How would it be viewed if i applied for the upcoming board and was accepted and then turned down the final select in favor of getting a Masters degree? Would i be able to reapply without any stigma attached to my application?
You would have to be crazy to make it as far as FS for SNA and then turn it down because you wanted to sit in an ivory tower with a bunch of people who are about as far from the real world as it gets. Different strokes I guess but being in academia, especially graduate school, for close to 7 years, Ive found its not all its drummed up to be. If you'd prefer sitting in school into adulthood over being a Navy Officer with the chance to fly, Id question if this is what you really want to do.
I can't comment on how it would look to a subsequent board but based on NavOffRec's anecdote, I'd say "not good". I'm a nobody but I could easily see myself and certainly board members questioning your sincerity if you were to turn down the slot for anything but an all out emergency that demanded your attention someplace else. Any other reason tells me "you dont really want it".
You mean to tell me that you would go through the long, sometimes stressful application/testing process just to turn it down? Is this some kind of thought experiment or something?
I'm in a similar position but a little older and further along in my Masters degree. I did not drum it up in my application, I just submitted my transcripts from my MS work so far which show working towards degree. The Navy is looking at the whole person, not how many degrees you paid for. Their basic requirement is a bachelors, thats what the vast majority of applicants have. Id argue that involvement in other activities (aviation related or otherwise) weighs more than anything else beyond the basic requirements.
I plan to finish grad school in the next month or so, just need to complete my thesis. You have age on your side right now but none of us are getting any younger. I just turned 25 but I'm worried about the 27 deadline for commissioning, I should be at OCS before fall is out (supposedly FS letter is waiting to be signed) but I still worry about any unforseen medical issues setting me back and getting me close to the deadline. I know far fetched that it would set me back 2 yrs but one never knows. You are probably perfectly healthy and will likely remain so but you just don't know. Vision can deteriorate, you could need surgery for something which could set you back in the application process. 2-3 years from now, nobody knows what OCS numbers for SNA will be, if there will even be boards more than once per year or even less, who knows.
Sorry to ramble and play worst case scenario but age, board dates, how selective boards are, numbers and health make for a volatile mixture that is best worked with when time is on your side. Even at 25, one minor thing has the potential to totally derail me. Take it from somebody who has at least been through the app process: The one thing I wish I could do is roll back my age a bit. You are already in that situation. Take advantage of it!
You can sit on a chair and get whatever degree you want to shell out the money for at any point in your life. From everything I've read on here and heard in talking to current/retired officers, there will always be opportunities for advanced degrees once you are in, especially nowadays. You will not always have the opportunity to fly on uncle sam's dime staring you in the face. I suggest you go all in on this upcoming board, make your package the best it can be and accept selection if you get it. If not, then being an officer/aviator is clearly something you DO NOT really want to do. Good luck and if I got selected, you probably can make it as well!