@Gastrapathy : deploying near the end of your service is far from rare in my limited experience. The requirement is that you're back in the States no fewer than 90 days out from your ETS - and for seniors nowadays, that timeline is typically maxed out. The reality is that with rapidly shrinking force caps in most theaters, commanders must do more with significantly less. My EAOS is the beginning of October 2016. I could go on terminal leave and start school simultaneously. However, if I were told to deploy, I would prioritize that and push my ETS until after the deployment, necessitating a 2017 school start date.
@LizzyM : thank you for the tough love. Obviously, withdrawing is not something I would be excited to do, but I appreciate your explanation. It seems that if I do get tagged for a December movement, the issue will force its hand.
@DokterMom : I value your input and the way you explained
LizzyM's suggested path. Though certainly convoluted, I disagree that I'm being in any way dishonest. My choices were to apply knowing I would probably ask for a deferral and risk the school's decision, or to wait until next cycle and risk the possibility of deploying and not being physically able to apply. If asked, I would explain my situation candidly.
Deployment orders are cut on short notice. I haven't been told that I will deploy, but I can see it as a possibility (ie, 'some portions' of my larger organization will deploy, but no one has been tagged yet). If my marriage were on the rocks, and I thought that there'd be a chance that I could divorce next year and would need to defer acceptance to handle legal/financial issues, should I just not apply? I would argue that many deferrals are granted for circumstances that were known by the applicant to be possible if not probable during the application cycle. Moreover, the schools I applied to have policies that allow for deferral consideration for 'once in a lifetime opportunities' among other reasons that would prevent an applicant from matriculating.
The application process can be a year long - or longer if you're wait listed. In my case, there are too many variables in that year to know without a doubt when I would matriculate - however, my opinion is that I'm being as pro-active as I can, keeping as many doors open as possible, and minimizing the time I've spent out of school. As I chose to apply only to schools that grant deferrals, I don't think that I'm significantly wasting the schools' or admissions committees' time, nor am I negatively affecting other applicants.
I am not trying to hoodwink the system, but rather trying to operate within my constraints.
I sincerely appreciate everyone's experienced wisdom.
