<p>I recently spoke to my B&G officer about the admissions process. This is what was explained to me. Once your application is totally completed, the board reviews it. You are put in one of three areas. You can either be immediately rejected, given a LOA, or made an alternate (the majority of applicants). Alternates (triple Q) are found qualified, but not LOA quality. Unlike LOA candidates, triple Q candidates are collected and stored. Once the majority of applications are in, everyone is ranked using a point system and the top candidates are given appointments (800 - 1000, excluding LOA and NAPS/Foundation people). Although the USNA says it has rolling admissions, the real acceptance process is not. Everyone is summed up and judged together. So the point is: If you haven't been rejected or given a LOA, but are triple Q, the wait will in fact be long, until about mid April. This is directly from the B&G officer. I would like to know how JPhelan was admitted without a LOA though. If he or she can explain their case, that would be very helpful. I hope that this description, although slightly depressing, eased some of the built tension of the wait. Good luck everyone!</p>
<p>i received an appointment without an loa and im not really sure why since it doesnt add up according to your bgo's account of the admissions process.i think i was loa qualified and im not sure why i didnt receive one. i had 1500+ sats, top 5% of my class, 6 varsity letters and captain of sports teams, boys state, nhs, student council all that good stuff. i dont know why i didnt get an loa i dont know if it was because i got a presidential nomination so i was already triple q'd with a nomination and just waiting on an eye waiver or it could have been because i needed an eye waiver they didnt give me an loa. i've heard of at least three people on here that received appointments without loa's so maybe your bgo's description of admissions is a general statement and not necessarily the rule.</p>
<p>Obtained from the Naval Academy Information Program Handbook: </p>
<p>The Admissions Board reviews candidate admission files for scholastic qualification as they are completed. The board is made up of 18 members of the staff and faculty of the Naval Academy. The board meets every Thursday to review records beginning in late August and continuing until mid-April.</p>
<p>A reviewed record will receive one of the following designations: </p>
<p>· Qualified (Q): The candidate is qualified scholastically for admission. Highly qualified candidates may receive Conditional Offers of Appointment (also called Letters of Assurance).</p>
<p>· Not Qualified (R): The candidate is not qualified scholastically for direct admission. (The board may decide to offer NAPS or send the record to the Naval Academy Foundation for sponsorship.)</p>
<p>· Deferred (D): Additional information is required to make a scholastic determination. The record will go back to the Admissions Board when the information is received.</p>
<p>Admissions Board Selection Process</p>
<p>In order to receive an appointment to the Naval Academy, candidates must have an official nomination and must meet basic scholastic, medical, and physical aptitude qualifications (be triple Q'ed). Scholastic qualification is determined by the Admissions Board.</p>
<p>The ranking of candidates is determined by the whole-person evaluation. This consists of a score based on information received from the materials in the candidate packet and allows the candidates to be ranked objectively. The Admissions Board adds its subjective evaluation of the record; specifically, the board member presenting the record may recommend additional weighting (either positive or negative) for special circumstances that he/she finds appropriate in each candidates package.</p>
<p>Conditional Offers of Appointment/Offers of Appointment</p>
<p>Exceptionally qualified candidates are often given a conditional offer of appointment (status code CO), often referred to as a letter of assurance (LOA), once they have been found scholastically qualified by the Admissions Board. The LOA guarantees an offer of appointment after the remaining admissions requirements have been completed. If they have not actually done so, candidates must obtain an official nomination, satisfactorily complete a qualifying medical examination, and pass the physical aptitude examination (PAE). If an eye waiver or other medical waiver is necessary, the medical is not considered complete. Conditional offers of appointment keep the Academy competitive with colleges making early offers to students with outstanding credentials.</p>
<p>Fully Qualified offers of appointment (status code FQ) are offered to those candidates who have completed the requirements of an LOA or have won their congressional slate. These fully qualified offers of appointment are made throughout the cycle until the maximum number of offers to fill the class has been made, i.e. until the class is full.</p>
<p>So if my son was flat-out rejected, he would have heard right away? It seems like he's in a limbo of sorts - has never received a Triple Q letter, BGO officer says he's still in front of the board, but his app has been complete since November. He passed the PAE in Summer Seminar and his medical is complete as well with no waivers needed. 1300 on his SAT, 30 composite on his ACT. Eagle Scout but no sports. We realize he wasn't quite LOA material, but it would be nice to hear something.</p>
<p>Correct. His SAT's and EC's put him right on the cusp - so his file keeps returning to the board each week. If you have anything to bolster the file with, NOW would be the time to do it.</p>
<p>The suspense is a killer. Why does the Naval Academy have such a strange admissions process? Some material explains one method, another explains another. People say that non-LOA people will hear in April, when some have already heard. It just doesn't all add up! Oh well.....going back to counting the days...1....2...3...</p>
<p>The way that it was explained to us last year may help to explain why some hear earlier than others. LOA recipients aside, once a MOC submits their nominations, the admissions board will evaluate those candidates. If the MOC uses a principal nomination system it is quite simple. If their principal is qualified, the candidate receives their appointment and the others go into a pool of qualified alternates that will compete nationally based on the whole person score. If the MOC provides a slate of nominations, the academy will look at all of the candidates and award the appointment to the top candidate in the slate. The remaining qualified candidates go into the at-large pool. As time drags on a couple of things can happen. First of all, the candidate could decline their appointment in which case the next in line would receive their appointment at that time. This can go on for quite awhile, right up to the decision date of May 1. The at-large appointments are made after all the MOC appointments have been filled. These will be a little later in the process and tend to occur in March and leading up to that April 15 date. It is complicated and tough to understand at times. The reality is that a candidate competes on a couple of levels, first in their congressional district, and if they do not receive an appointment there, they move on to compete at-large. I believe that there are a couple hundred appointments made this way. It is a long and at times very stressful process. Certainly like nothing we had ever experienced before. We described it as an odyssey. Best of luck to everyone going through the process. Keep in mind that it is next to impossible to compare timing with other individuals especially when they come from other areas and districts.</p>
<p>It is not true that applicants w/out an LOA will only hear during April. An LOA means that the applicant has yet to complete all the requirements but has a strong scholastic record. If a record is reviewed, say on January 10th with all requirements complete and the academy intends on offering an appointment, then they would offer the appointment, not a conditional offer (CO) otherwise known as an LOA.</p>