<p>I'm a junior. I submitted my prelim. app. I've begun the nomination process, I've sent my ACT scores. I've heard nothing, other than an e-mail confirming my prelim. app. was received back on April 2nd. Shouldn't I have heard something by now and received a candidate number?</p>
<p>I think my son's candidate number came in June. His DodMerb forms came in late July or early Aug. Remember, this is going to be a long year of waiting.
Good luck.</p>
<p>I received my "candidate kit" today in the mail. There are three pieces of papers enclosed. You will receive a login ID and a password, along with instructions on applying to USNA. Once you log on to the CIS on the admissions site, you will be able to access and update your file: activities list, personal data sheet, your Blue-Gold officer, etc...</p>
<p>Thanks for the input. When did you apply d29061 and are you going to summer seminar? I just missed the deadline for applying to summer seminar. I submitted my prelim app that day (April 2nd). Just curious if you applied about the same time I did and whether you were selected to summer seminar.</p>
<p>I'm going to summer seminar this year, and I applied fairly early around mid-February. I'm guessing the reason I got my kit so early was because I live close to Annapolis (about 50 miles).</p>
<p>i got my kit today. Any advice on filling it in and things to avoid doing when filling it out on the CIS?</p>
<p>Well, print things out, sometimes things don't save... don't walk away in the middle of it because it will time out on you and you will lose everything.</p>
<p>BlackLab:</p>
<p>The academy will do an assessment of your preliminary application to determine whether you get a candidate number and can proceed with the application. If your scores, etc., don't meet the minimum threshholds, then you won't be given a candidate number until they do.</p>
<p>Did you apply for Summer Seminar, and if yes, were you accepted?</p>
<p>Out of curiosity, what do your scores and GPA look like?</p>
<p>I think they issue you a candidate number if you received a nomination as well. I had received a nomination about 2 weeks after my interview but I didn't fill out my preliminary application until a staffer at my congressman's office told me to. My BGO already had a candidate number for me well before I submitted my prelim. Good Luck!</p>
<p>
[quote]
If your scores, etc., don't meet the minimum threshholds, then you won't be given a candidate number until they do.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>and to add to Dad&Grad's post, should that happen your BGO will be notified to "contact and council" as to what you can work on to make yourself a more competetive candidate.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I think they issue you a candidate number if you received a nomination as well.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>actually, the candidate number is usually issued well in advance of the nomination- they are seperate processes. Candidate numbers get issued starting late spring, and can be issued up to the admission deadline in January of your senior year. Nominations usually only get issued- at best around Thanksgiving, but for most MOC's, typically around January of your senior year as well. </p>
<p>Candidate numbers are given out once your peliminary application indicates you are a competetive candidate- meaning, you meet the minimum standards for admission. You will need to be designated as a candidate in order to proceed with the application process to compete for an appointment.</p>
<p>In a parallel process, you will need to apply for, and in most cases, compete for a nomination. That process can start independent of your designation as a "Candidate." You will need a nomination to get in.</p>
<p>Back to the origonal question- "what to do now."</p>
<p>-you can contact your BGO if you have questions as to your status as a candidate.</p>
<p>-you can consider retaking SAT/ACT's if your scores are not where you want them (consider retaking them anyway- most students improve on the second go-around). Key is to use your time now wisely- meaning "prep, prep and prep." Practice does make perfect!</p>
<p>-All applicants- whether a designated candidate or not- should be working on their other college applications as well. YOU NEED TO HAVE AN ALTERNATE PLAN IN PLACE NO MATTER HOW STELLER YOU ARE. </p>
<p>
[quote]
My BGO already had a candidate number for me well before I submitted my prelim.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I am not sure how that is possible. BGO's can access your CIS only AFTER you have been put into the system, which occurs after you have submitted your preliminary application.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Only if you are a qualified candidate.</p>
<p>My ACT Composite is 25. My Math is 25, My English 21, REading 30 and Science 25. It's the first time I took it. My SAT was Math 580, Reading 560. First time I took that too. I am scheduled to take the ACT again June 14. I missed the deadline for Summer Seminar. I logged on April 1 and it said it closed that day! I immediately sent in my Prelim. App. From what I'm reading, I'm beginning to think that I was not considered qualified since I have not receive a Candidate number. My GPA is 94. Last time the high school issued a class rank (end of my sophomore year) I was 80 out of 492. I'm on the Varsity soccer team. Am an Eagle Scout...</p>
<p>Navy 2010. Thanks. So, will I be contacted one way or another about this? That's not clear to me. It's been since April 1st since I last received contact from anyone and that was only an electronic communication that my app. had been received.</p>
<p>I recieved my candidate number yesterday...</p>
<p>BlackLab... Your ACT and SAT seem a bit low, they should be good enough though for you to become a candidate seeing your extracurriculars. But I would just wait out a bit, I'm sure that they'll send them out soon. If end of June and no word, then I would see what's up.</p>
<p>navy2010: I had NO idea who my BGO was until I got the candidate kit. I hadn't tried to contact USNA about my BGO though (which I'm sure is a possibility).</p>
<p>honestly if I were you, my major focus would be ACT prep. Your scores need to improve quite a bit to be truly competitive. Shoot for somewhere around a 30 in both math and English. I believe most scores for those who are admitted lie in the 28-30 range or greater on the ACT. Have you tried taking a prep course or studied an ACT prep book?</p>
<p>Navy2010, my mistake on that one. I filled out my prelim then got my candidate number. Apologies, but I was really suprised to find out I got one because of my test scores and GPA. ACT composite 22, Math 21, English 22, Reading 21, Science 20, HS GPA 3.0, 100 of 348. Thank god for ECA's. </p>
<p>Only a little more than 2 months left til I-day for NAPS Class of 2009.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Navy2010, my mistake on that one. I filled out my prelim then got my candidate number. Apologies...
[/quote]
</p>
<p>apologies not necessary... just wanted to make sure I was not missing something!</p>
<p>
[quote]
Navy 2010. Thanks. So, will I be contacted one way or another about this?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>You should be contacted... however, things can, and do, fall through the cracks sometimes. BGO's live busy lives outside their BGO responsibilities.... even the best intended of them may be caught up with other of life's demands and delay their "contact and council."</p>
<p>So... my suggestion, not only with this but with all aspects of the application process, is to be "proactive." If you have not heard from your BGO, then find out who that is and initiate the contact yourself. Personally, I would start out with a letter of introduction, followed up by a phone call a few days later. If you want to bypass the letter, fine... but at least make the call.</p>
<p>Can't find who your BGO is? Well, how resourseful can you be? Start with your guidance department- they SHOULD be able to tell you who the area BGO is covering your school (I say "should," because "some" "can't."). Start there- but don't stop there! </p>
<p>Step 2 would be to call the USNA admissions department and ask who your regional director is. Contact the regional director and inquire as to who your BGO is. Contact your BGO as outlined above.</p>
<p>KEY: is to be PROACTIVE and PERSISTANT.</p>
<p>Good luck! And keep in mind this forum is a great resourse for finding answers to your questions- lots of alumni, BGO's, parents and a few Mids that can all give you guidance.... mixed in with lots of opinions and jestering, but if you can sift through that there is usually some great advice and actual answers in there somewhere! ;)</p>
<p>BlackLab:</p>
<p>If you really want to know about your status, I'd suggest that you call Admissions and ask for your BGO's name and your status as a candidate. The systems are pretty quickly updated, and if you are indeed an official candidate, your BGO will be notified that you're in his/her portfolio of aspirants to USNA for 2013.</p>
<p>Every BGO is different in terms of when and how they make contact. For my part, I try to get an email out to the candidate or "contact and counsel" aspirants as soon as I am notified. My personal experience is that it usually takes a couple of emails and/or phonecalls to get a response from the candidates and to set up a time for the interview or counseling session.</p>
<p>But candidate or not, DO NOT delay on completing your nomination paperwork with your MOC and Senators, as well as the VP and any other sources you're eligible for. </p>
<p>Here's why: I have seen applicants - those who do not have official candidate numbers - wait to apply for nominations until they do have candidate numbers. A couple missed the MOC and Senators' deadlines for applications for noms and were effectively shut out of the nomination process. </p>
<p>Forge ahead with those packets and get them done before school is over if you can. Especially important are getting the teacher and character references that most MOC's and Senators require, as well as transcript requests. You can't control that response time, but it's better to do it now than to wait until school begins in August/September, in my experience.</p>
<p>Prep for the CFA - guidelines and instructions are on the USNA website.</p>
<p>Prep and retake the ACT/SAT as soon at your next opportunity.</p>
<p>Keep smilin' ;)</p>
<p>D&G</p>
<p>Asking for the letters now, at the end of the school year, is much better than in the fall, as D&G said. My d's classmates were all sweating out whether their recommendations to various colleges would be turned in by the deadlines, while all of hers had been completed before school even started. </p>
<p>One thing that will help the people who are providing your recommendation letters is for you to provide them with your "resume." </p>
<p>For those who are still HS freshmen or sophomores, it's not too early to start writing your resumes. I'm not suggesting that you do activities you're not interested in. What I mean is to WRITE DOWN anything that you may want to list when you are eventually applying to special programs, colleges, or SAs. That could include academic, leadership or athletic awards, service projects, or anything else that makes you unique.</p>
<p>A word about transcripts: Official transcripts are sealed and have a stamp or signature over the envelope seal. Always ask for an unofficial copy for yourself. You can proofread it for possible errors.
My son noticed that his SAT scores were incorrect on his transcript. The counselor had all of the data off by one name. He had the scores of the person before him and the person after him had his scores. Catching the error before mailing transcripts saved a lot of hassle later down the road.</p>