<p>I have asked this question on the USNA forum, but did not get a real difinitive answer, so I thought I would try here. Does anyone know the process for highly recruited athletes? My son has been preparing for USNA or USMA pretty much since 8th grade. He has the whole packages so to speak, went to both Summer Seminars, 5 varsity letters for athletics, 1 academic letter, good grades, hoping for a better math score on recent SAT attempt, medically qualified, passed the physical fitness test at both academies, etc. All his applications are in, all applications for nominations are in, Blue and Gold interview done -- now a kid in his school just "signed" with USNA to play basketball. I am told he does not have nearly the grades, no leadership, etc. but supposedly he is "in". Does anyone know if he will go into the same pool my son will in competing to get in? Or do his coaches have the authority to just pull him in? My son just has his heart set on this and has worked so hard - not that that is any gaurantee, but I am trying to help him manage his expectations and it's kind of tough. Any advise?</p>
<p>Athletes do not "sign" with the Academies like they do with private and public colleges. A highly recruited athlete may receive a LOA from the Academy in which case the probability of receiving an appointment is quite high. I am not sure what you mean by coaches having the authority "to just pull in" an athlete. I know from experience, top recruits must go through the Admissions process. But with a coach's backing the admissions process can be easier to get through.</p>
<p>I know the admissions process and subsequent wait is very difficult for both candidates and parents. If this were my child I would tell him he has done everything he could do to enhance his application. It is now out of his hands. There are no guarantees in life and life is not always fair. In all likelihood whether or not your son receives an appointment will have nothing to do with the admission of this athlete. I have been through this process three times now. And though the results were favorable the experience was draining.</p>
<p>Thanks for the answer. How likely is it though that they would actually take 2 from the same small school? Any idea?</p>
<p>That is a question best asked of your Blue and Gold Officer. I do not know the answer.</p>
<p>USMA and USNA have taken candidates from the same school, for the same class, before- and even some that were recruited for the same sport.</p>
<p>I have heard of twin bros getting in academies for sports...if they qualify, the coach wants them and they want in...there could be three from one school.</p>
<p>JonDavid, What sports does your S play? My son's sport is Baseball and his school is well known for this sport such as ranking in L.A. Times top 25 and so on. I don't know if that had anything to do with it but USNA sent him a letter in August or September of this year saying there's a baseball tryout in October (?) and he is welcome to attend. No such letter from USMA. He did receive LOA's from both but he's not a recruited athlete.</p>
<p>My S started his application process with USNA in August so he thought maybe they send these letters out to all their applicants with that sport. My S was and most likely will be the captain of his team this year but he didn't think he was good enough to try out for Division I sports team so he's not attending. You may want to have your S contact USNA admissions or the coach of his sport.</p>
<p>Thank you for your thoughts. My son goes to a very small -- less than 300 students -- private school and he plays football. He is a captain on the football team and probably will be on the track team this summer as well. However, he does not have any dreams of playing football at a Div. 1 school. He is a good athlete with letters in soccer, track and football and he does weighlifting and outside jiu jitsu, he does well, could maybe play at a div. 2 or 3 school, but not div. 1. He went to the USNA and the USMA summer seminars and filled out the athletics questionaire on both but he has not heard anything from the coaches. I don't think he really expected to and he is not disappointed. His ultimate goal is to be a Navy Seal or a special forces officer in the Army. He wants to serve. He would play any sport anyone asked him to, and he loves all sports and physical activity, but he is not seeking that. He really -- and this sounds kind of hokey -- but he REALLY wants to be a leader and serve his country. He has talked about this for years. He has his heart set on USNA, but would be proud to serve in the Army as well. He has not received an LOA from either school and his applications and everything has been done since late Aug./ early Sept. I wonder if that is a bad sign?</p>
<p>I know of one small private in our area - class size typically about 90 that sent 3 to USNA in one year.</p>
<p>I appreciate your anxiety as we went through this process with our oldest son, currently a member of 2011 and had a profile very similar to your sons, but I would not be concerned over the lack of an LOA. There are others on this board that can speak with greater authority on the subject of LOAs, so I will just say this, a lack of an LOA didn’t prevent my oldest from getting in, nor did it prevent the vast majority of Midshipmen currently attending the academy. The bottom line is they don’t give out that many. </p>
<p>The other bit of advice I want to pass along is make sure he has good back up plans; lots of great and very talented kids don’t make the cut for reasons that are hard to understand and outside of your control. We’re going through this process once again with our 2nd son. He is applying to the USNA and the USAFA, along with Virginia Tech, Texas A&M both of which have a Corps of Cadets program that puts them somewhere in-between a SA and a conventional college with an ROTC program. </p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
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everything has been done since late Aug./ early Sept. I wonder if that is a bad sign?
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<p>not a bad sign. Do not forget about the nomination process. The next step is to do well on the nomination interviews and win a nomination.
very very few candidate get an LOA - not getting an LOA doesn't mean the academy doesn't want your son.</p>
<p>JAM is right there are very very few LOAs</p>
<p>The process last year for us was filled with emotions. It is very hard for a parent to sit back on this ride, but that is what you must do, it is now in the hands of the SA. You will see many kids chime in yeah I got an LOA or an appt. and you will watch the list grow while you may sit back waiting. Then one day you too will have the whole block hear your kid scream and you finally exhale only to think of what this means to you when they leave. In the end we were one of the wierd families our son decided not to go to the AFA and go ROTC. He is loving life. We saw him this past weekend and he admitted that he has never been so happy, (pulling straight A's in Scholars and enjoying ROTC) he also admitted that he would have gone to the AFA for all of the wrong reasons. Sometimes while we are going through this process we lose sight on why we are going through it. I.E, my pet peeve....why do you want to go to the AFA? TO FLY OF COURSE AND THAT IS MY BEST SHOT! So many things can happen in the next 5 yrs (1 for hs and 4 at the SA) the real answer should be because they have the best education and you want to serve as an officer. Many kids never look up what classes they will be required to take and that is when I meet kids who say I am on probation...pretty hard to get a UPT slot or even a commissioning if you wash out.</p>
<p>Just keep the big pic in mind. The ride maybe long, your child will get a commission and with their background it will be their dream school. Every parent here has one thing in common we all know what it feels to wring our hands and cry when we kiss them goodby or see for the 1st time in uniform with no hair!</p>
<p>Well I have a head start on the crying -- thank you for your lovely post - and the reminder to let it go now. Congratulations on your wise student. I'm glad he found what he was looking for.</p>
<p>N.B. that Coast Guard officers can now become Seals. See related threads.</p>