back. If it isn’t, they took you at your word and moved on. You then proceed to USMA if you wish, and give them 100%, no woulda coulda shoulda.

You do have other choices if you have come to the head-heart-gut realization the Navy is for you, no matter the path. Decline your Army paths, execute a NROTC alternate if you have one, kick butt, re-apply to USNA if you wish (your essays will show some growth with this story!) and press on toward a Navy commission. Draconian, yes, but you have that flexibility - if you want that path.

In my senior year of college, two months before graduation, I horrified my family and many professors when I declined a prestigious fellowship at a Top Five grad school, and headed off to Navy OCS. I had places to go, things to do, people to meet, and the idea of service, doing something entirely different than academia, and with a sea service called to me. I felt exhilarated, slightly terrified and absolutely right. My college faculty adviser, a former Army officer, told me to go learn to lead people, and if I wanted to get out at the end of my obligated service, he would help me get back into a top grad school.
Click to expand...
I realized I had USMA on the brain, meant USAFA.
 
Before you decide to make a call/email, it may be a good idea to do a SWOT analysis. Take help with your parents, teachers, maybe friends.

That’s what we advised DD, she was in a similar position but between USMA and USNA. It was very tough decision given the caliber of both schools. Ultimately she chose USNA, that’s where she thinks she can use the best of her abilities and serve better.
 
Do you want to work in a factory type setting or an office type setting? ;)
 
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