Illinois Nominations

Danika

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Are there any MOC noms that are better than the other? The Senators are Durbin and Kirk and then my Rep. is Kinzinger. Is there any person I should hope for over the others? Of course I'll be happy to get whatever I'm able to, but still.
 
Also, does anyone know how competitive the 16th congressional district is? I doubt it is, but I worry
 
Are there any MOC noms that are better than the other? The Senators are Durbin and Kirk and then my Rep. is Kinzinger. Is there any person I should hope for over the others? Of course I'll be happy to get whatever I'm able to, but still.
Hi Danika,

We are in the 18th District, and our son received a nom from then Congressman Schock and Senator Dick Durbin. I think Durbin and Kirk collaborate. Have you googled the recipients of nominations in previous years?
 
+1 NavyHoops

Durbin and Kirk do collaborate (meaning you get one or the other not both.) Durbin does not interview. Kirk does interview...in Chicago. The senator Noms are more competitive due to the sheer numbers. Congressional districts rarely have 200+ applicants like the senators.

Good luck!
 
Alright, thanks! The research I've been doing with the noms is just long and tedious. So much info and different specifics for different people...
 
Generally speaking the nomination in your district is the least competitive as there are less people that you compete with. But the fact is the top candidate could be in your district thus making that as tough or tougher to win than the Senators slate. So nobody can tell you which is the best as they don't know your competition.

The truth is you have no control over who you are competing with so there is very little sense worrying about that. Apply to all nominating sources that you can and focus on putting together the best package you can in order to secure as many nominations as possible. Then sit back and enjoy the ride!
 
* Kirk and Durbin's slate of ten is statistically going to be more competitive as it is the top ten from the entire state versus the top ten from just your district.

* It changes every year with regards to who interviews and who doesn't. You WILL have an interview at some point in the process whether it is from your MOC committee or BGO/FFR/ALO etc. So it does not matter. the preparation and questions will be about the same. plan for an interview

* Kirk and Durbin 1.) will not BOTH give you a nomination 2.) will not give you a nomination to two service academies. 3.) Durbin typically announces his slate first. However, Tammy Duckworth is running against Kirk and her odds are looking good. She has a very very strong military back ground and will do things her own way-so past scenarios do not equal how it will be done in the future.

* some representatives duplicate (if Durbin gave you a nomination they may or may not) some do not. This may change year to year

* some representatives will give a nomination to multiple service academies, some do not. This may change year to year

*In Illinois getting a nomination is not your biggest hurdle. This may be the only thing in Illinois government that is actually not political. Your biggest problem will be getting selected off of your slate.

* Go back and re-read Rocko's post from above he/she is 100% spot on.
 
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* *In Illinois getting a nomination is not your biggest hurdle. This may be the only thing in Illinois government that is actually not political. Your biggest problem will be getting selected off of your slate.

Politics in Illinois? Aw Vista, next you are going to tell me their is corruption too! :benny monkeysmilies:
 
Are there any MOC noms that are better than the other? The Senators are Durbin and Kirk and then my Rep. is Kinzinger. Is there any person I should hope for over the others? Of course I'll be happy to get whatever I'm able to, but still.
Rocko's post about seeking every nomination possible is spot on. You should not worry about what you cannot control. That being said, I can give you some insight on last year's experience in district 16 and in IL. Rep Kinzinger does do interviews and the great thing is that he does them himself! Short and sweet, but pretty cool. I was impressed with his involvement in the process. He is former AF, so he takes the process very seriously. His office staff is great and very helpful. Based on last year, most likely you will be considered for an appointment with only one SA through district 16. It also appeared as though dist 16 coordinated with the senators so there were no duplications. The senators do not duplicate either as previously mentioned. Senator Kirk's office does interviews, but Durbin does not. There are obviously many applicants for the senator nominations. For Rep Kinzinger, last year it appeared the majority of the applicants were seeking a Navy nomination. Nothing concrete here, but it appeared that for USMA and USAFA there were not more than 10 applicants but there appeared to be more than 10 for Navy based on the kids discussions before the interviews. Obviously, that changes from year to year.

If you are applying to more than one SA, my advice would be to try really hard to figure out your ranking or preference prior to submitting the nomination paperwork. I think it is unrealistic to try to garner as many appointments as possible and then decide which you want to attend. Do your work on the front end to decide which you like best. If you are applying to more than one SA, the nomination process is where the rubber hits the road on having to choose one over the other. In my opinion, the time to make that decision is before the nomination paperwork is submitted. It is really difficult to get multiple nominations the way they coordinate, so if you try to garner more than one, you can ultimately end up unhappy (no nomination to your true #1 or a nomination to your #3 that leaves you less than completely fulfilled). In addition, if you are likely only going to get one (or possibly two nominations at the most), that is a lot of extra application work for that third SA that you realistically won't have a chance of getting a nomination for anyway. Now, if you are a super stud with 36 ACT, etc, etc, it may be a different ballgame, but for most I think it works as I have described.

Best of luck!
 
Rocko's post about seeking every nomination possible is spot on.
If you are applying to more than one SA, my advice would be to try really hard to figure out your ranking or preference prior to submitting the nomination paperwork. I think it is unrealistic to try to garner as many appointments as possible and then decide which you want to attend.
Best of luck!

absolutely correct. you will not get a nom for two academies. and in your application you need to rank them, but on the application is clearly states you wont get two.

my son started out wanting one and had the other as a back up...between 1.) summer seminars at both 2.) meeting the FFR/BGO, 3.) talking to other grads etc his preference began to change. He got LOAs to both over the summer, three months before the time he turned in his nomination application, so that was when he had to decide where he wanted to go and what how wanted to ultimately serve.
 
Yeah, that's something I'be been struggling with. I've been trying to figure if I'd want to go to USAFA vs USNA more. All something that will settle out in time, though. Thanks for the wonderful advice from everyone!
 
I am in the 16th district and went to Kinzingers office. Bonnie, his secretary, told me that USAFA nominations are basically no more. Because he was in the AF people have already came to him. So if you are seeking a USAFA nom as I am, it is best for us to go through our senators.
 
I am in the 16th district and went to Kinzingers office. Bonnie, his secretary, told me that USAFA nominations are basically no more. Because he was in the AF people have already came to him. So if you are seeking a USAFA nom as I am, it is best for us to go through our senators.
This is really hard to believe. What does his website say about application deadlines? A rep is going to be your best bet for winning an appt as it will most likely not as competitive as a senator's slate. So if this true....good luck to those who live in this district.
 
This is really hard to believe. What does his website say about application deadlines? A rep is going to be your best bet for winning an appt as it will most likely not as competitive as a senator's slate. So if this true....good luck to those who live in this district.
Her initial reaction to when she saw my top priority is USAFA was "Not another Air Force candidate..." And then she elaborated as to why
 
I am in the 16th district and went to Kinzingers office. Bonnie, his secretary, told me that USAFA nominations are basically no more. Because he was in the AF people have already came to him. So if you are seeking a USAFA nom as I am, it is best for us to go through our senators.

Its not like people outside the district can approach him for a Nom. Apply to him if he is your rep. He will submit a slate, maybe you are on it, maybe you aren't. The closest military base to my house when I applied was an Air Force base, so majority of applicants were USAFA first.
 
I just submitted my package to Kirk and Durbin, any chance I hear something before December?

It is very very unlikely, but possible. I applied twice to USAFA and Kirk's interviews weren't even till early or mid December. Usually they will wait till interviews are over or in Durbin's case that time frame. If you are truly a great candidate they know you'll have an LOA and are just waiting on that nomination which they aren't in a huge hurry to give out.
 
Quick question about a nomination from Kirk. Some of my friends received emails from him last Friday detailing interviews in December. However, I did not receive an interview from their office saying I got an interview or did not. I personally thought I had good enough stats (36M, 35E, top 10% of class, varsity letters, service, etc) to at least get an interview. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Maybe they haven't reviewed all of the applications yet? Should I call or email their office? Possibly Durbin already determined his slate and I'm on it (wishful thinking lol)? Thanks for the help.
 
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