<p>Hey, I was just curious. Did anyone try to make an appointment with the Senator, congressman or Vice President, and actually had a meeting? Like a conversation about going to West Point? And if so, did u guys get nominated. Thanks</p>
<p>My son never met his congressman (and yes, he got the nom), but the congressman did fly a US flag over the capitol in my son's honor for his Eagle Scout rank (one and a half years before the nom). He then sent it to us to be used at his court of honor. His wife called to make sure we received it. </p>
<p>That's about as close as we got.</p>
<p>I saw my senator deliver the opening remarks to a speech by a high-ranking military officer. After his speech I tried to thank her for nominating me, but, alas, I was prevented from doing so. Oh well.</p>
<p>my S did have an interview --about one hour long with our congressman. Senators - no .. nom from congressman.</p>
<p>I think it is a mixed bag with maybe 1/2 actually seeing Representative ... very, very, few meeting senators</p>
<p>My son did not meet his senators or congressman before being nominated - but did meet both after being nominated (at receptions they held for nominees and their families).</p>
<p>I met my Congresswoman after receiving an appointment to Annapolis. She called me and told me I got my appointment and wanted to congratulate me in person the very next day. She made a speech in front of everybody about the two people from her district that are going to the Naval Academy and I got to take some pictures with her for the newspaper. So that's my story....I actually got to meet her and what not.</p>
<p>Hey marine88, did you call the office to actually make an appointment? Or send a letter?</p>
<p>I had the good fortunate of knowing my Senator's son, so that worked out well.</p>
<p>For my representative, he happened to be in a parade I was in and I just ran up to him afterwards and introduced myself. Pretty simple. =)</p>
<p>peteyflow, Make an appointment for...? Sorry...it's late and I think I may be confused.</p>
<p>When I said "appointment" I meant my actual acceptance into the Naval Academy. If you mean an appointment as in when I went to meet her and take pictures with her, no I didn't make an appointment. I was told to be there or be square.</p>
<p>We attended various events such as political dinners, parades, etc. over the years and our Congressman got to know my son. Early on, my son let him know that his goal was to attend an academy. The Congressman always advised him to do well in school and play sports. Unfortunately he was defeated last November but he did make nominations before leaving office and my son received one.</p>
<p>This is probably as good a place as any to mention that the nomination process is a competitive one based on merit, and that candidates do not need to "have connections" to be nominated. For the most part, MOCs have staff that handle the nomination process for them. In many cases they do not even hold interviews, but base their decisions on the application packet they receive from the candidate.</p>
<p>Ditto, what Ann said. My son got his nomination last year and this year from our Congressman who he has never met. He had a panel that interviewed the candidates and they made the recommendation on who should get a nomination. Our Senators don't do personal interviews, they base their decision on the application packet sent in...in this case, it is very important to follow directions and do a good job since that is all they see of the candidate. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to shake hands and introduce yourself to your MOC, but if you can't, don't worry about it.</p>
<p>I have met my Congressman. The Governor and Senators from Georgia have a "send-off" for all the kids in the state going to the different academies, so I will meet everyone else there.</p>
<p>I would echo what WAMom68 stated. Outside of building a strong resume of academic, athletic, and leadership achievements, the most important thing you can do is follow the directions exactly that your MOC has issued regarding the nomination application. This is in regards to both content and timing.</p>
<p>...I work for my congresswoman as an intern!</p>
<p>seeing that we are talking about congressman, senators, and the VP i just had a question.</p>
<p>when people say that they got accepted to USMA and other service academies. How does that work? does it mean that they got a nomination from 2 figures of congress? i hope the question was clear</p>
<p>I only had a nomination from my congresswoman when I was accepted for 2010. It doesn't necessarily make you a better candidate when you have a nomination from both senators and the congressperson for your district. It doesn't hurt but is not necessary for entrance.</p>
<p>Is it promising to get two nominations, for the chances of getting an appointment?</p>
<p>YES. That puts you in two pools of candidates and tells USMA that multiple MOC's think highly of you. If you have two nominations and are fully qualified, your chances are real good.</p>
<p>It is easier to get a nomination from a Congressional Representative (candidates compete within the congressional district only), than a nomination from a Senator (candidates compete within the state). In some areas it may be routine for candidates to receive multiple nominations, or even nominations to multiple academies. In other areas MOCs will only nominate to your top academy choice and some Senators will not nominate a candidate if they know that a candidate already has a nomination. It all depends on how competitive the state is and what the MOC's policy is.
For admissions purposes, you only need one nomination. If you have an LOA, any nomination fulfils the requirement. If the nomination source ranks candidates you need to get a principal nomination to get a direct appointment. If the nomination source uses the competitive method, you need to have the highest whole candidate score on the nomination list to receive a direct appointment. Without an LOA, having more than one nomination source works to your advantage (increases your chances of being "top dog"). This is why WP encourages candidates to apply to all of their nomination sources.</p>