What 'back up' colleges did you apply to before choosing USNA?

My son has received an AFROTC Tier 1 scholarship so far. Their deadline to accept/decline is May 1. He has been accepted to TAMU in College Station. Their deadline is also May 1. Still waiting to hear about nominations and SA appointments. I never thought about paying to secure a spot in case he gets an appointment, but gets injured before I-day. I guess if you turn down the scholarship, there is no going back. This is all so complicated!
 
Adopt3 said:
My son has received an AFROTC Tier 1 scholarship so far. Their deadline to accept/decline is May 1. He has been accepted to TAMU in College Station. Their deadline is also May 1. Still waiting to hear about nominations and SA appointments. I never thought about paying to secure a spot in case he gets an appointment, but gets injured before I-day. I guess if you turn down the scholarship, there is no going back. This is all so complicated!
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Yes, you have to decline the scholarship if you accept an Academy. If you want to hold the spot at the school you can as back up, but it is usually non-refundable. The spot will hold if he gets injured over the summer also. My DS accepted AFROTC, AROTC scholarships, and USAFA and didn't turn down the scholarships until May 1st when he declined acceptance to a university. Then there was no looking back and off he went to Colorado.
 
brewer90 said:
DS (current plebe) applied to (and was accepted to) Notre Dame as her back up. She received an ROTC scholarship to do so. We sent the deposit check for $500 to hold her spot just in case.

None of this, in and off itself, is interesting or novel. What I thought WAS interesting and novel is that when I emailed Notre Dame to let them know that she'd ultimately decided to attend USNA, Notre Dame REFUNDED MY $500 DEPOSIT CHECK.

A college returning $? What.... what?
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Thank you for an actual example! Now, what we really want to know....did they refund YOU or your DD? Hahaha!!! I'll bet SHE made $500!

Sounds like I should read the fine print, call admissions, and read any housing contract very carefully, plus ask them the "what if" questions. I am having a very hard time understanding if it's possible to accept an SA appointment while keeping a civilian college into June/July along with merit aid (non-ROTC scholarships) and not break any rules. Perhaps not. Looking most like May 1st it is! and hope for the best.
 
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SETXWarrior said:
This was my DS backup plan, which he also applied for the NROTC scholarship. He received his TWE from USNA, and received the NROTC scholarship. He attended TAMU and was in the Corps (C-2), while re-applying to USNA. The second time around he was offered an appointment to USNA, and I was actually surprised that he accepted USNA as he would have commissioned anyway. God had a much better plan for our DS, and placed him at TAMU for two semesters prior to Plebe Summer, and that year really prepared him for USNA, for which we are extremely thankful.

For anyone looking for a solid plan B, or alternate path to USNA, we cannot stress how solid the TAMU NROTC and Corp Of Cadets is.
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That is my son’s back up plan as well.
 
NROTC Scholarship at the University of Washington was Plan B for DS. We did not send a deposit in to hold his spot through I-Day in case of injury. I don't even remember thinking about doing that. After he accepted his appointment, we thought it was better to open that UW slot and the NROTC scholarship to someone who would use it. I guess we could have begged UW Admissions if something had happened, but thankfully nothing did and he was able to enjoy Plebe Summer in sunny Annapolis ;)
 
Actual example: DD made a nonrefundable down-payment on fall quarter tuition at the University of Washington.

When we returned from I-Day I advised the UW that DD would be attending the USNA. It was no big surprise to UW (admission office offered their congratulations)

1) I was right to insist that DD include the UW in her applications. It really doesn't make a lot of sense to pay $250-300K for an undergrad degree from a private school when a quality public school is available at $110K. A 3.0 GPA from Yale isn't as good as a 3.7 from Penn State for Grad application purposes. Besides admissions are strongly influenced by GRE, LSAT, MCAT ...... With few exceptions undergrad degrees just don't matter much these days. ...... And, "I need to get away"-----REALLY?!? you "Need" a $300K+ " 4year Adventure" in Boston?

2) As a public school, the UW does not impose any regulations on where a freshman has to live. Accordingly, there were no requirements to make housing deposits, sign residency contracts Etc.. We just paid the $200 had a freshman year option if her plans for USNA blew a seam.

I understand that ROTC scholarships would complicate things and that a DD/DS might have some pretty hot plan Bs. That said why not apply to the Public University up/down the road if for no reason than it allows for a needed "martin-baker option" relative to a SA right up to "I Dos" on I-Day.
 
THParent said:
I don't understand the curiosity, to tell you the truth. They are Midshipmen now. What does it matter?
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It matters to me!! And no one is obligated to post a reply!! 😂😂

As a middle school/ high school educator AND a parent going through this process for the first time, I am even more impressed with USNA after seeing what other **amazing** options that students are turning down to attend this fine institution! To me it raises the caliber of students that MY student (might ??) be with next year. DS has just been awarded an NROTC scholarship at UCLA. We are just weighing out our options. The end path is the same, commissioning. It’s nice to know he will be in good company at USNA. I have five army veterans in my immediate family (father, three brothers, and one sister ) so just considering USNA is a mind blowing option but DS has is heart set on it 💕💕
 
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DS applied to USNA (waitlisted), USAFA (LOA and current Doolie), and USCGA (rejected)

DS received a type 2 AFROTC and a NROTC scholarship and acceptance to the following:

Virginia Tech
Norwich
Texas A&M
VMI
NC State
Lenoir Rhyne
Ga Tech
 
Hopeful Plebe Mom said:
It matters to me!! And no one is obligated to post a reply!! 😂😂

As a middle school/ high school educator AND a parent going through this process for the first time, I am even more impressed with USNA after seeing what other **amazing** options that students are turning down to attend this fine institution! To me it raises the caliber of students that MY student (might ??) be with next year. DS has just been awarded an NROTC scholarship at UCLA. We are just weighing out our options. The end path is the same, commissioning. It’s nice to know he will be in good company at USNA. I have five army veterans in my immediate family (father, three brothers, and one sister ) so just considering USNA is a mind blowing option but DS has is heart set on it 💕💕
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Congratulations...I didn't realize NROTC determinations had been made already. Well done...
 
HCopter said:
How long should you keep backup in place, how'd you do it - securing a spot, scholarship, and room/board, and also any financial considerations, "insurance", like nonrefundable deposits, etc.
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I'm going to give you the right answer to this because DS experienced it back in the day: you keep the back up plan in place until he/she takes the oath on I-Day. Period....and I'm NOT kidding!
 
Every year, there are tough posts to read - all set to go to a SA, breaks shoulder a week before reporting, all safety nets released.

It all depends on your risk profile. Some count a lost deposit as money well spent for peace of mind. Others wait as along as possible or as they can afford.

The good news is there are a lot of colleges who are still open for applications into the summer, so if need be, colleges can be found late in the game.
 
Hopeful Plebe Mom said:
It matters to me!! And no one is obligated to post a reply!! 😂😂
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Exactly...
Kind of the whole idea of a public forum - if you're not interested, don't read it. Truthfully, I wasn't really that interested in this topic until I began to read the responses. Now I find it very interesting to see the many quality options these young people have put in front of them.
 
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