Vision Waiver

<p>Hello everyone, I was wondering if anyone has recieved an appointment to the naval academy that has needed a vision Waiver. My regional Director has told me that the only thing that needs to be finished on my file is the vision waiver which they take care of on thier end. Does anyone know how long this takes them to do or what it entails? I was also wondering if anyone knows the numbers of how many people get in with vision waivers, as i read that it is even more competitive to get in as they only give a certain amount each year. Mostly i need somewhere to vent as im thinking about getting into the academy too much. Also if anyone could tell me what they have gotten into the academy with that would be very helpful, especially if you got a waiver. </p>

<p>Here is what i have
3.5 UW GPA 3.9W im in the top 21% of my school ( Very competitive HS)
Ill have about 60 college credits by the time i graduate (Calculus, Computer Science, Ect.)
Eagle Scout
4 years Soccer 2 Varsity Letters
2 Years Wrestling 2 varsity letters
1280 SATS 600 Math 680 Verbal 28 ACT
2 Senatorial and 1 congressional nomination to the USNA</p>

<p>And thats about it, hope to be joining those of you who have recieved your appointments on I-day</p>

<p>USNAFORCE: In previous posts (may want to check appointment postings)there's been a couple of appointments received by candidates with vision waivers. Some with and some without letters of assurances.</p>

<p>I am assuming you have not received an LOA. If that's the case, expect to wait several more weeks before hearing unless you received a principal nomination from your congressional rep.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

<p>From what I've read the NA limits the numbers of appointments needing vision waivers to 33% of the class because of the need for sufficient numbers of officers down the line to be pilots and other specialties needing 20/20 vision. Contradicting this is rules that allow NA mids to get RK surgery to correct their vision so they can fly. Curious. But it means that if you need a vision waiver your chances are reduced somewhat. I'm in the same boat as you, so to speak.</p>

<p>well, sadly enough i have read basicly every post on the USNA board. I did see i think one maybe two people who got in with a vision waiver, i was just hoping i could see what they got in with. If anyone else has any more info please post it. Also what do you think my chances are of getting in, especially because i need a vision waiver. As in what are my weak points, strong points(any?). Thanks again everyone.</p>

<p>Semper Fi</p>

<p>I think you have a lot of strong points; Eagle Scouts, sports involvement. SAT's are on the low end esp. math. Rank is decent if not spectacular. With all those nominations you have a decent shot. Have you gotten your triple Q letter?</p>

<p>nope, need a vision waiver in order to be medically qualified.</p>

<p>I don't usually post much because all I see on here is a lot of nervous twittering and it seems that not really anybody knows a lot about how the process works. Not to blame anybody because I have been plenty nervous too.<br>
But w/ discussions of LOAs, MOCs, Senatorial nominations, statistics, ECs and everything else that has been discussed in the last few months, it can be really distracting. [Not to mention that most postings appear to be by nervous parents.] Distracting, perhaps, but nonetheless entertaining.</p>

<p>Bottom line, I just received notice that I have been appointed.
No LOA and I required a vision waiver. I have high academic statistics. Moderately impressive ECs, a few "president" titles under my belt but not an eagle scout or anything. No significant athletics. Summer Seminar went well. Two nominations. </p>

<p>In short, I am probably like many of the rest of you. I guess I interviewed well, my recommendations were probably good, my BGO seems nice. I got a qualified to compete [I think that's what it said] letter but I don't know that I ever received Triple Q letter. I finished my application sometime in January, and here it is in mid-February. Appointed. [!] So, maybe I was placed in the vision-waiver pool and really stood out. Maybe my grades got me in. Who knows? I guess I just met the criteria they needed and had the nominations to back it up.</p>

<p>I have been accepted to some other quality, top-ranked schools [of course, none of them are Navy] and now face the biggest decision of my young life. I want to go to Navy and probably will. It is still a big decision.</p>

<p>I guess I want to keep others encouraged that you don't have to be a perfect guy/girl to get in. You have to be excellent, no doubt about it, but you don't have to be perfect. In the end, we each are what we are and worrying about it doesn't make it any easier to get in. If you have a vision problem, it's just that much harder to get in. Keep you options open is what my Dad keeps telling me! Go Navy! Beat Army!</p>

<p>Hey USNAForce! so how bad are your eyes? I needed a vision waiver and it was granted after I sent in new records that showed that DoD-Merb had greatly exaggerated how bad my eyes actually were. My eyes aren't great in the first place, though. The waiting definitely sucks and I know all about the frustrations of the waiver process. I might be able to answer some of your questions, but no promises.</p>

<p>yeah my eyes are pretty bad, -5 on both eyes, i know the limit is a -6 so im ok with that, but to tell you the truth i dont know how long my medical record has been at it's current status, i had to send in some records pertaining to my eczema, but i got that waiver really quick because i really didnt have any problem. so ive probably been like this for no longer than a month. So all the DODMERB site says is D257.70 - Unaided distant visual acuity worse than 20/20 Waiverable. and thats all i really know</p>

<p>jamtex, thanks for the info, hearing that is very encouragin actually. I am wondering what kind of academics you have? and what are your SATs?</p>

<p>Actually i was just looking at the DODMERB site again and the most recent addition to my file was added in 1/26 and before that the vision code didnt even show up, only after my eczema waiver was achieved did it show up. So im guessing i have a while to wait before i can get a vision waiver.</p>

<p>For what its worth:
Top 5% of a high school recognized by Parade Magazine as being in the top 50 nationally. [I think about 20/675]
SAT >1500</p>

<p>Does that make you feel better or worse?<br>
My point is . . . unless you are at the extreme ends of acceptance--either hopelessly out of contention because of grades or inability or the golden child eagle scout quarterback with great scores--there is just no way to tell whether you will be appointed. [Given that you have a nomination.]</p>

<p>So, perhaps, the most effective use of these boards is to glean as much information as possible about the process, taking everything with a grain of salt since it doesn't seem that appointments board members participate very much. I have learned some things about what to expect and that has been helpful. It is interesting to compare yourself to other applicants; but, there that's all it is: a mild diversion from a tense process.</p>

<p>I'd like to clarify this once and for all. If you have a triple-Q letter, but were told earlier that you needed a vision waiver, does that mean it has been granted? I never heard this specifically but it seems that would be the case. Someone please help! Thanks.</p>

<p>Based on the way my application was handled [and I don't know anything more than anybody else on this board], once your application is complete, you are considered by the admissions board. If the admissions board considers you "appointable," i.e. you would be appointed but for the vision issue, your application is next sent to the vision-waiver-admissions board. [Okay, I made it up but that seems to be what happened.] Since vision-impaired candidates are capped, you must then be considered against all other vision-handicapped persons. From THAT pool, appointments are made. I did not receive any separate communication regarding vision waiver; it was automatically considered.</p>

<p>Well mine are like -5, too, and were waived. Yeah JamTex, the "nervous twittering" gets old, but, like you said, understandable. Nice academic stats. </p>

<p>I got my waiver for my eyes like late November. I sent a request & doc. records & the optometrist's recommendation. And it was granted. But I've got another waiver I'm waiting to clear before I'm triple q'd. Nothing I can do now though.</p>

<p>wait wait, bria who did you send the info to? DODMERB or to the academy? think that might help in my case?</p>

<p>I emailed the academy.....you dont need to send any info for a vision wavier, the DODMERB exam is what they use.</p>

<p>USNAForce. This is a prime example of what I am talking about. It is easy to mis-interpret the quick messages that are posted on these boards. </p>

<p>The basic application process is the same for everybody.
You don't HAVE to send anything; your waiver, if necessary, is automatically considered. You MAY send additional information if you think it will help the admissions board consider your case.</p>

<p>This is true about ANYTHING that may be helpful, e.g. additional extracurriculars, awards, accomplishments, etc. to the admissions board in considering your applicaiton.
It sounds as if Bria took the extra step of affirmatively requesting a vision waiver and submitting his/her own medical examination to support the request. The result, apparently, is that he/she was notified that a waiver was granted.</p>

<p>As with many things, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. In this case a notice that a waiver was granted. Does this help speed a possible appointment? I doubt that anybody who posts on this board knows the answer to that. I did not request a specific waiver and was appointed nonetheless in what seems to be a relatively short time.</p>

<p>USNA Force, I sent my own waiver request to the academy and my doctor forwarded records to DoD-MERB w/ an accompanying letter. The letter & records were also copied to the Academy so they too could check out the records. It worked, but I think your case is also different from mine so I don't know if additional records/letters would help. Good luck with that. </p>

<p>I don't know too much about the whole process, but I would say that in your case, USNAForce, you've been bumped into the waiver consideration pool where they'll grant you a waiver when the admissions board decides they want you. Like JamTex was saying. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. </p>

<p>The reason I sent my optometry records was because the doctor that had examined me for DoD-MERB exaggerated my perscription. They said I was a -6.5...that's a huge difference. I was DQ'd. It was a real hassle &, had I really been a -6.5, I doubt I would've been waived...because supposedly they grant waivers to exceptional candidates with the really bad eyes, but I'm not that extraordinary.</p>