Too late to be accepted?

I've received 3 nominations to USAFA but am pending a waiver for a stress fracture. I've been unable to get any status update so I contacted the Senator's office to request a status update on my behalf. I received the following response:

"They have advised that they are waiting for your final transcripts to be included in your candidate file before they can make the call on the waiver request. They reported to our office that you should make direct contact with your Admissions counselor..."

Does this mean I won't hear anything from the until I graduate and receive my final transcript? That'll be in June... Won't it be too late?

Please not that I've been disqualified since November '15 and the waiver was requested automatically by DodMerb as my portal status is "competitive."

What should I do?

As a member of my college's admissions board, I suspect "final transcripts" means, final fall semester transcript. They're not going to submit a DoDMERB waiver unless and until they know a candidate is worth it (e.g. you didn't pull a 2.5 last fall). Remember that you are getting this information second-hand from a Senator's office staffer, who is almost guaranteed to be young and inexperienced in SA admissions, and therefore is likely to get policies and terminology not quite right. Please do call your admissions rep tomorrow for clarification - and don't panic.

FastFalcon7 said:

I've received 3 nominations to USAFA but am pending a waiver for a stress fracture. I've been unable to get any status update so I contacted the Senator's office to request a status update on my behalf. I received the following response:

"They have advised that they are waiting for your final transcripts to be included in your candidate file before they can make the call on the waiver request. They reported to our office that you should make direct contact with your Admissions counselor..."

Does this mean I won't hear anything from the until I graduate and receive my final transcript? That'll be in June... Won't it be too late?

Please not that I've been disqualified since November '15 and the waiver was requested automatically by DodMerb as my portal status is "competitive."

What should I do?

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FastFalcon, I would do exactly as your senator has suggested. Call your admissions counselor and ask what you need to do. They may be wanting transcripts for your first semester of senior year, not necessarily your "final" high school transcripts. If you don't ask, you won't know and you have nothing to lose. If you wait and wonder, you have everything to lose. Be bold and go after what you want. Nothing will happen if you just sit and wait, and no one else will be looking out for you. Good luck and keep us posted.

FalconsRock said:

FastFalcon, I would do exactly as your senator has suggested. Call your admissions counselor and ask what you need to do. They may be wanting transcripts for your first semester of senior year, not necessarily your "final" high school transcripts. If you don't ask, you won't know and you have nothing to lose. If you wait and wonder, you have everything to lose. Be bold and go after what you want. Nothing will happen if you just sit and wait, and no one else will be looking out for you. Good luck and keep us posted.

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I will do just that! Thank you!
It's just that I've called my counselor multiple times before and the answer is always the same: keep waiting, we will notify you of anything that comes up.
I also always ask if there's any further paperwork I can supply and the answer is always no. I will call again tomorrow.

FastFalcon7 said:

Please not that I've been disqualified since November '15 and the waiver was requested automatically by DodMerb as my portal status is "competitive

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FastFalcon -- DoDMERB does not request a medical waiver. The SA determines whether to request a medical waiver. The DoDMERB portal saying "awaiting waiver review" or "subject to waiver review" does not mean you've been put forward for a waiver. You should ask your admissions POC if you have been put forward for a medical waiver, and if not, why not? and what you need to do to improve your record so they will put you forward? The answer may be "nothing".

I do not believe your USAFA candidate portal saying you are "competitive" means you are automatically put forward for a medical waiver. Competition has gotten keen, and the SAs are only putting forward candidates for waivers that they want.

This will not be welcome news but you should probably be working on "Plan B". Having 3 nominations to a SA is great but that has no bearing on whether the SA will put you forward for a medical waiver. Only if one of the Noms was a Principal Nom, and/or you were from an under represented geographic region of the country would that potentially matter.

Each year about 4000 candidates receive congressional nominations, but only around 2400 are deemed fully qualified academically and in physical aptitude by the SA. Only 1200 of the 2400 are appointed.

My speculation is there may be other candidates with equal or better records from the national pool that do not need a waiver, or else there are candidates that are "qualified" (records may not be as good as yours but still qualify) that better meet thet SA's need. This is not personal.

Best of luck. Get that final transcript in. Yes it is possible by the time they decide to put you forward for a medical waiver it may be too late. Make sure you have a good "Plan B".

You need to cool your jets, Fastfalcon. If you have called your counselor multiple times and they have told you to keep waiting, then BELIEVE THEM. The academy websites state clearly the date of 15 April so once again, BELIEVE THEM. You gain nothing by bugging those who are trying to do their job for your benefit and if you piss off the wrong faceless bureaucrat, you never can tell when your app slips to the bottom of the pile. Keep your hand off that phone and keep going on Plan B.