I'm not a parent but, IMO, if your child plans to attend a civilian school should he/she not receive an appointment -- and if paying the fee is a condition of holding your place at the civilian school -- I'd wait until the last minute and pay.
My kiddo had a back up plan from the beginning. An inherited trait from her realist mother. She applied for and received a ROTC scholarship. Her deposit will be paid by the May 1 deadline. If "something" (an appointment) happens after May then that will be certainly terrific. Actually if she received a phone call the night before I-day or R-day she would be there - we are only a few hours from each SA she applied to and since she doesn't need to pack.......................... If her dreams came true and she receives an appointment - we probably will still pay the deposit. $400 for the peace of mind for not having to live at home and attend the community college if she can't make it due to accident or illness. There is only so much livin' on the edge I can take!
I'm not a parent but, IMO, if your child plans to attend a civilian school should he/she not receive an appointment. ^^^^^ Is this reply a slam or what? My Son does not want to attend a civilian school. I was implying if he would break a leg or some other unforeseen circumstance arises, he would have a decent backup college to go to.
JAM I never thought that much about letting my son register to backup yet. I believe you have a point.
Not intended as a slam at all. Not criticizing your son's desire or motivation. Please read carefully what I said, especially the end of my sentence: I assume that most kids have plans to attend a civilian school -- via ROTC or otherwise -- IF they don't get an appointment to the SA of their choice. I sure did. It's merely smart planning to have a Plan B and doesn't mean they're any less interested or motivated in attending a SA. I also assume that civilian schools may want certain fees paid early, in some cases before you know whether the appointment will come through. In my view, it's smart to keep your options open both UNTIL you get the appointment and then once you do, as you point out, IN CASE something unexpected happens.
Our son's plan is exactly what has been said. He looked into it, and the only deposit that he will have to pay is a $200 housing deposit. The school that he chose doesn't require anything as a deposit to hold the spot in the school. He has been honest with them, and they understand. He was even complimented by them when they said that they were happy to be the one that he chose as his 'backup' so at least they had a 'chance' to get him as a student.
Pay the fee to the Plan B school just for peace of mind & when (notice I said when ) the appointment comes through, you can request your fee be returned to you later. 99.9% of schools have a deadline for this request so be sure to note what it is. In the case of late appointments, most parents just eat the fee. In my kid's case, he received a late appointment, I faxed the school on the last day possible to request our paid fee be refunded us & got it back. The problem with that is: One kid broke his leg three weeks before the report date to USMMA & had to turn around & go to the Plan B school for a year. Those parents had chosen to leave the fee in place & they were glad that they did or the kid would have been out of luck.
Of course there are other options upon not receiving an appointment - one of those options would be enlisting. Anyone given it serious consideration?
I had a candidate last year, who if she didn't get an appointment, intended to enlist in the Navy. She is at NAPS. Great attitude. She was definitely going in the Navy immediately after high school graduation and was going to do it in the best way possible.
I assume you mean really enlist -- not NAPS, where you're enlisted for the year you're there. I would hesistate to choose this option unless your desire to serve your country right now is stronger than your desire to attend college right now. I wouldn't count on it as a way of getting into USNA -- it can happen but, equally if not more likely, it won't. Enlistment is a big time commitment -- maybe 4 years? If you don't get an appointment (or offer to NAPS), I'd first suggest consulting your BGO. Sometimes, we have insight into what the issue(s) might be. That may influence your choice regarding other options. One of my candidates faced this issue a couple of years ago. His grades, SATs, etc. were just not good enough for USNA or even NAPS/Foundation. He wanted to enlist in the Marines. His father (a friend of mine) wanted him to go to college. An impasse resulted until, voila, he happened upon VMI. VMI and the Citadel offer certain things in common with the SAs but have lower academic standards. Did NROTC at VMI and is working toward his dream of being a USMC officer. Everyone is happy.
Yes I really did mean enlist. Well, some kids get to the academy from the enlisted ranks. Any idea how that works? Other than the academy there are other options towards becoming an officer such as OCS. That seem to me the hard way and long way to go. What do you tell a kid from a family without the means to go to a private college? Who doesn't get that 4 year N-ROTC scholarship? Enlisting for kids in certain family situations would seem like a good bet to me.
The Secretary of the Navy is allowed to nominate each year 85 candidates from active duty Navy and Marine Corps enlisted ranks. He may also nominate the same number from the reserve component of each branch. These candidates fill out an on-line application just like the rest. Somewhere in the process, however, is an opportunity for a recommendation from the candidates supervising commissioned officer. Annual numbers for this program is all over the board. Usually 100+ each year are offered appointments. Some come directly from the fleet to I-Day, some come via Nuclear Power School direct, and about half are admitted via NAPS. Great program but a heck of a gamble if one is enlisting primarily to go to USNA.
Agreed. Of the prior enlisted I knew at USNA and the guys who wanted to go to/went to NAPS from our squadron, most hadn't considered it until their CO or other officer suggested it. And, even if the enlisted person knows about the program, if he/she is in a command that isn't supportive, it may be a very long, hard uphill climb. If the desire is USNA and the issue is academics, the best bet would be to get tutoring or other remedial academic help (if finances permit) and then enroll in a community college taking the same courses that you'd take at USNA. Other alternatives are as described in earlier messages. Of course, if the desire is to serve one's country in whatever way life takes you, enlisting clearly accomplishes that.
My son applied to and was accepted at 4 Universities plus a 4 year NROTC award.....he's the master of back up plans. Thankfully he won't have to use any of his back up plans as he received an appointment to USMMA Class of 2011. What we discovered is that most Universities that have a corp of cadets waive the application fee, etc., if you are planning to join the corp.
