Should he apply to more than one SA?

peppypea

peppypea

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We are new to all of this- so very new. DS is applying to Air Force Academy AND ROTC at the same time- we are trying to decide if he should apply to another SA in addition (probably Navy.) Is this a feasible or smart choice?
 
Really depends your nominations sources. If you are only eligible for a congressional nomination, some congressional districts/states will nominate you to one SA only.

If you have multiple nomination sources, then why not try other SAs as a Plan B.
 
It depends on your state/nomination sources/congressional district. Our son learned the hard way. He had applied to USAFA and USNA. Had both applications complete before November 1.

Our district will only give one nomination to one academy. Our district communicates with senators and if you have a senate nomination you are not even interviewed /considered. Son didn't discover this until his congressional interview when he only interviewed with the USAFA panel (1st choice). He was never even considered for a Nomination to USNA. :( There was a lot of time put into the USNA application, essays, BGO Interview, submitting all the test scores/transcripts for him to not even have a chance. Lesson learned. He has a nomination to USAFA but would have liked to have been considered or allowed to try for a nomination to USNA.

It's a hard to read on these forums about many kids having multiple nominations to all the academies when your kid was only eligible for 1.
 
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Go for it. Much of the application will transfer to another academy. Some new essays maybe, but letters of recommendation might be reused too. They're all great, and don't rule out USMMA unless your son wouldn't like to make 100K at 22 yrs old.
 
Lots of older threads on this topic. If he is truly interested in more then 1 SA, there is nothing wrong with applying to multiple. However, you shouldn't try to 'game' the NOM system (i.e. Put SA X as first choice with one MOC and SA Y with another MOC.) That can back-fire if you eventually only end up with a NOM to the SA that was really NOT your first choice.
 
Padre101 said:
Really depends your nominations sources. If you are only eligible for a congressional nomination, some congressional districts/states will nominate you to one SA only.

If you have multiple nomination sources, then why not try other SAs as a Plan B.
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While correct, I would still recommend applying to multiple academies if one is still uncertain which service they want. It gives them a chance to postpone the decision until nomination time, if a nom to one academy is all that's available. If multiples are available then it's gravy and perhaps the odds of going to at least one of the academies just increased.

If one is determined on a particular service, say Air Force, then I'd only apply to USAFA and AFROTC.

Many apply to multiple academies and ROTC programs each year.
 
I think it is totally up to your son and what he wants to do. In my son's case he only wanted USAFA and only applied there. He didn't even open an application for AFROTC until after he had his appointment in December, and only then because he was asked to do so by the state AFROTC coordinator.

Stealth_81
 
Is DS still in high school? Suggest applying to more than one and attend their Summer Seminars or Candidate Visit Weekends to be sure. DS grew up 100% convinced he would go Air Force. When he came back from summer seminar he was Navy all the way. These are tough decisions for 17-19 year-olds, that will affect the next 10 years of their young lives. The more apps you fill out now, the more options he will have later. Good luck!
 
I believe it really depends on your son. My DS only wants one SA (USNA) he refused to apply to the others because they do not interest him. My husband and I initially disagreed but now fully understand and respect his choice. He would be thrilled with an offer to Prep and has only applied for an NROTC MO Scholarship.
He did receive a nomination to USNA...thankfully. I do believe that if your child is open to different SA's then they should keep their options open. My DS is stubborn...or determined...
 
Something no one has mentioned yet. If he runs into a medical disqualification each service academy will look at the potential waiver differently. I know a girl who had LOAs to all three academies but only USNA granted the waiver.

Another thing to mention is that as your son goes through the process his preference could change. As long as he is not completly opposed to a specific branch he should apply.
 
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NotCollege said:
Another thing to mention is that as your son goes through the process his preference could change. As long as he is not completely opposed to a specific branch he should apply.
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I think this is a great point; preferences can and do change based on any number of different factors a young person encounters between now and decision time. Example: My own kid was sold on WP 100% from day one until he went to USNA summer seminar...then the doubts started to creep in and they got worse over the months....it got so bad he asked if his MOC nom could be changed from second preference to first. In the end, he didn't decide which one until the week before he had to do so.

Things change, perspectives change, how we see things now and how they're seen six months from now for these young men and women...change. If he/she has the options, I would explore them all.
 
Sydney C. said:
I would explore them all.
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After they explode all the academies, I recommend they decide on one or multiple SAs based on what they want to do AFTER they commissioned. They will all be in leadership roles, but in some very distinct and different environments.
 
Our DS was like Stealth's he only applied to USAFA. DS's goal was to be a pilot. Although every branch has fliers, he knew that he didn't want to :
A. Fly Rotors
B. Land on a carrier.

From there we went into what if you don't get a pilot slot, what would you want to do because as others have stated there are certain positions that are the same in theory..i.e Intel comes to mind. Would you want to be on a ship for 6 months at a clip or in a tank in the sandbox for at least 5 yrs AD ? When the answer was no, it was pretty evident that USAFA was the only option for him.

JMPO, too many kids think about only the 1st 4 yrs (college) and do not think about the 5 they owe back. Attending an SA or any college is not 24/7/365 days a year. You get to choose your major and where you attend. Active duty is where they choose for you, your career field and where you live for several years.
 
One of the MOCs in our state wants to see applications to all 3 Academies because they believe that the candidate must place service above how they serve, so it is important to attend your state's Academy Day if they have one and get he real skinny.
 
Fishpart said:
One of the MOCs in our state wants to see applications to all 3 Academies because they believe that the candidate must place service above how they serve, so it is important to attend your state's Academy Day if they have one and get he real skinny.
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There are five service academies, four of which require Congressional nominations.

I think it's rich a MOC wants to harp on "service above how they serve."
 
TexasSoccerMom said:
It depends on your state/nomination sources/congressional district. Our son learned the hard way. He had applied to USAFA and USNA. Had both applications complete before November 1.

Our district will only give one nomination to one academy. Our district communicates with senators and if you have a senate nomination you are not even interviewed /considered. Son didn't discover this until his congressional interview when he only interviewed with the USAFA panel (1st choice). He was never even considered for a Nomination to USNA. :( There was a lot of time put into the USNA application, essays, BGO Interview, submitting all the test scores/transcripts for him to not even have a chance. Lesson learned. He has a nomination to USAFA but would have liked to have been considered or allowed to try for a nomination to USNA.

It's a hard to read on these forums about many kids having multiple nominations to all the academies when your kid was only eligible for 1.
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Ditto. DS had USNA application completed in late Aug and the other two in Oct. He ended up with a nom to USAFA (top choice) ONLY. DS ultimately ended up with the appointment in Jan. DS is from the north Texas district.
 
There is a lot of good information about the process and nominations but the first question your son needs to answer is "Do I want to be an officer in the Army, Navy or Air Force?" All three of the services have a different mission and their officers do different things. While he may want to be a pilot, he also needs to make sure that he would be fine in these services if he does not get to fly.
 
peppypea said:
We are new to all of this- so very new. DS is applying to Air Force Academy AND ROTC at the same time- we are trying to decide if he should apply to another SA in addition (probably Navy.) Is this a feasible or smart choice?
Click to expand...
As some have already mentioned, you can desire to apply to more than one, but it is very possible that applying to more than one could be futile. The gatekeeper on this whole process is if your Senators and House Rep coordinate nominations and do not offer a candidate more than one. I would start there. If they do not offer the opportunity to garner more than one nomination, do all of your due diligence now, figure out what branch your child wants to be in and apply accordingly to that SA along with Coast Guard. :)
 
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