Loa received

i know that the AIM cadre were told that highly recommending an aimster would pretty much get them an appointment (likewise highly not recommending them would pretty much put their app in the trash). i'm not sure if thats new this year but perhaps those that were highly recommended and qualified were given LOA's.
 
Somebody should jump in and clarify this LOA concept.

For those of us with lots of decisions to make and no LOA in hand, why spend the time and effort if it appears that somebody, somewhere has already made up their mind on the candidate's potential.

And AIM was supposed to be an exposure of the potential candidate to academy life. (It turned my daughter's opinion 180 degrees. Now she is applying, with motivation! But the motivation came three weeks after returning home.)

I suppose there can be some judgment on the part of the Cadre as to the potential of an inexperienced high school student to become an officer, but isn't that what the application process and swab summer determine? Does the future applicant need to attend a military summer camp before applying to AIM to be impressive to the Cadre?

Please clarify.
 
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first off i was just speculating. i have no idea how the loa's were given out.

as far as aim being a large influence on admissions i believe that a good recommendation should go a long way in determining whether or not someone gets in. an application process that requires no interview allows some pretty poor people in the gate and swab summer weeds very few of them out. if they don't say the words "i quit" they stay (and even then they are often convinced to keep going). anyone who did decent grades wise in high school and played a sport has a decent shot at getting in here. admissions just doesnt have the resources to do mandatory interviews so they should jump on any chance to take into account an in person experience.

as for your daughter, realize that probably very few people got an loa. if she really wants to come then finish the application process because a lot more appointments will go out
 
BR2011, for your good intentions, I don't want speculation on this issue.

To quote you: "an application process that requires no interview allows some pretty poor people in the gate and swab summer weeds very few of them out... anyone who did decent grades wise in high school and played a sport has a decent shot at getting in here. "

I hope to heaven that the officers manning our ships and our coastal line of defense are more than the "pretty poor people", as you imply.

In addition to the AIM process, should I now be concerned with the quality of leadership graduating from the CGA?

Let's just stick to the topic at hand, the new LOA concept and the AIM process. I need a non-speculative explanation.
 
BR2011 I think you are oversimplifying things to the detriment of people on here seeking sound advice.

The goal of the Academy is to interview as many candidates as possible. That is what Luigi and myself do on a regular basis. I myself interviewed 8 candidates last year. There are dozens of people like us doing this on an ongoing basis.

Based on the candidates I interviewed, none of whom were accepted, despite very good grades, extracurriculars, and sports involvement, your analysis of who gets in is exaggerated beyond belief.

As far at the LOA's, I agree that if any are given out, it is a very small number. The LOA's should not discourage other people from applying. I believe the CGA has decided they need this tool to attract and latch on to highly qualified candidates who otherwise might go elsewhere.

Walks7miles I hope you haven't gotten the wrong impression of the Academy from this thread. We don't have all the answers but we should endeavor to provide solid information and not speculation.
 
i never said that most of the people here are poor, i'm just saying that there are a few in each class that shouldnt be here and its apparent that an in person interaction with that person beforehand would more than likely have stopped them from getting in. (don't worry, most of them get forced out over the 4 years here).

any answer to a question about admissions is going to be speculation. they just don't give out that kind of information. my advice for your daughter is that she should continue the application process because this a great place. don't get caught up in the fact that some people hear sooner than others. just put in a strong application and hope for the best

Boss: it really is that simple. good grades and extracurricular activity will put you in the running for an appointment. from there i don't know how they decide but i think some of it has to be luck or the fact that you have one desirable skill (football player, band, etc).
 
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i think you guys are getting the wrong impression of what i'm trying to say. let me try to articulate it better.

-each year the academy gets a bunch of qualified candidates with very similar stats (3.5-4.0 gpa, 1200-1300 SAT, sport, extracurricular activity).

-of these applications there are some people who would make good cadets and some who wouldnt, but they still look the same on paper.

-the only way to decipher who should get in and who shouldnt is through the intangible qualities, these can only really be discerned in person.

-due to a lack of resources admissions can't always get someone in person so they try to use the information at hand (AIM recommendation, interviews, etc)

using this knowledge i threw out a thought. i prefaced it with "perhaps" so that everyone knew it is speculation. all i said is that in an effort to get appointments out to people who they Know are quality people, Perhaps admissions used the aim recommendations to send out loa's. i dont know for sure but this idea made sense to me.

in regards to "getting the wrong impression of the academy," i was just letting you know the reality of the academy. the website makes it look like a glamorous place with only the brightest shining young adults as cadets. the reality is that not everyone is like that and any cadet here will tell you its because they were never interviewed. (don't worry though, a vast majority are top notch)

peace and love to all, i'm just trying to throw out the ideas and opinions of someone who goes to the place:thumb:
 
I have my own opinions on the subject at large, but i'll merely say that I think it's odd that I had 3 interviews for USAFA on top of going to their summer program before I received my appointment -- one with a group of local leaders selected by my congressional representative, two with my academy liaison officer -- and didn't interview at all to come here.

BR2011 is absolutely right in the fact that the vast (and I don't use that term loosely) majority of cadets here are some of the smartest, most articulate, well rounded individuals I have ever met. He is also right in the fact that a mandatory interview would serve this institution and ultimately the fleet very well, and PERHAPS would have prevented a few individuals that were forced to leave last year from receiving appointments in the first place.

This, of course, is merely late-night speculation from a third class who should be asleep.
 
zachogden said:
I have my own opinions on the subject at large, but i'll merely say that I think it's odd that I had 3 interviews for USAFA on top of going to their summer program before I received my appointment -- one with a group of local leaders selected by my congressional representative, two with my academy liaison officer -- and didn't interview at all to come here.

BR2011 is absolutely right in the fact that the vast (and I don't use that term loosely) majority of cadets here are some of the smartest, most articulate, well rounded individuals I have ever met. He is also right in the fact that a mandatory interview would serve this institution and ultimately the fleet very well, and PERHAPS would have prevented a few individuals that were forced to leave last year from receiving appointments in the first place.

This, of course, is merely late-night speculation from a third class who should be asleep.
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What would you (and BR2011) hope that an interview would catch? An obvious lack of integrity? The inability to represent oneself well in a very controlled environment? Most reasonably intelligent folks know how to prepare for an interview, and I would go so far as to say that many will tell the interviewer what they want to hear....so an interview may not accurately portray who someone REALLY is.

That said...you guys are there in the trenches, so I'm sure you've seen a few kids who just didn't belong. Happens every year, at every school, so aside from the very real fact that they took a spot from a more dedicated/qualified kid (and that is HUGE in my book) I don't know if the interview would make a significant difference in the long run.

BTW, I agree with you both. An interview should be part of the deal. It shows genuine interest and desire to fly half way across the country for a 30 minute interview. :thumb:
 
Question on LOA

Were the LOA given to the ones who have competed the application in full? I'm sure there are some kids who haven't competed the application but are wondering if they get it turned in before Nov 1st will they still be giving out LOA.
 
cg2014 said:
Were the LOA given to the ones who have competed the application in full?
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No...although many of the 46 students receiving LOA's had started the application process, none had completed it when the letters were mailed. Several factors, including their performance during the AIM Program, were considered, but status of their application to the Class of 2014 was not one of them. Once an application is complete, we send conditional appointments (not LOA's) to those individuals that we're "holding a spot for" in the class until they're fully qualified and granted full appointments.
 
vampsoul said:
Since CGA does not require a nomination, is an LOA basically pending DODMERB?
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Students receiving an LOA should receive a full appointment to the Class of 2014 if they:

1) Complete their application by November 1st;
2) Meet all eligibility (PFE, height/weight, conduct) requirements; and
3) Are found medically qualified by DoDMERB or receive a medical waiver by June 1st.

However, and this is why it's important to read the entire LOA letter and not just the "Congratulations" part, the complete record of all LOA applicants will undergo a "final review" by the Director of Admissions after the three conditions above are met. The Director granted the LOA based on several factors, including performance during the AIM Program, but may revoke it if subsequent academic performance, conduct, etc. is not acceptable.
 
Objee said:
Students receiving an LOA should receive a full appointment to the Class of 2014 if they:

1) Complete their application by November 1st;
2) Meet all eligibility (PFE, height/weight, conduct) requirements; and
3) Are found medically qualified by DoDMERB or receive a medical waiver by June 1st.

However, and this is why it's important to read the entire LOA letter and not just the "Congratulations" part, the complete record of all LOA applicants will undergo a "final review" by the Director of Admissions after the three conditions above are met. The Director granted the LOA based on several factors, including performance during the AIM Program, but may revoke it if subsequent academic performance, conduct, etc. is not acceptable.
Click to expand...

Okay, thank you for the information. (I didn't get one; I was just curious)
 
walks7milesaday said:
For those of us with lots of decisions to make and no LOA in hand, why spend the time and effort if it appears that somebody, somewhere has already made up their mind on the candidate's potential.

And AIM was supposed to be an exposure of the potential candidate to academy life. (It turned my daughter's opinion 180 degrees. Now she is applying, with motivation! But the motivation came three weeks after returning home.)

I suppose there can be some judgment on the part of the Cadre as to the potential of an inexperienced high school student to become an officer, but isn't that what the application process and swab summer determine? Does the future applicant need to attend a military summer camp before applying to AIM to be impressive to the Cadre?

Please clarify.
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I've lost track of what I've posted where (since there appears to be LOA discussions in several threads) so I apologize if some of this information is redundant. We sent 46 LOA's to AIM graduates...this represents about 9% of students who participated in the AIM Program this summer and several factors, including performance during the program, were considered.

The AIM Cadet Cadre complete a fairly comprehensive evaluation on each AIM participant, individually scoring them in eight areas and ultimately placing them in either the top 20%, middle 60%, or bottom 20% of their AIM company. Every AIM participant ranked in the top 20% (~100 total) of their company was reviewed for an LOA to the Class of 2014. During EA and Regular Admissions, many AIM participants ranked in the middle 60% (and even some from the bottom 20%) will receive appointments to the Academy, so getting an LOA is great, but not getting an LOA really has little to no bearing on your chances of receiving an appointment later.

You're correct that the primary purpose of the AIM Program is to expose "potential candidate(s) to academy life" but this is by no means the only purpose of the program. Students reveal a lot about themselves during those six days on campus and only a small portion of the aforementioned evaluation is related to military bearing or anything that could be learned at a "military summer camp" or elsewhere. Hopefully this information helps...
 
Have all of the LOA's been mailed or will there be more that go out soon?
 
cg2014 said:
Have all of the LOA's been mailed or will there be more that go out soon?
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All the LOA's (no more will be given) were mailed the second/third weeks of September.
 
WOW... ... just wow...

Objee thanks for stepping in and explaining this...
 
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