Appointed to 4: USAFA, USCGA, USMA and USNA

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FiveByFive

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It is just as unbelievable as it sounds: DC was blessed to now have received an appointment to all 4 SAs that were applied to: USAFA, USCGA, USMA and USNA (in alphabetical order only and also only posted in the USNA forum vs. cross-posted in all forums because the USNA forum seems to get the most traffic).

At the beginning of this process (freshman year) there were many questions to be answered, steps to be taken for admission and visits to be made. It is now more than three years later and there literally are no words that can describe how grateful you can be for such an opportunity and a choice to make. If you were so inclined to consider an SA and a career as an officer, you could say this is possibly the "best" of the "worst" or "hardest" choices out there to make in your lifetime!

To help make the decision, the homework has almost been completed: having considered much of the info and opinions available on SAF (for the last 10+ years), spoken directly with current cadets/mids, spoken with multiple graduates of each SA that are anywhere from 1 to 40 years out of the SA, visits to each of the SAs in person and spending overnights at two of them, dozens of in person and online info sessions, participation in two SA summer programs, having spoken with current and former enlisted personnel in each service and visits to some active duty facilities as well. The consideration of "life" (academics/majors, athletics, military training, clubs, summer opportunities, leadership opportunities and yes, "social" life) at each SA, careers (in both the military and in the civilian world), postings, deployments, family life, branching, service selection, service size, differences in mission, graduate opportunities, day to day life and almost every other aspect have been at least discussed.

All of that has been accomplished but there is still no 100% answer and of course there likely will never will be as 100% certainty in this area really can't exist.

Other threads on SAF often are limited to pro/cons of 1 SA/branch or 1 vs. another. I did not do a poll on purpose because getting real input from fellow SAF-ers that are mids/cadets, parents, family, grads, vets, etc. would be way more valuable than a poll. So I don't shift the advice anyone is willing to provide in any particular direction, what DC or DC's parents, family, friends think will not be provided! ;)

With all of that in mind, what are your thoughts, advice, opinions, suggestions? What would you do?




Thank you very much in advance for any thoughts, opinions, suggestions and advice you can provide. As I said in another thread, the opportunity to have this choice was impossible to imagine at the outset and still is even now:

Even with the years of nonstop grinding, never giving up, service to others and a desire to do nothing but the best in all areas, it is truly hard to believe.

Couldn't do this without a huge thanks to all on SAF for the never ending support, information and guidance provided to all. Congrats to all that have been appointed, best of luck to those still waiting and no matter what don't ever give up.

@FiveByFive (but should be more appropriately @Thankful, @BlessedForSure and @CouldNotBeMoreProud)
 
If, after all is considered, he/she doesn’t have an inkling which to choose bc all are equally desired (which, imo, I would find this hard to believe. Maybe he/she could eliminate one or two...or more?), throw a dart. You can’t go wrong with any path, if each service post-SA is desirable. Seriously, sometimes you have to jump in with both feet, and not look back.

Good luck!! And Go Navy 😜
 
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First, congrats! Options are GREAT to have - some here are elated with one offer. Four is an achievement! I would say that things are close between these 4 but all things are not equal. I have been to all 4 campuses and there are physical differences and mission differences.

Here are a few questions that could help in the decision, but this is ultimately a gut call that will pull the appointee one way and hopefully they will not look back. A stellar applicant who has achieved this level of success will generally find themselves successful in their future endeavors and you likely cannot go wrong in your selection.

Is there a specific degree program of interest only available at one?
Is there a specific career field of interest only available to one/some?
Is there a particular ops tempo that sounds attractive today?
Do you want a small Division 1 college experience or a Division 3 school (even smaller)?
Have you been to any of the campuses?
Is one more geographically reachable for family to visit than another?
Is the appointee a student athlete who wants to play in college, is not recruited, and has a better chance of making a team at 1 over the other?
 
I’m with @justdoit19. If after all this time, research, exposure and discussion, one branch has not clearly emerged as the “right tribe,” then throw a dart.

Beware at this point of putting much stock in what others have to say, however well meaning and well intentioned. Recency bias and confirmation bias will rear their ugly heads inside your own head.

My own experience with issues like this is not the fear of making the wrong decision, but of making the decision period. The last few years have been an exercise in hypotheticals — no risk, just reward. Now that it’s time to make a real call, trepidation has sunk in. I get it. Again, if you’re truly at the point of being up in the air, throw a dart. If after doing that, you’re still not sure, that tells you something too.
 
Its great you have options! I would focus on the career field you're interested in when making your decision. Do you want to fly, drive subs, fight on the ground?

If you are unsure, I would argue that USNA has the most diverse career selection: Aviation, Subs, Surface Warfare, SEALS, EOD, & USMC.
 
Our DS had 4 great options, three SA's and NROTC to SMC. I think the shock of having those kind of choices gets in your head a bit. In the end, he went with what in his mind and heart had always been his first choice. He had consistently listed USNA as his first choice for all applications and after sleeping on it, he went with his original 1st choice.
Things that we discussed:
Career path and what job he could see himself doing
Duty stations and life in the service (ie deployments, locations, conditions etc)
The major he wanted to study
He had visited 2 of his 4 choices and one didn't ever feel like a good fit, the other he described after attending STEM camp, 'felt like I was supposed to be here'. Bear in mind those words came from a 15 year old who was enamored.

I wish your DC the best, good problem to have, congrats.
 
Honestly I would just accept all four and rotate which academy you attend every semester. JUST KIDDING, YOU CANNOT DO THIS. Your DS has been blessed with an amazing opportunity and from the looks of it has completed a lot of research on each respective institution. Take time with your decision and do not rush into anything because there is still plenty of time to decide which institution you would like to attend. It is also beneficial that your DS has done a lot of research on the after commissioning aspect in terms of which communities are available, deployments, etc. I would just allow him to keep watching videos on YouTube, reading books about the institutions, and soaking in the acceptances. At the end of the day it is a win, win, win, win scenario. Whichever institution he selects will give him incredible opportunities to grow and develop throughout the course of four years.
 
Yay, a quad-fecta!

Good advice above. Is there any service where, if the cadet or mid did not get the career path(s) they wanted, and got X instead, they would be absolutely horrified to go the X path and never, never want to go anywhere near the X vortex.
 
FiveByFive said:
With all of that in mind, what are your thoughts, advice, opinions, suggestions? What would you do?
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Simply answer - GO NAVY !
Seriously, think about where you want to serve after graduation ? The Service Academies are more alike than they are different.
IF there isn't any particular major or branch of the service, you can do almost anything out of the Naval Academy than you can from the other service academies - ie.. USMA -> USMC; USAFA - -> Naval Aviation; USCG - SWO/Aviation. Navy is the only branch if you want to go subs.,
 
Back when our oldest was picking a school for sports I came across a great piece by some legendary NCAA coach. He said (more or less) make a spreadsheet and put in where each school is located so you mark how hard it will be for your family and friends to see you play, and then how much it will cost if not everything is covered by scholarship, and then if each school has the degree program you are interested in, and then add the team situation so you know if you'll get to play or have to wait to reach the field. Then at the end put in a column for what your gut says about the place: if you'll fit in, if you foresee success, if it makes you proud or excited to see yourself in those colors. Survey the entire sheet, weigh the various options and consider all the pros and cons to see if any schools eliminate themselves. Then ignore everything else and pick the top school in that last column. These should all be great options and your gut is probably right.

Now I thought it was brilliant and poetic and wise until my DD started fixating on a small, local, not particularly academic choice with a weak program in her sport even with better quality alternatives (schools, money, and teams) in hand. She picked a better place once someone who knew her well heard her articulate why she wanted this one over that one and pushed back a little. It was for a dumb reason (club coach worked there) that one of her friends pointed out was not a solid basis for choice.

So think it through, make some lists about the entire nine years (or more if aviation is in the picture) and then have them run it past a couple close advisors for a bit of a smell test to be sure it feels true and real and comfortable. Nothing is due until May, so there's no rush.
 
Sort a play on the "just throw darts:" Do that, but then if one SA gets eliminated, and DC is super bummed, that would be a leading indicator to me. If DC REALLY shows no emotions having SAs eliminated, go with the last man standing.

ETA: Especially when/if Navy is eliminated, based on your prior comments.
 
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SF_Treat said:
Sort a play on the "just throw darts:" Do that, but then if one SA gets eliminated, and DC is super bummed, that would be a leading indicator to me. If DC REALLY shows no emotions to have SAs eliminated, go with the last man standing.

ETA: Especially when/if Navy is eliminated, based on your prior comments.
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I was told when it comes to a decision flip coin, for while it's in the air you know what you truly wanted the whole time. Of course this is after you get it down to two and considering the future
 
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Well, remember that those are all Offers of Appointment. You aren't technically "appointed" until you sign the papers. Some say it's not until you raise your right hand and swear or affirm to the Oath, but it's really when you sign those papers. :)

Whether we're talking about I-Day, R-Day, or Swab Summer - some of those are turned away on that very day - because they need a waiver and can't get one. It's not a done deal until you get past the medical checkup on that first day.

After dropping that downer, I'll just say that the World's largest Air Force is the United States Air Force, and the World's second-largest Air Force is the United States Navy. The air in Colorado is thin and your mile time will be 40 seconds slower, but there is quite a view after you drive the 6 miles from the front gate to the campus. There are a LOT of people in the Air Force who don't fly, by the way. That campus in New York is 16,000 acres, but everything is grey. Coasties are cool, I don't care what anyone says. I never met one I didn't like. Most people have no idea how much they do for our country. Then there's USNA. The campus is beautiful, albeit quite small. The facilities are in disrepair and the food is crappy, but if you work hard there, you can be a Marine!
 
There is no wrong answer! I would say to stop listing pros and cons and weighing out all advice and just let your kid decide which one he/she has a gut feeling about. When in doubt, just trust your gut! Congrats!

And thank you for formatting those appointment lists for months!
 
Congrats and good luck with the choice. Our second son had multiple options. He could have gone to USAFA and followed his brother as a pilot but at the time he wasn’t sure about flying. Fast forward 5 years and he is now in Army flight school... many do change their minds over the course of 4 years....and all service choices are good choices.
 
Wow! Congratulations! All good advice above! Just remember, it's your child's choice and he/she needs to make it and live with it (so he/she can't blame you if unhappy in the future).
 
FiveByFive said:
... All of that has been accomplished but there is still no 100% answer and of course there likely will never will be as 100% certainty in this area really can't exist.
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FiveByFive said:
... So I don't shift the advice anyone is willing to provide in any particular direction, what DC or DC's parents, family, friends think will not be provided! ;)
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FiveByFive said:
With all of that in mind, what are your thoughts, advice, opinions, suggestions? What would you do?
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I can’t figure this thing out ...

I would have asked the DC if he or she knew what they wanted before applying to 4 SAs .... I would have said don’t apply to the SA if you don’t know.
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Dr. Strange Love said:
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I can’t figure this thing out ...

I would have asked the DC if he or she knew what they wanted before applying to 4 SAs .... I would have said don’t apply to the SA if you don’t know.
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I disagree in this case (if this applies to this applicant, couldn't tell you for sure): DC desires to serve the USA in the role of a commissioned officer and would like to get to that point via a SA. At that point, given different entrance requirements (medical, physical, academic/scholastic) then it would be prudent to apply to more than one. This is manifested time and again when the same candidate is DQd or not appointed to one academy but obtains an appointment to another. In any regard, it's a free country and I applaud the perseverance of this applicant and wish them the best in their upcoming service experience.
 
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