AIM Decision Question

MC. said:
There was No Confusion, the students were told they were admitted on Official USGA letterhead, which is pretty clear. The fact they were just then denied without even an apology or other option is very unprofessional. The school needs to open up an additional week and give those students a shot or at least add them to the top of the Waiting list.
The Service members in my family don't believe this and are upset.
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Relax. First off, there was an apology, you quoted it in your post. Second, there are other options for applicants to decide if USCGA is the right fit for them, which is the purpose of the AIM program, including but not limited to the Cadet for a Day program. USCGA is run by humans and humans are bound to make mistakes.

I can relate to the frustration and disappointment applicants are feeling who were denied, but at the end of the day AIM is just a week long program. In no way is it going to decide their success in applying to USCGA the following year. This isn't going to be the last time these students are told something only to have it be retracted later throughout their life, especially if they are seeking a career in the military. Ultimately, the needs of the service are going to take priority over their feelings and they had best get used to that now. Build some resilience and focus on the main goal, which should be admission to the Academy, not a week long program in the Summer.
 
PupNSuds said:
Relax. First off, there was an apology, you quoted it in your post. Second, there are other options for applicants to decide if USCGA is the right fit for them, which is the purpose of the AIM program, including but not limited to the Cadet for a Day program. USCGA is run by humans and humans are bound to make mistakes.

I can relate to the frustration and disappointment applicants are feeling who were denied, but at the end of the day AIM is just a week long program. In no way is it going to decide their success in applying to USCGA the following year. This isn't going to be the last time these students are told something only to have it be retracted later throughout their life, especially if they are seeking a career in the military. Ultimately, the needs of the service are going to take priority over their feelings and they had best get used to that now. Build some resilience and focus on the main goal, which should be admission to the Academy, not a week long program in the Summer.
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I understand what your saying, thanks, and I agree.
I am relaxed, I was just stating that there wasn't confusion, there was an acceptance letter. When I said there was no apology, I meant nothing formal, just a post on a forum many don't even know exists.
 
MC. said:
I understand what your saying, thanks, and I agree.
I am relaxed, I was just stating that there wasn't confusion, there was an acceptance letter. When I said there was no apology, I meant nothing formal, just a post on a forum many don't even know exists.
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I was under the impression that the apology posted here had also been e-mailed to applicants. Obviously I assumed wrong. I see now why there is also frustration from the lack of formal communication.
 
I was initially accepted into AIM, but I was really worried once the email regarding errors was sent out. Although I did end up being accepted anyway, I don't think its acceptable for those false acceptance letters to have been sent out... but like everyone else has said, even if you aren't accepted into the AIM program, you still have a good chance at being accepted into the Academy!
 
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1995 - Cornell sends out 45 of incorrect acceptance letters
2002 - UC/Davis sends out 105 incorrect acceptance letters
2003 - Cornell again! sends out 550 incorrect acceptance letters
2006 - UGA sends out 100 incorrect acceptance letters
2007 - UNC sends out 2,500 incorrect acceptance letters
2008 - Northwestern sends of 50 inocrrect acceptance letters
2009 - NYU (on April Fools Day!) sends 500 incorrect "Welcome and congratulations!" emails
2009 - UC/SD sends out 28,000(!) incorrect acceptance letters
2010 - GW sends out 200 incorrect acceptance letters
2012 - UCLA sends out 900 incorrect acceptance letters
2013 - Fordham sends out 2,500 incorrect acceptance letters
2014 - Johns Hopkins sends out 300 incorrect acceptance letters
2014 - MIT sends out "thousands" of incorrect acceptance letters
2015 - Carnegie-Mellon sends out 800 incorrect acceptance emails

......and you are worried about a computer mistake in the admissions status of a 5-day summer program?

smh
 
First, everyone needs to understand that MISTAKES can be and have been made. The Admissions Department, and the Academy as a whole, are run by humans and humans make mistakes. In this case, it actually sounds like there was a glitch in the system. CAPT McKenna didn't say that the wrong people were selected, he said that some accounts were accidentally trigged by past year's acceptances.

Second, this is AIM people...not an acceptance to the incoming class, not a denial to the incoming class, it is AIM. Its a denial or acceptance to a 5 day program that only gives you a taste of SWAB SUMMER. Is it a great program? Absolutely! I was an AIM cadre and really enjoyed getting to work with different groups of high school students interested in the Academy. But a denial is not the end of the world and, as CAPT McKenna said, the majority of people accepted to the incoming classes DID NOT attend AIM. Swab Summer is 7 weeks...the Academy is a four year program. Do you want a real feel for what the Academy is like for the vast majority of the four years? Go attend a Cadet for a Day.

Should an extra week be created just because a mistake was made? Absolutely not...this program costs money, time, and training. Admissions partners from around the country volunteer their time, EMTs are brought in from outside organizations, and there are more programs then just AIM happening at the Academy throughout the summer. Is this an experience for your son or daughter? Yes, but it is even more so a training experience for 2/c cadets as they assume their first leadership roles. It is a 3 week out of a 12 week training experience for them and there are other demands that have to be met, not just the happiness of you and your DS or DD.

I understand the disappointment and punch in the gut feeling some of you may have had when you first saw an acceptance and then a denial, it is not a great feeling. But suck it up and drive on, focus on the IMPORTANT application and admissions process, and get ready to enjoy your senior year. This is not the end of the world, and frankly, it is not the last time you will experience disappointment...especially if you attend USCGA and most definitely if you commission into the USCG.
 
Success is easy to deal with, however the best leaders & organizations understand that it's how they handle their mistakes that truly define them. USCGA communicating an apology on a forum many don't even know exist is not owning up to their mistake.

The tendency of leaders to cover up flaws, weaknesses, and mistakes is to understand that doing so is a moral failure that exacerbates the problem. Beyond the error your unwillingness to own up actually decreases your personal credibility & trust with others.

Coming clean, admitting both the bad & ugly takes courage - a characteristic of quality leadership.

A learning lesson for all potential USCGA cadets. The next time you find yourself as the cause of a workplace/organization mess up, don't shy away from it. Put aside your ego, admit your mistakes, apologize to all effected, and follow through with action to fix it. Instead of doing the least amount possible, embrace the situation as an opportunity to show how great you are. Doing so will provide greater leadership skills than any week long program can give you. And apparently something that needs to be developed at the USCGA.
 
I can only conclude many of you posting are not current or prior military. Yes, this was a bummer for my child and for us. It was a technical glitch though, and if your kid wants to serve in the military you will probably need a little thicker skin because small mistakes like this happen all the time, usually without a huge apology attached as the name of the game is get up, brush off, and move on. We are okay without a personal apology. AIM does not mean an academy admission, we personally know people who were in AIM who did not get admitted to the academy. We also know people who attended the academy without doing AIM. It's okay. Move on to the next option.
 
Comet said:
It was a technical glitch though, and if your kid wants to serve in the military you will probably need a little thicker skin because small mistakes like this happen all the time, usually without a huge apology attached as the name of the game is get up, brush off, and move on.
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If your DS/DD is fortunate and secures a spot in an incoming USCGA class you will soon learn 'Semper Gumby' (always flexible). Things can and WILL change and you, as parents, will need to learn to deal with these unexpected changes. You will not receive a hand written apology from the Superintendent or anyone else at the USCGA. That's just the way it is and I understand that it is a difficult adjustment for most parents. After the swearing in on 'R-Day', your DS/DD is an adult member of the military and is treated as such.

Changes / Cancellations / etc. are not unique to the USCGA. The other service academies experience these too.
 
Stoltzee said:
Put aside your ego, admit your mistakes, apologize to all effected, and follow through with action to fix it.
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I'm a little confused about your statement. The Coast Guard Academy, upon discovering the mistake, took corrective actions. AIM applicants were informed and were told how to get updated information. The updated, correct information, was then provided.

What exactly are you hoping for? Do you want the equivalent of American Airlines (or was it United or Delta) accidentally offering extremely low-priced tickets and then honoring those purchased tickets? Are you hoping AIM applicants who were not selected for AIM…. now will be? Because I hate to be Debbie Downer, but just because an organization made a mistake, doesn't mean we all get to be opportunistic…. and capitalize on it for our own personal gain.

A mistake was made, people were notified, corrective actions were taken, and the correct people who were or weren't selected for AIM were notified.

WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?

For the high school students who experienced a bit of the roller coaster ride (which I imagine was similar to how I felt applying to the Coast Guard Academy, and getting multiple DODMERB disqualification letters), please remember that many members of CGA classes did not attend AIM (I didn't) or when I was a high schooler, MITE (which I also didn't attend).

I also have to give a shout out for Cadet for a Day (which we called Bean Sprouting)….. it's an amazing opportunity to experience a day in the life of a 4/c cadet and it's what convinced me that CGA was the place for me.

Congrats if you were selected for AIM, don't lose hope if you weren't. Do well in you final year of high school and put everything you have into your CGA application.

Good luck!
 
Anyone have an idea what % of AIM participants actually receive appointments to the CGA? What % of AIM applicants were selected this year from "lottery" slots vs. actual deliberate selection?
 
Reading up on some old threads it seems as though they have approximately 160 in each session. 2018 incoming class had 30% entering attended AIM that's about 114 from the 379 offered a commission. The 114 represents about 24% of the estimated AIM attendees got into the academy??
 
Yeah, I did that math too. That would only be accepted appoints though. Some may have decided against going to the academy, or gone to one of the other ones (some seem to be going to more than one SA camp.)
 
No1Fanof2 said:
Reading up on some old threads it seems as though they have approximately 160 in each session. 2018 incoming class had 30% entering attended AIM that's about 114 from the 379 offered a commission. The 114 represents about 24% of the estimated AIM attendees got into the academy??
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They have four years before they're offered a commission. I think you mean appointment.
 
Like I said, the question I would really like to know the answer to is "what % of AIM campers that apply to the academy are ultimately offered an appointment?" Is AIM selection a random drawing, or can acceptance be interpreted to be a preliminary measure of potential applicant viability?
 
An AIM selection is indeed not a random drawing. I don't know the percentages, sadly.
 
Per CAPT Finton, USCGA Admissions, when we were in the application phase, AIM has space for about 1/3 if the qualified applicants. The key word is qualified. They get many applications from students who are not qualified for AIM for whatever reason. These applications are not considered. Of the remaining qualified applicants, the 1/3 are chosen be lottery. Of the 2/3 remaining, they are offered Cadet for a Day. I have not heard anything from Admissions to say this procedure has changed.
 
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