If you don’t mind me asking…why did your son feel he’d be a better match at USAF? DD is struggling right now between USMA and USAFA and any insights would be helpful. Thanks!
I made the claim not as a parent, but as a USAFA graduate and USAFA faculty member (aeronautical engineering). I always told him that, despite his athletic accomplishments (3 X TC, 7 V letters, awards) in high school, he was more likely to make his career based on his brain than his brawn. I would not have made that statement with regards to ALL cadets at either USMA or USAFA. My observation was based on my son’s specific situation.
My son was a math and science whiz. He completed the mechanical engineering degree with honors as well as most of the courses for the nuclear engineering major. Clearly, he had well above average engineering potential as a young officer.
Given the scripted nature of early (0-10 years) Army officer careers, he was more likely to make a significant engineering contribution in the USAF (or the USN for that matter) than the Army. The Army’s foremost goal for junior officers is to teach/develop leadership skills. I didn’t observe the same emphasis on leadership development in the early careers of USAF officers.
If he had attended USAFA, he probably would have gone straight to graduate school. Only a handful of major scholarship winners go to grad school after USMA graduation. Even though he branched engineering in the Army, you have to understand that even an English major can branch engineering in the Army which is a clue as to how little traditional engineering work (as defined by the world outside the Army) is done by Army “engineers” early in their careers. Make no mistake – the role of a combat engineer is important, but it doesn’t include areas normally associated with the word “engineering” outside the Army. My comment is not intended to denigrate either Service, but simply an observation regarding the type of work done by an early career Army engineer versus an engineer in the other Services.
The flip side of that coin is that he undoubtedly developed more leadership skills in the Army than he would have as a junior officer in the USAF.
BTW, if you were to ask why I referenced the USAF and not the USN, his chances at cross-commissioning to the USN would have been much less given my 28-year career as a USAF officer.
If you desire more feedback on this subject, please feel free to contact me.