So how did your S/D make THE decision?

Dknightfam
Thu, 08 Mar 2007 08:34:08 +0000

This thread is directed toward those parents and thier middies/cadets that were lucky enough to recieve more than one Appointment to a Service Academy. With an AF appointment in hand, and anticipating an Annapolis version to follow, I would love to hear how THE ultimate decision was made - i.e. which SA to attend.

First of all, I fully understand that this is the son/daughter’s decision, and that it is not “all about the parents” but as one, I can’t imagine the difficult decision my son will have to make in the coming months if both A’s arrive. Back when I was 17 my big decision was whether or not to put headers on my 69 Chevelle, not “where do I want to spend the next 4 (or 20+) years of my life”…

Now I’m sure that a number of you went thru the “pros and cons” of each academy so I’m hoping that you could offer some advise on how to support a son/daughter with this incredible decision. Note that I’ll be posting this same thread on both the Naval and Air Force forum links so try and keep your answers fair and balanced. Yes, I know “Zoomie all the way” will be the answer here, but I expect the folks over on the NA forum will be saying “It’s the Navy way or nothing” too! :)

Below I’ll throw a few examples of the pro-con quandries my son will be sorting thru - maybe they’ll provoke some suggestions to kick things off:



One SA is recruiting him for an athletic team, the other doesn’t show much interest. Is it easier to make it thru the SA while on a team (i.e. chances to bond with upperclassmen faster, trips off campus for matches to break-up the long year, etc) or is there too much on thier plates already?

One SA has a specific Major (War Studies) that really interests him, whereas the other is a more generic History degree. How crucial is a specific course of study at the SA’s, or is 95% of your 4 year course load pretty generic in the grand scheme of things?



Obviously there are a ton of other deciding factors (who gives him a higher chance of becoming a pilot, etc) but I’ll post this thread “wide open” for you experienced folks to comment on, asking for your continued advise on how to support a youngster with the biggest decision of his life.

We all look forward to reading your responses.

Dknightfam