<li><p>Exactly how many nominations can a Congressperson or a Senator make? </p></li>
<li><p>Has anyone heard of the International Baccalaureate Program (IB)? It’s similar to AP, only more in depth and is supposed to be the highest high school diploma a student can get. How does the Academy look at this program? </p></li>
<li><p>Does living in a district that is extremely high in Navy and military in general hinder the chances of getting into the Academy? (Read: Norfolk/Virginia Beach)</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li><p>10 nominations for each slot they have open. Candidates with LOA's won't count against a MOC's allotted slots at the academy so those are, in effect , "freebies" although those candidates still need to apply for and win a nomination.</p></li>
<li><p>I know nothing about the IB program. Since it may not be offered to all areas of the country it may not be used by the academy in any way for admissions (AP's are not used for admissions either but are used for course validations once a candidate is admitted.) </p></li>
<li><p>It certainly makes it more competitive, IF those candidates have as strong a file as you do and you are all qualified. In the end, if you have the strongest file, it doesn't matter how many military kids apply, you earn your way in. That said, there are certain parts of the country that have more applicants to one academy than another because of the number of candidates applying from military families. Do your best, submit a file that stands out. Good Luck.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>The IB program is respected by the academies. You won't place out of classes just because you are an IB graduate though. In theory, if you are taking tougher classes you will perform better on the SAT/ACT exams. Also, it shows a commitment to challenging yourself academically.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. I still have a question about the nominations. First, what is meant by "LOA"? Secondly, when you say "10 nominations for each slot they have open" Do you mean they can nominate 10 candidates total or 10 per slot they are given. If the latter is true, how many slots do they get? </p>
<p>Each MOC is allowed 5 cadets at each academy at any one time. When a slot becomes open they can nominate 10 people for that one slot. two slots>>>>20 people can be nominated. Most MOC use the competitive nomination process so they allow the academy to choose the best qualified candidate although some MOC's do rank their nominees. If that is the case, the top ranked nominee by the MOC wins the appointment IF they are qualified medically, academically, and physically. An LOA is issued to a few hundred candidates each year who the academy realy wants and basically says that a spot is reserved for them and they are guranteed an appointment IF they complete their file and get a nomination. IF a candidate has an LOA he/she can be nominated by a MOC and that spot is NOT charged against the MOC's quota of 5 cadets. That is one of the reasons why you see more than 5 cadets at an academy who received a nomination from the same source.</p>
<p>Each member of Congress can have only 5 constituents in attendance at one time. They thus can nominate a slate of 10 candidates for each slot. In theory, they can nominate two slates every fourth year, but if there are mids that drop out, or there is no appointment in a given year (none of the nominees meet the minimum criteria, for example) there could be several years of two slates being nominated. There are several methods of presenting nominees. Read past threads for the information, or go to the West Point site and follow the links to nominations. It is well presented.</p>
<p>Letters of Assurance are given to very competitive prospective candidates. They are a promise of an appointment should the candidate pass the physical exam, continue to excell academically, pass the background check, and receive a nomination. These candidates do not "count against" a MOC allotment. </p>
<p>Competition is on several fronts. If your District has a number of well qualified candidates vying for the nomination, even if you get it, you could get passed over for appointment if another candidate has better credentials. This is why LOA are very important for competitive areas. You could be way better qualified than another person in a less competitive district and the other guy could get in, and not you.</p>
<p>If you are military, be sure to apply for all the nominations you qualify for, it increases your chances. (Read the catalog). Otherwise, you need to be the smartest, with the most varsity letters, most scholar-athlete awards, most community service, highest gpa, highest class rank, highest SAT/ACTand most leadership that you can be.</p>
<p>Thanks candidatemom, you made it very clear for me! I appreciate the help. Its a real wake-up call for me and I am certainly going to kick it into high gear in preparing. </p>
<p>So each Representative can have 5, what about Senators, same deal? Also, when and how are LOA offered? Are these traditionally for athletes?</p>
<p>Loa's are offered from around late july to around mid november. Most people receive them after they send in their entire application. It is west point's way of saying that they are really interested in you. West Point is competing with the ivy's with some of these kids so it is kind of like an early action program. Around 20 percent of the class are given loa's, so thats like 300 each year. Think of it this way, if you have an sat score above the 75th percentile ie 1350, you have a good chance of geting one if everything else is lined up</p>
<p>Senators get the same number of cadets as Reps. Some LOA's are used for athletes some are academically based, some are given based on the fact the candidate excels in both areas. I heard about some LOA's being issued as late as January, but I suspect most are used up pretty early in the process.</p>
<p>Receiving an LOA at any time is a guarantee of appointment. (providing you meet the criteria.) People are not getting "accepted" as early as November, unless their MOC nominate that early. Most MOC nominate around December (close applications 1 Nov , interview in Nov or Dec, notify in Jan) Nominations must be submitted to the respective Academy by 30 Jan. Receiving the LOA means you do not have to compete with the rest of the nominees on your slate. Be careful, though. I have read about some LOA holders who were arrogant and cocky during their nomination interview, and did not receive a nomination, thus no appointment.</p>