What happens next?

FJ11

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Sep 26, 2023
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Hi all, just curious what happens after a full appointment is accepted? For clarity, my DS received his full appointment and formally replied that he would be accepting. Along with his response he submitted the requested documentation proving he was an eligible US citizen. He received an email from admissions saying it was received. What can he expect to happen next and when does it typically happen? I have read about the BFE that comes with loads of information and to-do's. I expect that is next. Do they start sending this out later in the admissions cycle after most of the class is defined?
 
The BFE will have contain the nice hard cover appointment folder and a variety of paperwork. Along with the papers that will need to be signed and sent back, you’ll need to send the ORIGINAL birth certificate and SS card. It feels weird just sending that away in the mail. They’ll get it back during/after swab summer.

After that, it’s a matter of waiting for the class of 2028 portal to be available. It’ll have the packing list and a TON of paperwork to complete. They will not mail paperwork. You pull it all of the website. Here’s a link for 2027. Sometime in the spring it’ll change to 2028. Should all be mostly the same.

Spend time and read through all the forms to get an idea.

There’s a form for an appointment presentation at their high school, so if you want that, submit that form sooner than later because it can take awhile to get set up.

They’ll create Facebook pages for 2028 appointees, and eventually for parents too. Join that for sure. Tons of helpful information sharing there throughout the process and into swab summer and beyond.

 
The BFE will have contain the nice hard cover appointment folder and a variety of paperwork. Along with the papers that will need to be signed and sent back, you’ll need to send the ORIGINAL birth certificate and SS card. It feels weird just sending that away in the mail. They’ll get it back during/after swab summer.

After that, it’s a matter of waiting for the class of 2028 portal to be available. It’ll have the packing list and a TON of paperwork to complete. They will not mail paperwork. You pull it all of the website. Here’s a link for 2027. Sometime in the spring it’ll change to 2028. Should all be mostly the same.

Spend time and read through all the forms to get an idea.

There’s a form for an appointment presentation at their high school, so if you want that, submit that form sooner than later because it can take awhile to get set up.

They’ll create Facebook pages for 2028 appointees, and eventually for parents too. Join that for sure. Tons of helpful information sharing there throughout the process and into swab summer and beyond.

Thank you! That makes perfect sense.
 
Then be sure to slow down and enjoy senior year and invest in your time together as a family, because the changes come hard and fast by mid-year.

The move into academy life for our third was much more extreme than the more normal paces our older kids experienced. It's limited phone and social media access followed by an incredibly full schedule featuring a rigid leave/libo structure, so there won't be much in the way of casual visits or sneaking home for a surprise weekend or playing hooky for a wedding. Not trying to scare you, but there's still a half year to enjoy together so spend it wisely.
 
If he doesn’t currently have a passport, apply for one now. The rest of the things you’ll need to do won’t take much time.
Great advice. We had picked up on that earlier and his "minor" passport was expiring this month. His renewed passport arrived in the mail this week so we can check that off the list.
 
Then be sure to slow down and enjoy senior year and invest in your time together as a family, because the changes come hard and fast by mid-year.

The move into academy life for our third was much more extreme than the more normal paces our older kids experienced. It's limited phone and social media access followed by an incredibly full schedule featuring a rigid leave/libo structure, so there won't be much in the way of casual visits or sneaking home for a surprise weekend or playing hooky for a wedding. Not trying to scare you, but there's still a half year to enjoy together so spend it wisely.

We have been working on just that...trying to find ways to spend time together. It is hard as we are all so busy (DS's schedule is tough) but we are also counting down the days. There aren't that many days left before R-day. We have tickets to see his favorite NBA team and are planning a trip to Broadway to see a show and visit friends. There are only 3 weeks between his graduation and R-day. Trying to figure out what we can do during that time. We were thinking a trip somewhere but that may be too much. Lucky for us....we are only 2:45 from New London so we should be able to catch some games (he is playing a sport) and maybe get him off campus for a minute when he has leave/libo. We were thinking we could get a hotel and just let him catch his breath and share a meal.
 
The BFE will have contain the nice hard cover appointment folder and a variety of paperwork. Along with the papers that will need to be signed and sent back, you’ll need to send the ORIGINAL birth certificate and SS card. It feels weird just sending that away in the mail. They’ll get it back during/after swab summer.

After that, it’s a matter of waiting for the class of 2028 portal to be available. It’ll have the packing list and a TON of paperwork to complete. They will not mail paperwork. You pull it all of the website. Here’s a link for 2027. Sometime in the spring it’ll change to 2028. Should all be mostly the same.

Spend time and read through all the forms to get an idea.

There’s a form for an appointment presentation at their high school, so if you want that, submit that form sooner than later because it can take awhile to get set up.

They’ll create Facebook pages for 2028 appointees, and eventually for parents too. Join that for sure. Tons of helpful information sharing there throughout the process and into swab summer and beyond.

Thanks for the clarification. My DS was waitlisted last year so thankfully we already got the passport done!
 
We have been working on just that...trying to find ways to spend time together. It is hard as we are all so busy (DS's schedule is tough) but we are also counting down the days. There aren't that many days left before R-day. We have tickets to see his favorite NBA team and are planning a trip to Broadway to see a show and visit friends. There are only 3 weeks between his graduation and R-day. Trying to figure out what we can do during that time. We were thinking a trip somewhere but that may be too much. Lucky for us....we are only 2:45 from New London so we should be able to catch some games (he is playing a sport) and maybe get him off campus for a minute when he has leave/libo. We were thinking we could get a hotel and just let him catch his breath and share a meal.
That sounds like a good plan. We spent the spring last year doing little things like that. Caught a hockey game, visited some friends and family. I'd just recommend against doing any sort of risky activities. Last thing he needs to do is break a leg skiing or something like that. Don't underestimate the importance of some nice chill time at home during the 3 weeks between graduation and R Day! Once there, it'll be quite awhile before there's any sort of time to chill.

It will be nice being less than 3 hours away! We're like 14 hours away. I still participated in all the major parent stuff, but it's just a lot harder. Besides R Day, there's Mystic Flag Ceremony in July which is the first opportunity to visit a little bit, have a quick lunch and hang in the hotel room for a couple hours. Then some Eagle chasing. Then Labor Day. We traveled there for Labor Day, but being that close, good opportunity for him to go home for the long weekend and maybe even bring a friend or two. Then Parents Weekend. They'll get a long over Columbus Day weekend, so again, another opportunity to go home, or go home with some other friends who may live reasonably close. My daughter does a winter sport, so several trips for that too.

Just enjoy the little things, the next 6 months will go so fast!!
 
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The BFE will have contain the nice hard cover appointment folder and a variety of paperwork. Along with the papers that will need to be signed and sent back, you’ll need to send the ORIGINAL birth certificate and SS card. It feels weird just sending that away in the mail. They’ll get it back during/after swab summer.

After that, it’s a matter of waiting for the class of 2028 portal to be available. It’ll have the packing list and a TON of paperwork to complete. They will not mail paperwork. You pull it all of the website. Here’s a link for 2027. Sometime in the spring it’ll change to 2028. Should all be mostly the same.

Spend time and read through all the forms to get an idea.

There’s a form for an appointment presentation at their high school, so if you want that, submit that form sooner than later because it can take awhile to get set up.

They’ll create Facebook pages for 2028 appointees, and eventually for parents too. Join that for sure. Tons of helpful information sharing there throughout the process and into swab summer and beyond.

I highly recommend doing the appointment presentation. My DS wasn’t sure about it because he thought it might be too much attention on him and he’s pretty low key. But the person who did it called him and got to know him, and then presented it at scholarship night, and it was a truly amazing experience and honor!
 
Also, if your son/daughter hasn't gotten their wisdom teeth taken out yet, I highly recommend doing it now. If they don't, they will have them removed there. (not during Swab Summer, but after). Some cadets didn't have much of a problem with it, but some had a much rougher time. Either way, just nicer to be at home for that kind of stuff, I believe.
 
Also, if your son/daughter hasn't gotten their wisdom teeth taken out yet, I highly recommend doing it now. If they don't, they will have them removed there. (not during Swab Summer, but after). Some cadets didn't have much of a problem with it, but some had a much rougher time. Either way, just nicer to be at home for that kind of stuff, I believe.
Make sure you update your medical information to include that wisdom teeth were removed (any medical changes are required to be reported)
 
Are there any restrictions about travel 30 days out or so before R-Day? For example, can they take a trip outside of the country?
 
Are there any restrictions about travel 30 days out or so before R-Day? For example, can they take a trip outside of the country?
I don’t think there’s necessarily a restriction. However, in my limited experience of going through this with my daughter last summer, I can tell you there’s A LOT going on that last 30-45 days prior to reporting.

It may be better this year, but last year, the 2027 paperwork was very late to be posted and it takes awhile to get it all completed. Then the enrollment packages (which everyone was anxiously awaiting) were super late as well. Turns out those packets weren’t all that important (just some pre addressed priority mail envelopes and R Day info), but there wasn’t much communication and most parents and appointees were in the dark.

Last year they started the E-Quip process (for security clearance) prior to reporting as well. It also takes time and requires a lot of specific info. Any foreign travel would need to be accurately recorded on that, and of course If foreign travel happened after E-quip was submitted would need to somehow be reconciled.

We did a trip to the FL Keys around the last week of May last year. It was fine, but she had to submit paperwork before we left to meet the June 1 deadline. Because paperwork was so late to come out, she had to hustle a bit.

That’s a long winded way to say, enjoy your time, but keep in mind anything can happen, and it could be very stressful to be out of the country (or even away from a computer and printer) while on a busy timeline that is a moving target.
 
I think there were restrictions on my DD in 2021, but that was at the height of Covid and may not have necessarily been an academy thing.
 
I think there were restrictions on my DD in 2021, but that was at the height of Covid and may not have necessarily been an academy thing.
Yeah...I think in 2021 travel was an issue because there were still travel restrictions for many countries, and CGA may have wanted to make sure people didn't get stuck overseas since some countries required covid test prior to boarding planes. We debated traveling overseas during our daughter's summer break, and decided we didn't want to risk it. I don't know if they had specific travel rules for the incoming swabs that year, but it would make since if they required them to not travel within a certain number of days of reporting.

My daughter came in during covid in 2020. We had a big international trip planned that would have been after her graduation and into the beginning of June. Of course, it was cancelled. But prior to covid, there wouldn't have been restrictions. I don't believe there are any restrictions now.
 
Also, if your son/daughter hasn't gotten their wisdom teeth taken out yet, I highly recommend doing it now. If they don't, they will have them removed there. (not during Swab Summer, but after). Some cadets didn't have much of a problem with it, but some had a much rougher time. Either way, just nicer to be at home for that kind of stuff, I believe.
I would not do any medical procedures unless it is an emergency. Your wisdom teeth will not come out unless they need to. Do not take any chances!!
DS is at the AFA and has not been told they need to come out.
If you have them pulled and something happens, not a good situation.
Do not do it!! Wait until you are there and they require you to do it.
 
I would not do any medical procedures unless it is an emergency. Your wisdom teeth will not come out unless they need to. Do not take any chances!!
DS is at the AFA and has not been told they need to come out.
If you have them pulled and something happens, not a good situation.
Do not do it!! Wait until you are there and they require you to do it.
This is the Coast Guard Academy page. I assure they, they take out all wisdom teeth there and I've been hearing some bad stories from my cadet. As recent as this past week. I can't disagree more with what you're saying, based on what I've been seeing at the CGA. But perhaps medical care is better where your son is. Just throwing out my advice and cadets can take it or leave it. (Of course they should consult with their own medical provider, but I figured that was a given.)
 
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