<p>this is a response from my post from a while back when i asked about if florida was a tough state for a nomination.</p>
<p>Florida is tough from what everyone said because of all the military bases and its a big state. I asked if panama city beach, FL was tough and someone said yes, and pensacola is close so no doubt the competition</p>
<p>Now i just looked up districts. Pensacola is in district 1. Panama city and Talahassee is district 2. Theres no military in Talahassee so does that mean the competition is now lower? I am not sure if im competing with all of Florida or just my district.</p>
<p>Military bases in a particular region may highlight the service, and in turn, stir up interest in the service academies. More interest, more applicants. Maybe yes, maybe no. Stands to reason, however, that there might be more.</p>
<p>Putting that aside, you still have, however, the same ratio of congress"persons' as everyone else- granted, still just 2 senators as everyone else as well, including even those states larger than Florida! </p>
<p>You will compete in your DISTRICT for YOUR congressman/woman's nomination. You will compete with your STATE applicants for your Senators nomination. You will compete with all NATIONAL candidates for a VP nomination. If you fall within the pool of those eligable to compete for a Presidental nomination, then you will compete in that pool.</p>
<p>Having said that, there are some areas of the country where the competetion is clearly less- land-locked states are not as familiar with the USNA in particular, hence, not as many applicants, not as much competetion. Washington DC, surprisingly, falls into an area where there is little interest in the service, USNA included. USNA is making a concerted effort in Washington DC, and other targeted areas of the country, to stir up interest- and applicants. </p>
<p>Focus on putting the best application together that you can-
the rest is not in your control.
Best of luck!</p>
<p>Let's try and summarize 3 points here for your benefit:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Indeed, Florida is a highly competitive state. The 2 U.S. Senators no doubt receive grossly greater numbers of requests for Service Academy nominations than does ...Iowa, New Mexico, Michigan, Mississippi, and many others. Your competition is greater for that nomination, AND even if nominated, competition within nominees will likely be greater, i.e. the others are statistically more likely to have better records than let's say 10 Senatorial nominees from Wyoming.</p></li>
<li><p>Yes, your district may represent an analogous, similar number of citizen constituents as other districts around the U.S. The U.S. House of Representatives, in contrast to the Senate where all states are "equal", is designed on per capita population. So, yes it's a more level play ground, but your point of observation remains. Your district is probalbly, on average, year in year out, more competitive than let's say a district in the panhandle of Texas. Especially for USNA and USAFA, with Eglin, Milton, other facilities close by.</p></li>
<li><p>Not sure it's "surprising" that proportionate numbers of Mid applicants fail to come from Washington, D.C. or other major metro areas ...Detroit, NYC, Chicago, etc. Anyone familiar with the nature and dismal state of communities and schools in these areas will grasp that going to The Yard might be like going to the moon. Severe culture shock, with geographic relocation as the least of the issues. Still, if one is in search of Romans, one goes to Rome.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thankfully, there are a whole handful of Mids that hail from NY city-
we just honored 3 of them that will be commissioned come May.
Imagine that!</p>
<p>I have to ask- do you have one original thought of your own, or do you just regurgitate what has already been said- with your own flourishes that come from.... hmmmm... where do they come from? Tell me, where do your facts come from- exactly??? </p>
<p>
[quote]
Anyone familiar with the nature and dismal state of communities and schools in these areas will grasp that going to The Yard might be like going to the moon.
[/quote]
with all due respect- do you have any idea of how ignorant, arrogant and insensitive that comes across? </p>
<p>If you feel the need to summarize my posts, please, don't. I assure you, there is no need, except for YOUR apparent need to do so. Not every one of my posts requries an intrepretation by you!</p>
<p>My oh my - a little touchy here aren't we? I see the Navy board is "business as usual" - poor kids can't even ask a simple question and get decent answers without bickering. </p>
<p>Whistle Pig is correct. Indeed, everyone has roughly the same density of population in their congressional district but the competition varies widely. Some congressional districts may have 10 appointments in a year while others may not have an single nomination.<br>
Navy2010 - I think you - yourself stated a while back that USNA was re-doubling efforts to recruit in the inner city - incl NYC. 3 mids in ONE class from NYC? wow just wow. that is not impressive at all considering there are several congressional districts represented. Heck my home town of 1200 has two mids who are firsties.</p>
<p>About inner city schools - Whistle Pig is correct on this one. The social issues are numerous, the drop out rate astronomical, the barriers are high, indeed. The pool of interested and qualified candidates is thin, for sure.</p>
<p>mdsu - don't let being from a "competitive" state deter you. Put your best self out there and go for it!</p>
<p>Yes, there is a focused effort on certain areas of the country-
NYC is a highly populated area- and the higher academic centers produce kids that tend to venture to other than the service academies. The target areas of the city are those with concentrations of the diverstity being sought after- who have not typically considered a service academy to date. </p>
<p>While "3" may not sound impressive, please keep in mind that USNA competes here with the likes of Columbia, NYU, Cornell, Fordham, etc- not to mention the Ivies in easy reach- Yale, Princeton, Harvard.... and lots of Liberal Arts schools that tend to be better known in the area. While West Point gets an immediate "nod" of recognition by most New Yorkers, the Naval Academy is not well recognized, sadly so. </p>
<p>NYC is just one part of a huge state (although those in the City think they ARE NY state!) anyway, the state is well represented at USNA in total. The point I tried to make earlier is that the "ratio" - at least at the district level- tends to be relatively equal in terms of representation. What differs is at the senate level- where states such as FL, CA, NY, TX, ALaska, Etc, have the same number of senators as RI, CONN, DEL, MD, etc. Thus, at that level, the competetion differs.</p>
<p>Whoa, Navy2010...that was a pretty rough response to our dear Whistle Pig...maybe you should take a break from constantly posting on these boards....</p>
<p>Many different things factor into what area is competitive and what is not. Even though south GA has more of a military presence, Metro Atlanta is much more competitive. </p>
<p>As was stated above
[quote]
You will compete in your DISTRICT for YOUR congressman/woman's nomination. You will compete with your STATE applicants for your Senators nomination. You will compete with all NATIONAL candidates for a VP nomination. If you fall within the pool of those eligable to compete for a Presidental nomination, then you will compete in that pool.
[/quote]
I do believe that answers the question posted
[quote]
I am not sure if im competing with all of Florida or just my district.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>As for the other discussion:
[quote]
3. Not sure it's "surprising" that proportionate numbers of Mid applicants fail to come from Washington, D.C. or other major metro areas ...Detroit, NYC, Chicago, etc. Anyone familiar with the nature and dismal state of communities and schools in these areas will grasp that going to The Yard might be like going to the moon. Severe culture shock, with geographic relocation as the least of the issues. Still, if one is in search of Romans, one goes to Rome.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Lets see... Georgia...ranks 49th in SAT's and quality of Education lets say is not too great. Even Clayton County (metro Atlanta - home to Delta - the public school system is not even accredited. And then there is Metro Atlanta Public schools, dismal at best yet Georgia is a very competitive state and the majority of our Mids come from the Atlanta area. Yet our Military bases are in south Georgia. Given the analogies from above the Metro area shouldn't have more than a few Mids yet of our 158 the vast majority do come out of Atlanta. It just goes to show that there is no rhyme or reason to what can make an area competitive or not. The best thing is not to guess the system, not to worry about who the competition is but to present yourself in the best light so that you can compete with whom ever.</p>
<p>Quote:
You will compete in your DISTRICT for YOUR congressman/woman's nomination. You will compete with your STATE applicants for your Senators nomination. You will compete with all NATIONAL candidates for a VP nomination. If you fall within the pool of those eligable to compete for a Presidental nomination, then you will compete in that pool. </p>
<p>**
once i get my congressman's nomination am i ok for the nomination? im trying to say, if i get congressman nomination and i do not get senators nomintation what does that mean?
i am also eligible for a presidential. so i guess i will be in 2 pools?</p>
<p>You want to apply to all eligible sources for a nomination. You will apply to Pres, VP, Senator, and Congressman. You only need one nomination. In some states the senators and representatives compare lists as to not double nominate. If you are a member of an Honor Unit with Distinction JROTC unit, check with your instructor.</p>
<p>Competition within a state or district is a complex thing. First point to understand -- for 99% of you, there is nothing you can do about where you live. So, whether you are in a more populous and/or more competitive district is what it is. What you can do is create the strongest record you can. </p>
<p>Second, IF any of your MOCs uses principal noms (some do, most don't), then you are first competing among those in your state/district to be at the top of the MOC's slate. If not, then you are competing to be one of the ten (or, occasionally 20) nominees. At that point, you go into the national pool and compete against a large number of other applicants from all over the country. </p>
<p>Third, many districts with military bases are competitive for the reasons WP states. However, some districts w/o bases are also competitive for various reasons and some districts w/bases may not be competitive. For example, there are military bases in AK and ND and these aren't considered competitive states.</p>
<p>Fourth, USNA has publicly stated its commitment to outreach in the big cities, such as NYC, Los Angeles, Philly, and many others. USNA's view is that many potential candidates in those areas have not had sufficient exposure to the concept of a SA and the potential benefits a SA education/military life as an officer might bring. </p>
<p>Fifth, as stated above, the fact that you may have more competition in certain areas of the country is something you can't change. USNA (and the other SAs) know and understand the realities. My general view is that most -- not all, but most -- highly qualified candidates typically get appointments no matter where they live. And I say this as a BGO from a VERY competitive geographic area.</p>
<p>Finally, let's all try to play nicely in the sandpile.:)</p>
<p>Although you only require 1 nomination, it is wise to apply to all sources and try to obtain multiple nominations. The reason you want more than one nomination is that it gives the Academy more flexibility in offering an appointment. The Academy then has more options in getting the best people appointed. Each Congressman, Senator and the VP can only have 5 appointments at the Academy at a given time so they usually have only 1 or at most 2 openings each year. Multiple nominations increases your chances for obtaining the Appointment. Do keep in mind that some members in congress will not give a nomination to someone who already has a nomination. Do not assume that is the case even if you are told by other applicants that it is, go ahead and apply as the rumor mill is not always accurate. The key is to make yourself as competitive as possible.</p>
<p>Agree 100%. There is really no excuse for not applying to all nom sources for which you're eligible and you'd hate not to receive an appointment in a situation in which you didn't do all you could to get one.</p>