Dating an Air Force Academy cadet isn’t quite the same as dating someone who is already commissioned in the military. Yes, eventually, your cadet will graduate and commission, but in the meantime, what’s it like? I’ll give you a peek at the reality of what it’s like dating an Air Force Academy cadet.

I met my boyfriend during his sophomore year. Now, he is a senior. He has grown, and so have his privileges. When I first met him, he couldn’t have a car or have a fridge in his dorm. Once he became a junior, he gained the privilege of having a car and fridge. He was thrilled to get a mini fridge and a Ford Focus *insert groan.*

As a sophomore, it was difficult for him to leave base because he always had to kiss up to the upperclassmen in order to borrow a car for a day or just for an evening. I would end up having to pick him up a few times. Now, he is that upperclassman that the freshmen and sophomores beg from.

When my boyfriend started his junior year, he was so thrilled to be able to go to ring dance and take me with him as his date. Ring dance is a military ball that is held at the end of a cadet’s junior year when they become “firsties” or seniors. This is where a cadet will get his/her class ring that he/she carefully picked out in January. There is a catered dinner in Mitchell Hall followed by a dance in Arnold Hall. In May of this year, my boyfriend and I attended ring dance and had the time of our lives.

Something that is selfishly kind of nice is that I’ve got my boyfriend here with me for at least another year before he commissions into the Air Force and starts his career. When you date a cadet, you pretty much will always know where they are while they’re still at the Academy.

Now that my boyfriend is a senior, he can’t wait to graduate and commission. However, unlike civilian colleges, cadets will kind of have their jobs picked out for them by the Air Force. At the beginning of the fall semester, firsties will have to basically send in a list of jobs that they would like to do in the Air Force for the next five years. There’s no telling what job they will get. They find out several months after they apply which job they receive and which base they will get stationed at.

I have a feeling that he may have some senioritis coming on this year. But hey, who wouldn’t with a scuba diving class on their schedule? Regardless, my boyfriend has received academic honors for his achievements, and I couldn’t be more proud.

What I’ve learned is that although the first two years of the Academy are kind of miserable for your significant other, the last two years improve greatly. My boyfriend started out feeling a little lost and unsure of where he was going and why he ever even wanted to sign up to be in the Air Force, but he’s grown so much, and he has direction and is proud to one day serve his country.

Don’t worry too much for now. Your cadet will be ok in the end!