<p>My son just received LOA in mail today.</p>
<p>Congratulations to your son and to you! Is West Point his first choice?</p>
<p>Thank you,</p>
<p>He isn't sure yet. It's between West Point and Annapolis. Hopefully he'll have a choice. Anyone know when USNA starts sending out LOA's?</p>
<p>Scottl:</p>
<p>Let me add my congratulations. </p>
<p>I'm sure you and your son can take a deep breath knowing that a spot at West Point has been reserved for your son. </p>
<p>Now all we need to do is to have your son make the right choice and pick USMA.</p>
<p>From an earlier posting, I recall that your son had extremely strong academic credentials -- 1500+ on the SAT plus participation in sports at the varsity level. I mention this since several posters have inquired as to the credentials of LOA candidates.</p>
<p>A son of one of my father's co-workers decided to apply to USMA, USNA, and USAFA. In the end he was accepted to all three, but he didn't hear from USNA until the last minute. That gave him the impression that USNA was slow, so he decided to go to West Point. Those were appointments, mind you. </p>
<p>I think USNA's LOA's are sent out around September onward (later than USMA).</p>
<p>Scottl
Congrats to your son!
USNA's LOA's seem to come out later. I seem to remember my daughter's arriving the first week in October even though she had one from West point back in July. This was despite the fact that her application was complete for Navy by the first week in August and Army's wasn't complete till mid September.</p>
<p>The admissions officer for my area called me today and offered me a LOA, but he didn't explain what it meant very well - Is it gauranteed admission if I am nominated, or does it come with a bunch of qualifiers like I'm accepted if I get a certain score on the CFA and if my teachers write good reqs and if I keep my grades up - I'm not implying that I wouldn't excel at any of these things, I just want to know how serious of an indicator it is</p>
<p>thanks for your time</p>
<p>It comes with a bunch of qualifiers that need to be taken seriously. You must pass the CFA and DODMERB; finish your file successfully (eg, your teacher recs must be up to snuff); and get a nomination (easier with an LOA but not guaranteed).</p>
<p>It is a real advantage to have one, though. The vast majority of those receiving LOA's successfully complete the requirements and get an appointment.</p>
<p>You should receive a letter confirming the LOA. Congratulations! It is, indeed, something to get excited about.</p>
<p>Badbeatpoker:</p>
<p>Congratulations.</p>
<p>Getting an LOA is a pretty exclusive experience. Only about 200 non-recruited athlete candidates get one. While KateLewis has accurately pointed out the conditions on the LOA, history has shown that the condition of most concern to LOA recipients should be the DODMERB physical. That's because a candidate can't control whether or not they have a disqualifying medical condition. I suggest you take the physical ASAP to determine if you have any problems with the DODMERB.</p>
<p>Although they shouldn't be taken for granted, the letters of recommendation, nomination and continued academic performance are usually not an issue. The CFA is a pass/fail test that you can pretty much determine if you meet the minimum standard by reviewing the test at the USMA website. If you don't think you can pass, you have several months to train.</p>
<p>Good Luck.</p>