Next year is when I am applying to USNA and I have a question about nominations. I go to a military JROTC unit with distinction school, if my SAI gives me a nomination? Is that all I need or should I still go with a senator or congressman as well?
Also, for the congressman, I live in a different state than where I go to school. Which congressman do I go to?
Thanks.
You should apply to
every nomination source for which you qualify. Every candidate is qualified to compete for a nomination with their two senators and congressman.
You can find out who they are from this website:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/findyourreps.xpd
Just type in your zipcode or address and it will show your senators and the congressman who covers your district.
Your next step should be to go to each of their websites and there will be a link that gives you information about applying to all the service academies. It will describe what you need to do in order to compete for a nomination. Each senator/congressman has slightly different requirements so you need to pay close attention and be meticulously organized throughout the process so that you do not get the requirements confused or, worse yet, forget to complete something.
Sometimes they will be very specific about what kind of letters of recommendation they want. For instance, when my sons applied from the state of Tennessee - Senator Lamar Alexander's requirements emphasized that he did not want letters of recommendations
only from teachers.
Some nominating sources wanted more letters of recommendation than others. Some wanted photographs, some did not require that.
I recommend making a
separate checklist for
each nominating source and checkoff each item as it is completed.
When you feel your file is completed, you should call their office and speak with the Service Academy Coordinator to ensure that it
is completed.
Make their job easy because that will reflect favorably on you. It is not uncommon that the coordinator has tremendous input as to
who gets nominated. Seriously, do you really think these senators/congressmen have the time to sit down and sift through the mountains of paperwork in order to come up with 10 nominees for
each vacancy to
each service academy?
Remember, you cannot get an appointment without
first getting a nomination.
Top 10 Stupid Mistakes when applying for a nomination:
1.) Misspelling the MOC's name.
2.) Mistakenly calling a Senator a "Congressman", or vice versa. i.e. getting their title wrong
3.) Putting information for Senator A in an envelope addressed to Senator B
4.) Calling their office too frequently. i.e. making a pest of yourself.
5.) Applying to the
wrong congressman.
6.) Not being courteous and respectful to the Service Academy Coordinator.
7.) Not submitting all the requirements to complete your nomination file.
8.) Telling them the
reason you want to attend a service academy is because it's FREE -and- chicks dig a guy in uniform.
9.) Your profile picture on Facebook is you wearing one of those goofy hats that has holders for two cans of beer with a single straw while you're wearing a thong and jumping on a trampoline.
10.) Going to your MOC interview wearing a t-shirt that says, "Join the Marine Corps - Visit exotic places, meet strange people, then kill them."
make a list and check it sixteen times. Let your parents/BGO/friends help with this part.