+1 Jcleppe.
People do this because a few hundred bucks for a deposit is worth it in many ways.
1. Play LAX or Baseball... break an ankle in May. Cast for 10 weeks. You won;t be attending I-Day.
~~~ Scholarship is still there.
2. Get to I-Day, swear in, trip off the bus and bust your leg. Medical turnback
~~~ Scholarship is out of play, but the deposit is there and plan B is intact. Not attending a CC for fall semester.
3. Go to the AFA, 5% don't complete BCT. DOR.
~~~ Scholarship is out of play, but the deposit is there. Same as above, but I have to admit, I don't know if you leave you can apply for an ICSP.
As you can see it really is about if you want the insurance plan. It is a personal decision.
I would not feel guilty that by holding onto it you took someone else's chances. It is like the AFA, they offer more with the assumption of rejections. The AFA offers 1350+ and their goal number is @1150.
A lot has to do with the economy. ICSP 2 yrs ago did not occur because, like AFA more took the offers than they expected from a statistical historical data perspective. ICSP is back because they held back offers, or lower acceptances for the yr group, thus, money was back in the pot for 100's.
Morally and emotionally this is a hard decision, but if you accept the fact that AFROTCHQ has placed into their equation many of the AFA appointees have an AFROTC scholarship and will hold onto it until I-Day, you can understand that this was already in their master plan....thus, you should feel no guilt by accepting it.
If that is not enough, the fact is the last AFROTC board is March. Tossing it back even on Friday has no impact for other candidates because it is already a done deal regarding how much money left. There is no April-Aug. AFROTC board, i.e. wait-list.
stelmack,
OBTW a few yrs ago, a poster paid the deposit, contacted the school and the det to say they were going to an SA. Their child was injured at BCT, and could not complete, thus a medical turnback. The school and the det. embraced them.
He lost his ROTC scholarship, but because they paid the deposit he had his college scholarship still, he still had a home come August.