Question

bsa07eagle

10-Year Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2009
Messages
670
Hi all,

I have heard the dates for early appointments, LOA's, boards and just about everything else, but when do rejection letters get sent out?

Later,

Brian
 
I was just wondering the same thing. I know boards are starting in the fall, but was wondering if they "reject" anyone at these boards, or if they only "award" LOA's and everyone else is just waiting until pretty much the end - late March to mid April. Do they ever look at some candidates and say "Don't waste your time?" :wink: If my son doesn't hear anything between now and March, is it a "good" sign, (obviously not as good as an LOA), or a "non" sign?
 
Appts go out all yr long, it just depends on when the last person from the slate has placed in their packet. The mass mailing is in mid to late March. I have never heard of anyone receiving the thin letter before the mass mailing. So it is now just a sit and wait time, keep updating and working on your plan B. Good luck
 
Well, the first thing is obviously your online application. The normal process is Prospect, Applicant, Candidate, (Application Complete), (Appointment Offered), (Appointment Accepted). There is also something in there for LOA, but I can't remember off hand. I'm half asleep. Anyway, if your application never makes it to COMPLETE, then it's not even being looked at by the board. There are some who have asked towards the end of the year why their application still said APPLICANT. Basically, it's because the academy didn't see them as competitive. However, they received a nomination, and the online application changed to CANDIDATE (Means you are competitive, OR you received a nomination). It then moved to complete. At which time it went to the board.'

I bring this up because if you know someone who has finished their application, CFA, Interviews, etc... and are 100% complete and submitted; YET the online never changes to Candidate/COMPLETE; or it doesn't happen until AFTER they had their nomination interview; that's a good sign that the academy doesn't think too much of the application. It's not a given, but possible/likely. Rarely is that the case for those on this forums. Forum folk are generally a different BREED of applicant. They are more dedicated, better grades, very involved, etc.... But it is difficult to sit with someone who asks how their application looks, when you look with them online in January, and it says: "Applicant". How do you tell them to expect a VTL? (Very Thin Letter)?

Anyway; if you are competitive, are listed as complete/candidate, and have a nomination; you won't usually get a rejection letter until March-April. Mainly because they don't know who all the YES' are until the all accept. The list is always changing. That is why it is IMPERATIVE that each and every one of you are applying to other colleges/universities. If your grades, sat/act, EC, etc... are good enough to be competitive for a service academy, then it's good enough for some of the best schools in the country. And you should be applying to as many as possible. And hopefully the military academies aren't the only place you're applying. There is no reason whatsoever to ONLY apply to only the military academies. There are so many reasons that you can be turned down. Even up to the day that you were accepted, made it to BCT, got off the bus, slipped and twisted your knee, and was on another plane heading home within a day or two. Then what??? Apply to NO LESS than 5 colleges/universities. It doesn't cost that much. And you should be applying for every scholarship available. Best of luck. Mike...
 
Make sure you are on top of everything, the smallest detail, in your application. My son neglected to check online for one requested medical record and had to scramble at the last minute! Be precise! And dot those I's, cross those T's.
 
My rejection letter arrived in March last year and I was really glad that I had applied for all the scholarships that I did. My AFROTC scholarship doesn't kick in until next year (although I will hopefully be at the AFA). However, by combining a number of other scholarships, I am covered for my freshman year. Like Christcorp said, apply for every scholarship that you can find. There are thousands of scholarships that you will never know about unless you look for them (trust me, they have scholarships for EVERYTHING). For example, a friend of mine from high school received a full ride to the college of his choice for being an outstanding golf caddy. My high school guidance counselor even told me that they have scholarships for left-handed people. The point is, be proactive. Search and apply for all kinds of scholarships and you are bound to get at least some money for college.
 
I believe that scholarships are one of the most misunderstood portions of the college application process. There are TOO many people who think that only the college you are applying to, actually gives you scholarships. Some do; they're called "Merit Scholarships". But what a school will give you is such a small percentage of the money available to go to college. And private scholarships are some of the best money available. One of the scholarships my son was "OFFERED"; was from a private citizen in our state who is wealthy, and went to Michigan State. (I said "Offered" because my son already received and accepted his appointment in November, and wanted to turn down the scholarship early so it could be offered to someone else. Which they did. Being Wyoming only has 1 four year college, this gentleman wanted to assist students who had interests that the one state university might not be the best at. He's been giving these scholarships to wyoming students each year for quite a while. Sometimes, more than one a year. And it's a 110% scholarship. I say 110%, because it includes everything possible, as well as a monthly stipend for spending money, save some for christmas/summer plane fare, etc... without the student worrying about having to also get a job.

The point is, the way to paying for a college education back in the day when I was in high school, and many of the parents here, are long gone. Our society truly does want our children to excel and go to college. "Mind you, I said SOCIETY and NOT the government". I believe in our family and local communities helping it's citizens. Not the federal government. Anyway; it's no longer only pay cash, take out one hell of a student loan, or hope that the college offers a merit scholarship. My daughter's best friend applied for and received 13 scholarships to get her through college. (Not state university). Many of the scholarships were only $5000 here and there; some even less; some more. But when combined, she is able to pay for all of her educational needs. Matter of fact, she tried to GIVE BACK 2 of the scholarships, because she had more than enough money. BOTH of them asked; "Do you have spending money or will you get a job?" She said she already looked into employment on campus. They said; keep the scholarships. Just promise you'll use your spare time to study more and to enjoy your college experience.

I will however be the first to say that if a student takes this to mean: "Oooo I can go to Harvard, Brown, Cornell, or whatever their #1 choice is, and I can get in with all scholarships"; then they are sorely mistaken. I am saying that financial reasons is not a good enough reason to say you can't go to college. Granted, maybe it won't be your #1 school. Maybe it will be further down the list. Maybe the amount of money you can generate; various ways; is only enough to pay to go to certain schools and not others. Well, that's life. If you narrow yourself to ONLY going to a particular college, then that's going to lead to a whole lifetime of disappointments. Rule #353. By all means apply for your #1-#2 schools. Get accepted, then worry about the money. Do the best you can. But ALSO; apply to at least 3 other schools; preferably 5 schools; and make 2-3 of them FAR OUT OF STATE!!! There's a lot more slots for out of state students than many realize. Anyway; best of luck to everyone. later... mike.....
 
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