Competitive district question

frenzymando

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I've talked to several people associated with West Point and they have all told me that I am in a competitive district. I was wondering if a district could potentially be competitive for one service academy but not for the others. I live in a district that has a large army post in it, so if it is possible for a district to be competitive for one service academy but not another, it would make sense that West Point would be the competitive one in my district. West Point is my first choice, but I also have interest in the other service academies.

So basically, is it possible/common/likely for a district to be competitive for one service academy but not the others? I live in Alabama(AL-05) if that matters, so I don't live in a place very close to any of the service academies.

Sorry if I worded my question incorrectly, I hope it is possible to understand the question I'm trying to ask. Thanks!
 
It's just common sense that a local military presence will increase local interest in the affiliated academies. We are between an Air Force Base, a Naval Air Station, and an Army Ranger camp -- and of course, there are some Marines in the community doing joint training, too! On top of that, and probably because of that, this is one of the top-rated school districts in the state, too. Areas of the country without a similar military presence probably don't generate as many students interested in applying for an academy.

All the work that goes into completing one academy application can be applied to several, unless you have a strong aversion to a particular branch of service, so it's worth thinking about. We know one applicant who expressed an interest in four academies (oops, I forgot the Coast Guard station that's nearby!), but only started the application process for one. That information was available to the nominating committee, and that student did not receive a nomination from the only MOC he applied to. This is a competitive district for all the services, but several applicants received noms to more than one academy -- and they HAD initiated or completed their applications prior to their interviews (they are super early in our state).

Moral of the story -- do your best, get as many nomination interviews as you can, apply wherever you have any sort of interest, and have a plan B in place in case you need to try again next year. Don't worry about the competition -- BE the competition!
 
@SunshineMom - it seems prejudicial to discount the kid who is only applying to one SA. I say this because that is what my son did. He only applied to USMA because he only was interested in the army and because he was medically disqualiflied for the other academies (he's color blind and we were told that only the army accepts color blind cadets). He was accepted at USMA so it's a moot point for my son but I did want to bring it up. Maybe they do ask about this during the interview?
 
@SunshineMom - it seems prejudicial to discount the kid who is only applying to one SA. I say this because that is what my son did. He only applied to USMA because he only was interested in the army and because he was medically disqualiflied for the other academies (he's color blind and we were told that only the army accepts color blind cadets). He was accepted at USMA so it's a moot point for my son but I did want to bring it up. Maybe they do ask about this during the interview?
It wasn't that any student only applied to one SA -- totally a personal choice for such a big commitment. But maybe it wasn't prudent to express an interest in four different nominations and only begin the application process for one SA. If there was only one that they were interested in, it didn't improve their chances to seek a nomination to an SA they hadn't even made contact with. Congrats to your son!
 
Got it. That makes sense to me.
Everything about this process is new to me as my youngest is the only one to express an interest in a military career. And what a learning curve it is!
Thanks for clarifying.
 
@SunshineMom - it seems prejudicial to discount the kid who is only applying to one SA. I say this because that is what my son did. He only applied to USMA because he only was interested in the army and because he was medically disqualiflied for the other academies (he's color blind and we were told that only the army accepts color blind cadets). He was accepted at USMA so it's a moot point for my son but I did want to bring it up. Maybe they do ask about this during the interview?

yes and no. All depends on why a kid is only applying to one SA. Things I don't find it acceptable as good reasons to only apply to one SA are "I don't like the uniform," "I didn't know that there were other SAs," "I want to become a fighter pilot [when applying to Naval Academy only]," "I only visisted that SA," "It's too much work to apply to more than one SA," "I didn't think I was going to get into the other SAs," and so on
 
Living near a military base usually does raise interest in Service Academies as there is greater exposure in general. Also realize that although it is competitive there are lots of candidates applying in those areas with different nomination paths. Candidates who have career military parents also have Presidential Nom sources. Kids whose parents are still on Active Duty might also decide to apply for a nomination for a different district that their parent(s) still has official residency in. Candidates who fall into this category can't apply for Noms where their parent(s) are stationed and then also to the area they still hold residency, they must pick one or the other. So don't necessarily get overly concerned when you see tons and tons of candidates show up at SA info nights or other events or see Noms from your district pop on this board. As others have mentioned on this board, for really competitive districts such as Northern Virginia, its possible to see 8 of 10 on a slate get appointments.
 
Living near a military base usually does raise interest in Service Academies as there is greater exposure in general. Also realize that although it is competitive there are lots of candidates applying in those areas with different nomination paths. Candidates who have career military parents also have Presidential Nom sources. Kids whose parents are still on Active Duty might also decide to apply for a nomination for a different district that their parent(s) still has official residency in. Candidates who fall into this category can't apply for Noms where their parent(s) are stationed and then also to the area they still hold residency, they must pick one or the other. So don't necessarily get overly concerned when you see tons and tons of candidates show up at SA info nights or other events or see Noms from your district pop on this board. As others have mentioned on this board, for really competitive districts such as Northern Virginia, its possible to see 8 of 10 on a slate get appointments.
Plus many more from the National Pool. As I recall, VA 11 had 23 kids receive appointments to USMA a couple of years back. NOVA is fertile ground for all the academies (cept for USCGA which seems to have their own rules)
 
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