Another Zoomie here. No regrets and I did a full career...but...

When I was there, if you were (physically) pilot qualified (PQ), you were expected to go to UPT. In fact, if you were PQ and you did NOT want to go to UPT, you had to talk your way up the chain and explain why not.

Now if you're PQ and you want to fly, you "volunteer" for a "rated assignment" (I think that's the term). Here's the kicker, "rated assignments" are UPT, UAVs or air battle managers (AWACS back-enders). You're racked and stacked against every other PQ person in your class and they have an assignment event where you pick what you want from what's left. From what I've heard, UPT slots outweigh the other two by a lot, but there's a real possibility you might end up NOT going to UPT.

My info might be a little off, but that's the gist of it. Far be it from me to dissuade someone from going to the USAFA if you really want it. But you have to want it for more than a pilot slot. I made lifelong friends and had great experiences you don't get in a "real" school. Oh, and a great education. But we missed out on a lot too. You need to decide what your real goals are. If you simply want to fly military and get on with airlines ASAP, more power to you, but you will hate every day at the USAFA. I realized after the first week wanting to be an AF pilot wasn't nearly enough motivation to make me put up with the place.

**EDIT** after re-reading OP's post: good on you for wanting to serve, ANG/AFRES/AD will all give you the opportunity.

One of your comments really got my attention (my first assignment was as a UPT IP), something about gaining seniority at a regional while at UPT. The only way you'll be able to do that is if you're on MIL leave from your regional the entire time you're at UPT. There's no way you'll be able to do anything but UPT while you're there. You might already know this, but I wasn't sure what you meant by that comment.