Did you ever wish you DIDN'T have so many choices

Colleges and Universities A-Z Air Force Academy - Colorado Springs
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<p>I know that there are many students who graduate high school with the basic choice of community college or State university or work. For many, they would love to have additional choices. Obviously, those who are on this forum and are at or who have applied to the Air Force Academy aren’t the “Average” student. To get accepted to the Air Force Academy automatically puts you into a different class.</p>

<p>Many of those currently attending the academy and those who are applying as we speak, have thought of the academy and a military career for many years. My son is no different. He too has wanted the academy, the air force, flying, etc… for many years.</p>

<p>The question is; how many of you current cadets had other schools trying to lure you to them? How many times did you have second thoughts about what you wanted or were committing to? While my son is still committed to “Hopefully” receiving an Academy appointment; hopefully in the next month or two, he is getting overwhelmed by offers from other schools. Some of these are even offering full-ride scholarships to include room/board and other expenses on top of tuition/books, etc… Many of these schools he hadn’t even corresponded with. Between GPA, SAT/ACT, Athletics, etc… he is becoming overwhelmed with offers and options. It would be easy if it were “Podunk” schools where there was no comparison to the Air Force Academy. But it’s schools like Michigan State, USC, Tulane, Throw in full-ride all expenses paid, and it’s a lot for a 17 year old to digest. Totally different scenario compared to an academy education, life, and military career.</p>

<p>So, how did some of you current cadets handle these decisions? Especially when so many of these schools have made decisions prior to the academy making their selection. Was it purely the serving your country aspect? Was it the security of the school and the guaranteed job when you graduate? Was it that you started the academy process much sooner than the others and automatically just made that your first choice if it came through? </p>

<p>My son is getting to the point where he doesn’t want to think about college or anything else. Actually, that is very healthy. I prefer that he concentrate on school, football, and his girl friend. That’s what high school is suppose to be about. Having fun. I’ll take care of worrying about the logistics after graduation. </p>

<p>Anyway, even though I posed questions; the concept is pretty much rhetorical. I’m not actually looking for direct answers. More of an insight on how some of you cadets thought and handled similar experiences when you were 17 years old and a senior in high school with a similar situation. I think this is a “Unique” situation that can only really happen to an Air Force cadet/appointee. Nothing against the other academies, but most of them give out LOA so far in advance, that many kids limit their own choices by not even looking at other schools. (Actually, this is one of the reasons some of the other academies do this). The air force academy is much later in the selection process, their requirements are very demanding, the average GPA/SAT/ACT of the applicants make them very desired by other schools. Anyway, any thoughts from you cadets would be appreciated. Later… Mike…</p>

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<p>Mike, my Ss are also being completely inundated by offers from schools they've never heard of. Tulane must be offering the moon to every high school senior with a gpa over 3.5! </p>

<p>Twin2 is concentrating on his academy apps - he's got several safeties in the bag and isn't interested in pursuing any of these "You're Great! We're Great!" offers. Twin1 - he's not sure about anything right now, so we just put the stuff in a box and he'll look at it... eventually. He, too, has some safeties already, though he'll not hear from his #1 for months.</p>

<p>You're right though - what a load for a 17 year old to carry. Very stressful.</p>

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<p>Yea, I used Tulane only as an example. They are indeed trying hard to recruit. After the last hurricane, their attendance is down a lot. They really want to recruit more students.</p>

<p>And if it was just Tulane, it probably wouldn't be a big issue. That isn't my son's most favorite part of the country. But Michigan State, USC, Cornell, and a few others are very tempting. </p>

<p>Well, there's only 2 that have any type of deadline on their early offer. 1 is November 15th and one is 1 December. We're going to miss the early application deadline for a couple of the other schools, but we can check them out later.</p>

<p>This is why I hope my son gets in the early selection for the academy. He says that the Air Force is still his first choice, but if he gets that appointment firmed up, he can let "Most" of the other schools pass by. Keep it narrowed down to just 3 or 4 schools outside of the academy. Anyway, I guess it's still better to have a lot of options and be overwhelmed than to have only 1 choice. Later... Mike....</p>

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<p>yeah, other schools will want you, and i still often find myself second guessing my decision. honestly, what i did to deal with it and "figure it out" was pray. thats my belief, and its working for me. if you don't like that, i have no words of advice. i just hope u like what you choose</p>

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<p>Well, I'm not the one who needs to ultimately decide. It's my son. As I wrote in a PM to another member, many schools have their own form of diversity or affirmative action. No race based. Most schools try to get students from many different states and/or countries. The problem living in Wyoming is that we are the least populated state in the country. Including Alaska and Hawaii. As such, the average amount of graduating seniors in the entire state is about 5500. There;s individual schools in the country that graduate in the thousands.</p>

<p>Out of those 5500, approximately 3% (165) will be 4.0gpa students. About 41 of those will have taken AP classes or IB program curriculum. So, that makes between 40-80 students that will have the GPA, classes, SAT/ACT, etc... to get into the Ivy Leagues, Upper Math/Science/Research schools, Non-Ivy high ends like USC, Stanford, etc...</p>

<p>Somehow they definitely find out your GPA, ranking, and scores. Some of these schools have scholarships and such set up for individual states just to get those students in. 2 very big and prestigious schools with populations of upward of 50,000 students have informed us of scholarships they are offering that are full ride including room, board, stipend, computer, etc.... It's not even need based. These 2 schools gave out 6 of them to Wyoming students last year. (Not sure how many applied).</p>

<p>The funny thing is that many of these schools my son has never contacted. He didn't send them his SAT/ACT scores. He didn't even visit them online. I can understand a school like Tulane; which by the way is a very good school; on a massive recruiting drive. Katrina really left a lot of vacancies at the school. The school didn't get hurt that much like the rest of the city, but there are many students who didn't want to come back. Thats understandable. But when schools that never have a problem recruiting students start offering the possibility of a full ride education, it definitely becomes tempting.</p>

<p>Anyway, my son still has plenty of time. If the academy appointment comes in October or the beginning of November, I'm sure all these issues will be moot. The academy is still his first choice. If he has to wait until March to find out if he's getting an appointment, that could make it a whole new ball game. Especially considering that we haven't even started considering some of the athletic offers.</p>

<p>Personally, I hope he stays focused on the Air Force Academy. It is what he's wanted for a long time. It's just very tempting for a 17 year old when so many different schools start showing a serious interest in recruiting him. Thx everyone for all the insight. Later... Mike....</p>

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<p>
[quote]
I think this is a "Unique" situation that can only really happen to an Air Force cadet/appointee. Nothing against the other academies, but most of them give out LOA so far in advance, that many kids limit their own choices by not even looking at other schools. (Actually, this is one of the reasons some of the other academies do this). The air force academy is much later in the selection process, their requirements are very demanding, the average GPA/SAT/ACT of the applicants make them very desired by other schools.

[/quote]

Reading this forum has left you misguided. This situation is NOT "unique" to AF cadets/appointees. While USMA does issue (they are NOT "given out") LOA's relatively early in the process they only issue about 200 LOA's - out of the 1300 that show up on I-day probably only a handful got "early" LOA's.
This is NOT to diminish the resume's of the other 95% by any means.</p>

<p>My daughter was also overwhelmed last year - her senior year in high school.
She not only applied to three academies but an AROTC scholarship.
She was awarded her AROTC scholarship in October at a school she really liked and accepted right away - even then she was being wooed by other schools all winter offering her a AROTC scholarship. It was very overwhelming and a serious rollercoaster ride.
She quit opening the mail and her email late in the fall.
Even then it wasn't until after her deposit was due to her civilian school she was offered a civilian prep scholarship to West Point. This was actually a very difficult decision to make - turn down a full ride to a great school in a major metropolitan city to attend a tiny military school in rural Alabama for a year - and put off commissioning for a year...... there was some serious craziness in our house at graduation time.
There are so many factors that go into receiving an appointment - even highly qualified students sometime have to wait until late spring - this is true with all academies.</p>

<p>You are right though - the decision is solely your son's. Your job is to keep him focused. Sometimes too many choices are overwhelming - He really should have a back up school and apply for AFROTC if he hasn't already - just in case. There are lots of things that can happen and a Plan B is crucial to avoid serious craziness. Once he has the back up - feel free to tell him it's ok to stop looking - opening the mail, answering the phone etc...</p>

<p>It's only October - concentrate on nominations and take it one step at a time - how will it end? You will know the end of June - haha.</p>

<p>One more things - schools play the game - they want to increase the number of applications, this makes their ratings go up. They most likely found out his GPA etc from the form he completed in taking his SAT's or ACT's.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the response justamom. You are correct. My basis of LOA from the other academies is based on this forum. It did seem however based on posts of people getting LOA's as early as June/July, that the other academies were definitely playing the same college game of getting candidates excited prior ahead of the other colleges. We'll definitely see how this all goes next month. If the appointment comes, at least there will be more time to make an educated decision. Thx for the input. Mike...</p>

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<p>A dangerous source of information.</p>

<p>JAM, I think your 200 number is for early LOAs. They also award regular LOAs and these are in line with AFA and USNA. All three award approxoimately equal numbers of these.</p>

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<p>I was definitely tempted by a AFROTC scholarship + a scholarship from IIT in Chicago. I liked the campus, the resources, and it was definitely closer to home, friends, and family. I chose the academy because it gave me different opportunities, offered a lot of pilot slots, and was more challenging (not trying to belittle other colleges, but SA's are more challenging in different ways than normal universities).</p>

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<p>USAFA offers LOA's a full month after USNA or USMA start offering them. </p>

<p>I have always wanted to go to USAFA since I was 9 y/o. So, this was long in the making. I was accepted in October to Rose-Hulman IT and Purdue, then Georgia Tech and Colorado School of Mines in February/March. So, I had my number 2 and 4 choices open early and the others later. I didn't have to respond till May for any of them though. So, I didn't have to worry about admissions and I ignored most other schools that sent me anything. I was dead-set on my top choices, USAFA and far behind RHIT and GT. For me, USAFA was the easiest decision and other schools did not change that in the least. </p>

<p>Since being here, I have had NO regrets, not one. i love this place and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. In the short span of a year I've done more here than most people do in 20 years. </p>

<p>Probably doesn't help at all for you, but that's where I am. :)</p>

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<p>Please don't use the term "most of them" for the procedures of a single academy. hornetguy is correct. USNA admissions board commences meeting in early September, concentrating on recruited athlete LOAs with the academic ones following later, usually around mid-October. According to the AFA website, their board convenes in early November with academic LOAs commencing almost immediately. No LOAs can be awarded by USNA prior to their packages going before the board and I assume the same happens for AFA.</p>

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<p>In your previous post, you already quoted me acknowledging that I misspoke when I said my comment about the other academies giving out LOA's early was from this board. And that I agreed that was not good information.</p>

<p>So, you are commenting again on the same exact issue for............ why?</p>

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<p>Christcorp--
The colleges your son is really showing some interest in---go visit them if you can. If the USC you mentioned is THE USC drop me a pm with any questions---my son graduated from there a year and a half ago. Good luck to you and your son--its a bit overwhelming but having choices is always good!! :)</p>

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<p>Thx Shogun. Yes, the USC is University of Southern California. There's also Michigan State, Cornell, Tulane, and a couple others. These are all for academics. There's a few more that are interested in my son for academics and sports.</p>

<p>Obviously, some of these are only really an option if something like an ROTC scholarship was available. There's no way we could afford some of these schools. On the other hand, there are a couple that are offering full scholarships. That's where it gets tricky.</p>

<p>We have gone ahead and applied to 3 of them already. They waived application fees, and other expenses. So, nothing really costing to have these in the background. However, 2 require an early acceptance application by December 1st. Those are tied to ROTC scholarships. The 2 with full ride scholarships we also need to see about soon. </p>

<p>My son and I have discussed it and think holding off on a couple; discarding a couple totally, and continuing to focus on the hopes of an Air Force Appointment in the next 3-5 weeks, might put things into better perspective. We'll have to see. Thx for the input and offers. Later.... Mike....</p>

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<p>My first post augmented JAMO4 and concerned quantities and my second was complimenting hornetguy, whose post came after my initial, in relation to timing. Two different subjects. I didn't realize I was limited to one post per thread. I will try to do better and attempt to anticipate future comments.</p>

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<p>No problem navy. Just seems that when you are "QUOTING" the same person twice on the same subject, that the point gets a little lost. My bad for not understanding your reinteration.</p>

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<p>Sorry, guess I should have quoted them instead of thier source, you.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
Anyway, my son still has plenty of time. If the academy appointment comes in October or the beginning of November, I'm sure all these issues will be moot. The academy is still his first choice. If he has to wait until March to find out if he's getting an appointment, that could make it a whole new ball game. Especially considering that we haven't even started considering some of the athletic offers.</p>

<p>Personally, I hope he stays focused on the Air Force Academy. It is what he's wanted for a long time. It's just very tempting for a 17 year old when so many different schools start showing a serious interest in recruiting him

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<p>I get ya. You are worried that if he doesn't hear from the Air Force Academy soon then he may have other viable offers that would lure him away from his original goal.
Yes - I see your point. Realize that he may NOT get an appointment soon. It may be January or February or even later. </p>

<p>As a parent - there are things you can do to keep your kid focused and help him to explore what he really wants.
Find those "conversational moments" - in the car, out to dinner and talk about his choices. Maybe not all at once but over time.
Ask those open ended questions - the what if's...................
Talk about possibly not finding out about an appointment until winter or later. Understand that by going AFA you realize he would be giving up things he enjoys. My daughter had had to give up her favorite sport - one which she could have played in college. She grieved over this - she knew she would not be playing anymore but that other opportunites would be there.
Keep those lines of communications open - kids tell lots of things with their words and body language at opportune moments.
Take advantage of the time NOW to explore what he really wants - even kids with LOA's who seem to have things wrapped up early can question their decision later in the spring.
Good Luck!</p>

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<p>Can I just say that people should be a little nicer to each other on here? Really, this board is for students applying to the Air Force Academy to get their questions answered and find out more about cadet life, not for people to be rude and nitpicky about who is right about what. The information posted here is not always 100% accurate, but I learned a lot of information before I came that, believe me, proved to be invaluable. All we can share is our own experiences. That doesn’t mean that everything cadets and parents say on here is the absolute answer, but everyone’s input is valuable. Now that I'm on the other side, I want to help candidates and potential applicants the same way I was helped. Let's keep that the focus rather than discrediting one another...</p>

<p>I applied and was appointed to West Point, Annapolis, and the Air Force Academy, and it is true that Army and Navy offer LOAs earlier than the Air Force. I started applying to West Point in September and within a week of starting my application (they asked me to fax in my information, and I basically already had the package complete because I had already done everything for USAFA) I had an LOA. My resume was definitely academics and leadership-focused, so it’s not necessarily true that all of the early acceptances are given to outstanding athletes. So I got an LOA to Army in mid-September, an LOA to Navy late September or early October, and an LOA to USAFA on October 19th! (Yes, I still remember the day :))</p>

<p>A lot of this is just a waiting game, and you’ve got to be patient even though it’s hard. It will be well worth it in the end!</p>

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<p>Thanks Redhead for a very informative and accurate posting. I'm hoping that if my son get's an appointment this month or November, that he will put his options back into perspective. There's obviously a lot of advantages to a full ride scholarship to Michigan State, Cornell, and some others. Obviously, the biggest advantage is not having a comittment to the military. On the other hand, the Academies have the advantages of serving your country, job already lined up after graduating, travel, small school environment; (4000 students compared to 45,000 at michigan state), etc....</p>

<p>I'm glad my son has options. As a 45 year old adult, decisions are a lot easier. We have seen the good and bad of a lot in life. For a 17 year old without those experiences, it's very tempting when you get all this attention from these different schools.</p>

<p>This is why I started this thread directed mainly towards existing cadets. While I appreciate the suggestions of the parents, and I believe it is valuable, I really wanted to hear from the 18-22 year old cadet. Cadets who received an appointment, but at the same time received offers from other traditional schools. Especially where money wasn't an issue because you happen to have been offered a full ride scholarship. What were the things you looked at when making your final choice. What was it that made you finally decide on the academy.</p>

<p>While I wasn't trying to cut down on the other academies, I still believe that the others put out LOA and appointments a lot earlier than the Air Force. I know others have said that my assumption wasn't totally accurate. I concede that. The only people I see getting LOA's are those on the these forums. I'm sure that the "Majority" do get the loa and appointment later on just like the Air Force. I was just thinking that when an LOA is given out early in August-September, it definitely has an affect on the candidate and how much interest they put into other schools and offers. By the time early LOA/appointments are given in the Air Force; October-Novemeber, many of these students have already started getting offers and letters of interest from many other schools. </p>

<p>Realize that the majority of Air Force academy cadets had above average grades in high school, pretty good act/sat scores, pretty good class ranking, etc... Many of the students are going to get a plethora of offers. Throw in the students who are 4.0gpa; Class ranking of #1-#5 ACT>28 SAT>1900 and the list of offers go up a lot.</p>

<p>That's why I started this thread. To ask the cadets, being they fall into this select group of academic achievers, how did you handle all these other offers and then eventually deciding on the Air Force Academy. I'm sure there are some that just had the academy in their mind and threw out all other offers. I'm sure however that a lot of questioning, second thoughts, reviewing options, etc... went through most of your minds. After all, this is the student's decision to make, not the parent. Thanks readhead and everyone else for the input. Love to hear from more of the cadets. later... Mike.....</p>