Is it frowned upon/considered unethical to apply knowing I'd defer for a year?

[jct329]

I discussed in another thread a little bit of a predicament I'm in, but here's the tl;dr: I'm military and am scheduled to get out near the end of 2013. I have good stats, and I think I'm pretty competitive at a lot of places, but I worry about getting out without knowing for sure what's going to happen. Right now I'm planning on applying for places that take spring admissions for the spring 2014 term (NYU, American SPA, UMD, and Indiana are the four I would apply to), but I'm having a tough time justifying limiting myself based on spring/fall admissions. I would be more comfortable if I were able to apply for fall 2013, and then defer until fall of 2014. I could figure out something to do with my half year off I think (though this worries me as well...I really don't want to have to move in with the parents or anything, even if I have solid plan in place. If anyone has any good suggestions in this area I'd love to hear them as well.)

Would I need to explain this situation to the school? Would it be frowned upon?

[123student]

I would think that since you're only applying there's not much unethical in it. To accept an offer and then bail at the last minute would be terrible, as you would have bumped a more determined candidate out of his/her rightful spot. Schools design waitlists for scenarios like this, and while no one likes the waitlist, it is better than a flat rejection. Also, schools admit more applicants than they expect to enroll, knowing that the best applicants have more than one offer on their plates.

Keep in mind though that grad school is notoriously difficult, and that those who go into it half-heartedly frequently drop out with little to show for their time.

[armychick]

I discussed in another thread a little bit of a predicament I'm in, but here's the tl;dr: I'm military and am scheduled to get out near the end of 2013. I have good stats, and I think I'm pretty competitive at a lot of places, but I worry about getting out without knowing for sure what's going to happen. Right now I'm planning on applying for places that take spring admissions for the spring 2014 term (NYU, American SPA, UMD, and Indiana are the four I would apply to), but I'm having a tough time justifying limiting myself based on spring/fall admissions. I would be more comfortable if I were able to apply for fall 2013, and then defer until fall of 2014. I could figure out something to do with my half year off I think (though this worries me as well...I really don't want to have to move in with the parents or anything, even if I have solid plan in place. If anyone has any good suggestions in this area I'd love to hear them as well.)

Would I need to explain this situation to the school? Would it be frowned upon?

Hey. I completely understand you situation. I was active duty military as well. I came back from Iraq in June 2007 and started my undergrad immediately 2 months later. Looking back, I wish I had given myself some time in between to unwind. While you may not be coming home from deployment, taking some time after active duty will really help your mental stability through the next few years of school. You shouldn't have to worry about going back home to live with your parents because you are eligible for unemployment (which is A LOT of

money) so I'm sure you can rent a place.

Personally I do not like regrets, so if I were thinking about applying like you, I would just do it to see if I get in. (if anything, it is great practice for the fall!) And if you don't get it, don't sweat. Just do it again in the fall!

I received my acceptance into the MPA program at SIPA yesterday so i am extremely happy. Still waiting in Wagner and USC. I know both SIPA and USC have extremely good veteran networks, while this shouldn't be a deciding factor, it's a fun fact

Good luck to you and I hope everything works out the way you want it to!