contact ALO in Junior Year?

Zeke

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Jan 20, 2011
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I'm a junior in high school, and I was wondering: should I contact my ALO anytime soon? How can he or she help me during this time in high school?
 
I'm a junior in high school, and I was wondering: should I contact my ALO anytime soon? How can he or she help me during this time in high school?

I would right now. I emailed mine awhile ago asking about Summer Seminar and he was very helpful. After I put in my application for SS he contacted me and gave me a series of questions to answer regarding my SS app which I'm pretty sure helped me out since I did get accepted. So go contact him/her nothing wrong with it plus it helps you stand out I guess.
 
I would right now. I emailed mine awhile ago asking about Summer Seminar and he was very helpful. After I put in my application for SS he contacted me and gave me a series of questions to answer regarding my SS app which I'm pretty sure helped me out since I did get accepted. So go contact him/her nothing wrong with it plus it helps you stand out I guess.
I see. Where did you get his contact information?
 
I disagree with republic.

ALO's are volunteers with full time jobs. Right now their priority is gong to be to candidates for 15, not 16. They have not only a career, and their volunteer commitment, but families too. They write recs for every AFA candidate, they work hand in hand to get them in.

Contacting them today or tomorrow at this point will not impact whether or not the AFA decides that you are eligible to be a candidate and assigned to an ALO. The AFA decides that. Get a 24 V or 490 SAT and no ALO can help you when it comes to being deemed competitive by the AFA.

Get great SAT/ACT scores, apply for SLS, submit a PCQ and move on from there.

Additionally, if you ever had a medical issue, get your paperwork in order.

Also, ALO's move, and retire, the ALO for 15 may not be your ALO as a 16.
 
After they get notification from the AFA regarding their PCQ.

Honestly right now they should be more concerned about building their resume for their WCS.

ALO's make an impact, but their resume will matter more.
 
I agree with Pima to an extent, and I'm extremely appreciative for my ALO and MALO that helped me out through this whole process. That said, if you have a question, I don't think its a bad idea to drop them an e-mail introducing yourself and getting your name out there. This contact is extremely helpful if you create the right contact. Just realize that, yes, they are very busy right now and may not be that attentive/have that much time to deal with you right now so its not like I would be a constant nag. Brief contact should be okay
 
best word of advice i heard: it's NEVER too early to start!!

Contact him/her now. They have a lot of insights that would help you. Things like ex-curricular stuff, groups, sports, clubs, etc - if the ALO suggests things like that to you in your senior year.. it's already too late. As a junior, you can get on it!
 
My ALO contacted me after I submitted my application for the SS. He was very helpful and even said he was going to help push my application for AFA SS. I implied that he writes some sort of recommendation/statement based off my SS application.

It was definitely worth it.

Also, all 3 of these admission rep/officers are totally unbiased about getting you to choose a particular SA. They all emphasized the fact that they would love for their applicant to go to their SA but also see that not every belong in a plane, aboard a ship, or in the mud, and vice versa.
 
My ALO contacted me after I submitted my application for the SS. He was very helpful and even said he was going to help push my application for AFA SS. I implied that he writes some sort of recommendation/statement based off my SS application.

It was definitely worth it.

Also, all 3 of these admission rep/officers are totally unbiased about getting you to choose a particular SA. They all emphasized the fact that they would love for their applicant to go to their SA but also see that not every belong in a plane, aboard a ship, or in the mud, and vice versa.
I actually contacted my Liaison officer (contact information was on my AFA SS application... she was labeled as a "Local Liaison Officer" on the appl.) shortly after I applied for the Seminar. I had the same feeling as you... she asked me some questions and implied that she was going to write a "recommendation" based on the application.

How did your ALO find your contact information?
Was he on your SS application under Local Liaison Officer? (I hope you know what I'm talking about)
 
I also wrote a brief email to my admissions officer, formally introducing myself, a week after submitting my summer seminar application. To some people it may seem bothersome,but he seemed more than happy to greet,and answer a quick question I had about presidential nominations.Though this site is extremely helpful..and I have become very educated in the application process ahead, I personally felt it was appropriate to quickly introduce myself.In return,he set up an interview for summer seminar..and wrote a review for my application. Should one be contacting them everyday for information? Probably not, but it is very helpful to have someone who knows the entire story,and knows how competitive your area is to give you an idea and hints. :smile:
 
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I also wrote a brief email to my admissions officer, formally introducing myself, a week after submitting my summer seminar application. To some people it may seem bothersome,but he seemed more than happy to greet,and answer a quick question I had about presidential nominations.Though this site is extremely helpful..and I have become very educated in the application process ahead, I personally felt it was appropriate to quickly introduce myself.In return,he set up an interview for summer seminar..and write a review for my application. Should one be contacting them everyday for information? Probably not, but it is very helpful to have someone who knows the entire story,and knows how competitive your area is to give you an idea and hints. :smile:
I see, congrats! Just wondering.. how did you get his contact information?
 
I see, congrats! Just wondering.. how did you get his contact information?

I actually first looked up my ALO on the admissions website, and emailed from there. Then, I realized it was the same colonel that was listed under the "Local Liason Officer" on the Summer Seminar page. :smile:
 
I actually first looked up my ALO on the admissions website, and emailed from there. Then, I realized it was the same colonel that was listed under the "Local Liason Officer" on the Summer Seminar page. :smile:
Thanks! I already contacted my "Local Liaison Officer" back in November... thank you for answering! I've been wondering if this "Local Liaison Officer" was really my "Admission Liaison Officer" for a very long time :)
 
best word of advice i heard: it's NEVER too early to start!!

Contact him/her now. They have a lot of insights that would help you. Things like ex-curricular stuff, groups, sports, clubs, etc - if the ALO suggests things like that to you in your senior year.. it's already too late. As a junior, you can get on it!
Amen. The definitive word from someone who is there. I have been doing this as a USNA BGO for almost two decades and have interviewed hundreds of candidates. I can count on one hand the number of younger candidates who have bothered me more than I feel they should. However, honestly I can say that of the four or five hundred that I have interviewed, the majority would have benefited, admissions wise, from a small course correction or two back at the beginning of their quest. Specific questions suc as "Is 'A" better than 'B?" or "Should I do 'C'?" are often interrelated with a whole lot of other inputs and can not be answered on a general forum such as this. I cannot believe that this is even being questioned. I amsure if one were to dig out the ALO job description, it would charge them with assisting underclassmen. The USNA one definitely does.
 
Your hs gc should also be able to give you the info. At the 3 hs's that our kids attended they all had the contact info for who the ALO assigned to the school was.
 
Your hs gc should also be able to give you the info. At the 3 hs's that our kids attended they all had the contact info for who the ALO assigned to the school was.

Guidance counselors can be very helpful, but as for me - mine didn't even know USAFA existed, and only heard the name of West Point but didn't know what it was. For the longest time she was confused - was i going into the military or college? :eek:
 
Too funny or maybe I should say too sad!

I tend to forget that there are places like Olanthe KS that have no military life near them....kind of like being from NY/NJ/CT and forgetting that not everyone in the US has ever seen the Statue of Liberty, or from the DC area and realizing that not every resident in MD or VA has been to DC.

Sometimes we forget how large and diverse our nation is, and it is good to be reminded what we take for granted is actually rare.
 
Too funny or maybe I should say too sad!

I tend to forget that there are places like Olanthe KS that have no military life near them....kind of like being from NY/NJ/CT and forgetting that not everyone in the US has ever seen the Statue of Liberty, or from the DC area and realizing that not every resident in MD or VA has been to DC.

Sometimes we forget how large and diverse our nation is, and it is good to be reminded what we take for granted is actually rare.
Very well said.
 
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