<p>First off, I know that I am not guaranteed to get an appointment (although God know I’d love to) and that things can change in an instant.<br>
Some of my friends or the people I hang out with sometimes wonder and ask me why I’m applying to USAFA and ready to sign away a good portion of my younger adulthood. I respond with the same answer every time that I give to everyone but I always wonder if anyone else has had a problem like this before. They all saw the excitement on my face when I came back from Summer Seminar and they know that i’m 99% positive that that’s where I want to be.
The real issue I have is with some of my friends who seem to want high school to never end, they don’t want anyone to leave, especially not to join the military. The area that I live is one of the most blue areas in MN and possibly the U.S., so there isn’t exactly a great pro-military feeling in most of the people which as happens with most people, was transfered to my friends. I even had a girl who I’m positive has feelings of more than a friend for me say that she didn’t want to get in a relationship because we’d probably have to break it off by the end of June.<br>
I know that this is what I’d like to do if the opportunity is granted. I’m just wondering if anyone has dealt with something like this before or if anyone has any suggestions for me.</p>
<p>i think a lot of us go through that to a certain extent.</p>
<p>i had a really tight group of friends who both didn't want high school to end, and couldn't fathom why i'd want to spend my college life at usafa. they're not partiers or anything, but they really didn't understand that. also, my teachers. they wrote the recommendations, but i'm pretty sure they thought it was a shame i was going into the military.</p>
<p>to be honest, i'm the one who didn't pursue any dates, because i knew i was leaving, but that was just me.</p>
<p>in the end, who cares what they think? in the few months between the end of school and coming here, my relationship with my closest friends was really rocky. it was awful. i couldn't wait to get out of high school (other things going on too). now, i talk to the one who was my closest, and yet gave me the most grief, with much regularity. i've really found out who, at this point, i think will be my friends for life. not an easy process, i can promise you.</p>
<p>in the end, you know what you want to do. for me, it was horrible having my friends think and say stuff about my decision, but now that i'm here, i know this is where i belong. i absolutely love it (SAY NOTHING, af16), and already, i've made friends i'm pretty sure i'll keep for quite a while.</p>
<p>that's why you have this board! especially after orientation, you'll meet kids who are just as excited as you to come here.</p>
<p>so, in summary: it's tough-no two ways about it. but you know what you have to do :D</p>
<p>Totally, we've probably all been there in some way. I come from a small town where my graduating class had 18. we were all really close and most grads don't go to college more than 3 hours away. I was actually the first person from my school in over 7 years to go out of state to college. You just need to let your friends know that they will always be your friends, high school was fun, but it's not the best thing in life. when you go home for the first time, you will be somebody completely different, and your friends will be doing the same old stuff. as for relationships, mine split the day i was accepted. I didn't want to get associated with anybody else during those last 5 months or so, just because I was leaving and i wasn't going to change my mind. most people will feel the same way as your girl does. but there are people who keep their special people from back home through out their time at the Academy. you wouldn't have to break it off before leaving.</p>
<p>That is not completely uncommon. Many people don't understand the motivation to attend a service academy. Many never will, but that's OK.</p>
<p>If you are accepted, you'll probably be asking yourself the same questions on day 1 or 2 of BCT. It's normal.</p>
<p>Junior and Senior years of High School were great times, and I occasionally miss them. It is a unique time in life. Work hard to prepare your future, but don't forget to have a blast along the way! </p>
<p>I can virtually guarantee your relationships with your friends will change, if you come to USAFA. BCT and the Academy do change you, and most of your friends will have no idea what your experiences are like. Oddly enough, people who go through basic (even another service's) will "get it" more than people you have known for years. The first time I was home, freshman year, I got to talking to my best friend and his father (US Army in the '80s). My friend had trouble understanding what I was talking about, beyond the basic level, but his father knew almost to a "T" what I meant. That was a truly strange feeling! Being a stranger among your own friends does happen to some extent. That's just the way it is for many cadets. However, life at USAFA is a unique and amazing experience, and you will make friends here as well.<br>
Life experiences do a lot to relationships, both positive and negative. This is natural and expected. It will happen anyway you go (unless you all stay in your hometown for the forseeable future). It may be a little more sudden and extreme between service academy students and others, tough.</p>
<p>Looks like everyone here has answered your question pretty well, but I would just like to say, I definitely know what you mean. When I told my best friend I was interested in USAFA, I could tell he thought that was a stupid idea. Then when I got accepted and started getting excited about coming, I tried to explain my excitement, but no matter what, he just didn't "get" why I wanted to joint the military. Even my parents didn't get it at first, and it wasn't until after a lot of conversations with parents of cadets that they finally started to understand me.</p>
<p>I guess what I am trying to say is, yeah I KNOW what you are talking about, but I am still very glad I came here and my friends finally accepted that I was leaving and there is nothing they could do to change that.</p>
<p>There are people in your life right now who just simply will not understand. No matter what you say, they will probably never "get it."</p>
<p>Let's be honest: it takes a unique, motivated, and hard-headed individual to want to spend their college years here, let alone the next few years or even decades in the military profession. That being said, I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.</p>
<p>Your friends back home will still be there at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break, etc. What many of them don't realize is that while you will change, they will too. You'll likely move a bit in opposite directions over the next few years. High school's over, and trust me, it's better on this side of the fence. Your best friends will always understand, to some extent, what you're doing and why, but if you come here, you'll be joining an extremely unique (and lucky) group. Know who will completely understand what you're going through during BCT? Only your flightmates. The Ac year? Only your squadmates. It works the same way after four degree year too. I love my team, for example, but I realize that no one on the outside will ever completely understand things the way I see them.</p>
<p>Your relationships will change, but that's something to get used to. If you make a career out of the military, you can expect to PCS many, many times. You'll meet new people continually, and often leave others behind. That's not to say that they won't have an influence on you and vice versa, but the time has come to recognize that things cannot and will not stay the same forever. The HS crowd often forgets that, much to their own detriment.</p>
<p>I look forward to having you here.</p>
<p>07PETKO summed it up well. Life moves on and you meet new people. I have the strongest and most rewarding friendships of my life now. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Still talk with friends from high school, but I can't have the same relationship that I have with people here now.</p>
<p>PCS?
I guess most of the problems I feel are coming from having people who know and understand what i'm thinking along with my friends who don't understand me when I go into a fit of glee talking about Doolie for a Day and the people from my Element (A-5 BEASTIES!!!(.....sorry))<br>
I volunteer at a camp for kids with relatives in the MN National Guard (army and air). Most of the staff are members of the guard so when I'd talk to them about my plans, they all understand and are very supportive. My dad is an E-7 with 33-years of full-time guard status so my family understands too (both my uncles, my grandpa, one of my cousins, and one of my cousin's wife all are/were in the guard) so I really don't have a lack of knowledge in the blood. They all understand and are supportive too.
My friends really are ones who don't get how I can go a whole week wearing nothing but USAFA or AF shirts or sweatshirts, maybe two weeks counting all the deployment t-shirts I got from my dad.<br>
Thanks for helping me understand that i'm not the first or last to deal with something like this. I've been thinking the same things about how they wouldn't understand BCT or cadet life even if I tried explaining it. Thanks for helping me realize that me wanting a change like this isn't selfish or stupid.</p>
<p>PCS is a permanent change of station, the military equivalent of moving.</p>
<p>Gotcha. thanks.</p>
<p>I am somewhat in the same situation, but not really.</p>
<p>I've had a group of really good friends since about 6th grade. We did everything together. I remember pulling all-nighters playing Halo on Xbox. But then as we got to the end of our Junior year, I started to break off from the group. It was unintentional at first. But then they started drinking. Every weekend. I'm much smarter than to get myself involved with that kind of stuff, especially now with such a fantastic opportunity ahead of me.</p>
<p>We are still friends, but not nearly as close as we were. I hardly ever hang out with them anymore... only at school. They are fine with the idea of going the the Air Force. One of them wanted to be a marine (would've never made it) and respects it.</p>
<p>So, I'm kinda in the middle now. My best friends aren't that anymore, and I don't really have a group of really good friends. I'm stuck at home sometimes on Friday nights, but I don't care anymore. It would have really bothered me before, but guess what? I'm going the UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY. So I'll just keep this grin on my face, and live my high school life to the fullest.</p>
<p>in the words of my friend who I told I was going to the Air Force Academy..."Why don't you get a college education instead?"</p>
<p>They just don't understand :)</p>
<p>My personal favorite is when you tell someone you are going to USAFA and they go, oh, I thought you were thinking about going to college, not the military. Another is the people that ask when I am going to start flying. They have the impression it will be any time now.</p>
<p>There is a great thread on the SA parents forum called "say it ain't so." Check it out, there are some hilarious ones in there!</p>
<p>My friends middle school drink and do drugs, things that I'd rather not hear. I joined marching band freshmen year and got all new friends, things change. My current friends are very supportive of my decision, my old friends it would probbably be the opposite. Often times, things change for the good.</p>
<p>I've been making plans with all my old friends back home for Thanksgiving. But just talking to them for 10 min. i can already tell how much we've changed and grown apart. I only wanted to go home for my friends, but now, i realize how much better friends i have here even if they are in other squads and i can't go see them! these are the ones who i KNOW will always be there for me and we share those special memories, especially of basic!</p>
<p>Viper I want to share an Air Force secret with you. You will indeed be friends with those people for the rest of your life. Hard part is you will also be spread across the world from those people after you graduate.</p>
<p>Viper, yes your new AF friends are forever friends, but I would caution you to still cherish your old friends as well. Never burn bridges. I always remember the girl scout song about some friends being silver and some friends being gold...consider yourself blessed and treasure all your friends from all walks of life.</p>
<p>girl scout songs = life</p>
<p>"Make New Friends"</p>
<p>Make new friends,
but keep the old.
One is silver,
the other is gold.... :)</p>