Plan B Question

I agree in principal but dont agree in a practical sense. If that makes any sense

"Not sure the academies are trying commission officers that put their needs ahead of everyone else."

My point isnt that one should put yourself over everyone else but that doesnt mean you should allow people to walk over you. That also doesnt mean that the needs of a University are superior to the needs of your child and more importantly that the University is taking your child's best interest into account. When you join the military, I get that the needs of the military take precedent over your own needs, but you know that going in. Having the college guilt you because you are being accused of being unethical doesnt work for me. The real issue is that you are screwing up the colleges paperwork and that somehow takes precedent over your child's future

"Timing of offers/appointments is not an issue. It is formally recognized that a student can withdraw from a previously accepted offer when a preferred offer materializes. The issue is with holding on to two or more offers after the specified deadline.


That may be true but people are talking about sending in a deposit to University A because they still havent heard from their academy of choice. Just look at the post about having been accepted to USNA but still wanted to send a deposit to a college in case something happened between acceptance to USNA and the first day of class. I havent read every post, but it doesnt seem to be an issue of sending deposits to multiple schools. I gather its accepting a college because you still dont know if you have been accepted to your academy of choice. What would the point be of sending deposits to multiple schools, so that you could delay choosing which one you say yes too. All schools have pretty much the same deadlines and the same acceptance day.

"Timing of offers/appointments is not an issue. It is formally recognized that a student can withdraw from a previously accepted offer when a preferred offer materializes. The issue is with holding on to two or more offers after the specified deadline"

I dont think that is true. You if make a deposit, you are committed. If you apply Early Decision, forget about a deposit. you cant even say no if they accept you. As i said before , what would the point be of sending deposits to multiple schools, so that you could delay choosing which one you say yes too. All schools have pretty much the same deadlines and the same acceptance day. Its the academies that go beyond the May 1 date

As for the guidance counselors, I would feel bad for the school and the counselors if they were hurt by the actions.

jl123 said:
  1. Of course you disagree. ;) Everything you wrote after "I don't disagree" was a statement of disagreement.
  2. Not sure the academies are trying commission officers that put their needs ahead of everyone else.
  3. High school counselors work hard to establish and maintain relationships with college admissions officers. Applicant behavior can reflect well and poorly on the counselor and the school. Future applicants rejected by that college because of the behavior of previous applicants from that high school will not likely brush it off as "it is what it is".
  4. There is a real chance of getting caught. Those who do get caught end up sweating bullets, praying it is not reported to the academy. Some of those went ahead with the secret Plan B because they read on this forum how sensible it was.
  5. Timing of offers/appointments is not an issue. It is formally recognized that a student can withdraw from a previously accepted offer when a preferred offer materializes. The issue is with holding on to two or more offers after the specified deadline.
Click to expand...
 
Bryantboy83 said:
Not to be redundant, but DS found himself in a similar situation. He has accepted his appointment to USNA but still wanted the Plan B "insurance policy" against injury before reporting on I-Day. His 4 Yr NROTC scholarship was placed at Duke and he was accepted. We contacted Duke Admissions and explained what our intentions were, and that we would inform them on June 30th after he reported on I-day. We likened it as if he was accepted off a Wait List from another school. They were appreciative of our honesty but politely said they could not accommodate us. We then contacted Norwich University Admissions and had the same conversation. They completely understood and will work with us. We will have to pay the $250 deposit and will look at it as the premium payment on an insurance policy which is exactly what it is. DS wanted to be honest with all parties involved and feels good about his actions.
Click to expand...

Bryantboy - if I can figure out how to do it!...can I PM you with a question or two?
 
Humey said:
You if make a deposit, you are committed.
Click to expand...

o contraire mon frere....we made the deposit like bryantboy did for no other reason than a backup...just in case. We told them right up front that he had already been accepted to USNA but if the unexpected happened, he would attend and if not, keep the money. They understood that and in this particular case, we were on the same page.

Well guess what? The unexpected did happen and he got injured and medically DQ'd just a few weeks before I-Day. We ran into no problem with them then processing the application (in June!) so he could attend.

I don't believe there is any universal on this and it's a school by school policy and behoves the individual to research that.
 
Hello Sydney - hope you don't mind me asking - did your DS then attend USNA, one year later? Or stay at the "insurance" school? If he ended up at USNA in the next year's class - curious as to your thoughts as to the advantages of attending the other school for a year?

Sydney C. said:
o contraire mon frere....we made the deposit like bryantboy did for no other reason than a backup...just in case. We told them right up front that he had already been accepted to USNA but if the unexpected happened, he would attend and if not, keep the money. They understood that and in this particular case, we were on the same page.

Well guess what? The unexpected did happen and he got injured and medically DQ'd just a few weeks before I-Day. We ran into no problem with them then processing the application (in June!) so he could attend.

I don't believe there is any universal on this and it's a school by school policy and behoves the individual to research that.
Click to expand...
 
No, the colleges expects your commitment once u make the deposit . They just can't forced you to attend. That is the whole point of this conversation. The fact that you informed the school and agreed isn't relevant. If anything since your kid did attend the school it worked out for the school and your child. I am not even sure what we are disageeing about
Sydney C. said:
o contraire mon frere....we made the deposit like bryantboy did for no other reason than a backup...just in case. We told them right up front that he had already been accepted to USNA but if the unexpected happened, he would attend and if not, keep the money. They understood that and in this particular case, we were on the same page.

Well guess what? The unexpected did happen and he got injured and medically DQ'd just a few weeks before I-Day. We ran into no problem with them then processing the application (in June!) so he could attend.

I don't believe there is any universal on this and it's a school by school policy and behoves the individual to research that.
Click to expand...
 
So there seems to be different reasons for having a back up school, I'll share our reason for it (right or wrong).
From what I've read on this great forum, it sounded like some people choose to have a back up school to their Academy in the event of an unforeseen injury DQ preventing the CC from attending. That way the kid will still have a school to attend in the fall. All of these kids worked so hard to get here, and have many fantastic opportunities and other plan B, C's, etc.. it would be tragic to lose everything over an unexpected injury!
So we contacted one of DS's other schools and discussed the entire scenario I just described and asked if he could accept their scholarship offer and send deposit with the understanding it was a "soft" acceptance (his term). He said yes but we would lose deposit money. I felt that was more than acceptable. I realize not all schools may be as accommodating, but am pleased to have an "insurance policy" if the unthinkable were to happen!

To be clear, DS is all in for WP. This isn't a safety net for a change of heart, he doesn't want this plan. I have seen others mention their back up plan was considered for that reason of no longer wanting to go to WP etc...

He is not able to use his 4 yr AROTC as a backup because injury would DQ that as well?

So, in the context of being physically acceptable come R day, are the CC's "in" or is an injury during beast (not life changing) still a possibility to be denied come A day? I've read once they make R day all is good, can anyone confirm either way?
 
Humey said:
No, the colleges expects your commitment once u make the deposit . They just can't forced you to attend. That is the whole point of this conversation. The fact that you informed the school and agreed isn't relevant. If anything since your kid did attend the school it worked out for the school and your child. I am not even sure what we are disageeing about
Click to expand...
To clarify the deposit confusion: It is recommended by every college that a wait listed student accept an offer from another college by May 1. Colleges do not have a problem with a student accepting a better offer that comes along after May 1, as long as they withdraw their acceptance. They do have a problem with students holding two or more spots at a college after May 1 (As I have written several times, the Common Application can not be submitted unless the applicant signs a statement agreeing to this policy).

As one example, the following is from Johns Hopkins FAQ's:
The decision of whether we will admit students off the wait list will not be made prior to May 1. We strongly recommend that you submit your deposit to a school where you have been admitted. If you are later admitted to Hopkins from the wait list and choose to attend, you will withdraw your enrollment from the other school and forfeit the previous deposit.
 
shock-n-awe said:
So, in the context of being physically acceptable come R day, are the CC's "in" or is an injury during beast (not life changing) still a possibility to be denied come A day? I've read once they make R day all is good, can anyone confirm either way?
Click to expand...
A cadet can be medically disqualified at any time, even after A Day or as a Yearling, Cow or Firstie. USMA normally deals fairly with these instances. Firsties are usually allowed to graduate, others finish the academic semester or year before being separated.

An injury during Beast can cause a problem depending on the severity of the injury and how far into training it occurs. If the injury occurs early and the new cadet misses too much training they will normally be guaranteed admission to the following class as long as they are medically qualified after recovery (there is currently a 2020 cadet that entered with 2019 and was injured in 2019's Beast). Such cases are not common - usually injuries are minor and new cadets are able to complete training - ie a severely broken leg in week 1 is a problem, a twisted ankle is not.
 
skippers said:
Hello Sydney - hope you don't mind me asking - did your DS then attend USNA, one year later? Or stay at the "insurance" school? If he ended up at USNA in the next year's class - curious as to your thoughts as to the advantages of attending the other school for a year?
Click to expand...

No problem skip...yes, he did attend USNA one year later. As an aside, this happens every year....injuries occurring at the last minute that DQ's appointees. In the year it happened to my DS, there were five others that we know about put into the same situation and I'm happy to report that all six met the requirements for readmission and joined the class of 2019.

To the second part of your question, it was, as so many other things in life, a blessing in disguise that we never saw at the time. Each situation is different of course. As you can imagine, at first this was a major blow but he moved on with it. He was only 17 at the time and he would have been the boy among men and that extra year allowed him to grow and mature in every way possible, to live and explore life on his own in a multicultural and diverse environment. He took a huge course load as prescribed by USNA, thrived in the classroom, played sports, did some volunteer work and totally took advantage of what the school had to offer while letting them know up front that he would only be there for a year if things worked out alright, which they did.

That year ultimatley changed a lot of things...he validated a lot classes, felt fully confident in his abilities, his purpose and direction....the blessing in disguise or as my father used to say "the Lord does indeed work in mysterious ways"
 
Sydney C. said:
No problem skip...yes, he did attend USNA one year later. As an aside, this happens every year....injuries occurring at the last minute that DQ's appointees. In the year it happened to my DS, there were five others that we know about put into the same situation and I'm happy to report that all six met the requirements for readmission and joined the class of 2019.

To the second part of your question, it was, as so many other things in life, a blessing in disguise that we never saw at the time. Each situation is different of course. As you can imagine, at first this was a major blow but he moved on with it. He was only 17 at the time and he would have been the boy among men and that extra year allowed him to grow and mature in every way possible, to live and explore life on his own in a multicultural and diverse environment. He took a huge course load as prescribed by USNA, thrived in the classroom, played sports, did some volunteer work and totally took advantage of what the school had to offer while letting them know up front that he would only be there for a year if things worked out alright, which they did.

That year ultimatley changed a lot of things...he validated a lot classes, felt fully confident in his abilities, his purpose and direction....the blessing in disguise or as my father used to say "the Lord does indeed work in mysterious ways"
Click to expand...

Thanks Sydney - and if you will tolerate me a few follow ups - you note "prescribed by USNA"; I take it that you had some communication with the Academy, and that the Academy suggested courses to take? Did your DS then have to go through any sort of readmission process?
 
skippers said:
Thanks Sydney - and if you will tolerate me a few follow ups - you note "prescribed by USNA"; I take it that you had some communication with the Academy, and that the Academy suggested courses to take? Did your DS then have to go through any sort of readmission process?
Click to expand...
Happy to answer all questions but don't want to tie up the forum so I'll PM you tomorrow.
 
Geez....DD just told me that on social media, one of the kids slated for the class of 2021 just had a knee injury that will keep her from joinning the brigade this year. Feel so bad for her....

To Sydney's point, I guess it does happen every year!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top