2016 admissions questions

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crair70

5-Year Member
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Feb 7, 2011
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I have a few general questions hopefully those of you with experience can answer. As for ACT scores, I understand the USNA converts them to a SAT score. Do they use a particular conversion chart? Trying to get an idea of what a 28M/26E would be once converted. And again just for clarification… only ACT Math and ACT English are factored in for admission? (not science, reading, writing or composite of all 4 sections?)

Assuming your GPA/class rank/ACTor SAT Scores meet the basic preliminary score minimums, (not sure what they are...??) you should receive a candidate packet in the mail... Correct? If so, how long does that typically take?

Being that my son qualifies for a Presidential nom (yes, still applying for MOC and VP noms as well) does this increase his likelihood of being offered a LOA if 3Q?

Lastly, my son unfortunately did not receive info on NASS until after the deadline but did attend AFASS. (our HS advisor is worthless…) We are planning a family trip to USNA in the fall but after reading about CWV I think that would be a better opportunity for him to get a true picture of the school. Is there anything he can do to improve his chances of getting an invitation to CWV? If he is determined by the USNA to be a "candidate" and receives a candidate # is it likely he will get an invitation to CWV?

Thanking all in advance for your time.
 
Crair70 not really sure about converting act to sat. My DS application portal shows the act scores for math and english only and in the act format.

We received the candidate packet not long after NASS. I would think once the prelimenary application is reviewed it would come fairly soon.

The LOA question is better anwsered by others but I understand if can vary greatly.

CVW's can be arranged if not offered. You could probably check with the admissions office about that. My DS was offered a CVW last year as a junior and really enjoyed the experience.
 
Yes, the USNA only uses Math and English. Your son's average is a 27, which is roughly the same as a 1210 on the old SAT. Your son may want to retake the ACT in Sept, and take the SAT, you never know.

LOA's are relatively rare, have nothing to do with the nomination source (qualifying for Pres is unlikely to make a difference) and unless your son is a star athlete or a genius, he is unlikely to get one.

Candidate Packets typically come in July, unless you applied for Summer Seminar.

I hope your son liked the USAFA Summer Seminar, if he was interested in that its curious that he didn't apply for the Navy one, seeing as the AF deadline was earlier. I'm not sure about the CWV's, but best of luck.
 
I've see you are posting several times in this forum. I also see you are a parent, I just want to caution you that you should let your son do the data mining for information. i know you want to help and you can but just be careful. if it comes across at the BGO interview or during your sons communication through this process that you are doing a lot of the leg work then it can reflect negatively.

but to answer your questions. LOAs are rare, unlike our sister academies we don't hand them out like candy. When I say rare I'm talking about 100 or less LOAs handed out. Pres Noms are independent from 3Q and LOAs. Having a Pres Nom really doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot unless your son is extremely competitive and for whatever reason he didn't get a nom from his MOC? then the academy can fall back to the Pres Nom if need be.

as far as converting ACTs to SAT scores you are correct, I don't recall which scale they use, but you can count on your MOCs doing the same thing as they evaluate the candidates applying for a nom. I know that the nom board I sat last year had a scale to determine ACT to SAT scores.

as far as CVW leave that to the BGO. Your BGO can work that with the admissions office.

so, i have to ask has your son even done the pre-application process? if he hasn't he wont receive anything to USNA until after he does the pre-application. also, his scores will need to be sent to USNA as well if they haven't been already.
 
Thanks USNA'02 for the reply.
You are correct, I have been posting with questions mostly because I am trying to learn about the process. My DS is currently away at student government leadership camp so I have a lot of time on my hands and trying to educate myself so I know how we can support him through this process. I agree, my DS should be using this forum as well he has in the past and I am sure he will continue to when back from camp. He actually was the one who sent me the link and introduced it to me last year when he started researching SA..:smile:

My DS has done quite a lot of research, attended AFASS and has emailed his ALO and BGO. We have left all this communication to him. Unfortunately only the ALO has replied to him and was very helpful so far. My DS has begun to think that maybe he is not competitive to move on at the USNA (hence my post on ACT/SAT conversion) The preliminary application for the USAFA tells you right online if you are competitive or not but the USNA doesn't. Again, many unanswered questions that a BGO would be able to answer.

As a parent, I don't want my DS to see the lack of communication from his BGO as a negative thing. Being that it is summer I am sure he may be traveling and so on. My search for info on this website is to keep my DS from feeling discouraged. I know how important positive thinking can be!

He did fill out the preliminary application 2-3 weeks ago. He is waiting to hopefully get a candidate # soon. (texting me from camp everyday to see if a packet has arrived) From what we can gather (again just from the forum since we have not spoken to his BGO) there are some similarities between the USAFA and USNA applicaiton process but not everything is the same. Knowledge is power so the more info we have on this process the better.

I have heard this process is a marathon, not a sprint! I can surely see that is true. As a parent, I appreciate this forum. As for now this has been the only source of information.
 
Crair70,

I understand, I just wanted to make sure that your son is the one whose seeking the info. As a BGO unfortunately I do see a candidate where they are pressured by their parents and even worse hear stories of candidates who quit during plebe summer b/c USNA isn't what they wanted and they were forced by their parent. this obviously is upsetting b/c as a grad and now a BGO I know how competitive it is and it's frustrating to know that for everyone who leaves for personal reasons there are at least 10 who wanted to go but didn't get the nomination or appointment. I totally understand wanting to understand the process and am glad to know that your son is doing leg work on his end.

Just out of curiosity how is he communicating with his BGO? Did he receive something telling him the contact info for his BGO?

Some BGOs will wait until the application is 50% or more complete before contacting the candidate. Just FYI, what will happen is once the pre-application is submitted and your son's application is reviewed that information will be sent to the Area Coordinator who then is responsible for assigning a BGO. Area Coordinators are now just starting to assign candidates to their BGOs. In some cases if USNA doesn't have all the data needed to determine if your son is going to be an official candidate what will happen is they will be identified as a person to "contact and counsel" in addition you'll receive a letter/e-mail from admissions asking for information they are missing (i.e. ACT/SAT scores).

Once a BGO is assigned and you are still having issues hearing from them please feel free to PM and I'll pass you the Area Coordinators contact information. they are the next person in the BGO's chain of command and should be the person you seek assistance from if not hearing from the BGO.

You are correct though that first impressions from the BGO can give a positive/negative view of the process and possibly the service academy. also, if e-mails aren't working try calling the BGO as an e-mail might go into the spam folder. you also have to understand BGOs voluntarily give up their time so we do have real jobs too.

Hope this helps!

V/r,
LT K
 
CT to SAT Concordance

center56 said:
Crair70 not really sure about converting act to sat. My DS application portal shows the act scores for math and english only and in the act format.

We received the candidate packet not long after NASS. I would think once the prelimenary application is reviewed it would come fairly soon.

The LOA question is better anwsered by others but I understand if can vary greatly.

CVW's can be arranged if not offered. You could probably check with the admissions office about that. My DS was offered a CVW last year as a junior and really enjoyed the experience.
Click to expand...

You can find the ACT to SAT concordance at http://www.act.org/aap/concordance/ . In the concordance, all sections "count.: You are correct that the SAT doesn't have a science section, but the ACT science section tests the ability to interpret data and is closely linked to critical reading skills.
 
USNA LOAs have skyrocketed over the past several admission cycles, apparently for 2 reasons:

1. USNA has become much better (some may say less arrogant?) at recognizing the value of timely LOAs especially among top candidates

2. USNA has become very actively engaged in recruiting vs. passive admitting/appointing
of diversity targets. This leads to LOAs becoming major tactical tools in implementing recruitment strategies.

3. Other SAs have been far more liberal in issuing LOAs which presumably might put USNA at some disadvantage with high quality joint/mutual candidates.

Summarizing and putting it somewhat bass-ackwards ... USNA LOAs are far less rare than a few years back.
 
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