<p>lets say i apply to a college ED but then decide to enlist in the military? thanks</p>
<p>They can’t force you to go to the college.</p>
<p>What are they really going to do? The military has Humvees, predator drones, and SAMs. The college has a piece of paper with your name electronically signed to it. Who is going to win if they fight over you?</p>
<p>If you have a good reason, nothing bad is going to happen from breaking an ED contract. The problems come in when you decide “oh, well, I like this college better, sorry about that”.</p>
<p>The consequences of breaking an ED contract are a) your school is “blacklisted” and b) your ED school contacts other institutions, jeopardizing your chances at those places. b) isn’t an issue in this case, and I imagine a) is unlikely if you have a reason other than “Sorry, I was gaming the admissions process.”</p>
<p>I think you can be accepted ED THEN defer matriculation.</p>
<p>If it is perfectly acceptable to be accpeted RD and then defer for a year or two, or as long as the military obligation is to be fulfilled, then I dont’ see why this is not applicable with ED.</p>
<p>Military obligations are of course very valid reasons to defer matriculation, unless of course you’re not going to attend the college at all?</p>
<p>ED does not require you to actually attend college rather than doing something else and you can always turn it down if you are not going to college. However, if you have ED acceptance from a college and are now choosing to first do military, rather than just informing school you will not attend, you should consider contacting that college and talk to an advisor/administrator because they may grant you a deferral until military service is completed and allow you to come back when you are done.</p>
<p>I agree with the previous posters and I’d like to add that ROTC may be an option for you. The military will pay for your education and after you get your degree, you become an officer rather than enlisted. Could give you the best of both worlds.</p>
<p>If you’re a current senior, getting a scholarship this late in the year would be difficult. But if your school has an ROTC program on campus you might be able to apply for a 3-year scholarship after you enroll. For info about that, talk to the ROTC dept on campus.</p>