LOAs

I agree with usnabg08. However, before calling you might want to check out your email spam folder.
 
Candidate for 2020 here. I just received a LOA today, and I must say, I was completely taken aback. I had no idea that one would be coming my way, and I was actually under the assumption that I may not be appointed at all. So I had several Plan Bs in place (Every other service academy, ROTC Scholarships, local university that I received a full ride to, and several other universities). USNA was the only application I had complete due to it being my number 1 choice, and I was wondering what some opinions would be about finishing my other applications. Do I go on as if I never received the LOA, or do I close out all my other applications due to the LOA? Thanks for any feedback!
 
Keep working your other options. Lots of things can change...you might not receive an appointment; you might get a non-waiverable injury; you might even change your mind between now and May 1.

Congratulations on the LOA - it's definitely good news!
 
First, congratulations on receiving an LOA. You should be proud, but don't stop now. There are several forums on this subject, so do a search.

Now to answer your question; you should continue with your applications and your nominations. You never know what the future holds, and unless you already have a nomination, your LOA is only good if you receive one. With that said, if for some reason due to injury, or you plain change your mind, you will have nothing to fall back on if you pull your applications. I would not even pull at least one until after you make it through Plebe summer. You just never know. Keep striving and finish strong.
 
Keep the pedal to the metal. Finish them all. Practice for nomination interviews. Make sure you're in shape to start. any of the programs.
 
Thanks for all the input! To be honest, I feel incredibly relieved to get the LOA, and being from a small town and not incredibly competitive state or district (East TN), I feel as though the interview for at least my Congressman will be more or less a formality. I planned to keep working towards all my other options due to the urging from my parents and BGO. I also require a medical waiver but I believe that it will be easily attained.
 
candidate2020 said:
Thanks for all the input! To be honest, I feel incredibly relieved to get the LOA, and being from a small town and not incredibly competitive state or district (East TN), I feel as though the interview for at least my Congressman will be more or less a formality. I planned to keep working towards all my other options due to the urging from my parents and BGO. I also require a medical waiver but I believe that it will be easily attained.
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Congrats on the LOA. Keep pressing on, it's still a long way to the BFE ( or whatever they call it now.)

Please don't take this the wrong way but 1) assuming your interview will be "more or less" a formality, 2) assuming your waiver will be "easily" attained and 3) working for the other options "DUE TO YOUR PARENTS and BGOs urging" is a little "off-putting" to me. Please don't assume too much or take anything for granted because of the LOA. Your MOC doesn't have to give you an appointment even with an LOA and the SA you are applying to doesn't have to give you a waiver even with the LOA. And if you are not eligible for any other nomination sources, you're toast. You are assuming your district is not "incredibly competitive" but what if you were number 11 of the only 11 candidates applying? This means no nomination. And an LOA without a nomination=no appointment! We have known 2 kids with LOAs that did not get in and have seen how devastating that was on them and their families. I don't want anyone else to go through that heartbreak. Good luck.
 
Even if you have an LOA, don't assume anything yet. I got an LOA last week and found out this week that I was turned down because my medical condition is unwaiverable. I am fighting it but even if I get a waiver, I don't know if I will still have the LOA.
 
candidate2020 said:
Candidate for 2020 here. I just received a LOA today, and I must say, I was completely taken aback. I had no idea that one would be coming my way, and I was actually under the assumption that I may not be appointed at all. So I had several Plan Bs in place (Every other service academy, ROTC Scholarships, local university that I received a full ride to, and several other universities). USNA was the only application I had complete due to it being my number 1 choice, and I was wondering what some opinions would be about finishing my other applications. Do I go on as if I never received the LOA, or do I close out all my other applications due to the LOA? Thanks for any feedback!
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Just curious, how did you first hear you got an LOA? Was it the actual letter in the mail? did your MOC call you? Or was it on the application portal?
 
candidate2020 said:
To be honest, I feel incredibly relieved to get the LOA, and being from a small town and not incredibly competitive state or district (East TN), I feel as though the interview for at least my Congressman will be more or less a formality.
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An LOA does NOT guarantee a NOM and therefore an appointment.......I would certainly NOT recommend approaching the MOC interview as something already in the bag.
 
I am terribly sorry that I came off with an "better than you" attitude. That is not at all what I intended. I have worked my hardest since sixth grade to get to where I am and the LOA gave me a breath of relief as I'm sure it would any candidate. I planned to go into my interviews prepared just as if I had heard nothing from the academy, I was just stating that where I'm from doesn't typically have many SA applicants. Also, by "urging" I simply meant that I had asked both of their opinions since the letter caught me off guard and I didn't know how to respond. I intend to keep working my hardest in everything I am involved in and not assume I have a spot until I actually get my appointment. Thank you guys for all the responses!
 
What they mean is your attitude is both 180 out of phase and worrisome. If you even remotely come across to them as you did to us in the above statement then you have problems.

My son just got an LOA. I said lets go celebrate. He said celebrate what? I haven't accomplished anything until I get the Nom. That is the proper attitude and one you'd better adopt.

Great, you got an LOA, congrats. That and $5.00 will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.
 
For what it's worth, I understand where you are coming from. Also from a small state with only a small number of applicants to ALL SA's, our noms aren't difficult to get if you are a good student. While there is ALWAYS a chance something might affect that, if our applicants get an LOA, chances are high that they will get an appointment. Unlike many other very competitive areas, being from a small district has its benefits.
 
Vtmom thank you for understanding. I get that a lot of people are forced to compete with 50+ people for a nom just because of where they live, and it makes it so much more impressive when they get the nomination and then appointment. I also understand that the LOA doesn't guarantee me a single thing. I had always planned to go into my MOC interview the exact same way I have in my BGO, ALO, and every other interview I have had: confident, but not cocky, and relaxed. And on my LOA, I haven't even bothered to tell anyone apart from my parents and counselor and don't intend to say anything until I get the BFE.

Coach, please tell your son congratulations from a fellow candidate and that I am praying that we both end up at the academy. Once again I apologize for how I may have came off to you and anyone else, and God bless!
 
I think the advice in not over hyping an LOA is valid. However, I don't think the value of an LOA should be minimized either. The numbers are something like this each year (all gathered from this forum and/or from data put out by USNA):
LOA = approx. 150 (anecdotal from discussions on this portal)
Appointments = approx. 1,400
Candidates with nom = approx. 3,500 - 4,o00 (USNA stopped publishing this number about 5 years ago)
Nominations = 6,500 - 6,800

Getting an LOA means admissions wants you and that (getting an appointment) is the higher hurdle, statistically speaking, versus getting a nomination. The numbers above actually imply >1 nom per candidate who receives a nom. Obviously the "competitiveness" for noms does vary and not just for less populous states. We live in NYC and our rep had only 6 candidates across all service academies when DS was applying.
 
Candidate2020 , I understand where you are coming from. Good luck on your MOC interviews. And congrats on the LOA.
 
1+ JSShawshank the academy definitely wants someone and sometimes shows that with an LOA but a nomination is not guaranteed.

With that said Candidate2020, it seems you have taken to heart every word that has been posted here. You sound like a great kid. And if/when you receive a nomination from a "not so competitive state", do not think for one minute that your nomination is not as worthy as those in an extremely competitive state. Even if a MOC has one candidate vying for a nomination, the MOC does not have to nominate him/her if they don't think he/she is SA material. Your nomination will be based on your entire package and receiving the LOA tells that MOC that the SA believes you are the right candidate for a nomination regardless of the rest of the competition in your state.
 
USNA has never publically stated how many LOA's they give out each year, so those on here who fling out numbers are just guessing. Having an LOA is good, but more still remains to get your appointment. MOC issue NOM's, while USNA issues LOA's and each uses a different process. You can search out older threads on LOA's but they all basically say the same things.
 
candidate2020 said:
Coach, please tell your son congratulations from a fellow candidate and that I am praying that we both end up at the academy. Once again I apologize for how I may have came off to you and anyone else, and God bless!
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No need to apologize and thanks for the prayers. I think you know why I was being hard on you.
 
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