<p>For those of you currently in the application process, a few suggestions on nominations. </p>
<p>(1) Go after ALL that are available to you. For those eligible for a Presidential nom, do NOT rely on it. Be sure to apply to your members of Congress (MOCs) as well as the VP. Candidates with only Pres noms do receive appointments. That said, the nom is non-competitive and you shouldn't assume it's enough.</p>
<p>(2) Check with your MOCs NOW to find out the deadlines for submission. Especially in some very competitive states and/or districts, MOCs set early deadlines and failure to meet them is an automatic disqualification from competing for a nom. A previous senator in our state had a mid-Sept deadline. </p>
<p>(3) Submit your nom packets as early as you can do so with a strong submission. While submitting at the last moment isn't fatal, early never hurts. </p>
<p>(4) Remember that you do NOT need to know your MOC to get a nom. Most use nominating committees made up of volunteers in their state/district to review applications and/or conduct interviews. </p>
<p>(5) Some MOCs may require you to rank your SA choices or to list only one. This advice is somewhat controversial but, if you are in a competitive state/district, my strong suggestion is to pick one SA and put it first for all MOCs. Trying to "game the system" (i.e., putting USNA first with 2 MOCs and USMA first with one) is allowed, but can lead to interesting results (you may only get the USMA interview and then are out of the running for USNA). You have to decide sometime -- best to do it now. If you are in a less competitive region, you may be able to pick up noms to more than one SA from the same MOC.</p>
<p>(6) Hate to say this on the USNA forum, but remember that USCGA does not require a MOC nom, although it is as competitive as USNA. Do consider it as an option if you're interested in a Coast Guard career.</p>
<p>In my state the recent trend has been that USNA has more applicants than noms available, while USMA and USAFA generally have enough noms for every qualified applicant. Don't forget USMMA - I know of several people who went to an interview hoping for a USNA nom and received a nom to USMMA. </p>
<p>I am reapplying to the academies this year. I am looking at Air Force or Navy as my top two, but I am wondering on my nominations how important is the ranking? also since the senatorial nominations require you to pick only 1 academy what are my best chances? to request a nomination for Air Force from one senator and another for Navy from the other senator?</p>
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I am reapplying to the academies this year. I am looking at Air Force or Navy as my top two, but I am wondering on my nominations how important is the ranking? also since the senatorial nominations require you to pick only 1 academy what are my best chances? to request a nomination for Air Force from one senator and another for Navy from the other senator?
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<p>The answer to this question basically comes down to this: would you TRULY be equally happy at either academy? If so, then you are fine picking USNA for one and USAFA for the other. However, if one of those is really your first choice and you'll be disappointed if you only get into the other, than pick your first choice for all MOC noms. The danger, of course, in "splitting" your first choice is you may not get a nom for the SA you really wanted; I've seen it happen.</p>
<p>Another thing to consider -- you have to make your choice eventually. Why not make it now? That way you can give yourself as many opportunities as possible to get a nom/appointment to that SA.</p>
<p>Finally, don't forget that USCGA does not require noms, although it is also very competitive from an admissions standpoint.</p>
<p>I had a candidate last year who looked really solid. He was a member of an Honors ROTC unit and his Lieutenant Colonel told him he would recommend him for the ROTC nomination. </p>
<p>He was convinced that he would not need to apply for a nomination from his MOC or Senators because he "already had one". He did not apply to them and he did not get an appointment.</p>
<p>When I called the academy on his behalf I was told that because he was not in the top 20 candidates with ROTC noms, and because he had no other nominations, he was one of those people who was academically, medically and physically qualified who would probably not be appointed.</p>
<p>What you all need to remember is that just because you have a nomination doesn't mean you are one of the most competitive candidates in that group. The law says that up to 20 appointments may be given to those with ROTC nominations. If you're not in the top 20, you might not be appointed.</p>
<p>This is a lesson learned the hard way every year by some very good candidates.</p>
<p>Yes, it is a pain to fill out all of the paperwork, get the recommendations, send the scores and do the interviews. But...Apply for all nominations for which you are eligible!</p>
<p>Why is it so hard? Because it's worth it, that's why. :)</p>
<p>I had an intersting conversation with our US REP's office yesterday(not senators). I wonder if others have heard the same thing. The said they have 5 appointments available to them. For each appointment they can nominate 10 candidates so a total max of 50. But if they appoint someone that slot is used up until that person graduates or leaves. So our district has 2 people at USNA right now so they have up to 30 nominations slots available this year. One person is graduating this year so an additional 10 nomination slots open up. that seems to be important to them</p>
<p>That is the norm. Each MOC can have up to five mids/cadets at each SA at any one time. Each mid/cadet at an academy "counts against" that MOC the entire four years, unless he/she leaves early. When a mid/cadet graduates or leaves for some other reason, that slot opens up for the following year. </p>
<p>The MOC can nominate up to 10 candidates for each open slot at each SA. Thus, if you do the math, MOCs typically have one open slot a year for each SA and occasionally two. Thus, MOCs generally nominate 10 candidates to each SA each year, and 20 candidates, if they have two open slots for a particular SA.</p>
<p>There can be years where MOCs have more than two slots open, due to people leaving before graduation, etc. However, SAs generally encourage MOCs not to use more than 2 open slots per year because doing so could leave them with zero slots in a future year, which would not be good. Thus, if 3 should open in a particular year, the MOC would likely use 1 or 2 and hold the others in abeyance for a year in which there would otherwise be no open slots. </p>
<p>However, it is always up to the MOC how to use the slots available to him/her provided he/she complies with the law.</p>
<p>Thanks thats what I thought was happening. Thats why she was happy there was a mid graduating this year, until I digested this was not sure why that mattered to them. Its looks like we will have at least 20 slots open this year.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. I am pretty sure I should be able to get Congressional Nominations for both Navy and Air Force this year. But I'm not sure how much it would help to also have a Senatorial nomination. I really think I would be happy with Navy or Air Force and I'd like my decision to really come down to where I wasn't accepted. or if it comes down to I got in at both, then I will have to make the decision.</p>
<p>I like the Management program USAFA offfers and also Military Strategic Studies major. But I would also be happy with Economics or Political Science at the naval academy. As far as career after the academy, I would like to become a pilot, but I like the choice the naval academy has to also become a Marine. I am pretty open and up to do most careers so its hard for me to just pick one and be completely focused on just that one thing.</p>
<p>As for the academy experience, I've heard USNA has a better sense of tradition and I think it would be more of a challenge for me. But I also like the location of USAFA and the campus.</p>
<p>I would suggest - if it is within your means- to visit both academies; while they will both get you to being of service to the country, they are very, very different places. And we all know that Navy has the better football team! ;)</p>
<p>I have already been to the Air Force Academy twice since my mom's side of the family is in Colorado. I wish I would be able to visit Annapolis, but I am going to be gone from the beginning of September until December at a prep school and I need to make a decision before November.</p>
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I am pretty sure I should be able to get Congressional Nominations for both Navy and Air Force this year. But I'm not sure how much it would help to also have a Senatorial nomination.
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<p>I would try for all noms for which you're eligible for the following reasons:</p>
<p>(1) Getting multiple noms gives each SA more "slots" in which to put you which makes an appointment generally more likely</p>
<p>(2) It demonstrates that more than one group (i.e., 2 MOC nominating committees) considered you competitive against your peers</p>
<p>(3) You can never be "sure" you'll get a nom -- I know candidates who got a Rep nom and a Sen nom and then don't even get an interview from the other Sen. I wouldn't rest on "pretty sure" if you really want to go to a SA.</p>
<p>(4) Your BGO or AFA equivalent usually asks if you're applying for all noms for which you're eligible. Saying, "no, because I'm pretty sure I'll get one MOC nom" may come across as hubris, stupidity, laziness, or some combination thereof.</p>
<p>Applying for all noms costs nothing other than your time. There is really no reason not to apply for all and failing to do so could have disasterous consequences.</p>