<p>It’s important to have a backup plan for several reasons. First there could be a medical DQ during the process. Second, your son could sustain an illness or injury prior to I-Day that makes plebe summer participation impossible. Third, he might change his mind between now & I-Day (it’s been known to happen). Fourth, he might show up on I-Day and want to quit during the summer. </p>
<p>There is minimal downside other than your son’s time and the fees to apply. If the LOA comes (and, understand that about 80% of those who receive appointments do NOT receive an LOA) AND USNA is your son’s first choice, he can probably cut down significantly on the civilian schools to which he applies. That said, some LOAs don’t come until well into the fall or even later and, thus, he may not want to wait until the last minute to start his civilian applications.</p>
<p>As for accepting scholarships, I suggest you read the fine print and/or contact the scholarship authority. In some cases, scholarship funds can be applied to defray the initial “loan” from USNA. In some cases, they cannot. I assume that a scholarship given to your son that could not be used if he attends USNA would have to be repaid if he had already accepted the money.</p>