Purposefully reapplying
- Thread starter FØB Zero
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- Jan 8, 2017
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The academies are impressed if you are doing college-level academic work so it can be beneficial. Also, I recommend joining the ROTC unit at the school if they have one. Your participation is free and it allows you to learn more about the military profession. Hope that helps.
Definitely not a bad idea, even just a year in a collegiate environment provides a wealth of life experiences you WILL NOT be able to get at an academy. That said, you will have to pay for your year and you run the risk of some/all of your credits not transfering. And delaying your commissioning date by a year is a minus.
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- Sep 27, 2008
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Are you already in the application process now and considering closing your application?
Why not go for it, see how you do, and if you are not given an offer of appointment, then you smoothly toggle to your alternate plan of college, taking a tough SA-like first year schedule? Then, you will be seen by nom authorities and Admissions as a college RE-applicant, someone who gave it their best shot during their first opportunity to apply, but is persevering to try again, showing commitment and determination. Your HS records would already be on file. Your DoDMERB is good for two years from the date of your first application. If you do ROTC at your college, you can apply for a nom from them.
There are many college re-applicants at SAs, as well as re-re-applicants and even re-re-re-applicants. Don’t worry about commissioning a year later. That is not a big deal at all, though it may seem that way. It’s not a race. There are mids and cadets at the upper limits of the age range as well as the lower.
If you have been looking left and right at “stats” here on SAF and think you’ll never get in, there is no way of knowing.
Of course, as you have been moving through this process and doing your research, you may be coming to the conclusion the best fit for you is the ROTC path to a commission. That is perfectly fine too. Talking out loud on an anonymous forum about self-prepping is a way to see how that sounds to yourself. Typically, though, you see the term “self-prep” used by those who have not been offered an appointment after applying, and have not been offered a prep scholarship at a civilian prep or the military prep school itself. Speaking of which, everyone who applies is considered for those, and are you ready to let that opportunity go this cycle? For all you know, you might be just the kind of candidate they want to give that to.
My two cents is don’t close a door yourself, let the SA do it, if that is the way it happens, and then fiercely go after your college alternative prep path.
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- Apr 9, 2017
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I think a side effect of this global pandemic, is a little bit of self doubt, confidence, isolation and a bit of complacency. I don’t know if any of this has crept into your thought process or not, but if it has, I would tell my own child to put those things aside. I heard a whole lot of talk about a “gap year” among my then senior and his friends last cycle. I get it, because it seemed like life was “paused”....but life never pauses. My guy got in super late, off the waitlist. You never know how/where you stack up. Especially in a pandemic!!
I’m with CAPT. I would advise to move forward this cycle and see what happens. In addition to what was already mentioned, I suspect you would need to have good reasoning for NOT applying as a high school direct. Especially if you do actually already have an application open and decide to close it.
IOW, imo, applying, not getting in, and then reapplying will ‘look’ better than not applying directly out of high school, absent a very good reason. If nothing else? You tick off some boxes, and have a whole practice round of applying under your belt. The process itself is super beneficial to you, whether or not an appointment is ever achieved or not. The growth all 3 of my boys achieved through the process was very evident.
If I get a vote, I vote GO FOR it
!!
I’m with CAPT. I would advise to move forward this cycle and see what happens. In addition to what was already mentioned, I suspect you would need to have good reasoning for NOT applying as a high school direct. Especially if you do actually already have an application open and decide to close it.
IOW, imo, applying, not getting in, and then reapplying will ‘look’ better than not applying directly out of high school, absent a very good reason. If nothing else? You tick off some boxes, and have a whole practice round of applying under your belt. The process itself is super beneficial to you, whether or not an appointment is ever achieved or not. The growth all 3 of my boys achieved through the process was very evident.
If I get a vote, I vote GO FOR it
!!