Let me put it this way: without a nomination you would be dead in the water - end of the road this cycle. With a nomination you are eligible to continue through the selection process. If you look at a Class Profile for any of the recent years you will discover that NAVY has been reporting more than 15,000 per class. The selection of nominees is the first big cut in the number of eligible candidates, and typically about 6500 nominations are awarded (be aware that some candidates will have more than one nomination). Of that number (6500) about 5100-5200 will be awarded by MOCs (Members of Congress), about 800 will be Presidential noms, SecNav will have about 300 noms, and the rest will come from various sources - check a Class Profile for more specifics. Of the 65oo nominees about 25oo will be deemed fully qualified by Admissions (again be aware of those with multiple noms). Usually USNA will extend about 1400 offers of appointment, and will end up with about 1200 new midshipmen. Note: this is a fast and dirty presentation of the winnowing process that is just starting for the Class of 2019 candidates - the actual numbers vary from year to year, but I have used a RANGE of numbers to make the process less complicated. Best wishes to all of you, and brace yourselves as the next couple of months may be an eternity. Don't attack your local postal employee, they really are just the messengers!