Principal Nom. denied appointment USMA. Help

Mayhemmadness27

5-Year Member
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I'm a principal nominee congressional wisconsin district number 5 to USMA. Not to mention i also have a second nomination to USMA through the Senator, Senator Herb Kohl. I was denied appointment yesterday, my lifelong aspiration, after i was told I had everything wrapped up in a box. I am planning on appealing, and fighting back, because this is ludacris. I'm beyond upset. I need to know what the laws are protecting and governing a primary nominee, because to my understanding the pnom is guaranteed appointment. I plan on taking my case the my congressman, please any thoughts? I am medically and physically qualified, yet they still find a way to deny me? What the hell? Please help, your concern is much appreciated.
 
I am medically and physically qualified, yet they still find a way to deny me? What the hell? Please help, your concern is much appreciated.

You must also be academically qualified for an appointment. Did you receive a letter saying you met that requirement?
 
I'm a principal nominee congressional wisconsin district number 5 to USMA. Not to mention i also have a second nomination to USMA through the Senator, Senator Herb Kohl. I was denied appointment yesterday, my lifelong aspiration, after i was told I had everything wrapped up in a box. I am planning on appealing, and fighting back, because this is ludacris. I'm beyond upset. I need to know what the laws are protecting and governing a primary nominee, because to my understanding the pnom is guaranteed appointment. I plan on taking my case the my congressman, please any thoughts? I am medically and physically qualified, yet they still find a way to deny me? What the hell? Please help, your concern is much appreciated.

The only ones guaranteed appointment are the Children of Medal of Honor Recipients, or those MOH recipients that are young enough to apply themselves. It is tough I know, but if it is your life long dream apply again next year and don't be bitter about how it has gone so far.

Remember it is a privilege and an honor to win appointment not an entitlement because of your position on MOC's slate. Best of luck and keep your chin up!!
 
I think AF has asked the right question...triple Q, you mentioned medical for one Q, physical for the second Q, but the third Q, academically? A "Principal Nominee" still must be triple Q is the way I understand it. The nomination process and qualification processes are separate.
 
If you really have questions, call USMA or your congressman's office directly and ask. Better to get the reasoning from the source than to speculate.
 
As you stated on the other thread, your advisor told you your two citations for underage drinking is what kept you from getting the appointment.
You have the reason, so now you have to try and plead your case.
Make sure when you go to your congressman you let them know. Explain how you were young and made mistakes. It's a hard lesson to learn as we all make mistakes. You really need to work on your arguments on why you no longer do this and hope it works.

Good luck.
 
The only ones guaranteed appointment are the Children of Medal of Honor Recipients, or those MOH recipients that are young enough to apply themselves. It is tough I know, but if it is your life long dream apply again next year and don't be bitter about how it has gone so far.

Remember it is a privilege and an honor to win appointment not an entitlement because of your position on MOC's slate. Best of luck and keep your chin up!!

Erm....As I understood it, so long as you had a principal nom, and a triple Q, then by law the academy had to offer you admission. However, if there was some other kind of disqualifying factor...
 
Um, as I understand it there are NO guarantees. My son had it all--triple Q'd, clean record, team captain, 3 nom's, etc. and basically told that he was the guy. Guess what--no appt. Even his BGO was shocked. The ultimate decision is left with the admissions board--at least that is what I've been told. I have never heard of any "law" applying to the granting of an admission except for MOH. You should contact admissions and politely inquire about your file (if you don't already know why you were passed over). By all means, contact your MOC. Write a very polite letter thanking all for the noms and that you intend to reapply. Get to know the MOC liason person. Stay out of any trouble--don't even get a parking ticket! Your competition is extremely tight--even as a re-ap. Believe me, I totally understand how you feel and hang in there.
 
Erm....As I understood it, so long as you had a principal nom, and a triple Q, then by law the academy had to offer you admission. However, if there was some other kind of disqualifying factor...
Um, I understood the same thing! :confused:

Um, as I understand it there are NO guarantees. My son had it all--triple Q'd, clean record, team captain, 3 nom's, etc. and basically told that he was the guy. Guess what--no appt.
But not a principal nomination, correct? Completely different thing then!

To the OP - I can only agree that you need to be completely qualified - and as mentioned, a disqualifying factor could mitigate that "by law" offering to you. I'd just have to warn you to not burn too many bridges if you think you might be willing to consider applying again next year. Not sure what you mean by taking it to your congressman - he can certainly inquire on your behalf, but can't override West Point's decision. Just trying to tactfully suggest any appealing you do is done professionally (ie - don't ask your RC "What the hell?!" :wink: ).

Good luck and be sure to let us know what happens!
 
From my understanding, 535 MOC + VP + enlisted spots + prep school slots + pres. noms + medal of honor noms does not add up to every primary nom getting an appointment. At admissions briefings I have attended, I was told this.
 
from what I understand, a principle nomination puts you in a higher pool of selection than alternates, but it does not in any way guarantee admissions, just raises your chances. In theory they have a slot reserved but not promised for you, and if they find anything they dont like its gone. At least this is what the air force liaison in my area told me when he explained princliple nominations.
 
Yes, there is another admissions review board for recruited athletes, is is much less enduring and not nearly as critical as far as admissions requirements. No essentially the ultimate goal is not to be an army officer- it's to graduate from west point. I want to go there more than most can fathom, it practically completes me. My brother is an 07 grad, he is not why I want to go...but even he says he has never seen anyone with the dedication I compell. We will see, but i'm sorry to me it's not over yet.

Well there you go you just gave me another break; see it isn't over yet and I'm after it. Okay here's the deal, I have not signed my life away yet for the next 9 years, or the next 25! I am 18 years old, you cannot hold me accountable for what my ideas are, especially since I'm banking now on being able to serve a platoon for the next year and reapplying then. Yes the expectation is for everyone to serve their country with a myriad of valor and diligence, which is my utmost ambition. Sure I said michie stadium in 4 years is the aim, but I am happy to give the next 25 if that's where my heads at. As for now, I'm concerned with an education, concerned with not going in debt for it, and most importantly fulfilling my unremmiting need to serve this country hands down. Hands down. And as a citizen of this country I am hoping youre grateful for mine, as well as everyone else's commitment. Do not think I plan on using, or want to use anyone especially a place like USMA. I'll go there for a reason- the exact reason they would (hopefully) accept me.



Let's just stop and think for a moment. Sometimes stopping, taking a deep breath, and thinking about what's going on can help to deal with a serious situation.

So let's try that.

Stop.

Breath deeply in and out at a slow pace (inhale 2 seconds, exhale 2 seconds). Do that for about thirty seconds.

Now. Consider your situation. In the past, you have made some mistakes. It is for this reason that you said WP disqualified you.

I don't know you, and therefore am not going to make any serious or conclusive judgments on your character. But already in this thread you've "retracted" statements or gone back on statements that you have made, which to me shows that you obviously have not gone through necessary internal self-refinement.

As many posters have already told you (in this thread and your other one), WP is concerned with character. Who you are as a person will not only make you a better officer, but it will also be important to the Army and to our country. So meditate on the following:

Firstly, from the limited time I've known you (which has been all of about 10 minutes while I've read this thread), I would say that you are impulsive. Your first post comes off as just a bit shocking and ultimately I would say that you mean well, but are hasty. You say one thing in one post, and then in the next say something akin to "well I didn't really mean it like that". Consider how you appear to others. Think about your self-presentation before you say something.

Secondly, you yourself have stated that you don't want to go to West Point to be an Army officer. You said you wouldn't mind it, but that's not why you want to go there. That also is a concern to me personally (I am always curious about those others who wish to attend USMA 2014 and their motives behind wanting to be in the Army). When you decide that you want to commit yourself to go into a Service Academy, and when you decide to commit yourself to 8 years of military service (5 active 3 reserve), it should be because you want to be there. I chose West Point specifically because I want to be an Army officer (Army has what I'm looking for when it comes to Military Police from what I found in my research--in case you were interested in my personal motivations).

Thirdly, Humility is important. It is the most important thing on the planet (in my opinion). As a friend once told me, "If you think you're humble, get more humble. If people tell you you're humble, then practice humility to make up for the pride you got from the compliment of being humble. Eat, Sleep, and Drink Humility. Be humble as if your life depends on it." You need to work on humility.

Now that I've done that, I'd like to tell you that the world is not over. Life is not over. And although this is a depressing moment for you, how you respond to it and the choices you make at this time will affect how your life goes in the future.

You seem like a bright guy. In fact, I am personally impressed with your grammar. You are one of the few people I've ever met on an internet forum that almost always uses correct grammar. Not only that but you seem to have an extensive vocabulary (which is generally a sign of intelligence).

I am certain that, with improvement, you would make an excellent Army officer. However, you must also recognize that there are areas where you need improvement. Everyone has their flaws, and it is important that we admit our flaws to ourselves and work on them.

So now that you have been faced with this. Take a stop and pause for deep introspection. Reflect on who you are, where you want to go with your future (it probably was not a good idea to only apply to West Point), and what you can do to improve yourself so that next time you apply for something (whether it be next year for USMA 2015 or for something else) , there will be no hangups about your character.

I hope you don't find this post offensive,
TheKnight.
 
From my understanding, 535 MOC + VP + enlisted spots + prep school slots + pres. noms + medal of honor noms does not add up to every primary nom getting an appointment. At admissions briefings I have attended, I was told this.

from what I understand, a principle nomination puts you in a higher pool of selection than alternates, but it does not in any way guarantee admissions, just raises your chances. In theory they have a slot reserved but not promised for you, and if they find anything they dont like its gone. At least this is what the air force liaison in my area told me when he explained princliple nominations.

1. Not every Congressman uses the Principal Nomination method. They are in the minority. An overwhelming majority of MOCs submit an unranked slate of 10 nominations, giving the Academy the choice to select the candidate they want. The Academy does not get to do that when the MOC submits a Principal Nomination.

2. If the MOC names a candidate as a Principal Nomination and that candidate is 3Qd, the candidate WILL be appointed. Not "may be," but "will be." That's a guarantee.

3. I have no idea what a "primary" nomination is.
 
FYI; not all MOC's rank their candidates--ours do not. They grant their noms and let the academy's choose from the entire list of candidates.
 
I'm a principal nominee congressional wisconsin district number 5 to USMA. Not to mention i also have a second nomination to USMA through the Senator, Senator Herb Kohl.

Mayhemmadness27,

As far as I know, none of the Wisconsin delegation rank their candidates. Son went through Kohl, Feingold, and Petri for his noms and we were told that none from Wisconsin ranked.

Stealth_81
 
Mayhemmadness27,

As far as I know, none of the Wisconsin delegation rank their candidates. Son went through Kohl, Feingold, and Petri for his noms and we were told that none from Wisconsin ranked.

Stealth_81

My Congressman personally told me that he awarded me a principal nomination (USNA). I was told by his staff that he usually just nominates an unranked ten (As he did for USAFA this year). Apparently, Congressmen choose their type of nominations on a year to year basis.
 
Mayhemmadness27,

As far as I know, none of the Wisconsin delegation rank their candidates. Son went through Kohl, Feingold, and Petri for his noms and we were told that none from Wisconsin ranked.

Stealth_81

He's Sensenbrenner's principal nom. With all the info. he provided online, it took 2 sec. to find out exactly who he is.
 
All I want to say, is that this is a great thread!!! Great posts from several very well meaning people. The Knight and Luigi top the list! Then we get some quick investigative work to find out that you are a principle nomination. I hope you get treated fairly and consistently as you proceed. Maybe you already have, but make sure you professionally move forward to get satisfied that you have. No need for me to say more, just keep reading and reflecting on what has already been said.
 
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