Medical & Lack of Exposure holding me back...

FastFalcon7

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Joined
Mar 15, 2015
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I'm currently still pending a waiver, USAFA has been processing it for a few weeks now...

I've also been told that since I have very little exposure to military officers, the admissions board may frown upon my application. I honestly don't know what else to do at this point of the process.

Are there any phone calls, letters, anything I cans till write/send to make myself look dedicated and better in front of the Board?

Thank you!

Sorry, I'm getting desperate at this point...
 
I'm currently still pending a waiver, USAFA has been processing it for a few weeks now...

I've also been told that since I have very little exposure to military officers, the admissions board may frown upon my application. I honestly don't know what else to do at this point of the process.

Are there any phone calls, letters, anything I cans till write/send to make myself look dedicated and better in front of the Board?

Thank you!

Sorry, I'm getting desperate at this point...
Do you mind sharing who told you that? Was it Admissions/ALO or someone else?
 
It was multiple alumni and panel members at interviews for the nominations. My ALO has mentioned it as well.
 
You are fine. In all honesty I find that statements BS in many ways, but I wasn't there to hear them in context. There are plenty of kids who go to SAs each year who have zero military exposure. Hang in there!
 
To answer your question, I don't think there's anything more you can do at this point. In regards to being exposed to officers, I think the first officer my son ever met was his ALO. Apparently that did not hurt his chances at an appointment. I hope that encourages you. Also, it looks like you posted where you received 3 nominations, so the individuals at your interviews must believe in YOUR potential to be an officer some day. Hope you get good news soon.
 
My son was told after his last MOC interview that he needed to focus his discussions/answers for interviewa more on being a leader, but he interviewed very well according to his ALO. We also heard he will not get in because he is not a minority or from low income. We also heard he will not get in because he does not have perfect vision. We are still waiting to hear either way.

What I am trying to say is people can and will give you as much information as they know best, but it really just boils down to admissions. They see you and your competition and will make the decisions. If you have all of your information in, that is all you can do. To make it to this point you must be quite the upstanding individual and you should be proud of that. Congrats!

Class of 2020 isn't through yet. Continue to stay strong and keep the faith!
 
.......I have very little exposure to military officers

.......We also heard he will not get in because he is not a minority or from low income.

Neither of these things have any impact on getting an appointment. You will hear all sorts of nonsense when applying from people who have NO idea what they are talking about. As mentioned above, I would like know the context of the remarks from a MOC interview panel. Prior exposure to the military is NOT a requirement for applicants.
 
I would be very disappointed with your MOC, the MOC staff, ALO or Admissions staff if they told you lack of minority status or low income directly correlate to not getting in. There are SA cadets and mids from a variety of racial, ethnic, religious, gender and income backgrounds, which is a goal for a diverse and inclusive class. While being an under-represented minority cannot hurt, and care is taken to not immediately dismiss a candidate from a background without the means to participate in costly athletic or leadership activities but has other stellar qualities, being given a blanket statement that if you don't fall into those categories you are not getting in, is not a responsible approach, IMHO. If you are hearing that from non-primary sources, I would give it the credence due.

All the candidate can do is try their best, have Plans B, C, and so on, think about their re-application plan and not give up if at first rejected, if this is truly their goal to serve as an officer. Many, many accomplished candidates do not get in, from a wide variety of backgrounds. Much depends on district competitiveness and how many types of noms are in play.
 
Neither of these things have any impact on getting an appointment. You will hear all sorts of nonsense when applying from people who have NO idea what they are talking about. As mentioned above, I would like know the context of the remarks from a MOC interview panel. Prior exposure to the military is NOT a requirement for applicants.

After a panel interview one of the members pulled him aside and told him he is a bright young man, but that they want to hear more about him wanting to lead others, and he needs to remember that for his future interviews.

**I do know that people give all kinds of advice qualified or not. This was the point that I was making.**
 
I've also been told that since I have very little exposure to military officers, the admissions board may frown upon my application. I honestly don't know what else to do at this point of the process.

I 1,000,000 % agree with NavyHoops, time2 and CaptMJ

Let's play this a different way.

It was multiple alumni and panel members at interviews for the nominations.

You got the nom, right? If so, than it comes down to your WCS for charging the appointment to that MoC

Absolutely nowhere in the WCS will you be "directly" awarded any point because you have military exposure. Granted your ALO may decide to rack you lower than a candidate with military exposure, but that ALO rec is a very, very small part of your WCS compared to the PAR component. It is a % of a %.

Sure, if your MoC submits a ranked slate for their nominations it could impact you, but if they just submitted a slate of 10, no principal, no alternate, no ranking than USAFA will use the WCS and your lack of military exposure has absolutely no impact at all from an appointment perspective.

Maybe fencer will chime in on this thread, but if she doesn't I will give you some of her twins background.
~ Homeschooled and the folks were not military. Both were appointed, commissioned via USAFA, and are now ADAF pilots.
 
I would be very disappointed with your MOC, the MOC staff, ALO or Admissions staff if they told you lack of minority status or low income directly correlate to not getting in.

************Please let me be clear that this did NOT come from ALO or MOC***********

The above statements were made from individuals who had "been through the process" and were offering advice. The statements were being used to illustrate the random things that people say to applicants as they play the waiting game.

It is important for applicants to not get discouraged over these types of comments.
 
For what it is worth, I was at a Parents' Association function last night -- not a single one had a military background, if that tells you anything. I will also say that our DD did not hear until April, and we know of some that received appointment in late May, and even one in June! Until you are specifically told otherwise, you are still in the hunt.

God luck.
 
I'm currently still pending a waiver, USAFA has been processing it for a few weeks now...

I've also been told that since I have very little exposure to military officers, the admissions board may frown upon my application. I honestly don't know what else to do at this point of the process.

Are there any phone calls, letters, anything I cans till write/send to make myself look dedicated and better in front of the Board?

Thank you!

Sorry, I'm getting desperate at this point...

The fact that USAFA is requesting a waiver bodes well for you --- not an absolute, but honestly, why would they waste the WA's time requesting a waiver if there is no interest?

"I have very little exposure to military officers" -- this is NOT a negative. In fact, I have heard the opposite. Just goes to show that only the people in Admissions knows what Admissions is looking for.
 
Maybe fencer will chime in on this thread, but if she doesn't I will give you some of her twins background.
~ Homeschooled and the folks were not military. Both were appointed, commissioned via USAFA, and are now ADAF pilots.
Cool! I was homeschooled too :) Their resumes etc. looked pretty impressive from what I have found on this thread!
 
I'm currently still pending a waiver, USAFA has been processing it for a few weeks now...

I've also been told that since I have very little exposure to military officers, the admissions board may frown upon my application. I honestly don't know what else to do at this point of the process.

Are there any phone calls, letters, anything I cans till write/send to make myself look dedicated and better in front of the Board?

Thank you!

Sorry, I'm getting desperate at this point...

My son was medically DQd, before his application was completed. (Administrative AMI) His status on DoDMERB still shows "Pending Waiver Submission/Review", while his application portal simply says "Your status: Candidate. Your Application is: Complete, but Medically Disqualified". How do you know whether a waiver has been requested? Thanks, and good luck!
 
I would be very disappointed with your MOC, the MOC staff, ALO or Admissions staff if they told you lack of minority status or low income directly correlate to not getting in.

************Please let me be clear that this did NOT come from ALO or MOC***********

The above statements were made from individuals who had "been through the process" and were offering advice. The statements were being used to illustrate the random things that people say to applicants as they play the waiting game.

It is important for applicants to not get discouraged over these types of comments.

Unfortunately there is no crystal ball into what admissions looks for. Ultimately it will be the child's package that gets him/her in. Grades, test scores, leadership positions, athletic ability etc etc etc are what will determine getting an appointment or not. Also, how competitive an area is greatly effects an appointment decision.

Regarding the race and vision. There are people from all ethnic backgrounds at the academy so whoever told you that not being a minority would negatively affect your ability to get in clearly did not know what they were talking about. Also, there are plenty of kids that wear glasses so unless there are extenuating circumstances having imperfect vision will not effect your ability to get accepted into the academy.
 
Unfortunately there is no crystal ball into what admissions looks for. Ultimately it will be the child's package that gets him/her in. Grades, test scores, leadership positions, athletic ability etc etc etc are what will determine getting an appointment or not. Also, how competitive an area is greatly effects an appointment decision.

This is correct to a point. The geographic component has a huge impact on gaining an appointment since you first compete on your MOC's slate.

Typically, out of the approximately 4000 candidates that receive a nomination each year, the SA determines that around 2400 of those candidates "are qualified academically and in physical aptitude." Those 2400 are vying for one of the 1200 appointment slots

The MOC identified Principal Noms/#1s from the MOC's slate (as identified by the SA) take up about 500 (or more) of the available 1200 appointment slots. Many of the #1s have eyewatering records, but it is also true that some of the #1s have records that are not as good as some of the candidates from the other congressional districts.

Approximately 200 (or more) of the 1200 slots go to recruited athletes/LOA holders/prep school. Everyone that gets an appointment is "qualified" but many of these appointments are given to meet the needs of the SA

This leaves between 350-500 slots that the remaining 1700 fully qualified candidates compete for, and the SA selects those candidates that best meets the needs of the SA. Those needs include meeting certain diversity goals (geographic, ethnic, gender, other) in order to create a class make up that represents our society and the military branch.

It is not like they rank order all 2400 candidates and the line is drawn and only the top 1200 get in. All 2400 are qualified and the SA tries to compose a class using the rules they have been given.
 
This is correct to a point. The geographic component has a huge impact on gaining an appointment since you first compete on your MOC's slate.

Typically, out of the approximately 4000 candidates that receive a nomination each year, the SA determines that around 2400 of those candidates "are qualified academically and in physical aptitude." Those 2400 are vying for one of the 1200 appointment slots

The MOC identified Principal Noms/#1s from the MOC's slate (as identified by the SA) take up about 500 (or more) of the available 1200 appointment slots. Many of the #1s have eyewatering records, but it is also true that some of the #1s have records that are not as good as some of the candidates from the other congressional districts.

Approximately 200 (or more) of the 1200 slots go to recruited athletes/LOA holders/prep school. Everyone that gets an appointment is "qualified" but many of these appointments are given to meet the needs of the SA

This leaves between 350-500 slots that the remaining 1700 fully qualified candidates compete for, and the SA selects those candidates that best meets the needs of the SA. Those needs include meeting certain diversity goals (geographic, ethnic, gender, other) in order to create a class make up that represents our society and the military branch.

It is not like they rank order all 2400 candidates and the line is drawn and only the top 1200 get in. All 2400 are qualified and the SA tries to compose a class using the rules they have been given.

Wonderful information. The odds may be stacked against my DS in this scenario, but I am one proud momma. I hope these remaining young men and women are proud of themselves as well. Wow.
 
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