I also find it weird how USAFA does it. It's not the end of the world to not get the certificate, but Army and Navy (both on the service academy side and the ROTC side) have all sent the BFE within maybe 5 days max of the decision being made. They have the same evaluations and hard work to do to review slates, evaluate candidates, etc., etc. I don't think anyone is fretting about receiving the appointment certificate if they've received one, but that also doesn't mean that it's not something that should be addressed by USAFA.
My opinion only, but USAFA has the worst portal, the interactions throughout the process have been the least engaging, no opportunity for CVW...I'm sure there's more I could point out... but from my perspective, their processes and communications seem to me to be the least robust/mature.
My son doesn't fret about getting the glossy folder with the appointment certificate and it's most definitely not an entitlement mentality, but it's a minor symptom among many of the same problem that was recognized by
@TheToast and others. It's an easy crutch to say get used to waiting for the military/government or your priorities are misplaced if you care about receiving a certificate, but they need to understand most of these kids have a lot of awesome options. If a kid has options of some of the top civilian schools in the country and also has their pick of any of the service academies, they start looking at the minutiae to make their decisions, and the things that I've pointed out are definitely things that make you wonder whether the disparities in the admissions process carry over to cadet/midshipmen life. To use an oft-used analogy, the USAFA experience has been more like the JV team of the service academies.