SLE Denial - NOT THE END OF THE ROAD

ClimberGirl

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If this is able to help any applicants for the class of 2021, then I might as well share. I was not originally accepted for SLE (I was very upset). I was very concerned that if I was not competitive for SLE then I probably wasn't competitive for an appointment, but I was still determined to apply and give it my all. I was not expecting to hear back until April... I figured that I would go on the NWL and would just have to cross my fingers that I would get in, yet I got the biggest shock of my life. In mid-September (after having just come home from re-taking the ACT) I found a TWE that was my LOA to USMA. I was so surprised and honored by the opportunity. I accepted my appointment in January and proud to say that I will be in the class of 2020.

Moral of the story, being denied SLE does not mean that you don't have a chance! If you feel that God is calling you in the direction of service and one of the SA's is how you feel that you can do that best, pursue it with the best of your ability and be ready for anything to come your way. Good luck!
 
If this is able to help any applicants for the class of 2021, then I might as well share. I was not originally accepted for SLE (I was very upset). I was very concerned that if I was not competitive for SLE then I probably wasn't competitive for an appointment, but I was still determined to apply and give it my all. I was not expecting to hear back until April... I figured that I would go on the NWL and would just have to cross my fingers that I would get in, yet I got the biggest shock of my life. In mid-September (after having just come home from re-taking the ACT) I found a TWE that was my LOA to USMA. I was so surprised and honored by the opportunity. I accepted my appointment in January and proud to say that I will be in the class of 2020.

Moral of the story, being denied SLE does not mean that you don't have a chance! If you feel that God is calling you in the direction of service and one of the SA's is how you feel that you can do that best, pursue it with the best of your ability and be ready for anything to come your way. Good luck!
Excellent and encouraging advice. Godspeed to you and @MABlue! Thank you for your future service to our Country!
 
Same here. My DS was turned down for SLE. But that didnt stop him... He continued to improve his file: Increased ACT score, leadership, etc.. He then received an LOE in the beginning of September. He ended up receiving 2 senatorial nominations and was offered and accepted the appointment in January! Never give up!!
 
On the flip side my DS was accepted for USAFA SS, but not offered an appointment the following selection cycle.
He has since reapplied and received the principal nom. from our MOC and we are awaiting a happy ending. So to your point, the summer programs have NO bearing on appointment selection.
 
2 sons appointed to USMA (different years) and both were declined for SLE. Son that went to USNA STEM was not offered USNA appointment.
 
I think what everybody has to keep in mind is that the info for the summer seminars is self reported for the most part. So while most are honest about their stats some may not be and that can skew things. So some get into SS that maybe shouldn't and others that don't have scores yet may not get in when they should. And there is the physical aspect. Everybody knows, or should, that SS is physically demanding but I think some my over estimate their levels of fitness. And being turned down spurs some to work even harder while some of those accepted might get complacent. Bottom line just continue to do your best and improve every aspect of your package whether you are accepted to SS or not.

As a side note my DD is a C3C, at USAFA, she never attended or applied for USAFASS. Her brother applied for and will attend all three. He is thankful to get to see all the academies for himself including USAFA without out his sister's filter so he can make informed choices. He knows he has to continue to improve his package because he is competing against some of the best and brightest.
 
If this is able to help any applicants for the class of 2021, then I might as well share. I was not originally accepted for SLE (I was very upset). I was very concerned that if I was not competitive for SLE then I probably wasn't competitive for an appointment, but I was still determined to apply and give it my all. I was not expecting to hear back until April... I figured that I would go on the NWL and would just have to cross my fingers that I would get in, yet I got the biggest shock of my life. In mid-September (after having just come home from re-taking the ACT) I found a TWE that was my LOA to USMA. I was so surprised and honored by the opportunity. I accepted my appointment in January and proud to say that I will be in the class of 2020.

Moral of the story, being denied SLE does not mean that you don't have a chance! If you feel that God is calling you in the direction of service and one of the SA's is how you feel that you can do that best, pursue it with the best of your ability and be ready for anything to come your way. Good luck!
I also received a declination letter for SLE. My school messed up on my transcript, and I was worried I would no longer be competitive despite the error being fixed. What all of the future class of 2021 applicants have to realize, whether you're accepted to SLE or declined, SLE is not a guarantee for an Offer of Appointment. Only a little less than 1/3 of the class attended SLE (attending will not increase your Whole Candidate Score, WCS). Stay strong in your academics and extracurriculars! GO ARMY!
 
I'm confused about why people think SLE has anything to do with getting an appointment. SLE is a summer camp. It lets you look around the fort and get a feel for the place. As a by-product, it opens your candidate file and enables you to take a CFA, but SLE is not required for either of those steps. It is a marketing tool for attracting applicants. It is not part of the admissions process. Why the angst? MOST appointees don't go to SLE. If you think it would be a fun thing to do, go ahead and apply, but certainly don't think it affects admissions.
 
My USMA grad didn't go to SLE and didn't even consider it. He would have had to change his exam schedule and he was not interested in doing that. He was able to make a couple of day visits to West Point and he had researched extensively and he was satisfied with his decision to apply. He was able to go to Boys' State and travel with his church youth group on several mission trips and that made for a busy and enjoyable summer.
 
In many respects, getting into SLE is more competitive than seeking an appointment. But well said, its not the end of the world.

Push Hard, Press Forward
 
What I'm curious is why does USMA make SLE sessions during the school year? I have been accepted for session 2 but that is during finals week at my school. Should I take my finals the week before and attend? This may seem like a question only I can answer/decide, but I would also like outside opinion.
 
If you are really on the fence about attending a SA or have very little exposure to one, I would see if you could take them early or if WP will change you to the next session. The SAs hold their programs early in the summer time because that is what works in their schedule for Cadets, dorm space, training schedules. They get all the kids in and out before Beast/Plebe Summer. Remember there is other training going on sports camps, summer school, and other programs also competing for dorm space, chow hall space, logistics support, etc. Many kids finish classes in high school in early-Mid May. I was not one of those kids, I was late June and only had a few days been high school and Plebe Summer.
 
DS will be exempt from finals based on grades and attendance so he is missing exam week to attend SLE
 
I'm confused about why people think SLE has anything to do with getting an appointment. SLE is a summer camp. It lets you look around the fort and get a feel for the place. As a by-product, it opens your candidate file and enables you to take a CFA, but SLE is not required for either of those steps. It is a marketing tool for attracting applicants. It is not part of the admissions process. Why the angst? MOST appointees don't go to SLE. If you think it would be a fun thing to do, go ahead and apply, but certainly don't think it affects admissions.

The reason for the perception and subsequent angst is clear. The acceptance letter to SLE from the admissions office states: "Your selection to SLE does more than invite you to attend the seminar. It also confirms you as one of our very top candidates for admission."
 
I agree with you very much.....IF what you entered on your app for SLE is accurate- indeed you are a top-candidate.......but remember, all the boxes "checked" are based on honor. Like mentioned before, there may be kids that don't really deserve to be at SLE.
 
I agree with you very much.....IF what you entered on your app for SLE is accurate- indeed you are a top-candidate.......but remember, all the boxes "checked" are based on honor. Like mentioned before, there may be kids that don't really deserve to be at SLE.
In the real application the boxes are "checked" based pretty much on honor too. Yes, you have to get someone from your school to confirm your achievements, but if a kid says that he won a ribbon in 9th grade on a rec league soccer team, my guess would be the vast majority of school officials would not even make an attempt to confirm that claim's validity; my guess would be the vast majority of school officials would simply sign it off for the aforementioned someone. My school official didn't ask me for any documentation for the extracurricular activities that I participated in. Can't say if this is true or not, but I was under the impression that my school official is not the outlier and that most school officials basically do the same thing. The lack of documentation I was required to give leads me to believe the school official confirmation thing is just nothing more than a tactic to scare people off from lying.
 
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The acceptance letter to SLE from the admissions office states: "Your selection to SLE does more than invite you to attend the seminar. It also confirms you as one of our very top candidates for admission."

Again, not used in the admissions process. That wording is unfortunate because it may make some campers think they have leg up in admissions or that they have somehow gotten a positive "chance me" when that is not that case. This is the equivalent of the junk mail that tells you "you may have already won," or "due to your outstanding credit score, you are among the few chosen to receive <whatever>." Those campers don't even have nominations yet, so they aren't even in the admissions pool. It should probably read: "It also confirms you as one of our very top candidates for admission ... to SLE."

Kids: Go to SLE if you want to check out the WP campus and do a CFA (or not). If you aren't accepted (too few slots for too many self-reported highly-qualified applicants), enjoy your summer, do other things, work on your application, and don't give SLE another thought.

 
My son was not accepted to SLE but he did apply relatively late in the game. He just received an appointment to West Point this weekend. Don't read too much into the SLE thing :)
 
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