Air Force Academy versus Texas A&M

TGABFL
Tue, 07 Apr 2020 13:40:55 +0000

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.