Mail Trouble

<p>I sent in my candidate application on the 2nd in a single large envelope, because I ran out of those small grey envelopes. Unfortunately, I recently realized that I might have screwed up the zip code(10096 as opposed to 10996), and therefore my application will take longer to get there. This isn't good as the deadline for my LOA offer was Oct 15th. I also got a teacher who still hasn't sent his recommendation. I'm in Colorado, so it usually takes mail three days to reach West Point, and a little longer to get to admissions. Should I be worried? I assume they set a deadline to root out uninterested applicants- I mean, that's the purpose of an LOA, to snag you before you look at other colleges. But I'm still rearin to go, I just don't know about this mail situation.</p>

<p>Probably would be a good idea to call them up and let them know of the situation.</p>

<p>We had a similar problem last year at this time. </p>

<p>My daughter got an e-mail from her MALO stating that her file was not complete and the deadline for her LOA was fast approaching. She had already sent everything in, but apparently something had either been lost or had not been processed yet. Fortunately she had a copy of everything she sent and e-mailed the copy of the missing sections to him. He replied quickly that took care of it and she was subsequently accepted.</p>

<p>Obviously this won't help with the missing teacher recommendation, but I'd suggest you let WP know that it is coming. Our experience has been that prompt communication helps WP know you remain very interested.</p>

<p>Also, the purpose of the LOA isn't to "snag you before you look at other colleges", since it isn't binding. Even with an LOA, we thought it was very important for our daughter to look at other colleges and fully weigh her options so that she could make an informed decision and a full commitment to whatever decision she eventually made. It is nice to have that LOA in your hip pocket as you evaluate your options. BTW, She chose WP.</p>

<p>Oh, I meant "snag" as in get you excited about the opportunity early so as not to keep pursuing other college options. Certainly worked on me. My file completeness says my Candidate Statement and My CFA are in, while my activities record and personal data are not. This worries me since I sent all forms in a single envelope. But you're saying that as long as they know I'm interested, it shouldn't be a problem? I have copies of everything so hopefully that's the case.</p>

<p>If I were you, I'd take a proactive approach. Call or email them to express your concern about the missing items and see what they suggest you do. I would not just wait to see what happens. Remember, they are processing a lot of applications and sometimes things can get misplaced. </p>

<p>Also, another reason to continue to pursue your other college options is that something can occur to prevent you from eventually going to West Point, even if accepted. For example, you can get an injury or illness during your Senior Year that can affect your status with DODMERB.</p>

<p>I would also suggest that you speak with the teacher about the deadline. Then you may want to be prepared to overnight the recommendation letter. It will be worth whatever it costs you to ensure all your paperwork is in on time. Good luck.</p>

<p>Yeah, I'm definitely considering overnighting the recommendation if it hasn't been sent in already. By now the only things missing from the candidate resource page are my science and english recommendations. English I don't expect to have in, but science (I thought) was sent in some time ago. I'll have to look into that one.</p>