<p>Hello All, </p>
<p>Despite having two nominations and crossing the t's and dotting the i's etc., I was not offered an appointment for 2011. Clearly not a unique story here on CC, so I turn to the wonderful advice of those on this forum yet again for any of those who have gone through the process of reapplying. What can I do to make myself stand out the second time around? Any personal stories or ideas or pearls of wisdom. ( I have already started with the new candidate #, etc.)</p>
<p>Adding a bit to the hurt is the fact that my best friend will be a member of the Class of 2011. But more than anything I am proud of him. Of course he made sure to let me know he would take pleasure in exacting revenge on me if I should make it for 2012... </p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>I was in your place two years ago with the C/O 2009. I was QQQ'd with a nom, but did not receive an appointment. At first, I did not reapply, but after much thought, I decided to reapply even after spending two years at NC State. I will be leaving in two weeks to join 2011. </p>
<p>My advice would be to enroll in some sort of science or engineering curriculum. Even if you dont want to major in sci or engineering, the intro classes you will take for those majors will cover a good deal of plebe courses at the Academy such as chem, calc, physics and english. You'll have to take these classes anyway and hopefully you can validate several during plebe summer (especially chem!). </p>
<p>Also, join NROTC. This shows your willingness to become a Naval Officer through any means. It will also give a glimpse into the military lifestyle. (It also provides another nom source)</p>
<p>Focus on academics, but participate in some form of athletics. If it helps, a quick overview of my 'profile' is as follows:</p>
<p>Major: nuclear engineering & physics
3.8 GPA
Selected to Dean's List multiple times
Club Baseball
Pre-Health Club
various IM sports</p>
<p>Good luck for 2012</p>
<p>GO NAVY!
BEAT ARMY!</p>
<p>Congratulations mighty rooster! Your appointment certainly reflects a great deal of hard work and commitment. </p>
<p>Theory, sounds like you're headed in the right direction. </p>
<p>Good luck to both of you!</p>
<p>I didn't get in last year (my Freshman year at UCF), reapplied and got in this year. I would say also get a job (this was advice I've heard over and over again), as well as look for community service opportunities both within the University you attend and outside of it; that's one of the questions my BGO asked me during our second interview. Other than that, follow mighty rooster's advice, he seems to have summed it up pretty well.</p>
<p>i dont mean to get off topic, but how common is it for someone to receive a nomination and not get an appointment to the academy?</p>
<p>WHHW,</p>
<p>Well about 4200-4500 candidates receive nominations...and 1500 offers of appointments are made....so 2700-3000 don't receive appointments that got nominations.</p>
<p>For previous candidates,</p>
<p>The main thing that USNA is looking for is good grades (A's/B's) and in similar classes to plebe year. Additionally, get invovled in 1-3 activities to show that you can time-manager yourself. </p>
<p>For example,</p>
<p>Running road races or playing in intramural sports,
performing community service,
getting a part-time job,
NROTC (combines a lot of activities, obviously),
etc.</p>
<p>If you can maintain a solid GPA in similar plebe courses and handle another 1-2 committments....that says a lot!</p>
<p>First of all, congrats on being Triple Q'ed AND getting 2 noms. I know it may be small comfort but that, in and of itself, is quite extraordinary and a testament to your accomplishments.</p>
<p>Competition is particularly tough in certain geographic areas, such as VA. The problem may not be that you didn't "stand out," but that there were many other super-qualified candidates from VA (especially northern VA and Norfolk areas), and the Academies seek geographic balance. </p>
<p>I agree with what the others have suggested above. A couple of other suggestions. You may want to touch base w/your BGO and solicit his/her opinion on why you didn't get an appointment this year. Also, consider establishing residence in a less competitive state. It may sound crazy but, given equally qualified candidates from North Dakota and VA, the one from ND is going to have a better shot for an appointment. Not suggesting you have to move to ND, but states other than VA, MD, PA, CA, FL, NY, and TX are usually better bets. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Thank you all for the advice - keep it coming!</p>
<p>USNA1985 - yes, I am in the Norfolk area (but unlike the majority, I'm a native!) and that is a good suggestion. I guess having the dubious distinction of the "Largest Naval Base in the world" cuts both ways in this scenario. </p>
<p>I also might need to change my moniker number from 2011 sadly! :(</p>
<p>My response above may have sounded "flip" re moving to another state. I don't want to suggest that anyone should move to another state solely to improve his/her odds of receiving an appointment. Obviously, if you go to your nomination interview and they ask why you recently moved, and your only legitimate answer is "to improve my odds of getting into USNA," it's not going to look good. And, you never know who your competition will be in any geographic region in any given year.</p>
<p>Thus, you should consider moving only if you have a separate -- and legitimate -- reason to live elsewhere (e.g., to live closer to relatives, to attend a college to which you've been accepted, to take a job that you really want, etc.). If not, try to determine why you were unsuccessful this year and do your best over the next 6+ months to improve in that area.</p>