Presidential Nom and LOA?

Hello, I have been triple qualified with a presidential nomination since mid-July. My BGO contacted me Monday and told me that I have an LOA coming in the mail. I had been under the impression that since I already had a nomination that I would be in line for an early offer of appointment as opposed to an LOA. Could there possibly have been an administrative mistake, or does USNA want to me to get a competitive nomination as well? Thank You.

Since an LOA is contingent on obtaining ANY nom and you have one and are 3 Q'ed, you should receive an appointment, not an LOA.

My gut feel is that the BGO system is showing an LOA vs. an appointment b/c USNA wants to give MOCs the first opportunity to congratulate you. To try to explain . . . you are considered sufficiently qualified to receive an LOA. In your case, you have already met the other conditions to receive an appointment so, instead of sending an LOA, they will send an appointment. However, b/c the Board decision was an LOA and b/c USNA wants the MOC to notify your first, the BGO system won't actually show the appointment until about 2 weeks after the certificate is sent -- and about a week after you receive it. This is why I tell candidates BGOs are usually the last to know.

[As an aside, b/c you received a Pres (vs. MOC) nom and b/c the Reps are all in hot campaign mode at the moment, don't be surprised if you don't receive a call or other notification from your MOC.]

I suggest you wait until you get whatever you get in the mail (LOA or appointment certificate). If it's an LOA, I recommend contacting your Regional Director and asking what else is necessary to receive an appointment -- b/c if you're 3 Q'ed, I can't think of anything. It may simply be that it takes another week or so to "connect" the LOA with the other qualified items, but that would surprise me.

My son also had a Presidential nomination and received an LOA about this time last year, pending verification of his Dodmerb physical. He received his appointment mid-November.
USNA, his BGO and the staff of the MOC's all strongly encouraged him to continue pursuing all nominations. My understanding is it gives USNA some room to maneuver nominations for other candidates. For example, although over 800 Presidential nominations are given, in abidance with congressional law only 100 are appointed.
It sounds like you are in a very good position either way. Good luck.

I would agree with the above only for candidates in non-competitive districts/states -- meaning those where there are fewer qualified candidates than slots. In such cases, it definitely gives USNA more flexibility and does not disadvantage other candidates.

In a competitive state/district, I would be surprised if an MOC gave a nom to a candidate with an appointment -- as doing so potentially takes away the opportunity for an appointment from another deserving, and well-qualified candidate. Which means it's a waste of time for the candidate.

The best approach is to contact the MOCs' offices -- if they encourage you to apply, fine, it's your decision whether to make the effort. But if they say, "no way" will we give you a nom when you have an appointment, everyone's time and effort is saved.

Well, you are correct about that. The first question asked by the moc interviewer was "Why are you here?" He felt awkward and certainly didn't want to take away a potential nomination from another qualified candidate or waste anyone's time. He was just following through with what he was told to do.
The 2nd moc interview conflicted with his schedule so that's as far as that went and for the third, they called to congratulate him on his appointment and didn't want him to come in.

First, Congratulations on the LOA. My son also has a Presidential Nomination and is 3Qd for USNA, however has received no LOA or Certificate of Appointment as of yet. USNA1985 very helpful information...thank you.

Thank You, USNA1985. That helps a lot. I guess now I just wait for whatever comes in the mail and go from there.

Did USNA officially inform you that you were triple qualified in July or did you make that assumption? That is an important distinction.

Additionally, I will reiterate it here....3Q + Nomination (principal or not) DOES NOT equal appointment. An LOA with all the requirements met (whether DODMERB, CFA, nomination, etc.) does equal appointment.

I would wait and see what arrives in your mail or phone call before going further.

To all who replied to my original question, I received my appointment in the mail today!! That clears everything up for me. Thank you again for all the help.

Ncn1596 said:

To all who replied to my original question, I received my appointment in the mail today!! That clears everything up for me. Thank you again for all the help.

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Congrats!!! For those out there still sitting on Presidential noms and pending the MOC board process, would you mind providing us with a snapshot of your resume? SAT scores, GPA, ECs, Varsity Athletics, etc. What area you are from? I know that anything you share is not indicative of any other candidates future potential for an appointment but it is sure nice to know. Again congrats and Godspeed.

Silly question...how does a candidate know if they are 3Q'd. Are you notified by the academy, or does it show up on the candidates portal? Is it an official term, or just one that means you have hit the mark (or exceeded the mark) in academics, physical fitness and medical?

Thanks

I scored a 690 math, 640 verbal on the SAT and a 34 math, 35 verbal on the ACT. I Have a 4.0 GPA and am ranked second in my class. When I graduate, I will be a three year varsity letterman in football, basketball, and track with two years as captain of the football team. I am from southwest Texas. Any other questions? To shellz, I called USNA admissions once and was told that I was triple qualified. However, I called again at a later date to check on my application status and they wouldn't tell me anything. It seems to depend on who you speak to.

Congratulations, ncn!


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So you got the BFE today? Good for you...now keep up your grades and finish
strong!

Yes, my BFE came in on 25 October. Just need to keep my grades up and stay healthy!

presidential nominations and BFE

With regards to the BFE`s that are currently going out under the presidential nomination, is it safe to say that if a candidate does not receive an appointment fairly soon, who has a presidential nomination and a 100% completed application, then they have likely been passed over in the presidential nomination category? Do appointments still go out to candidates in the spring under the presidential nomination source?

No!

However, it is fair to say that these candidates scored high enough and using historical date would win an appointment off at least the national pool. Hence why they offered the appointment already.

People assume that appointment equates to charging. It doesn't. It might, but it might not. Think of an LOA. The MOC can nominate them and a principal. Both will get the appointment,but only the principal will be charged. The other because they have a mom can be charged to other sources that are unable to nominate, but can be charged.

There are tons of posters that got appointed in March and had just the Pres.

Press forward with getting more nominations.

Naval_Gopher said:

With regards to the BFE`s that are currently going out under the presidential nomination, is it safe to say that if a candidate does not receive an appointment fairly soon, who has a presidential nomination and a 100% completed application, then they have likely been passed over in the presidential nomination category? Do appointments still go out to candidates in the spring under the presidential nomination source?

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Great question, one likely on the minds of many with Presidential noms (my DD included). Based on my research and what I've seen in past threads on this forum, the answer to your first question is no and the second question is yes. It looks like the first appointments with Presidential noms have just started going out in the past couple of weeks or so. Threads from previous years show appointments with Presidential noms going on through November/December timeframe and later. I think what is happening now is those with Presidential noms are (or should be) going through the process of obtaining all other noms for which they are qualified. If those with Presidential noms receive other noms through their MOCs then they get to compete in that category as well. My guess is at that point decisions can be made as to how to slate an offered appointment against a nomination. So, for example, if you also receive a nom from your Congressman, the SA can look at that nom and decide if it is best to book you or perhaps another qualified candidate against that nom and may choose the other candidate if they know that can still appoint you as a qualified candidate under the Presidential nom. Now, having said all of this I'm sure there is a BGO or ALO out there that can do a better job of describing this "nomination dance" so I hope they chime in. Till then, I would not worry about being "passed over" at this point. Way too soon to even think like that. Hang on for the ride and best of luck!