Air Force Academy versus Texas A&M

Hello. My son is down to some serious soul searching and I would love some objective advice. He received an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy in early March. Since he was a child he has had the desire to serve in the Air Force with the goal of becoming a pilot. He has been interested in applying to the the Air Force Academy for years. Through research and attending a USAFA summer track and field camp he decided to apply to the Academy. The application process was daunting, which included writing numerous essays, letters of recommendations, interviews with two senator’s offices and his congressional district office, waiting to receive a nomination, passing his medical, physical and fitness test. Of course we couldn’t be prouder of his accomplishment and we consider it a lifetime honor for our son. However, we took a campus visit to Texas A&M in February for Aggie Days and he absolutely fell in love with the campus. He loved the Corps of Cadets program and the leadership opportunities it provides. He has received an ROTC scholarship to Texas A&M and the received the prestigious Easterwood Scholarship given to just 25 Corps of Cadets students. The Easterwood scholarship covers in-state tuition (we live in South Florida) and the ROTC scholarship covers most of room and board. The Air Force Academy is completely paid for, along with numerous other leadership and travel opportunities. He also understands that the Academy will provide more opportunities to become a pilot and he will have to compete harder to get a pilot slot at A&M due to the number of ROTC candidates. The bottom line is that he is reluctant to take the Academy Appointment because he is attracted to a college campus experience. The Academy will be a very intense experience in a 24/7 military environment. The Academy had some very sad and upsetting news in the last week with two senior cadets committing suicide while in social isolation due to COVID-19. The last thing we want to do is push our son into a situation where he is not 100% all in. Thank you.

If he is committed to a military career, the Academy will certainly be a help, and he will be with students from all over the US. Texas A&M is 90% in state, and a more traditional college experience. Every campus has its share of suicides and mental illness, so I don’t think that would be a decisive factor.

If not 100% committed to attending a military academy in a 24/7 environment, then Texas A&M is a great alternative.

This is a personal decision. But, if undecided about a career in the military, then Texas A&M is the safer option. However, if determined to become a pilot, then the odds are probably much better for those who attend the USAFA.

@TGABFL TAMU is nice but the caliber of those getting an appointment to a service academy is at a different level. USAFA is the much better choice for one wanting to become a pilot.

What is more important to him: the college experience (but lesser odds of becoming a pilot)
Or
Becoming a pilot (but no college life at all but rather a stenuous military experience)?
There’s only one chance of being a college student
But
The caliber of his peers and his odds of becoming a pilot aren’t the same at TAMU.
In both cases he has to sacrifice something.

Does the ROTC scholarship pay for room and board? While there is the book stipend/monthly stipend(and maybe this covers everything), their website seems to indicate otherwise:

https://www.afrotc.com/scholarships/high-school/types/

given his achievements so far it seems likely he can continue to stand out if he goes to Texas A&M and become a pilot.

One thing I heard from a friend who went the ROTC → officer route was that he thought this prepared him better for the service. As a student at an Academy during the college years everyone around you is gung-ho and committed to a military career, while at a regular college you’ll be in the midst of a wider variety of people. He thought his experiences in college made it easier in the service to work with the variety of people he encountered, while those from the Academy were used to people more similar to themselves.

There is a sub-forum here “U.S. Service Academies” where you’ll likely get more comparisons of the choices and outcomes.

Actually the ROTC scholarship pays in-state tuition/fees and books. The TAMU Easterwood Scholarship can be applied to room and board and gave him access to the in-state tuition waiver. We are assuming the uniform costs will also be covered with the ROTC Scholarship. All of these points are correct. It is a matter of sacrificing one experience for the other. We want him to be happy with his choice and to have no regrets. He wants to be a pilot however, I don’t think it would be the end of the world if that did not happen for him. My husband is a retired Colonel serving 23 years in the Air Force as an Electronic Warfare Officer flying on the RC135 and EC130. He traveled the world and did some pretty cool things.

If he’d rather have a more traditional college experience and can imagine his life in the military without being a pilot, then TAMU sounds like the best choice.

My son is a Doolie and his best friend is in the Corps at TAMU. Also, my husband is an Aggie. I’m going to say that both my son and his friend LOVE their schools! They’re both hard, but I’ll say USAFA is probably physically harder, and they do Basic from the get go.
If your kid wants a pilot a lot, USAFA get more pilot slots than TAMU, but it’s possible for an Ag. What else do you want to know? We visit both campuses a couple times a year each.

The academies are different from other colleges and universities. If he is not absolutely certain that he wants the USAFA, that is perfectly OK, and he should go to TAMU.