USCGA vs USAFA FS

S

stinky.pinky

Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2022
Messages
21
Hi guys! As May 1st is coming around the corner I really need outside opinions on the decision I need to make. I was luckily given a direct appointment to USCGA and a Falcon Scholarship for USAFA. USAFA has been my dream school since freshman year so I had the time to do thorough research and also had the opportunity to be invited to the FVE leading me to know much more about USAFA than USCGA. For USCGA, I have only attended AIM and have not had many oppurtunities to hear about student life and the coast guard lifestyle in depth as much as USAFA.

Overall, the starting point of my service academy application was USAFA as I applied there knowing I would have much more oppurtunities in flying and receiving a pilot slot. But as I research USCGA I am also open to their humanitarian aspect of service and small-knit community. I won't say I am super eager (but definitely prefer) for a rated career in USAFA making me think that USCGA is more of an option than before, but my instincts are leaning towards USAFA and taking that extra year of prep. I also got accepted to USCGA for civil engineering but would major in either aeronautical engineering or physics if I was to go to USAFA which also makes me lean towards USAFA. But again, I feel like this judgment is coming from the lack of personal experiences I have heard from students/graduates of USCGA.

I wanted to come to this thread to ask if anyone has insights regarding lifestyles/student culture in USCGA (before and after graduation) and what path you would take. I am open to reading anything about USCGA so I can give both schools a fair chance to make my lifelong decision! Thank you!!
 
They’re two very different services, choose the mission that appeals to you most. Some of the most miserable cadets at any service academy are ones convinced another branch is better and they’re at an inferior academy. Don’t do that to yourself.
 
It sounds like you are interested in being a pilot. At outreach events, the Admission Officers have frequently stated that the Coast Guard has the highest percentage of pilots of all the services. Not the highest number, but the highest percentage. Each year about 10% of the graduating class gets billets to flight school. But many others are able to get into flight school as their 2nd or 3rd billet. As long as you are qualified to be a pilot and perform well, you have a good chance of making that happen in the Coast Guard.

The main https://uscga.edu page has a lot of information. There is a lot for you to consider, and if USAFA has been your dream school, then maybe that is the way to go. Only you can figure out which one would be best for you.
 
Last edited:
Some extra things to consider:

How do you feel about being at sea? The vast majority of USCGA grads end up on cutters immediately after graduation.

What type of social environment do you want? Talking to my USCG friends, they say that the USCG is very much a big fish, small pond scenario. The amount of times I have name dropped someone and somebody knew them personally or at least knew of them is a lot higher compared to the DoD services.

If you want to fly, the USCG takes most of their pilots from the Fleet and other services. That said, USAF has more flying careers.

What makes USAFA your dream school? This is not meant to torpedo USAFA as a school or your dreams at all. One thing that I try to ask myself a lot when given different opportunities is if I actually want to live the life X provides me or do I just like the idea of opportunity X? For example, if you think USAFA is awesome and can't wait to be a cadet, but you aren't into serving in the Air Force, then you will be setting yourself up for disappointment.

Try contacting a local USAFR/ANG unit and (if one is close by) and a USCG unit and see if they could give you a tour. You can talk to people and they can show you what they do.

Best of luck and congrats on having a good problem!
 
They send approximately 20 CGA grads each year to flight school, and beyond that they say that every Coast Guard officer that wants flight training can usually get a shot at it within a few years (as long as you do the task in front of you well and get a decent CO recommendation.) So you may get a shot to fly in either service, but that's just the beginning of the choice. What are you flying (mostly MH-60/C-130J or just about anything) and where are you flying it (air stations around the periphery of the US or Air Force bases around the world) and what are you doing (SAR and support or just about anything.) The missions are different and that'll dictate a lot about how and where you live as your career progresses.

But that's not the full story either, because while that larger, more varied service has a ton of options, there's a lot more specialization. That's both good and bad, as you get to do your mission, but it's mostly all you get to do. Meanwhile Coast Guard has only a few types of aircraft to cover all their missions, so you'll do what needs doing as it comes up. It's also reflected in the fact that there are only two real flight communities in the Coast Guard (helo and fixed wing) more or less only doing pilot or copilot in their frame, but there are more types of missions in the Air Force (fast pointy things with guns, big slow ones with microwaves and bathrooms, big fast ones with bombs or comm gear, ones that carry gas, drones, helos, and other ones no one talks about, etc etc etc) and more types of flying jobs in the Air Force (pilot, copilot, navigator, combat systems officer, drone / RPA crew, test pilot, etc.) Ask around to see how much opportunity there might be to move from job to job or platform to platform in each service, but know that the starting points are quite different in terms of how broad the mission scopes are.

Also, think about yourself and why you want to fly. Is it the general majesty of flight, the weightless floating through the beauty of God's creation, or actively serving our country through search and rescue and law enforcement duties, or "We're too close for missiles, switching to guns" and an A10 running the length of a convoy raining fire and empty shell casings for miles. There's never any guarantee that you'll get to choose your platform and community in any service, but if there is a specific thing you are dreaming of you probably want to be able to articulate it (to yourself at least) so you have a better chance of getting it. Some differences: USAF has jets, bombs, a wide range of missions, lots of bases in great and awful places and a huge bureaucracy, while USCG is smaller, with fewer air platforms but less specialization within a narrower scope of missions, mostly OK to awesome base locations in the US and a less huge bureaucracy. If the smaller service encompasses what you want you might be happier in the USCG not having to deal with the rest of the things you don't care about. If the smaller service doesn't have what you want then go where you can get that itch scratched.

There are differences in the cultures, the typical length of assignments and shape of careers, how hard things are on families and health and sanity, but those can vary by community within the same service, so comparing the ops tempo of the Coast Guard versus the Air Force doesn't make much sense because heavies and refueling and RPAs and special forces and so on are all quite unique. So go gather more anecdotal data from people in the various branches, read up where this question has been answered before, and in the end know that they are both pretty cool options that can have you retired in your 50s with plenty of flying years ahead of you. good luck.
 
stinky.pinky said:
Hi guys! As May 1st is coming around the corner I really need outside opinions on the decision I need to make. I was luckily given a direct appointment to USCGA and a Falcon Scholarship for USAFA. USAFA has been my dream school since freshman year so I had the time to do thorough research and also had the opportunity to be invited to the FVE leading me to know much more about USAFA than USCGA. For USCGA, I have only attended AIM and have not had many oppurtunities to hear about student life and the coast guard lifestyle in depth as much as USAFA.

Overall, the starting point of my service academy application was USAFA as I applied there knowing I would have much more oppurtunities in flying and receiving a pilot slot. But as I research USCGA I am also open to their humanitarian aspect of service and small-knit community. I won't say I am super eager (but definitely prefer) for a rated career in USAFA making me think that USCGA is more of an option than before, but my instincts are leaning towards USAFA and taking that extra year of prep. I also got accepted to USCGA for civil engineering but would major in either aeronautical engineering or physics if I was to go to USAFA which also makes me lean towards USAFA. But again, I feel like this judgment is coming from the lack of personal experiences I have heard from students/graduates of USCGA.

I wanted to come to this thread to ask if anyone has insights regarding lifestyles/student culture in USCGA (before and after graduation) and what path you would take. I am open to reading anything about USCGA so I can give both schools a fair chance to make my lifelong decision! Thank you!!
Click to expand...
IF part of your reservations are related to doing a sponsored prep year, vs direct into USCGA, my advice would be to highly consider the FFS. If no reservation there, then stop reading now😉.
It sounds to me like AF is more of your mission. (Only you know this, but that's what I read).
Too many young people are in a big hurry. A year of Sponsored Prep is likely more of a blessing than many realize at first. Until they do it!
Almost all report that they were very glad it happened. You WILL be better prepared. You will make very close lifelong bonds with your fellow FFS appointees, that will help you sustain your path through the Academy. (Especially as a Doolie). You will show up on day one already friends with a dozen or two others.
And, Importantly, there are hard statistics showing former prep Cadets have better results and retention.
While a year of Prep is not a guaranteed appointment, it almost certainly is going to happen. So, unless there's a dire financial hurdle, (FFS not ENTIRELY free, but pretty close), I dare say, if a kid can't handle a year of prep successfully, he/she 's gonna wash out Doolie yr, or after, anyhow. Just my opinion, but I feel the Prep year is a HUGE advantage.
 
Who knows. 10 years from now you may be wishing you went Army. Or a state school and never a day in the military.

Our childhood visions and dreams often change over time especially when we are looking at different options none of which we have any first hand direct experience with.

This is not only different services it’s the difference between a direct admit to a SA vs a year at Prep School

then if you do well at prep , don’t get into any trouble, stay healthy you will almost certainly get into the SA next year.

If you need the extra year of prep this is a no brainer. If you don’t need it this is not a no brainer.

But in 10 years or so you will have some insight into which was or should have been the best decision for you.

No connection with the CG at all. But based on reports I have seen ( on grads?? ) they are the single happiest service members based on their retention rate after a first tour. Once in more stay.
 
USCGA student life and coast guard lifestyle? Better jump on YouTube, so many things there. Also Facebook, pduddy pictures. He is a USCGA graduate who is unofficial campus photographer. Has practically unlimited access from Day 1 of Swab Summer to Graduation.
 
Sounds like you want to be a pilot. Consider the following:
Would you be happier doing the mission set that the Coast Guard performs or the one that the Air Force performs?
If you didn't get your #1 platform choice as a pilot, (not necessarily speaking in specific types here, more broadly fighters/heavies/rotary/etc) would you be happier with the alternative(s) in the Coast Guard or Air Force?
If you are not selected for a pilot slot, which service offers more jobs that appeal to you?

More generally speaking:
Which campus culture do you prefer? I know you say you don't know a lot about CGA, but there are resources out there that you can use to research that aspect of campus life and many more.
Do you have a preference geographically speaking? (Closer to home, farther from home, close to the coast, etc)

Food for thought.
 
Am I reading correctly that it has long been your dream to attend the USAFA, and that they have offered you a prep school scholarship which will allow you to bolster/prepare/best position yourself for success as you reapply to the USAFA next year? If so, is it that you have the proverbial bird in hand for USCGA, and a riskier path to USAFA through the falcon?

With regards to wanting to be a pilot,
1. have you been up in the air, taken a free young eagles program flight, or basic flight lesson to see how you like it? (not everyone who thinks they will like it, does)
2. Can you afford to get a class 1 flight physical with a physician/ team who does these for the military, to ensure you don't have an ocular or health condition that would preclude you from flying for the military, or as an ATP pilot for the airlines? Better to know this now if so. Friend of my DS is working through a medical waiver in hopes to keep his Marine-Air contract for an issue found last Fall - he surely wishes he had known there was an issue before completing his training over the past 2 summers and getting hyped about this dream.

It's fair you're thinking about the next 4-5 years and student life, and it's great you're also thinking about paths to fly. If you fly your service time through flight school and service will far exceed your 4 years at school- so think about the long game too.

One other consideration - if you cannot get a pilot slot through either opportunity, but end up serving as an officer, which path offers plan B, C positions that would most appeal to you. Which mission would you most want to support? How comfortable are you being out to sea/ water-adjacent based?

Congrats on your paths forward - knee-jerk reaction is to recommend you "go for it" if your passion for USAFA is that strong through the falcon, but you do you.
 
If USAF has been your dream why muddy it up? If you walk out of CGA swab summer or first year trying to figure it out your window may have “slightly” closed for AF. You can always reapply after leaving CGA or go AFROTC. If you dont become a pilot where would you be happier?

Just know they always say appointed to CGAS is direct appointment only for YOU to lose. No difference for Falcon Scholarship it prepares you to be successful.
 
My son is currently in UPT---even some that have flown ( solo/PPL) prior to UPT end up leaving the program. Flying upside-down, hard banks, G's, etc. in a T-6 is not for everyone as well.
Herman_Snerd said:
With regards to wanting to be a pilot,
1. have you been up in the air, taken a free young eagles program flight, or basic flight lesson to see how you like it? (not everyone who thinks they will like it, does)
Click to expand...
 
I got an appointment to USAFA and USCGA but denied my USCGA, I was in your boat, I attended AIM last year but it has been my dream to go to USAFA for years, you attended AIM aswell so you realize how much emphasise they place on their mission more than USAFA in my opinion. For me I was majorly debating the missions and what I would want to do with my future and I ended going with my gut of USAFA since its been my dream. If you take PS you can spend that time learning about both and apply to both SA again and narrow down your wants. Goodluck to you
 
Blueapple said:
I got an appointment to USAFA and USCGA but denied my USCGA, I was in your boat, I attended AIM last year but it has been my dream to go to USAFA for years, you attended AIM aswell so you realize how much emphasise they place on their mission more than USAFA in my opinion. For me I was majorly debating the missions and what I would want to do with my future and I ended going with my gut of USAFA since its been my dream. If you take PS you can spend that time learning about both and apply to both SA again and narrow down your wants. Goodluck to you
Click to expand...
Thank you for your input. I did end up accepting my Falcon Foundation Scholarship yesterday!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top