Accepted but undecided - why?

BMWrider

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Nov 24, 2022
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Happy Thanksgiving!

I am following the thread on acceptances and noted a many of the folks accepted (even with EA!) are still undecided. I was curious as to why and didn't want to junk up the thread. (I tried PMing but can't as a new member -- I think you can PM me). Anyone care to share? I'm just curious what is going through 17 year olds' minds in making a decision.

I know it's a big decision. Seems a lot of acceptances pertain to sports as well. (hearing from the coach, etc)

Also, my DS has an application in EA but they haven't reviewed it yet. He's still waiting to finish the DODMerb (appt is a couple weeks away). I'm not sure if you all already accepted had all that done long ago.

Thanks for the insight.
 
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Happy Thanksgiving!

I am following the thread on acceptances and noted a many of the folks accepted (even with EA!) are still undecided. I was curious as to why and didn't want to junk up the thread. (I tried PMing but can't as a new member -- I think you can PM me). Anyone care to share? I'm just curious what is going through 17 year olds' minds in making a decision.

I know it's a big decision. Seems a lot of acceptances pertain to sports as well.

Also, my DS has an application in EA but they haven't reviewed it yet. He's still waiting to finish the DODMerb (appt is a couple weeks away). I'm not sure if you all already accepted had all that done long ago.

Thanks for the insight.
DS has full appointments to USAFA, USNA, and USCGA. His decision isn't sports related, just taking a moment, seeking advice, etc. It is a big decision for a 17 year old.
 
DS has full appointments to USAFA, USNA, and USCGA. His decision isn't sports related, just taking a moment, seeking advice, etc. It is a big decision for a 17 year old.

It is! Appreciate the insight. Congrats to him.

Mine only applied to USCGA and some other schools to which he's already been accepted.
 
Happy Thanksgiving!

I am following the thread on acceptances and noted a many of the folks accepted (even with EA!) are still undecided. I was curious as to why and didn't want to junk up the thread. (I tried PMing but can't as a new member -- I think you can PM me). Anyone care to share? I'm just curious what is going through 17 year olds' minds in making a decision.

I know it's a big decision. Seems a lot of acceptances pertain to sports as well. (hearing from the coach, etc)

Also, my DS has an application in EA but they haven't reviewed it yet. He's still waiting to finish the DODMerb (appt is a couple weeks away). I'm not sure if you all already accepted had all that done long ago.

Thanks for the insight.
My daughter has conditional appointments at USCGA and USMMA which are her top 2. Other than that she has been accepted to a couple SMCs (with offers to swim) as a back up plan, and a few civilian colleges as an extreme back up plan. She's just waiting for DodMERB to review her file, so hopefully no issues there.

USCGA has always been her #1 and I asked her yesterday after getting the call that if she gets cleared by DodMERB, will she immediately accept her appointment? I thought her answer would be "oh yeah, totally!". Instead, she said, "Well, I'd probably wait a few days just to think about it because as soon as I accept it would feel so official". I think her point was sort of for as much relief there is to accepting and preparing for the next phase, the reality is the journey up until now has been long, challenging and often emotional. Accepting marks the end of that journey, so I think for her it would be about taking a little extra time for closure.

Just my philosophical 2 cents. lol.

Best of luck to you and your son and Happy Thanksgiving!
 
Happy Thanksgiving!

I am following the thread on acceptances and noted a many of the folks accepted (even with EA!) are still undecided. I was curious as to why and didn't want to junk up the thread. (I tried PMing but can't as a new member -- I think you can PM me). Anyone care to share? I'm just curious what is going through 17 year olds' minds in making a decision.

I know it's a big decision. Seems a lot of acceptances pertain to sports as well. (hearing from the coach, etc)

Also, my DS has an application in EA but they haven't reviewed it yet. He's still waiting to finish the DODMerb (appt is a couple weeks away). I'm not sure if you all already accepted had all that done long ago.

Thanks for the insight.
My cadet was accepted EA, but waited until he heard from the other service academy he had applied to (a long wait as he did not get a decision until April). Accepting or not early does not affect other applicants. Declining does not open up a spot for someone else. The Academies are pretty good at predicting yield, so have a number of appointments in mind to get the final class numbers they want. Waiting allows one to fully consider all of the choices. There are things you can do to prepare, even if you wait to sign the paperwork until the due date of May 1.
BTW, DoDMERMB does not have to be complete to receive an appointment. My cadet received a conditional appointment during EA. When he got the final approval from DoDMERB in January, it turned into a full appointment.
 
My cadet was accepted EA, but waited until he heard from the other service academy he had applied to (a long wait as he did not get a decision until April). Accepting or not early does not affect other applicants. Declining does not open up a spot for someone else. The Academies are pretty good at predicting yield, so have a number of appointments in mind to get the final class numbers they want. Waiting allows one to fully consider all of the choices. There are things you can do to prepare, even if you wait to sign the paperwork until the due date of May 1.
BTW, DoDMERMB does not have to be complete to receive an appointment. My cadet received a conditional appointment during EA. When he got the final approval from DoDMERB in January, it turned into a full appointment.


Thanks. I wasn't implying that someone else accepting or not affected the next person. I was trying to get a sense of how the young people think. My DS is all over the place in his thinking....location/sports/cost. He's a double varsity athlete and was accepted to an expensive school playing his "lesser" sport as well as a school playing his preferred sport that might not be as good (but less expensive). Then there's the academy where he'd be a walk on, at best, for his preferred sport because it wasn't something he pursued early on or was recruited.

Hence the impetus for thread. Wanted to see what folks are considering in their process.
 
Walk-ons can be successful. DD1's year mate was one and is now captain of his team as a Firstie.

Follow your dreams.
 
Thanks. I wasn't implying that someone else accepting or not affected the next person. I was trying to get a sense of how the young people think. My DS is all over the place in his thinking....location/sports/cost. He's a double varsity athlete and was accepted to an expensive school playing his "lesser" sport as well as a school playing his preferred sport that might not be as good (but less expensive). Then there's the academy where he'd be a walk on, at best, for his preferred sport because it wasn't something he pursued early on or was recruited.

Hence the impetus for thread. Wanted to see what folks are considering in their process.
One thing to consider, imo and experience, is that it’s somewhat ‘freeing’ to play your sport at a SA. BC unlike a scholarship athlete at State U, a SA athlete can walk away from their sport should they find it too much for them. My D1 athlete did just that. As it was too much, and he missed bonding time with his company. Additionally, at a SA, an athlete can choose to do a lesser time commitment competitive sport, or an even lesser commitment level intramural.

A State U athlete on scholarship looses their funding if they decide it’s too much for them.

Your DS also really needs to reflect upon exactly WHAT he is committing to, at USCGA. It’s a MUCH different life, and the post college commitment is hugely different than at State U. Does he want to serve? Or no? That’s should be the primary, initial consideration. And the rest will fall into place.

Congrats on so many options!
 
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One thing to consider, imo and experience, is that it’s somewhat ‘freeing’ to play your sport at a SA. BC unlike a scholarship athlete at State U, a SA athlete can walk away from their sport should they find it too much for them. My D1 athlete did just that. As it was too much, and he missed bonding time with his company. Additionally, at a SA, an athlete can choose to do a lesser time commitment competitive sport, or an even lesser commitment level intramural.

A State U athlete on scholarship looses their funding if they decide it’s too much for them.

Your DS also really needs to reflect upon exactly WHAT he is committing to, at USCGA. It’s a MUCH different life, and the post college commitment is hugely different than at State U. Does he want to serve? Or no? That’s should be the primary, initial consideration. And the rest will fall into place.

Congrats on so many options!


Thanks. He's a D3 athlete only looking at D3 schools, so he has his head on correctly therew where sports fit into the college life. The schools he's looking at are all tiny (about the size of the USCGA).

As the son of two civilian civil servants, we explained to him what post college life would be like (what an entry level job is, networking, student loans, etc) so all that is a consideration.

But, while the SAs are all very competitive, they still advertise. We visited campus and took a tour. I think they expect a certain number of students don't know entirely what it means to serve. Or what exactly a post grad career looks like. So, while I think he knows what that means, I'm not sure he does in the way many of the posters here do.

I'm hoping that if this becomes a reality I can show him some of these posts to help him think through things.
 
Thanks. He's a D3 athlete only looking at D3 schools, so he has his head on correctly therew where sports fit into the college life. The schools he's looking at are all tiny (about the size of the USCGA).

As the son of two civilian civil servants, we explained to him what post college life would be like (what an entry level job is, networking, student loans, etc) so all that is a consideration.

But, while the SAs are all very competitive, they still advertise. We visited campus and took a tour. I think they expect a certain number of students don't know entirely what it means to serve. Or what exactly a post grad career looks like. So, while I think he knows what that means, I'm not sure he does in the way many of the posters here do.

I'm hoping that if this becomes a reality I can show him some of these posts to help him think through things.
If you have any opportunity where he can talk to active duty CG about what they do, maybe that could help him figure out if it is something he would be called to do. I met a Captain at a college fair that said he went to CGA for the free education and was planning to do five years and then get out. He says he is still in after 20 plus years because he loves what he does. If you aren't in a location with a Coast Guard presence, there is also a great section on the CGA website about careers. It goes into what a first assignment is likely to be and what different career paths are available. All of the summer training also allows cadets to experience different careers so they can figure out what they want to do (doesn't help in the decision to attend, but helps figure out what you want to do after you graduate).
 
If you have any opportunity where he can talk to active duty CG about what they do, maybe that could help him figure out if it is something he would be called to do. I met a Captain at a college fair that said he went to CGA for the free education and was planning to do five years and then get out. He says he is still in after 20 plus years because he loves what he does. If you aren't in a location with a Coast Guard presence, there is also a great section on the CGA website about careers. It goes into what a first assignment is likely to be and what different career paths are available. All of the summer training also allows cadets to experience different careers so they can figure out what they want to do (doesn't help in the decision to attend, but helps figure out what you want to do after you graduate).

Yeah, this is a good bit of reason why we nudged him to apply - what do you want to do after school? What do you want to study? We spent a lot of time over the last year on various tours, visits, career exploration (the best you can while working). Ruled some stuff out, ruled many schools and locations out. And a good bit of drama/friction. Settled on something that'd be interesting and he took a summer class at the community college to make sure.

We got a good sense of what's possible on this Academy path from the campus tour. We also dropped by a working station (I tried to coordinate a tour, but no luck). *I* think the Academy has a lot to offer, but I'm still trying to see all this through his eyes and how he evaluates things.
 
I’ve wanted to go to the Academy since 8th grade when I got to spend the day on a cutter learning about coast guard operations. After I got to attend the AIM program this summer I doubled down on my goals. I got offered a conditional appointment today and will accept as soon as I pass DoDMERB. The only reason I would hesitate to accept an appointment from a service academy is if I had applied to more than one. It definitely helped me make my decisions knowing what life would be like in active duty.
 
Yeah, this is a good bit of reason why we nudged him to apply - what do you want to do after school? What do you want to study? We spent a lot of time over the last year on various tours, visits, career exploration (the best you can while working). Ruled some stuff out, ruled many schools and locations out. And a good bit of drama/friction. Settled on something that'd be interesting and he took a summer class at the community college to make sure.

We got a good sense of what's possible on this Academy path from the campus tour. We also dropped by a working station (I tried to coordinate a tour, but no luck). *I* think the Academy has a lot to offer, but I'm still trying to see all this through his eyes and how he evaluates things.
Idk how USCGA works, no expert there at all, but to your point ‘what 17yr old knows what they want to do…’? At USNA, USMA, and USAFA, they can ‘walk away’, owing nothing, for up to 2 yrs (and one year at their ROTC counterparts) should they ultimately decide that path of service is not for them.

Many (most?) 17 yr olds DON’T know exactly what they want to do. Even someone wanting this path of service since 8th grade, may change their mind. So there is that safety net built in. Which is good!

My experience with probably close to 25 post high school young adults, is that paths/majors minds were changed umpteen times. My DD changed her path 5 times?

Anyhow, something for your son to consider.
 
For my son, he is waiting for the USAFA before he commits. Also, engineering is passion and waiting on scholarship.offers from two other engineering schools.
Rose Holman and Embry Riddle.
 
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