USMA then jets

OK, I have to ask the "elephant in the room" question: If you goal is to fly, and fly fixed wing jets, why are you applying to West Point instead of the AFA? :scratch:

Did I miss something? Have you been given an appointment for USMA and not AFA, and that is why you want to know how to eventually get to UPT?

Just curious, no disrespect meant to either institution. It just seems you immediate plans aren't matching your long term goals....
 
yea i guess i didnt explain myself very well. i applied to all academies. so far have an appt to USMA and USMMA. i didnt get into USNA and awaiting to hear from USCGA and USAFA.

i want to fly. i realize the USMMA has slots but im not interested in A. maritime degrees B. 11 month school year studying somethin i dont neseccarily care for while balancing a job as well.

USAFA was my first choice. I went to summer seminar and got best in my flight award; however whenever i do find out from them i would bet my math ACTs arent high enough for there exeedingly high standards.

i want to fly. that has been my goal from day 1.

so bullet any possible advice would be greatly appreciated in obtaining my goal. i no my mentality rite now may be a rather polish plan but im willing to try it.
 
There are so many issues here that it is difficult to find a starting point.

First off, I have to ask why did you apply to West Point?

Secondly, interservice transfers upon graduation. They seem to be a viable part of the history of the service academies. They do promote cooperation and understanding. Therefore they should be endorsed. With that said, the Army is in the middle of an officer recruiting/retention crisis and I am sure that transfers is a bottom priority. In the not to distant past, a dozen or so WP graduates each year would apply and be accepted in a sister service. How many applied? We don’t know. Probably pretty good odds though. Now, due to Iraq, it is much less. By the time you graduate, will it increase back to the dozen or so? Who knows. Anytime one deals with boards, each board has specific ‘marching orders’ and historical data is of little relevance. In the past, one or two Woops each year seemed to find their way into Naval Aviation. I know a few fighter pilots. Not impossible. A viable way to realize your dream though? I doubt it. Much more direct routes.

Interservice transfer after the initial commitment. Age rears its ugly head. For Naval Aviation, the age cutoff for acceptance is 26 years old with a couple of years’ waiver for prior service. Again, a waiver. Again, a board. Who knows what each board will recommend. Air Force allows one to enter if they can graduate prior to the age of 30, I think. Will the Army release you prior to your reserve commitment? Probably not, now. Who knows in 9 years. Again, another board.

My advice would be if you really want to fly jets, an admirable goal, by the way, is to set yourself up on the most probable pipeline. Wait to hear from AFA. If it is negative, go to a good four year college, take the courses to mirror first year AFA and USNA and apply again. A one year delay is better than a five year delay.

But again, why did to waste the time to apply to USMA? I would think long and hard about an Army career totally exclusive of flying jets, before I gave up a sure thing. Make sure jets are what you really want. And then be prepared for the naysayers on this forum who will tell you that jets are not a guarantee. All I can say is that it is definitely not a guarantee if you don’t try.
 
If you want to fly jets, USAFA and USNA would be the way to go. If not, then NROTC or AFROTC. I couldn't put any money on you switching from CGA to AFA (I know of one person who tried...and it didn't happen). You would have one "jet" to fly in the USCG, and that would be the HU-25 (probably not the kind of jet you're looking for). I also wouldn't put much money in USCG to USAF. Other than that, if you go USMA be prepared to pound dirt and USCGA be prepared to be on a ship. If you are willing to do those things if you never fly, then go for it, but if that stuff looks terrible, then check out the ROTC route too, especially if you don't get USAFA. Someone already asked about USMMA, and USAF is an option out of that academy, so don't discount it.
 
i want to fly. that has been my goal from day 1.
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If you don't get USAFA or USNA you have other options.
One is to go to ROTC - you can consider a program like the AF ROTC at Embry-Riddle. There you will fly right away.

Also consider the Marine PLC Guaranteed Aviation program. You can go to any college of your choice - all the training is in the summer and you will begin flying as an undergrad.
 
Just_A_Mom said:
If you don't get USAFA or USNA you have other options.
One is to go to ROTC - you can consider a program like the AF ROTC at Embry-Riddle. There you will fly right away.

Also consider the Marine PLC Guaranteed Aviation program. You can go to any college of your choice - all the training is in the summer and you will begin flying as an undergrad.
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JAM's got a good point here, I personally think your number one goal should be to become an officer first and be available to the needs of the service, of course it wouldn't hurt to have preferences.
 
pknguyen44 said:
JAM's got a good point here, I personally think your number one goal should be to become an officer first and be available to the needs of the service, of course it wouldn't hurt to have preferences.
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Certainly doesn't hurt retention to have preferences and work towards those preferences.
 
As a flyers wife and now a Mom of a child chasing the flying dream...it is important to realize you should never join to be a pilot, many things can happen that might not get you there. Your desire should be the best officer in the military.

I say this A LOT...you will not be commissioned as a Pilot or Navigator, you will be commissioned as a 2nd Lt.

Don't join a branch for any other reason than wanting to wear that uniform.
 
N985SP said:
i want to fly. i realize the USMMA has slots but im not interested in A. maritime degrees B. 11 month school year studying somethin i dont neseccarily care for while balancing a job as well.
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I'm going to flame you a bit here so standby:

If you are not interested in either of the major things that KP offers then why in the world did you apply?

And the better question is why haven't you declined your acceptance yet so somebody who actually does want those two things can be offered your slot.
 
kp2001 said:
If you are not interested in either of the major things that KP offers then why in the world did you apply?
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It's an epidemic. A guess might be that it is the school counselors and /or the MOC Academy reps that are pushing the MMA for those that they feel are not quite up to the 'big 3' standards..
 
Interesting....when they aren't up to CGA standards, they usually send them USNA's way...that's what I could have done. Might term them the "big 3 back ups" Oldgrad. :rolleyes:
 
LITS - I am not sure what you are insinuating here - sarcasm, eye rolling and all. This discussion is not about the CGA and a Congressman would not be getting involved in CGA admissions - you of all people should know that.
How about a little civility here?

The fact is - it is true. USMMA is not as well known as USNA and in many many congressional districts the competition for a USNA nomination is quite stiff. More than a few Congressmen suggest to USNA and other SA candidates that they apply to USMMA as well, I know my congressman did suggest it to my daughter.

My congressman has a box to check off on the application:
If you are offered a nomination to the United States Merchant Marine Academy will you accept it? ___ Yes ___No

I know kids who have been called and the Congressman has said - sorry, I don't have a nomination for you this year to USXA, will you accept a nomination to the USMMA.

This is a double-edged sword. It does give kids the option to check out USMMA if they have never heard of it before - also it encourages kids to apply anyway even if they aren't sure or don't want to attend.
 
My suggestion would be that we keep this thread on the subject - which is the viability of this young man planning on branch xferring in order to fly high performance aircraft. KP2001's comment though about questioning why someone would apply for an appointment to any one of the academies if they aren't interested in the core mission or academics at that school though is a really good topic and I would suggest that maybe it's worth a thread of its own. As JAM pointed out- while you can understand an MOC 's reasoning for asking about an appointment to USMMA- if the youngster hasn't thought about the implications of the school that definitely is a two edged sword.

Comments about USMMA or USCGA vs the other "big 3" academies are not conducive to that discussion so let's not go down that road ok??
 
Taking Bruno's suggestion....

N98, let's summarize:

- In answer to your original question (can you transfer from one academy to another service in order to pursue a certain career field, in your case flying jets): Yes, it can be done, bu it is very rare and in reality not very likely.

- Can you serve your commitment and then go on to another service. Short answer, yes. But the timeline to do this probably won't fit the plans you mention.

IMHO, you say your goal is to fly, and you're really not interested in tehtypes of environment and opportunities at soem of the other academies you've been accepted to. So, what do you do?

Well, I think there are other paths to your goal you SHOULD consider. If the goal is flying fixed wing jets, then your the best ways to get you to that goal is to get accepted into the USAF or USNA flight pipelines. First step to these is to get a commission. AFA, USNA, ROTC for either, or OTS for either are the paths you'll need to select from. There are other paths, but they are less likely.

Now, if you don't get USNA or AFA, it's time for you to make some really hard decision.s Go to a four year college for now and prepare yourself for the application process for next year? Just stay with ROTC? Or take my chances with the slim chance that you might be able to transfer if you accept USMA?
Notice, I listed these in teh order I feel gives you the best chance to get to your stated goal. What YOU need to decide now: is this what I really want, or will a career in teh Army / CG, or Merchant Marine be acceptable.

Good luck with what ever you choose...
 
WOW!! Read the whole blog here. Pretty interesting. My only advice for whatever service you choose is ask yourself this question:

"If I don't get to do what I want to do (MOS), will I be happy doing what the XXXXX (fill in branch) wants me to do?" If not, then you may want to look elsewhere. The needs of the service outweigh your desires.

If you don't want USMA, then let one of the thousands of young kids who really want to go to the USMA take your place. It's the moral and ethical right thing to do.

Good Luck
 
oldgrad said:
Not necessarily. Once committed, yes; however, in the 'decision' stage, personal desires are very important.
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Not necessarily. You may think you're "making the decision" but in the end, "they" decide....again, needs of the service, which ever service you join.
 
LineInTheSand said:
Not necessarily. You may think you're "making the decision" but in the end, "they" decide....again, needs of the service, which ever service you join.
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Well...Yes- except that I believe Oldgrad was referrring to the "do I jump or not" stage of the decision process which absolutely is yours to make. The point being that what you really want to do is where you should start from. Once you are past the point of no return- "They" may make your personal desires expendable because of the needs of the service but if you really want to be an aerospace engineer and have no interest in the ocean then for certain your desires should be leading somewhere other than USMMA for example. Similarly if you really want to be a jet pilot then you probably should be looking at USAFA or USNA where you have the best chance of accomplishing that. Absolutely your personal desires and how you can achieve them should be a huge factor in what choices you make. And- even after you are committed - your dream sheet does carry some weight. It has to be balanced against what the service ultimately needs but even then skillful negotiating by someone who really knows what they desire will get you a long way.
 
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