Pre-Plebe Summer Injury

[CC_Candidate]

How do the academies handle future plebes who are injured after accepting their appointments? Are they kicked out of the system immediately or are they accepted in if they are 100% by I-Day? If not accepted are they put on a list for next year's class?

I recently sustained another occurence of the injury I received a waiver for. Will that reoccurence, again, affect the perception on the situation? The injury is orthopedic and easily treated by physical therapy and a simple neoprene brace.

 

[HH-60H]

How do the academies handle future plebes who are injured after accepting their appointments? Are they kicked out of the system immediately or are they accepted in if they are 100% by I-Day? If not accepted are they put on a list for next year's class?

I recently sustained another occurence of the injury I received a waiver for. Will that reoccurence, again, affect the perception on the situation? The injury is orthopedic and easily treated by physical therapy and a simple neoprene brace.

That's a good question. I'm sure it depends on the specifics of your situation. However, you spend an hour or two on I-day getting checked out by Dr's and I would bet that's where this would be addressed, assuming you don't contact USNA prior to I-day.

FWIW, I put a deposit down on my fall back school just in case I wasn't medically qualified on I-day.

 

[Uncle Fester]

Ooh, bad scene, man. The docs will probably make that call on I-Day based on what they see, but if they don't feel you're 100%, you're not going to start. I don't know the specific rules for a situation like yours, but I've never heard of anyone getting rolled back to another class before induction...the way the Academy sees it, they haven't really officially accepted you until you're sworn in on I-Day, so they can un-select you any time before then. If the docs give you thumbs-down on I-Day, probably the best you'll get is a reassuring pat on the back and an un-promise that you'll get in with the next class, so reapply.

I'd strongly advise getting in touch with your BGO and discussing this with him/her. I'd imagine you could be checked out beforehand, so you don't wind up going home with Mom and Dad on I-Day. At the very least, your BGO can give you the straight gouge.

Good luck!

 

[phrogpilot73]

FWIW, I put a deposit down on my fall back school just in case I wasn't medically qualified on I-day.

What's a fall back school? It was USNA or nothing for me...

 

[S3b_viking]

I had a buddy that broke his arm two weeks before he was supposed to start and they un-selected him and that he could apply again the next year with a good chance of being accepted again. He got in just fine a year later after doing a year at UF and is now a 1/C.

 

[HH-60H]

What's a fall back school? It was USNA or nothing for me...

Since I wasn't already "obligated" to Uncle Sam I had a bit more flexibility should something go wrong on I-Day or during Plebe Summer.

 

[The Chief]

How do the academies handle future plebes who are injured after accepting their appointments? .....

I think on a case by case basis. I am aware of one case, female, that re-injured an old (well relative) sports knee problem. She was admitted and had knee surgery 2 weeks into Plebe summer, and just kept on trucking.

Direct the question to USNA. Call 'em. You have a contact number.

 

[FLYTPAY]

He got in just fine a year later after doing a year at UF and is now a 1/C.

Let me get this straight, he left UF for USNA? WTF!

 

[Oh-58Ddriver]

I broke my ankle pretty severely three weeks before R-Day (USMA's version of I-Day). I was going to be on crutches so when I called the admissions officer, he said I would be a no go. He said I had to apply the next year, it wouldnt be automatic. But, they knew the deal on why I didnt go and I was accepted the next year before my packet was even complete.

That being said, if I had to do it again, I wouldnt have told anyone, I would have showed up on R-Day and let the docs decide. Its a lot easier for them to defer you before you show up, but once you are in that slot, they want to hold on to you. If your injury is going to be fine by I-Day, I would suggest not calling them at all, showing up with your records and telling the docs everything (DONT hide anything) on the first day and tell them you are good to go. Shouldnt be an issue.

 

[The Chief]

...That being said, if I had to do it again, I wouldnt have told anyone, I would have showed up on R-Day and let the docs decide. Its a lot easier for them to defer you before you show up, but once you are in that slot, they want to hold on to you. If your injury is going to be fine by I-Day, I would suggest not calling them at all, showing up with your records and telling the docs everything (DONT hide anything) on the first day and tell them you are good to go. Shouldnt be an issue.

Hmmm..... I defer to the 58 driver. Forget the call to USNA, show up. Lot of wisdom in that post.

 

[PropAddict]

Agreed. Show up, let them send you home.

That said, my roommate at USNA showed up with a broken wrist for his first I day, and he was sent home. He basically had to send in a one page sheet asking to have his old application reviewed and he was accepted the following I day.

 

[C420sailor]

Agreed. Show up, let them send you home.

+1

It depends heavily upon the injury/illness. I showed up on I-Day with a majorly bad case of mononucleosis. They offered me light duty so I could recover better. I declined it because I didn't want to be "that guy" and because mono isn't THAT bad in the grand scheme of things. The docs might extend you something like that when you get there---might as well give it a try.

I wouldn't go out of your way to inform them prior to I-Day though. Try to rehabilitate yourself on your own in the mean time. No need to get them all fired up if you might end up 100% on I-Day anyway, you know?

 

[Uncle Fester]

If it's something like mono, or asthma, or something like that, then I'd concur with hoping the Docs don't notice. Once you're in the door and signed papers, then you're on the Gummint dime and it's hard for them to get rid of you medically. At the very least, they'll repair you first.

Two caveats, though: One, don't lie or cover up anything. Don't pull some offending note from your medical record, anything like that. They WILL kick your ass to the curb, post-haste, for something like that.

Two, if it's a joint injury or the like, you're taking a pretty big chance by hoping you can skate through. The docs will notice scars from surgery and bet your sweet bippy they'll ask lots of questions about them. And if you re-injure, you'll be That Guy on crutches in Gimp Squad during the summer, and no good comes of that. No good comes of being That Guy for any reason during Plebe Summer. Not to mention, being injured is always bad for your long-term health and comfort.

I stick with my original answer: get the thumbs-up or -down before I-Day. Riding home with mom and dad instead of staying for the Show has got to be a shitty feeling. And make sure your civvie school ducks are in a row just in case, even if you plan on reapplying. That way you won't have to spend the next year flipping burgers and getting the "I thought you were going to the Naval Academy?" from everyone.

 

[cfam]

One of my best friends at the Academy broke his collarbone playing frisbee two weeks before I-Day. He called beforehand and they had him reapply a year later, (he did the gap year at West Chester University). He said that the admissions process was just a formality the second time around, and actually, the extra year helped him once he got here, as he already had his fill of the college party scene and wasn't worried about missing it like most of us were. I'd call in advance, as getting all geared up for I-day only to be sent home would really be a letdown, IMO. If you really want USNA that bad, then the extra year shouldn't deter you.

That all being said, if you can rehab yourself and get clearance from a civilian doc before reporting then do that. The military docs are much more likely to clear you if you have something official supporting your claim that you're rehabbed. You've got a whole month luckily, so use it. I'm TAD at the Academy right now, so I'd be happy to ask one of the docs for his opinion if you'd like to PM me some specifics. Good Luck!!