Is no news bad news?
- Thread starter H2Opolodude
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Christcorp
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Right, hence the need to have a diversity officer between the applicants and admissions.
We only "mentor" the diversity applicants.
Not trying to split hairs, but to say that only diversity applicants are "mentored" is not only wrong, but very misleading. Most ALO's are very involved with their applicants. They mentor ALL of their applicants. And they do so across the board of gender, race, economic status, or any other diversity factor.
Now, does that mean I or any other ALO might not give some "Extra" attention to one applicant over another? Of course we do; but it's not because of diversity. It's usually because some candidates are more motivated, inspired, excited, etc... about their application. If I have a very motivated applicant, I will help them more. Why? Because their motivation has usually brought them to me with questions, concerns, wanting advice, etc... The one who isn't as motivated spoke with me during the interview and that's about all. I'm not going to be proactive and contact ANY applicant. This is your future, not mine.
And lets not forget or confuse "Diversity" with "Affirmative Action". Too many people think that diversity means we're talking only about race, gender, or skin color. That in itself might make an individual to an extent "diverse", but that's not the only thing. Every candidate out there has some level of diversity. True diversity simply means: "What makes you stand out differently than the others applying". Maybe you come from a single parent family; first generation in your family to apply to college; bi-lingual; born/raised in poverty; inner city; lived on a farm your whole life; school consisted of 50 kids in your grade; your were all-conference/state/national champ at a sport, music, skill; etc... I could go on. And the things that make you "Diverse" are indeed incorporated into your application. And in the subjective areas of your academics, leadership, and ALO (Which also includes the panel's review, CFA, writing sample, and other areas); your diversity is given weight. All of this combined comes up with your weighted composite score. And in NC's example, if the non-minority male had the highest composite score, they'd get the appointment. Now, don't ask me the formulas, percentage, weight, or anything else concerning diversity. I wouldn't say even if i knew. Mainly, because it's a subjective area.
But I wanted to emphasize that there IS a DIFFERENCE between diversity and simply Race/Gender which lead to things like "Affirmative Action". Also; ALO's (Most) do mentor ALL of their applicants. So no, admissions isn't totally blind when it comes to diversity, but they don't practice "Affirmative Action" in the respect that many think of with regard to race/gender.
CC, there are some kids that may be very motivated but find their information from sources other than their ALO. Would you encourage kids to continue to reach out and contact an ALO even if the ALO is not particularly helpful?
Christcorp
15-Year Member
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I haven't found any ALO (Not that I know them all) that isn't helpful. I do know that many of them require the applicant to be proactive and contact the ALO. If the applicant doesn't email/call, then some will only contact them to arrange the interview. I sort of feel the same way. The difference is; when I first get the list with my applicants, or if I already know them because they applied also for summer seminar in their junior year, I will have an initial talk with them on the phone for 30-40 minutes. I'll mention what kind of classes, grades, test scores, EC, sports, leadership, etc... that the average cadet has who was appointed. I give the new candidate an idea of what they're getting into, how to get their, and how to go through the application process. I even recommend this forum. Now; if they never emails me; never calls; only contacts me for the interview; etc... then that's all there will be. I'm not going out of my way to call/email them.
And because it's subjective, the individual who is truly motivated, keeps in contact with me, lets me know how things are going, asks questions, etc... will most likely get a better score from me in the interview. At least in the areas of motivation, planning, desire, etc...
It doesn't matter how motivated an applicant is. They could be the son/daughter of a General who is an academy grad. They could be getting info from their Aunt who works at the academy admissions office. It could be my son who had me at his disposal to help explain the rules and process to him. The individual needs to stay in complete contact with their ALO. Remember....... You are going up for the "JOB INTERVIEW" of a lifetime. And the person who WILL INTERVIEW YOU is your ALO. I don't care where you get your information from, you NEED your ALO. An ALO can't get you an appointment; but they can definitely stop you from getting one if you get a bad score/interview. Whether your ALO bends over backwards for you like flieger (Steve), or they rarely ever contact you; once you are an official applicant, you should be contacting your ALO by email at least once every 3-4 weeks giving them updates on your application; the classes you're going to take in the fall; getting your CFA done; doing the interview; generally just knowing that you're still alive, motivated, and your status. if you aren't emailing at least that much, then it's your fault. Doesn't matter if the ALO writes back or not.
Now; if you never hear from your ALO at all, you might contact admissions to get a hold of the LOD so you can find out if the ALO has changed, been deployed, retired, died, etc... Nothing wrong with getting your info from other sources, but to not continually keep your ALO updated on things is suicide. They are the ones who will be interviewing you; you want the best score.
He hasn't gotten anything yet.... still waiting.... good luck
Oopsss gottan change that last post... DH just called me at work and said the TWE just came. You are correct it does not say "Qualified Not Selected" like he got last year. DS is disappointed but is happy at college and has a 4 year AROTC scholarship. Good luck everyone! DS says he isn't going to try again so that's it for our family! Very proud of DS for trying again and getting so close last year. QNS would have sounded better....
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Oh I'm sorry! I thought when you said "DS still thought he had a chance." that you meant he was out of the running. Good luck to your DS as well!
Edit: Sorry to hear the news!
