I-Day Longshot?

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dinkydoodle

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Jun 25, 2017
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Hello Everyone,

I am an applicant for the USAFA class of 2021 from California and received 3 nominations (2 senatorial, 1 from my local congresswoman). Unfortunately, I did not receive an appointment possibly due to difficulties obtaining medical clearance. When I was younger, I displayed signs of being minorly allergic to walnuts and pecans, but an allergy was never diagnosed by a doctor. I have since grown out of the allergy but, desiring to be entirely honest, included my history with nut allergies while filling out paperwork for medical clearance. Since then I've been put through the ringer by Dodmerb and have done skin tests, blood tests, and food challenges for all tree nuts. I have had two allergists (one third-party and one recommended by Dodmerb) write letters stating that the allergy no longer exists, but have still not been medically waived or cleared. In the latter half of this 7-8 month process, I received a LWE from the USAFA, but my medical file was not closed because I was offered an AFROTC commander scholarship, and ROTC requested a waiver. Several weeks ago I was told by my advisor who works with all of the candidates in my area that I am competitive and despite receiving a LWE, could be asked at the last minute to report on I-day if I was medically cleared soon, but receiving clearance has taken a little longer than expected.

I've heard that there are often spots being filled up until the very last moment, and am seriously considering taking a flight up to the academy with my paperwork, immunizations, etc. completed on the chance that there is an open spot and I am deemed qualified to fill it. Luckily, I have a good friend who received an appointment, an advisor, and wonderful parents to help me through this process, but none of us really know the full scope of how this process works and how to execute it properly. So if anyone with more knowledge could offer advice as to whether it is a good idea to show up on I-day 2x qualified or possibly 3x qualified (if I am cleared within the next few days) and how I would go about presenting myself, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for your time.
 
If they decide at the last minute to offer you an appointment they will send you the airline ticket. Think of it this way...let's say you were put on the waitlist for your dream college and you know classes start Sept. 1st. Would you drive/fly to that school and sit outside the registrar's office in case at the very last minute a spot opens up? Or would you stay at home and wait for them to contact you? Guessing it would be the latter.

Additionally, I wouldn't say often spots fill up until the very last moment, and we are now down to the last moments. Rarely is when spots are offered at the very last moment. Statistically even if they offer 10 last minute spots, with an incoming class size of 1000-1100, you are talking about 1%, and that is if they offered 10. If it is only 2 than you are below 1% chance of getting a last minute slot.

USAFA is like any college, it offers more appointments than slots available using their own historical data to achieve the number they want. Typically if they want an 1100 incoming class size it is @1350 appointments sent out. By law USAFA can only have 4400 cadets at any given time. Now, if they used historical data and assumed 1100 would accept the appointments, but come late May they find out 1169 accepted, than just like any traditional college, nobody is coming off their list.
~ Nobody here knows how many appointments were offered this year, nor how many accepted. However, if you were my child, I would seriously say to you move onto plan B and your ICSP AFROTC scholarship. Go to your CoC at your AFROTC det. on day one and say I intend to reapply, if that is your intention. AFROTC CoCs are not in competition with USAFA and will support you. Great ones will also have your 6 and try to make your packet the best. You will also be able to get another nom next year from ROTC.
~~ VA is very competitive, they spread the wealth, iows it is unusual to get more than 1 MOC. Some of the MoCs love reapplicants and give principal to only the reapplicants, the rest are just placed on the slate unranked leaving USAFA to decide if the principal is not 3Q or declines the offer.

Good luck.
 
The instructions to candidates states specifically under no circumstances should you fly to the Academy the week of in processing to try to get a spot. It might actually hurt your chances vs help them. The Academy will call and offer you a spot if they have the need for it. If the Academy is still your dream I would do ROTC this year and reapply next year. Best of luck.
 
Yes, as posted, do NOT fly out to the academy on I-Day thinking you can get in. YOU CAN'T.

And don't think of it as empty spots. As mentioned, throughout the process, the academy will offer more appointments than they need, because they know some will turn it down. You are even allowed to accept an appointment, and at the last minute change your mind and not show up. But these are NOT SLOTS.

Let me put it this way. If 1,200 accepted appointments to the academy, and only 1,150 showed up on I-Day, the academy will have a class of 1,150. They will not delay I-Day and they aren't going to give out an appointment the same day as I-Day.

When you hear that the academy gives out appointments up to the last minute, that means up to a reasonable time for a person to say yea, get a flight, and fly out. This usually means at the minimum, DAYS. They are not filling SLOTS because they need a class of a particular size. They are not going to allow an appointment for someone the day of I-Day. Chances are, if it's a week before I-Day, and you haven't received an appointment this year, you're not getting one this year. And nothing you do can change that. All flying out there is going to do is make you more anxious. They aren't filling SLOTS. If 100 people don't show up, then the starting class size will be 100 less. That's it.

And considering that the academy expects 50-75 to quit during BCT, another 50-75 to quit or get kicked out during the first year, and another 50-100 to quit or get kicked out during the remaining 3 years, it's not a big deal if they don't start basic training with all of the people they initially wanted. Remember too, that without the academy applying for waivers, federal law states they can only commission 1000 cadets into officers. So remember, they don't expect all of the bct appointees to make it 4 years. So it's no big deal if the class doesn't start as large as they initially meant for. Showing up on I-Day will do nothing for you.
 
It seems irresponsible to me for your advisor to put an idea like that in your head. If they decide to fill a last minute spot, which is unlikely, they will have a list of high quality applicants who are already qualified.
 
Do you have any advice for filling out the dodmerb forms with a history of a nut allergy? I passed all food challenges this spring and am no longer allergic.
 
Pima said:
If they decide at the last minute to offer you an appointment they will send you the airline ticket. Think of it this way...let's say you were put on the waitlist for your dream college and you know classes start Sept. 1st. Would you drive/fly to that school and sit outside the registrar's office in case at the very last minute a spot opens up? Or would you stay at home and wait for them to contact you? Guessing it would be the latter.

Additionally, I wouldn't say often spots fill up until the very last moment, and we are now down to the last moments. Rarely is when spots are offered at the very last moment. Statistically even if they offer 10 last minute spots, with an incoming class size of 1000-1100, you are talking about 1%, and that is if they offered 10. If it is only 2 than you are below 1% chance of getting a last minute slot.

USAFA is like any college, it offers more appointments than slots available using their own historical data to achieve the number they want. Typically if they want an 1100 incoming class size it is @1350 appointments sent out. By law USAFA can only have 4400 cadets at any given time. Now, if they used historical data and assumed 1100 would accept the appointments, but come late May they find out 1169 accepted, than just like any traditional college, nobody is coming off their list.
~ Nobody here knows how many appointments were offered this year, nor how many accepted. However, if you were my child, I would seriously say to you move onto plan B and your ICSP AFROTC scholarship. Go to your CoC at your AFROTC det. on day one and say I intend to reapply, if that is your intention. AFROTC CoCs are not in competition with USAFA and will support you. Great ones will also have your 6 and try to make your packet the best. You will also be able to get another nom next year from ROTC.
~~ VA is very competitive, they spread the wealth, iows it is unusual to get more than 1 MOC. Some of the MoCs love reapplicants and give principal to only the reapplicants, the rest are just placed on the slate unranked leaving USAFA to decide if the principal is not 3Q or declines the offer.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

My DS was a re-applicant and given principal by MoC. Did the AFROTC his freshman year in college. So your serious advice to pursue Plan B is spot on.

In fact, even though my DS reports Thursday for the class of 2021, he still has a great Plan B that "expires" 15 August in place. You never know what might happen during BCT.
 
Get all your paperwork in ahead of schedule should you like to reapply.

For those of you wishing to apply next year: the medical paperwork specifically states (unless things have changed) disclose only those ailments/allergies/etc from your 13th birthday. So if you had a nut sensitivity when you were 5, please don't list it, unless specifically told to do so. Don't know what our OP's timeline was but seems he put in too much info than was called for.

Also, recall: just because you have 3 or more nominations, does not mean you will get that appointment, and we don't know, it may not have been at all because of his alleged nut sensitivity.
 
Not to stray too far from this thread; but Fencernother is SO CORRECT!!! Some people put in way to much information. Information that is NOT ASKED FOR. They open up cans of worms that never should have been addresses.

I literally saw an applicant; on the advice of his mother; put down just about everything that ever happened to him. From cuts and scrapes to a dislocated finger. He had so much explaining to do; needless to say, his medical paperwork never got straightened out. He did not receive an appointment.

Of course, there's also those who don't read instructions. It speaks of ILLEGAL use of drugs or alcohol. Of course they write down YES and try to explain that they had wine at thanksgiving dinner with their family. In MOST STATES, that is NOT ILLEGAL. Of course, that opened up a can of worms.

And the list goes on. I sometimes wonder if some applicants, or their parents, are actually trying to sabotage their chances of getting an appointment. Obviously, that doesn't apply here on the forum. No one would spend as much time on a forum looking into the process if they didn't really want to attend. But we still do have some applicants that don't read instructions, and they provide information that wasn't specifically asked for, and they open up that can of worms.

Read the instructions. Answer the questions. Don't try and think too much.

 
fencersmother said:
For those of you wishing to apply next year: the medical paperwork specifically states (unless things have changed) disclose only those ailments/allergies/etc from your 13th birthday. So if you had a nut sensitivity when you were 5, please don't list it, unless specifically told to do so.
Click to expand...

I've heard this on the forum before, that anything before the 13th birthday doesn't count, but I can't find it on anything official. Can someone link to a form or somewhere that states this explicitly?
 
Do you have the medical forms for you (or your child) to fill out? Tell US what the new form says.
 
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