Deciding to Affirm/Leave USMA Advice

Thank you guys for the reaction to my post, @Devil Doc and @justdoit19 in particular. I wasn’t expecting it to pick up that much attention. I’m constantly picking up things on these boards that helps me see other perspectives, and I’m glad that some thing that I can contribute do the same. I’m fully aware that I’m only offering a junior officer’s perspective in comparison to some of the experience



@CA_hopeful, I love the summary of questions you present. They really do summarize a great gut check for folks questioning their decision about what’s going on. For anyone reading through, while I know this response was originally directed at cvdo10’s situation, I would throw this out there that it isn’t just under performing cadets who think about leaving. I graduated in the top 5% of my class, and like I said, I almost left twice. I have a friend who did two years at West Point, left to finish his degree at an Ivy, and then came back to West Point to graduate there because he realized he had made a mistake leaving. My plebe class president left at the two year mark despite being a decorated enlisted Ranger and doing well academically. Sometimes school is a good fit. Sometimes it’s not. It’s up the individual to figure it out. And people’s reasons may have nothing to do with the Academy itself. Mine were related to a tough family situation that was adding stress to an already stressful environment.

That’s why I highly, highly encourage anyone thinking about leaving to reach out to the officers they interact with at school to get their perspective as well. Parents are absolutely a fantastic sounding board, but if they don’t have military experience, those TACs and instructors that West Point surrounds cadets with can help fill the gap in perspective of what Army life is in comparison to the daily West Point grind because they are not the same. Some things are better after graduation; some are worse. Even if they don’t feel they have a particular dedicated mentor yet, I guarantee if they just reach out to a particular instructor they liked, that officer 9 out of 10 times will drop most things to take coffee or some office hour time to sit and talk Army, leaving the Academy, and future life plans with that cadet. That’s part of the amazing part of West Point and it’s community.

Another thought to throw out there as well but TACs can also help set up a cadet’s summer schedule to do CTLT early (most commonly done as a rising firstie) as a rising cow for those unsure about Army life to get that cadet out to see life in the force before Affirmation. It just requires discussion with the TAC ahead of time, but generally if there’s a cadet feeling unsure about sticking it out, a good TAC will try to make this happen so they can make an educated decision. A very good friend of mine worked with our TAC to do CTLT and his leadership detail as a rising cow. He will tell you that getting a taste of PL life and then seeing his impact as a SL during CBT before Affirmation were probably some of the most compelling reasons to get him off the fence about staying. He’s now a happy pilot about to take command and doing great things for the Army.
Yet another @Casey moment of Zen. If my DS ever needs a helicopter ride, I hope she’s driving.

I await her posts the way I await Michael Lewis’s next book or the next season of Ozark.
 
Yet another @Casey moment of Zen. If my DS ever needs a helicopter ride, I hope she’s driving.

I await her posts the way I await Michael Lewis’s next book or the next season of Ozark.

Not going to lie, had to look up those references. I didn’t know that was the guy who wrote Moneyball. Maybe I’ve found a new author to read in quarantine next month
 
it is very tough to figure what is the issue:

I am sure life at USMA sucks right now. But I think life at most colleges sucks right now because of Covid. Then if you took a gap year to apply, all your friends would be moving along while you are working a minimum wage job.
Then when you get into college and then graduate...what will the job economy be like? Will there be jobs available? ll
 
Not going to lie, had to look up those references. I didn’t know that was the guy who wrote Moneyball. Maybe I’ve found a new author to read in quarantine next month
He also wrote The Blind Side, The Big Short, among others. Can't think of one I wouldn't recommend. Think of something that has never been properly explained to you. He probably wrote a book about it and explains it well.

You, as an aviator, may want to check out The Undoing Project.


The book is about two Israeli Psychologists whose first major project was consulting for the Israeli Air Force to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Fighter Pilots.
 
@cb7893, I'll add them to the list. Its a very long list that I don't think I'll ever get through in my lifetime but I'm always looking for new things to add to it. Working through some books for fun right now because I wanted to take a break from studying and/or things the Army thinks are good for my development
 
I used to live on this forum in high school. (Which I DO NOT recommend--enjoy high school and quit the extracurriculars you are only doing for resume points! Just work hard at the things you are genuinely passionate about, get good grades, and be kind and you will do great. But that's not what this post is about...anyway) Now, three years after my R-day and a year since I decided to not Affirm, I want to give cadet candidates and current cadets my perspective on how to approach and ultimately make this decision. When I was deciding last fall, I scoured every corner of the internet (including this forum) for stories from former cadets and found very little. Hopefully my story can help others as they struggle through the decision for themselves.

My main points are:
1. leaving is not failure
2. treat your decision to Affirm as completely separate from deciding to show up on R-day
3. DON'T let the effort you put into your application sway your decision (aka the sunk cost fallacy)
4. DO take into consideration the practical difficulties of transferring/switching career paths

My full spiel is posted on my blog at: https://laurab.blog/posts/Leaving-West-Point

I plan on making a later post about the practical technicalities involved with the transfer application process. Let me know if you have further questions and I'd be happy to discuss further/elaborate on the nitty-gritties.
@CA_hopeful I am currently a midshipman candidate at NAPS and have been struggling with whether I want to take my appointment or not. I related to your blog a lot- I was obsessed with getting into USNA, and even willing to do an extra year to get there. Now, I see the Academy as unrelated to my true future goals and I don't feel I fit in. Thank you for bringing this up- I've been scouring the internet for advice and feel alone- nobody ever talks about leaving academies.
 
@CA_hopeful I am currently a midshipman candidate at NAPS and have been struggling with whether I want to take my appointment or not. I related to your blog a lot- I was obsessed with getting into USNA, and even willing to do an extra year to get there. Now, I see the Academy as unrelated to my true future goals and I don't feel I fit in. Thank you for bringing this up- I've been scouring the internet for advice and feel alone- nobody ever talks about leaving academies.

Almost 25% of my class has left West Point, were separated, or were turned back to another class. There is no shame in leaving if it is not a fit for you--the noblest departure from an Academy is to be honest with yourself about how your goals align with military service and not being afraid to step away if they do not. Sailors and soldiers deserve leadership who want to be there.

With that, however, I do encourage you to wait until you actually get to USNA to make that decision; at least here, the prep school is a much different environment than the Academy. In my experience, there is no need or real way to "fit in"--there is not one archetype of a cadet and certainly not one kind of way to be a leader.

I really considered leaving during my second year when we were in the middle of COVID to try and go be a Warrant Officer. I was extremely cynical about my peers and the institution at the time. I did a lot of soul searching and connected with the right mentors and ultimately decided to stay. I would look for those adults who are willing to have an honest conversation with you about your life path before making any decisions.
 
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