quiet out there?

crair70

5-Year Member
Joined
Feb 7, 2011
Messages
257
Seems the posts RE: LOA/Appointments and slowed down. Curious is anyone has received any mail lately? DS heard from BGO he is 3Q (has pres nom and working on MOC) and is counting days until CVW the end of Oct. Working on plan B options but still stalking the mailman. Please share any news... bumpy ride ahead but we are all in this together. Good luck to all candidate!
 
Steel yourself for a long wait.....plan on March....look forward to small steps....getting noms....CVW......but in reality, most appts come in March.
 
I was 3Q, retaking CFA here before long. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Looks like your DS and I will be dragging at the same time.
 
Yes- bracing for a long wait- know most will hear nothing until early 2012. But guess I am referring to this time last year. End of Sept there were many LOA posted on the forum as well as appointments (presidential/ JROTC) From what I have seen posted it seems to be much slower than last year. Also WP gave out a big bunch of LOA this month so curious if anyone on the inside knows if USNA has changed their approach from last year and not giving out the typical 100-200 LOA and early appointments to highly competitive candidates?
 
A brief explanation for those of you applying this year as to why the wait is soooo long......this bears repeating.

You get your packet in early and learn (from your BGO, Admissions Counselor, even the "Scholastically Qualified" letter that goes out some years that you are 3 Q...triple qualified.) (With the Scholastically Qualified letter,you are actually only learning that you are 1Q, you have the knowledge as to whether you were medically qualified through DoDMERB and physically qualifed through passing CFA and you can then, upon receipt of the scholastically qualified letter, make the assumption that you are indeed 3Q)

Note: the Scholastically qualified letter does not always go out. And you could still be 3 Q. Go figure.

Anyway, you are done with your packet, maybe awaiting a CVW, busy applying for nominations to your senators, congressman and veep.

The nom deadlines are often late October-mid December. Often the earliest you learn your fate in that process is just prior to Christmas. The MOC's have until the end of January to notify the SA's of their slate of nominees. And it seems many of them may notify you that you were nominated, but not get around to notifying the SA until the eleventh hour. Throw in the holidays and you can see where this is going......

My example here is for when the MOC's use the unranked slate and allow the SA to choose the nominee they wish to offer an appointment to from that slate of ten. Which is the most common way of presenting their slates to the SA's.

The other two ways they can present slates is to name the first on the slate a "Principal" or "Primary" (not as common a term).....securing a principal nomination means the academy must offer the appointment to that individual provided they are 3Q. Or the MOC can offer a ranked slate of ten to the SA, in which case the SA goes down the rankings with their offer of appointment.

Let's go back to example A, the unranked slate. Even though you were Johnny on the Spot and got all your stuff in early, were reviewed by the Admissions Board early in the cycle.....you likely will wait until 2012 to know if you gain an appointment. Why? When the SA has an unranked slate, they may (usually WILL WAIT) wait until all ten have their packets complete and reviewed by Admissions to determine which they will offer the appointment to. The applications packages are usually not due until March 1st or thereabouts!:eek:

Point is,there are many factors involved as to the timing of all this. MOC's, the other applicants from your state/district who also secure a nomination.......late January and early February appointments will start rolling out in earnest. But there are always some slates where someone doesn't have their packet complete or several candidates are waiting on medical waivers and the SA waits until they have all the information to select an appointee.

It is a nerve wracking process. In my observation of the last few years, it seems it goes on later into April each year, whether because there are more applicants, or something else, I don't know.

How to survive this seemingly excrutiating process?? My son decided early on that he would re-apply if he did not gain admission. Having that decided seemed to calm our nerves a bit. Also, have Plan B lined out. For heaven's sake, don't wait until you know yea or nay from USXA to apply for another college. Many have Plan C and Plan D lined up as well. We seemed to always have something to wait for: CVW, notification from MOC, watching to see that posted on Candidate Information Page....always something to be thinkng about. Try to put off stalking the mailman until January, at least!

About LOA's....you may not be hearing of many on this forum, because the majority of candidates do not seem to find this forum. This is a small sample of those out there applying. In recent years, USNA supposedly has only offered 1-200 LOA's. Given that they will offer some 1500 appointments (allowing for some turn-downs) that is not many LOA's. And some LOA's find hurdles in their way: DoDMERB for one. LOA is not the goal, appointment is! .

Also, further adding to your frustration, some MOC's will call when you are to receive an appointment....they are notified about a week in advance to allow them to deliver the good news if they wish. Some don't bother. There's no rhyme or reason. I would think all would want to make some constituents very happy, but many don't bother.

Hope this synopsis helped shed some light on the process. Keep your chins up and enjoy your senior year and stay outa trouble!:thumb:
 
This is one of the best summations of the process I have read. Your insight is much appreciated.
 
But guess I am referring to this time last year. End of Sept there were many LOA posted on the forum as well as appointments (presidential/ JROTC) From what I have seen posted it seems to be much slower than last year.

Please keep in mind that posters on this forum are only a tiny representation of the 10's of thousands of applications open each year. All LOA's could have gone out or 30, no one but Admissions knows. I would not use this or any internet forum as a guage of the number of LOA's or Appointments. It's something that you should not stress over as it is not in your control. What you can control is what your application looks like.
 
About LOA's....you may not be hearing of many on this forum, because the majority of candidates do not seem to find this forum. This is a small sample of those out there applying. In recent years, USNA supposedly has only offered 1-200 LOA's. Given that they will offer some 1500 appointments (allowing for some turn-downs) that is not many LOA's. And some LOA's find hurdles in their way: DoDMERB for one. LOA is not the goal, appointment is!

"LOA is not the goal, appointment is!" That is a platitude.

Trying to gain an LOA is along the same path as trying to gain an appointment. They are not exclusive endeavors. If gaining an appointment is the goal - then gaining an LOA is one of the best ways to gain that appointment.

The best way to gain an LOA is to be an outstanding candidate. Isn't that the same thing you would try to do to gain an appointment?

The only thing about the LOA is that they seem somewhat random and unpredictable. Nobody knows why a candidate with a seemingly less impressive packet gets an LOA whereas a candidate with a seemingly more impressive packet does not. Only the admissions board knows.

You can't apply for an LOA. They just happen. So, in that respect - it's not worth worrying about. It'll either happen or it won't.

But I don't see anything wrong with a candidate trying to put together such a spectacular package that they hope to get an LOA. If anything, the desire for an LOA provides great motivation to put together the best you have to offer.

And isn't that what we advise candidates all the time - to put together the best you have to offer?

LOA and appointment are, essentially, the same goals. It's not possible to pursue an LOA at the expense of gaining an appointment. The paths are the same.
 
AMEN MEMPHIS!!!
We all know appointment is the goal- getting a LOA is a step in that direction- right? We all know a small % will get a LOA but that doesn't stop a candidate from working towards being that small %- if you do get one it only gets you that much closer to the goal- APPOINTMENT! We all know, it is not a guarantee but a step closer!

Again, my question still stands unanswered. Does anyone know if the USNA has changed their approach to LOA this year. Regardless of how many candidate on on here small % compared to the 19,000+ applicants- it is obvious that there seems to be less LOA reported ON HERE then that were reported ON HERE last year at this time. This makes me question if like the USAFA the USNA is doing things differently this year....??

And lets face it- I bet those candidates/families that are ON HERE are probably some of the more competitive candidates out there. It wouldn't be a surprise that the candidates who are posting are also LOA quality. Yes, there have been some LOA and appointment posts on here but nowhere near as many as it seems in the past.... this why I question if the USNA process has changed this year?
 
Again, my question still stands unanswered. Does anyone know if the USNA has changed their approach to LOA this year. Regardless of how many candidate on on here small % compared to the 19,000+ applicants- it is obvious that there seems to be less LOA reported ON HERE then that were reported ON HERE last year at this time. This makes me question if like the USAFA the USNA is doing things differently this year....??

I don't think the Naval Academy is ever going to announce its policy with regards to 1) what it takes to get an LOA, 2) how many they plan to send out, and 3) when they plan to send them out.

The most information you'll ever get with regards to LOAs is; 1) they exist and 2) some candidates get them. Period.
 
^^^ I agree, unless you are currently on the academy admissions committee, you won't know the answer to that question and can merely speculate. I don't think you can assume anything about the type of candidates who follow this website vs. those who don't. Basically the same topics get discussed each year here and I would imagine some glance over the information but don't bother registering to actually become participants. This website isn't the only place on the internet to get information about the academy.

I would imagine some participate but choose not to post their stats/LOA/appointment information for privacy reasons. As many prior topics have discussed, no one can read someone's resume and tell them their 'chances' for getting an appointment. We can't assess how someone might come across in an interview situation from reading a resume, so all of those threads are really a waste of time.

Just as the academy doesn't publish the formula for the WCS, I doubt they will ever publish the LOA criteria. Wouldn't accomplish anything and simply result in people trying to 'game' the system while in h.s. to improve their chances of getting an appointment. I have also never seen any official information about whether the number of LOA's is higher or lower then prior years, but that doesn't stop some from having their theories or opinions.
 
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Yes, Memphis, I agree. LOA and appointment criteria are the same, shooting for one equals shooting for the other.

Perhaps I should have been more clear. Candidates hear of some LOA's going out in early fall and become discouraged if they don't receive one. They seem to get fixated on how many LOA's, what the criteria are to get an LOA, how their stats stack up....etc, etc. Every year, we encourage them to keep their eye on the ultimate prize, the appointment. It can make for an awfully long fall and winter if a candidate is discouraged at this point!

As has been stated on here repeatedly, LOA's are rare, and there is no rhyme or reason or some easily applied formula to determine if you might get one. And candidates need to be reminded that no one, except those on the Admissions Board are privvy to the LOA "policy" if there is one, or how many, what criteria, etc.
 
Obviously, LOA's are NOT given out randomly, but the methodology used isn't public knowledge. While is it helpful for parents and their children who are applying to have knowledge of the overall process, obsessing about LOA's and %, statistics, etc. isn't a good use of one's time and won't change the eventual outcome on whether or not a particular candidate gets an appointment.

Even with an LOA you still have to get a NOM. LOA's are issued by the academy while NOM's are issued by your MOC. So, for example, someone with an LOA who does awful during the MOC interviews is NOT guaranteed of getting a NOM.
 
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Obviously, LOA's are NOT given out randomly, but the methodology used isn't public knowledge. While is it helpful for parents and their children who are applying to have knowledge of the overall process, obsessing about LOA's and %, statistics, etc. isn't a good use of one's time and won't change the eventual outcome on whether or not a particular candidate gets an appointment.

Even with an LOA you still have to get a NOM. LOA's are issued by the academy while NOM's are issued by your MOC. So, for example, someone with an LOA who does awful during the MOC interviews is NOT guaranteed of getting a NOM.

Obsessing about anything , even getting an appointment, is a waste of time if you are just sitting by, idly, and wringing your hands.

I don't think that's what LOA aspirants are doing, however.

Although I agree one should not get all emotional about getting an LOA, but it certainly is a fantastic thing to aspire to. And, by the way, the best way to get an LOA is to be an outstanding candidate. Which, coincidentally, is the best way to get an appointment.
 
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