Struggling with decision to accept appointment

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CincyAFACandidate

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I recently received a USAFA appointment; however, even though I made it through the application process I still have reservations about going there.

The main reason I am hesitant is because I am not 100% sure. I am not sure if I want to go to USAFA, and I'm not sure if I even want to be an officer. I heard that you should only go there if you are sure it is right for you, and that you want to become an officer above all other career goals. Originally, I applied with the goal of becoming a developmental engineer or going into cyber warfare. I have always been interested in engineering, and no matter where I end up I will be majoring in it. I have heard that even if I am lucky enough to receive one of these jobs, there is little actual engineering, and it is mostly contracting and management. By following this path, I will be more of an officer and less of an engineer, which does not exactly line up with my priorities. Don't get me wrong, I am big into leadership and service, and becoming an officer is certainly an interest to me, I just don't think that the goal of becoming an officer is as high as the goal of becoming an engineer. Overall, I am uncertain if I am truly willing to make all of the sacrifices associated with becoming an officer, and that uncertainty scares me.

On the other hand, my main other choice is attending the University of Notre Dame in their engineering college (I know they aren't exactly known for engineering, but out of all of the civilian schools I have determined that this one is the best fit for me). I could do afrotc, but again, I am not sure if this is the best path for my career goals.

Right now, I am leaning towards Notre Dame for all of the reasons I have stated above, yet I still can't get USAFA out of my head. Maybe that's just because of all of the work I put into applying for it. Is it still worth a try given my uncertainty? Should I just go to Notre Dame if I am more certain I will be happy there? I know this is a decision I need to make on my own, but does anyone have any advice or similar experiences they are willing to share?
 
My very humble opinion- and I am in the collegiate academic teaching scene: do what is best for you. If you have a strong feeling one way or another, go with that instinct. Too many times in my teaching of this age group have I witnessed students choosing what they think they should do rather than what they truly want; from their education, location, environment and everything else involved. Obviously the trick is figuring out what you want, but when you do, give yourself permission to pursue it without regret.
 
What I read in your post, is that you think you want to be a hands on ‘do-er’, vs a hand off ‘manager’ (Officer). If that’s accurate, it’s something to consider.

What about talking this through with a HS counselor? They are experienced in helping students figure out their strengths and personality types. Some people are more hands on, others are conceptual thinkers, for example. And a career that fits your personality/career type is one where you will be happiest in the long run.

You will gets lots of advice here. But also know, that not being 100 pct sure is NORMAL. Sometimes, we have to make a best decision. And be open to the journey. We don’t always have all the knowledge, in advance.
 
You might consider speaking with some officers, a great resource would be your ALO, have you tried reaching out to them? Also, Admissions has been sending out emails about in-person and online tours for appointees, you should consider using one of these to see if USAFA is the place for you. 👍
 
asap.airman said:
You might consider speaking with some officers, a great resource would be your ALO, have you tried reaching out to them? Also, Admissions has been sending out emails about in-person and online tours for appointees, you should consider using one of these to see if USAFA is the place for you. 👍
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I actually just got that email today and have already signed up for a virtual event. Unfortunately, I live on pretty much the other side of the country and it's not logistically possible for me to have an in person visit. From speaking to my ALO in the past, she has been very helpful, so I'll definitely contact her. Thanks for the advice!
 
Going to Notre Dame won't solve your "I'm not sure I even want to be an officer" issue if you are going AFROTC. If your family has the resources and you are not sure you want to be an officer, go to Notre Dame. It is an amazing school with top notch academics and the highest 4 year graduation rate in the country. Football games are incredible and they are competitive in most sports so there is always a great game to attend. There are no athlete dorms so you will live with and get to know the athletes. Like the academies, it is a jock school as many of the students are former varsity athletes and team captains. South Bend is a bit depressed but the immediate surroundings have been vastly improved over the past decade. If you choose not to do AFROTC and later change your mind and decide to serve in the Air Force as an officer, you can always commission OCS.

However, Notre Dame is notoriously cheap with financial aid, so it may wind up costing your parents quite a bit of money to send you there without the AFROTC scholarship. If you choose to go to Notre Dame and participate in the AFROTC program you will feel welcome. Notre Dame hosts all three ROTC programs and is a strong supporter of the military. The ROTC programs thrive there and you will not feel out of place walking around campus in your uniform (this is not the case at all schools).

I have never been to USAFA (I am attending an admitted student tour with my DD on April 11th) but from what I can gather, it is a very different than South Bend. If you decide you want to be an officer...you can get there at either school. The question is are you all in for the military lifestyle now or do you prefer the more relaxed environment of a civilian college? If you are sold on the idea of a civilian college I think you have settled on the best one...but I am biased. ;-)

Good luck.
 
DomerDad said:
Going to Notre Dame won't solve your "I'm not sure I even want to be an officer" issue if you are going AFROTC. If your family has the resources and you are not sure you want to be an officer, go to Notre Dame. It is an amazing school with top notch academics and the highest 4 year graduation rate in the country. Football games are incredible and they are competitive in most sports so there is always a great game to attend. There are no athlete dorms so you will live with and get to know the athletes. Like the academies, it is a jock school as many of the students are former varsity athletes and team captains. South Bend is a bit depressed but the immediate surroundings have been vastly improved over the past decade. If you choose not to do AFROTC and later change your mind and decide to serve in the Air Force as an officer, you can always commission OCS.

However, Notre Dame is notoriously cheap with financial aid, so it may wind up costing your parents quite a bit of money to send you there without the AFROTC scholarship. If you choose to go to Notre Dame and participate in the AFROTC program you will feel welcome. Notre Dame hosts all three ROTC programs and is a strong supporter of the military. The ROTC programs thrive there and you will not feel out of place walking around campus in your uniform (this is not the case at all schools).

I have never been to USAFA (I am attending an admitted student tour with my DD on April 11th) but from what I can gather, it is a very different than South Bend. If you decide you want to be an officer...you can get there at either school. The question is are you all in for the military lifestyle now or do you prefer the more relaxed environment of a civilian college? If you are sold on the idea of a civilian college I think you have settled on the best one...but I am biased. ;-)

Good luck.
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What you have just said is exactly the reason I am considering Notre Dame more. As for financial aid, I have already received my package, and it was very generous. My parents and I have already discussed that if chose to go there even without an AFROTC scholarship it would be affordable. Thanks for the advice!
 
CincyAFACandidate said:
What you have just said is exactly the reason I am considering Notre Dame more. As for financial aid, I have already received my package, and it was very generous. My parents and I have already discussed that if chose to go there even without an AFROTC scholarship it would be affordable. Thanks for the advice!
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That is great news!
 
CincyAFACandidate said:
What you have just said is exactly the reason I am considering Notre Dame more. As for financial aid, I have already received my package, and it was very generous. My parents and I have already discussed that if chose to go there even without an AFROTC scholarship it would be affordable. Thanks for the advice!
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Just to throw in some perspective, the path to a commission through OTS is extremely long and competitive. It routinely takes applicants up to 2 years from when they first speak to an officer recruiter to when they actually enter active duty. Also, the OTS commissioning program is the USAF's faucet that they routinely turn on and off to augment personnel needs. The past few years of OTS boards have abysmal selection rates. . . like as low as 2% to entire boards cancelled altogether (0% selected). No one knows when or if the pendulum will swing the other way and rates increase.

My point is not to bank on the idea of skipping AFROTC to commission later through OTS. It is far-and-away the path with the most uncertain outcome.
 
CincyAFACandidate said:
I recently received a USAFA appointment; however, even though I made it through the application process I still have reservations about going there.

The main reason I am hesitant is because I am not 100% sure. I am not sure if I want to go to USAFA, and I'm not sure if I even want to be an officer. I heard that you should only go there if you are sure it is right for you, and that you want to become an officer above all other career goals. Originally, I applied with the goal of becoming a developmental engineer or going into cyber warfare. I have always been interested in engineering, and no matter where I end up I will be majoring in it. I have heard that even if I am lucky enough to receive one of these jobs, there is little actual engineering, and it is mostly contracting and management. By following this path, I will be more of an officer and less of an engineer, which does not exactly line up with my priorities. Don't get me wrong, I am big into leadership and service, and becoming an officer is certainly an interest to me, I just don't think that the goal of becoming an officer is as high as the goal of becoming an engineer. Overall, I am uncertain if I am truly willing to make all of the sacrifices associated with becoming an officer, and that uncertainty scares me.

On the other hand, my main other choice is attending the University of Notre Dame in their engineering college (I know they aren't exactly known for engineering, but out of all of the civilian schools I have determined that this one is the best fit for me). I could do afrotc, but again, I am not sure if this is the best path for my career goals.

Right now, I am leaning towards Notre Dame for all of the reasons I have stated above, yet I still can't get USAFA out of my head. Maybe that's just because of all of the work I put into applying for it. Is it still worth a try given my uncertainty? Should I just go to Notre Dame if I am more certain I will be happy there? I know this is a decision I need to make on my own, but does anyone have any advice or similar experiences they are willing to share?
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I'm exceedingly jealous of the problem you're met with--that of which top-tier university you should choose. That aside, if you are truly unsure whether you will be happy at USAFA (i.e there's a chance you might be unhappy and drop out), I'd choose Notre Dame. If you attend USAFA, worst case scenario you drop out and are out of luck for the next year or so before CO 2027 starts (unless you somehow manage to get into a school for the spring semester). Notre Dame is certainly more flexible than a service academy would be; I could be wrong, but from my year at a civilian university and from what I know about service academies, I'd wager that a civilian university gives you more freedom and choice in what you do.

For a bit of an outdated anecdote, my AP World History teacher in high school had a similar dilemma to you, except this was about 35 years ago. He was torn between a high level civilian university and West Point, having acceptance letters from both. He chose West Point, and soon thereafter, he found out that he absolutely hated it. He completed a year, then dropped out and went to a civilian university (can't remember which right now). A similar thing happened with my Calculus 1 professor, again with West Point (maybe USMA is cursed?).

Of course, you're not my AP World History teacher or Calc 1 professor, and your experience might be completely different--you might choose USAFA and find that you acclimate well to the lifestyle, and you end up loving it. You should, as other posters in this thread have suggested, talk to some current Air Force officers and current USAFA cadets before you make any decision. Regardless, I think the civilian school is the safer of the choices, but no matter what you do, I'm sure you'll be successful.
 
Are you willing to bury your friends? Are you willing to die for your country? Are you willing to give up your freedoms?

Hard questions, and there's absolutely no shame in saying "no," but the military isn't for you if you can't answer "yes."

USAFA is an amazing school, but you have to remember that military commitment. You'll be an officer. You'll be expected to serve, and maybe even go to war. So if you don't really and truly want to be a soldier, I would say Notre Dame is the bets choice.

But you want to be an engineer? In the Army, they get to blow stuff up (not sure about USAF). Sounds like fun to me.
 
Notre Dame is a top tier University. If you KNOW you want to go there, but you aren't really sure if you truly want to be an AF Officer, then I think going to ND and enrolling in AFROTC, is a great way to learn more about the Air Force to see if that is something you want to pursue. If you try it out and determine it's not for you, then you are still following your dream of becoming an Engineer through ND, so there is nothing lost. My DD was well into the application cycle for the academies and discerned that her heart wasn't in it. She still desired to serve in the military, but wanted the civilian college experience. I suggested she just keep her academy application open and continue to see if she would get an appointment and then she would have options to choose from. in the end She was adamant that she had already made her decision and pulled her applications. She chose Notre Dame, majored in engineering, did NROTC, was an RA and loved her experience there. She is serving in the Navy now, but has no regrets that she didn't go to the academy. Dig deep to see where your passion really lies. What made you think about applying to the academy and wanting to be in the military to begin with? Do you feel excited about the opportunity to become an officer? You don't have to think about being a CAREER Air Force Officer, but think about what 5 years as an Air Force Officer would be like? What doors would be opened for you to continue the path toward becoming an engineer when you leave the service? What is in your heart? You have presented two amazing opportunities, but only you can decide.
 
As you say above you are not 100% sure.................. 40/70 rule this applies to many aspects of life.
Colin Powell has a rule of thumb about making tough decisions that I feel is helpful when facing such situations. He says that every time you face a tough decision you should have no less than forty percent and no more than seventy percent of the information you need to make the decision. Best of luck on your decision!
 
Short & Sweet Version - There are no wrong decisions! different paths will lead you to the same place.
 
Seriously I don’t see this as such a tough decision.

You seem to have no interest in attending a SA, nor serving on AD. You main goal seems to becoming an engineer and not a commissioned military officer.

And the only thing pulling you toward the USAFA is the fact you put so much work in already.

Enjoy the ND football games and the wonderful life of a college student on a great campus. Everything you have said so far spells out——the USAFA is not for me.
 
CincyAFACandidate said:
I recently received a USAFA appointment; however, even though I made it through the application process I still have reservations about going there.

The main reason I am hesitant is because I am not 100% sure. I am not sure if I want to go to USAFA, and I'm not sure if I even want to be an officer. I heard that you should only go there if you are sure it is right for you, and that you want to become an officer above all other career goals. Originally, I applied with the goal of becoming a developmental engineer or going into cyber warfare. I have always been interested in engineering, and no matter where I end up I will be majoring in it. I have heard that even if I am lucky enough to receive one of these jobs, there is little actual engineering, and it is mostly contracting and management. By following this path, I will be more of an officer and less of an engineer, which does not exactly line up with my priorities. Don't get me wrong, I am big into leadership and service, and becoming an officer is certainly an interest to me, I just don't think that the goal of becoming an officer is as high as the goal of becoming an engineer. Overall, I am uncertain if I am truly willing to make all of the sacrifices associated with becoming an officer, and that uncertainty scares me.

On the other hand, my main other choice is attending the University of Notre Dame in their engineering college (I know they aren't exactly known for engineering, but out of all of the civilian schools I have determined that this one is the best fit for me). I could do afrotc, but again, I am not sure if this is the best path for my career goals.

Right now, I am leaning towards Notre Dame for all of the reasons I have stated above, yet I still can't get USAFA out of my head. Maybe that's just because of all of the work I put into applying for it. Is it still worth a try given my uncertainty? Should I just go to Notre Dame if I am more certain I will be happy there? I know this is a decision I need to make on my own, but does anyone have any advice or similar experiences they are willing to share?
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Hi - it is a big decision and as others have said, you need to do what is best for you. Agree with the advice provided for you to continue to explore and decide. My son C24 is at USAFA now and is very happy. He was accepted to all the big name colleges including the one you are considering. At one of his visits to an AF Detachment in New York State (a top engineering school) he spoke to the the Captain there (who also attended USAFA) he told my son, you get one shot at USAFA, civilian college will be there and you can change your mind. Keep researching, visiting, talking, then listen to your gut - you will find the right answer. Best of luck to you! Congrats on your acceptances!
 
It's a tough decision but I wanted to throw out that I knew very little about the Air Force when I decided to dive in an go to USAFA. The only thing I knew was that I wanted to do something technical, likely with physics or space physics and that I wanted to play tennis (that's the real reason I went to USAFA initially). Because I didn't know what being a scientist would really look like in the real world, USAFA was an attractive option. It would give me time to learn about the Air Force (the first two years you can leave any time - no commitment or payback needed until you start junior year) and if I happened to like it, a chance to get some solid work experience prior to my planned career as a scientist. I only ended up playing tennis my first two and part of my 3rd year (injury) but at that point it didn't matter. I wasn't there for tennis anymore, I was there because the Air Force was what I wanted.

Fast forward 10 years (!!!!!!!) and I am still in, about to pin on Major and have no plans to get out. My perspective on the Air Force and what it meant to be an Air Force officer totally changed once I was actually at USAFA. I loved everything about it and while it's true I do less hands on science, I have finagled my way into an assignment where I get to lead and direct research AND when I have time, do some research myself. Currently working on 3 papers for publication and planning a trip to present at some conferences overseas.

My point is, while it is a tough decision, if you think being an Air Force officer might be something you want, it is a great route. This site makes it seem like you need to be 100% all in before you go - I disagree with that. You of course need to want to go FOR YOURSELF and no one else, but you by no means need to be certain it is for you. What 17/18 year-old is certain about what they want to do!? You'll do a lot of maturing over the next few years.

The grass is not always greener on the other side - if you have a desire to serve and feel you belong at USAFA, then go to USAFA. If you have absolutely no desire to serve, don't. If you aren't sure, you can STILL go to USAFA. Worst case you do 1-2 years, make some great friends, knock out some core requirements and transfer out. USAFA doesn't expect everyone to stay - it's built-in to the numbers they accept.

Happy to chat more - the science/engineering side of the Air Force varies greatly in what we do, but I still think we have some of the coolest opportunities around for jobs straight out of college with just a B.S. degree. There are so many opportunities to learn and grow right out of the gate that I don't think exist in the civilian world (but I could be wrong - I'm not in that world!)
 
Serenity623 said:
Hi - it is a big decision and as others have said, you need to do what is best for you. Agree with the advice provided for you to continue to explore and decide. My son C24 is at USAFA now and is very happy. He was accepted to all the big name colleges including the one you are considering. At one of his visits to an AF Detachment in New York State (a top engineering school) he spoke to the the Captain there (who also attended USAFA) he told my son, you get one shot at USAFA, civilian college will be there and you can change your mind. Keep researching, visiting, talking, then listen to your gut - you will find the right answer. Best of luck to you! Congrats on your acceptances!
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Although the civilian college will always be there, the scholarships that you have might not. Some schools do not offer equivalent scholarships to transfer students. I'm not saying this to discourage you from continuing to look at USAFA. But the reality is if you decide to go to USAFA and decide it is not a good fit, you might not be able to get the same offers you have now from Notre Dame. If you could get some sort of guarantee from ND, or if you know their scholarships are equivalent for transfers, or if most of your scholarships are based on financial need, then that is a different story. Just something to consider in your decision making process.
 
ProudMom7 said:
Although the civilian college will always be there, the scholarships that you have might not. Some schools do not offer equivalent scholarships to transfer students. I'm not saying this to discourage you from continuing to look at USAFA. But the reality is if you decide to go to USAFA and decide it is not a good fit, you might not be able to get the same offers you have now from Notre Dame. If you could get some sort of guarantee from ND, or if you know their scholarships are equivalent for transfers, or if most of your scholarships are based on financial need, then that is a different story. Just something to consider in your decision making process.
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Agree with you, ProudMom7, the ROTC scholarship would be over if you go SA and then change your mind. The HSSP ROTC would no longer apply - then the likely route would be to talk directly to the detachment to see if you could try to re-enter the program, but first getting re-accepted to ND later may or may not go as planned. Keep in mind SA credits and transferability. My point was that civilian colleges will be there.
 
Agree with all above, great posts, experiences, and perspectives.

If this were a poll, i'd pick Attend.

USAFA saw something in you and they know what they're doing. You don't have to self-actualize as an 18 year old - only to be OPEN and put in FULL EFFORT (mainly attitude) for whatever path you chose. Recognize that you may have doubts that all high school seniors now face - the really, really real reality of going to college or an SA. And perhaps just a tinge of Post-Olympic SA Offer of Acceptance Depression - like you worked, and worked, and worked to get here and now......a bit uncentered with the reality of actually getting that elephant out of the way and then, wait a minute, now this is real!

I'd only be repeating what everyone else has said, so here is some mindset:
You can go from one to the other, but very unlikely the opposite way. Do not give up your seat so easily.
 
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