Should I listen to my gut feeling or logic? (deciding to reapply to USAFA)

Falcon74 said:
I fail to understand why you would have to disenroll from your current school to apply to USAFA. If selected by USAFA, you would simply be transferring to USAFA. You would probably finish the current year at your present university and then travel to USAFA. When the current university asks you to commit financially to a second year, you would have to make a tough decision if you haven't yet received a response from USAFA. Additionally, it is my understanding that those who can't attend due to an injury are normally given expedited handling wrt their application in a subsequent application. Did I miss something?
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I am taking a gap year. When I signed the gap year paperwork, I agreed to not apply to any other colleges (or even take CC classes). Unless I disenroll. I have no idea if I'll be given expedited handling with my application. Last spring I was in communication with admissions for a long time, and I made it very clear that I wanted to attend and would reapply. They just said okay best of luck with that. However, my precandidate app was reviewed in under than 24 hours, so maybe I am on an expedited track.
 
I guess that I've never heard of a construct like that before. It almost seems like involuntary servitude. Was your gap year associated with a scholarship of some form? Recommend getting a legal opinion.
 
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Falcon74 said:
I guess that I've never heard of a construct like that before. It almost seems like involuntary servitude. Was your gap year associated with a scholarship of some form? Recommend getting a legal opinion.
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My gap year was a personal decision. Most people I've mentioned this to have been just as surprised as you. However, that's what's written, so that's what I'm going to follow. I think that's what I've got to do to play it safe. As far as I'm aware, these type of agreements aren't actually legally binding. The school can't force me to attend or whatever. However, if I break the agreement and apply to other schools, they can go to all the other schools and say "hey, this kid broke an agreement, don't admit her!". I believe that is also how Early Decision agreements are enforced.

I could get a legal opinion, but at this point it's kind of too late. I tried to get some advice from my high school counselor but she didn't have any.
 
It's sounds like you already made your decision when you enrolled at another school and signed a gap year agreement. If you had really wanted USAFA, I think you would not have done that and already been prepared for reapplication. You have labeled USAFA a gut feeling and the other choice logical. I think you have already answered your question.
 
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OP, there is a saying that goes something like “If you want to see what people really want, watch what they do, not what they say.”

You have apparently accepted a scholarship to a school during your gap year that doesn’t allow you to apply elsewhere or else you lose that scholarship. Presumably, you knew that going in and agreed. If that school does not have an AFROTC unit or cross-town agreement with another school’s unit, then that is a choice you made too.

Do some thinking to sort out for yourself whether you have this desire to attend USAFA as your main goal OR your desire is to actually obtain an officer commission and serve in the Air Force or Space Force, though you would prefer the USAFA path. There is a difference.

If it is the latter, you go and research AF OTS, where you get your degree, then go to OTS for your commission and start your AF/SF career as an officer. If there is AFROTC at your scholarship school, you explore that. If you don’t want to consider that, that takes us to USAFA as your goal.

Keep in mind you can start at USAFA if you have not passed your 23rd birthday, so you probably have a small window of time. You could attend your scholarship school, excel in USAFA-like first-year courses, and really think this though. If you really want USAFA as a path to a commission, then you will DO something, make decisions, take risks, to go after that. If it’s a wistful “one that got away,” you will have these feelings for all kinds of things in your adult life. We don’t get to have everything we wanted or think we wanted. You got your gap year with the opportunity you wanted, choosing that over applying to USAFA. Taking one path usually means turning away from others, or giving up other paths to return to that path.

Watch what people do and not what they say, to determine their true desire.
 
I meant to add, enjoy your gap year to the fullest. As I recall from your previous posts on SAF about gap year and USAFA, this was a once-in-a-lifetime band opportunity that you chose over continuing your application to USAFA.

And don’t let your mind start doing magical thinking, the kind where you tell yourself, “I can just ignore what I agreed to in good faith with the scholarship school, because they can’t really do anything to me.” Is that consistent with being the kind of applicant USAFA wants?
 
To clarify for the last 3 messages, I have decided to pursue the reapplication route. I am in the process of unenrolling from that college and reapplying to USAFA and my backups. The original purpose for this thread was to get advice in how to make a decision. The decision is now made.

To give context to my decision to enroll in this college: Last spring, once I figured out I couldn’t attend USAFA, I was dead set on reapplying. However, after discussing with my parents and others, I thought it would be worth it to enroll at another college anyway. Literally 10 minutes before the enrollment deadline I went “oh, right, that deadline is tonight!” and enrolled and submitted my deposit. Really, going to that school was so much not a concern for me that I wouldn’t have cared much if I’d missed the deadline.

A month later, I chose to take a gap year for a variety of reasons. Rather than withdraw my enrollment right then, I decided to simply postpone it. Yes, at that time I was aware that postponing meant I couldn’t apply to other colleges until I withdrew. However, there were a few benefits to waiting for the fall on that decision. First, I could’ve been injured again over the summer. ACL re-tears are fairly common. Another injury could’ve DQ’ed me from USAFA. Second, I could’ve had a change of heart. I signed the gap year agreement knowing that this fall there would come a time for me to decide whether or not to withdraw and reapply. By signing it I actually maximized my options and decision time, not restricted them.

When this fall came around, I was admittedly less deadest on USAFA. For one, things had changed with the athletic program. And second, I’d simply had more time to warmup to the backup school and the security of that option. However, after much deliberation, including posting this forum post, I decided on withdrawing and reapplying to USAFA.

Life is complicated. This situation is complicated. I can’t possibly explain every nuance, detail, and mindset I’ve experienced. Some things you’ll just have to take my word on.

This forum has been incredibly helpful, and I am super grateful for it. Thank you everyone who has ever responded to me. However, I’ve already made this decision and Im not looking for more advice at the moment.

And I’ve read the marching band post but that is not me. If I could’ve attend USAFA last June, I would’ve!
 
Good luck! Let us know how this turns out.
 
Is attending USAFA the most important thing? or is it serving your country? Have you looked into ROTC? Officer Candidate School?
 
In ALL the reasons you wrote on why you wanted to apply and attend the Air Force academy…….. not ONCE did I see anything that said “you wanted to SERVE your country; be a military officer; be part of something bigger than yourself; etc….”

Just something to think about. You might say you want those things too, but subconsciously, they don’t seem high on your priority list or you would have mentioned them. Just a thought
 
This thread has a recurring question that I see all the time on this forum that I want to present a different view point on. Yes - everyone needs to understand that going to USAFA means serving, but as a reality check: that is NOT the primary motivation of all, or I'd venture to say even a significant majority of actual cadets. Yes, many would have done ROTC, OTS or whatever path to commissioning was available, but that is definitely not true for everyone. There are plenty of good reasons for wanting to go to USAFA, wanting to be a military officer does not actually have to be the number one reason.

For me (and many of my classmates), I went to USAFA because I wanted a challenge and a chance to play sports at a school that valued academics. I thought being an AF officer would be a good career, but had I not attended USAFA, I definitely wouldn't be in the Air Force. I would have gone down a totally different path. Fast forward to now, and I have been in just over 11 years and have no plans to get out before 20. I love the Air Force and can't imagine myself anywhere else, but that's not at all how I felt going into the academy. On the flip side, I have classmates that came in 100% wanting to make the Air Force a career who either left part way through (after freshman or sophomore year) or got out after their 5 years.

Bottom line: The constant negative view of those that don't say that serving is the ultimate goal is not an accurate reflection of the actual Air Force and what really matters for a successful cadet and Air Force career
 
USAFA10s said:
This thread has a recurring question that I see all the time on this forum that I want to present a different view point on. Yes - everyone needs to understand that going to USAFA means serving, but as a reality check: that is NOT the primary motivation of all, or I'd venture to say even a significant majority of actual cadets. Yes, many would have done ROTC, OTS or whatever path to commissioning was available, but that is definitely not true for everyone. There are plenty of good reasons for wanting to go to USAFA, wanting to be a military officer does not actually have to be the number one reason.

For me (and many of my classmates), I went to USAFA because I wanted a challenge and a chance to play sports at a school that valued academics. I thought being an AF officer would be a good career, but had I not attended USAFA, I definitely wouldn't be in the Air Force. I would have gone down a totally different path. Fast forward to now, and I have been in just over 11 years and have no plans to get out before 20. I love the Air Force and can't imagine myself anywhere else, but that's not at all how I felt going into the academy. On the flip side, I have classmates that came in 100% wanting to make the Air Force a career who either left part way through (after freshman or sophomore year) or got out after their 5 years.

Bottom line: The constant negative view of those that don't say that serving is the ultimate goal is not an accurate reflection of the actual Air Force and what really matters for a successful cadet and Air Force career
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I happen to agree with you. I don’t think any 18 yr old can adequately say what they want to do with the rest of their lives. No matter what profession they are looking to join.

I do expect someone applying to a military academy/ROTC to realize they WILL be serving their repayment period. And most importantly, that they be OPEN to the idea of a military career.

There are those that are all in military from the git go. But there are oodles of others, like my 3 boys, who didn’t come from a military family and therefore had no clue what it was all about. But they were open to the journey, and so far it’s a great fit.
 
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