<p>Hello,
My son received a principle nomination from his congressman.
The Air Force Academy has him listed as a candidate.
He has passed all medical and is listed as pilot qualified.
We would like to register for orientation,but we still do
not know whether he will receive an appointment.
I understood if he were the principle nominee he would
automatically be offered an appointment.
He has also received a nomination from both senators.
Any reason as to why this is? </p>
<p>If you have a principal nomination it does not necessarily guarantee that you will receive an appointment. The academy selection and nomination selection, to my knowledge, are conducted independent of each other with no connection to each other except that you must receive a nomination to be accepted. Principal nominee just means that that particular congressman thought he was the best candidate out of all the applicants so he would most likely be chosen first from that congressional district. Most applicants will receive word on their application status in mid March. Something like over a thousand offers of appointment or at least the great majority of them are handed out in that timeframe. So sit tight and hope for the best. good luck.</p>
<p>Hmmmm, my knowledge is dated and older brains can forget, but I was pretty sure that if a Congressman uses the "principal" method of nominating, than his nominee MUST be accepted. It's the reason the Academy prefers that MOCs do not use this method.</p>
<p>Well, I did say to the best of my knowledge, but what do I know? I guess I know now. So pretty much just ignore my advice on the nomination, but I think I am right about the timeframe for the appointments.</p>
<p>If the candidate is triple qualified (academically, medically, and physically) and meets all the requirements (has no kids, of good moral character, between 17-22) than he or she will receive an appointment. I have a principal nomination from my senator and received my appointment about a month and a half ago, but it could be March before your son hears. You cannot sign up for orientation until you receive an appointment.</p>
<p>I understand your eagerness about nailing down that appointment and registering for orientation. No orientation date will "fill up". They will accommodate you for whichever weekend you choose no matter when you receive your appointment. If you're worried about hotel reservations, you could just go ahead and make them. They would be easy to change or cancel if that became necessary. Often appointments are announced on the web site before you receive a letter or a call from your congressman. Check the web site daily, just in case. Lots of luck!</p>
<p>I like your idea of going ahead with hotel reservations. So where would the best hotel be for a son who is coming out alone for orientation? Will he even need a hotel or will he be going directly to the Academy?</p>
<p>The Academy Hotel is closest (it's a Best Western), right near the south gate, but, most importantly, is a stop for the bus which takes them right to orientation. May be a few dollars more than other choices but I like it a lot.</p>
<p>You can catch a shuttle from the Drury and the Academy hotel if you prefer that method. My family stayed at the Embassy about 5 minutes away from the Academy Hotel. If you have a rental car there, I'd say go where you want.</p>
<p>Thanks. My son was thinking that he would go alone but it would be complicated since he is too young to rent a car. Maybe this will change his mind.</p>
<p>Not at all, most come with parents -- there are even sessions where the candidates meet with faculty/staff separately and parents get their own sessions. I found orientation to the most informative thing I've done. Learned all about the loan progqram, what cadets can expect, how parents can/should act under certain circumstances. Don't miss this if possible. There is also something for parents called famnet but that is for later.</p>
<p>My son received his call from his Congressman this past week. As a FF scholar, he has felt confident of the appointment, but it sure was nice to get the actual word. He will need to start making real plans now. What fun!</p>
<p>I would reccomend having parents come for Orientation. That way they can see what it is all about.</p>
<p>However, for actual inproccessing, i would reccomend against it. One, it is harder (in my opinion) to say goodbye when you are actaully there, and two, there's the "Bed and Breakfast Program". If you are appointed, i would strongly reccommend doing that. it gives you a night and breakfast with a family from the local area and a chance to meet other basics who are coming in also. I still talk to the cadet who stayed at the home i did.</p>
<p>Whether or not parents come for in-processing should be a family decision. Different families have different dynamics. We and our son were really glad we took him to BCT. However, one of my son's roommates didn't seem particularly proud of the fact that his parents were there even for Parents Weekend. Let's face it, some teens really don't much like having their parents around anytime. As far as it being harder to say goodbye at in-processing, maybe so, but no one in our family signed up just for the easy parts in life.</p>