<p>i have nomination interview this Friday, and i want to prepare myself before the interview. how long does the interview take? and what are the most common questions that they will ask you?</p>
<p>My interview lasted 5-10 minutes, but it was a very long 5-10 minutes. Some of the questions they asked:
Why USNA?
What do you want to do after you graduate?
What will you do after your service obligation is over?
Did you finish your application? (They really got on me because mines not done)
Did you apply for a NROTC scholarship?
What other schools are you applying to?
Will you reapply to USNA if you are not accepted?
Are you going to retake the SAT/ACT?
How do you handle adversity?
How do you respond to situations that you cannot control?</p>
<p>Stay calm and focused, I'm sure you'll do fine.</p>
<p>mine were 25-30 minutes long. these are some questions i got:
What would you do if you were given an order that you think is unethical?
What do you plan on majoring in if you DON'T go to an academy?
Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?
Will you be in the military even if you don't get an appointment?</p>
<p>one thing that i think is important to know before you go in is that they won't ask everything. if you're really motivated and you've been doing all sorts of stuff to learn more about the academy and get prepared then you have to tell them that. if they don't ask about NROTC and only ask where else you're applying, make sure you tell them that you ARE applying for ROTC (if you are). if there's anything you think they should know and they haven't asked, tell them. when they ask if you have any questions, it might be good to ask, "can i take this time to tell you a more about what i've been doing to get ready for the academy?"</p>
<p>good luck!</p>
<p>Some basic advice:</p>
<p>1) Dress well. In other words, wear a suit. Get a haircut, trim your nails, take a shower, shave, don't wear any cologne, remove body piercings, etc., etc. Sounds obvious, but you'd be amazed how many morons shoot themselves in the foot just by showing up looking like a freak show.</p>
<p>2) Tell the truth. Do not, under any circumstances, lie. If the guy interviewing you is former USAF and asks why you are applying to USNA rather than USAFA, tell him the truth. Just don't tell him you're too smart to be a zoomie; there's a fine line between truth and insult. ;)</p>
<p>3) Be prepared to express clearly and passionately why you wish to attend USNA, and why you think you deserve the opportunity. Again, be clear, truthful, and confident, but not cocky.</p>
<p>4) Be prepared to summarize your life in two minutes in case the old favorite, "So tell me about yourself..." pops up, as it almost always does. Cover your hometown, if you or your parents are immigrants, any hardships you may have had to overcome, accomplishments you have achieved, general interests, and (finally) what has led you to be sitting in that interview.</p>
<p>5) Relax. The person(s) across from you put their pants on one leg at a time, just like you do. I once got a bit of advice on this: If you're feeling intimidated by someone, try to picture them sitting on the crapper. The trick is not to laugh out loud when you succeed. ;)</p>
<p>Good luck! :)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It's called tact.</p>
<p>I have not had mine yet. But I was told that it will last 15-20 minutes. I spoke to my squad leader from NASS and she told me not to fret too much about it. She said don't go in having memorized all these responses to all these questions. Just go in confident and calm.</p>
<p>A few other thoughts:</p>
<p>Review what you submitted (activities, essays, etc.). It's really embarrassing if they ask you about something you submitted and you don't remember it.</p>
<p>If you've had any significant updates to your "resume" since you submitted your packet (i.e., new awards, better SAT scores, etc.), bring an updated version and BRIEFLY explain the update. The fact you joined another club is not a significant update.</p>
<p>Agree w/those above who advise being honest. Literally and figuratively. Don't try to outsmart/outguess the interviewers. Won't work.</p>
<p>Be prepared for some version of the question -- "Why you?" (vs. all the other folks we're interviewing). Unlike BGO interviews, nom interviews are competitive in that you and the others are competing for one of ten slots. </p>
<p>Agree re not memorizing answers. That doesn't, however, mean you shouldn't prepare for various questions and have some idea what you're going to say. </p>
<p>Be prepared to address any weaknesses in your packet (i.e., low grade(s), low SATs, lack of leadership positions, lack of sports, etc.). Best advice here is to address it directly and succinctly and what you're doing to improve/rectify, etc. -- don't try to make it into a strength if it's not.</p>
<p>This question sort of has to do with the nomination interviews...can a Senator/Congressman nominate 10 candidates for each of their available slots? Or do they only nominate 10 in total - no matter how many slots they have open?</p>
<p>^^^^^
MOCs can nominate ten candidates per each quota that is unfilled. Most years, MOCs will have just one quota; however, some years they may have two quotas.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Be VERY careful with this. As with Zap's fine line between truth and insult, there is an even finer line between explaining your weaknesses and making excuses. Many people find blaming others for one's shortcomings a total turnoff.</p>
<p>^^^^</p>
<p>Agree. (And, BTW, by "address," I meant in response to a question, not that you should volunteer it). Some promote the concept of turning your weaknesses into strengths or using a strength as a weakness -- i.e., "I'm obsessed about organization. In fact, I'm so organized that everyone turns to me in a crisis." That IS a total turnoff (to borrow USNA69's phrase). </p>
<p>In BGO interviews, I often ask someone "what aren't you good at?" You'd be amazed at the number of people who say "I can't think of anything." </p>
<p>No one is great at everything. And, if you think you have zero weaknesses, that in itself is a potential issue. Thus, think about those areas in which you have not excelled/may not excel and -- if asked -- be up front about the issue and what you're doing/have done to address that weakness (i.e., "I'm not a great runner, but have been working with our school track coach on my technique and stamina. Since I started on the workout program in June, I've improved my mile time by 30 seconds.")</p>
<p>Daughter has just been to two interviews (congressman and one senator) with the 2nd senator interview coming up next week. Here are some of the things she said about them.</p>
<p>They keep very closely to the time allotments which were 30 minutes and 20 minutes respectively. They asked her about the honor code. They asked why she wanted to go to a SA and which ones. They asked her about her sports and ECs. They were particularly interested in her interest and aptitude in foreign languages. They said her academic record spoke for itself. One committee member was a woman and asked her if she was worried about being a woman in the military. No one grilled her.</p>
<p>She brought a leather portfolio with copies of her resume and her LOA but I don't she gave anything out. They already had the info.</p>
<p>Boulderhikermom...are you in Colorado?</p>
<p>
[quote]
In BGO interviews, I often ask someone "what aren't you good at?" You'd be amazed at the number of people who say "I can't think of anything."
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Survey says......</p>
<p>BRRRRRRRRR!!!</p>
<p>WRONG ANSWER!</p>
<p>
[quote]
She brought a leather portfolio with copies of her resume and her LOA but I don't she gave anything out. They already had the info.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. :)</p>
<p>jpr - yup, from the People's Republic.</p>
<p>zaph - yup, plus it gives you something to do with your hands or something to start a conversation if necessary!!</p>
<p>Something that helped me a lot was having a lot of enthusiasm- it may have been a little over the top but at least the panel could see how excited I was about the academy! I was really surprised how many people there didn't prepare at all- I was the only one who had practiced any questions and it really helped a lot! I would also recommend that you really try to add a little humor if appropriate because it makes the interview more fun for everyone if you're having fun. My panel today was really friendly to me because I answered well and was excited- they were a lot harder on the people that didn't show any enthusiasm.</p>