Official Candidate Class of 2016!

rcarino said:
I am a bit confused. I have been accepted for NASS session 2. The website states that "If you have applied for our Summer Seminar program, please do not submit a preliminary application." Is there something I should be doing between now and summer seminar except for retaking the SAT's and ACT's? I have been working on my fitness, etc.
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I contacted the admissions department about whether there is anything to be done between receipt of the NASS acceptance and NASS. They said that letters are sent out in mid-May to those accepted into NASS or whose Preliminary Applications were approved (i.e., Official Candidates) with Login/Password information to begin to complete the application online.
 
Be sure to apply for your MOC noms. Pres noms aren't competitive; MOC noms are. You want all that you can get.
 
First: If you have been assigned a Candidate Number, you are an Official Candidate.

Next: While your MOC's may not be calling for information packages from prospects seeking nominations, there is no reason for you not to contact their local office to advise them of your interest in the service academies. Many MOC's sponsor Service Academy Days at which they provide an overview of their procedures for selecting nominees, and usually there are representatives from the service academies present to provide some basic information on the academies and to do an information meet and greet with prospects and their parents. It is to your advantage to be on the MOC's mailing lists as sometimes the Service Academy Days announcements get lost in the shuffle.

Finally: it is important that you lay the groundwork for your campaign to become a successful candidate during this spring. Talk with your guidance counselor to firm up your senior year courses and to alert him/her that you will be needed their help in getting transcripts, etc, in promptly. Talk also with your teachers who will be writing recommendations for you for either your MOC's or the academies (for NAVY, you will need recommendations from your 11th grade math and grammar teachers). By doing this you increase the odds that you will be able to finish your candidate packet in the early fall rather than in the winter - AND THAT IS HUGE!

Through all of this keep your focus on your primary goal - becoming a successful candidate and avoid the distractions that can get you off track. It seems to me that too many candidates get waylaid by inconsequential concerns about the academies and don't attain their objective because they lost sight of their goal. Best wishes to all of you.
 
Keep on top of your HS guidance counselors, most are not used to the early deadlines for transcripts and the number of transcripts needed for the SA application process. The guadance counselors mean well but they get swamped. Make sure they know about the deadlines before your Junior year ends and offer to help in what ever way you can to make their lives easier. However if they do miss a deadline (it almost happened to my son in 08) they will say sorry, but you are still out of the process.

Be aware the process is long and hard but worth it. Have a plan B and Plan C just in case. Study study study and come to the boards for help and advice.
 
Hi. I have been accepted to NASS Session 2. Why have I not recieved the official candidate number and password for the login? Should I call my BGO?

Thanks in advance
 
Trumpet tennis, no worries yet. I have not recieved official login information either. I hear that will come mid-may. If you look at your NASS acceptance letter, the top right corner will state your candidate number.

I'm attending session two as well! :)
 
1964BGO said:
While registering for NASS also will register you as a pre-candidate it does not automatically confer Official Candidate status. Generally, in order to become an Official Candidate you must submit information that indicates you are scoring above the minimum qualifying levels on the SAT and ACT exams. Currently those scores appear to be: SAT Math - mid 600s, Verbal - about 600; ACT Math - 26, verbal - 25. Keep in mind that these are qualifying scores to become an Official Candidate; to become truly competitive you need to be scoring significantly higher.
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This makes no sense. Are you saying that to bercome a qualified candidate, one must score above the "minimum qualifying levels". A dichotomy in itself. Another is that if mid 600s were required, from the latest class profiles, a great percentage of the enrolled class would not have been qualified to be selected in the first place.

Minimums for becoming an official candidate in recent history have been 570M/530V. A few years ago in a few cases it became slightly more restricted, but the last two years with the deemphasis of SATS, in at least a few areas, lower scores are becoming more routine. With approximately 500 candidates, I have only seen one single 570M/530V minimum who was not granted a candidate number, but his dad was an AFA grad. In the past two years, I have seen approximately a half dozen or so sub 570/530s who were offered official candidate status and I don't recall any prior to this.

Of course, a candiate number is only the initial first step. An offer of appointment requires a lot more.
 
2012 Class Profile
SAT and ACT Scores

Score Ranges Verbal Math

>700 (26-30) 26% 32.7%
>600-699 (26-30) 43.8% 49.2%
<600 (<26) 29.9% 18.1%
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SAT/ACT scores alone won't get it done but mid 600's on the ACT have apparently been quite competitive in recent years.
 
CIS web site access

I also will be at the session 3 of NASS, are you able to access the candidate web site "Naval Academy Candidate Information System (CIS) (For Candidates ONLY)", should I be looking for an email from my BGO? Thanks.
 
You'll get the candidate package mid june. Be patient and be working on what you know you need to have prepared.
 
Hi. I'm attending session 2. I recently had to change my email address. Can anyone tell me how to change my USNA contact information?
 
KP2013Momm said:
Keep on top of your HS guidance counselors, most are not used to the early deadlines for transcripts and the number of transcripts needed for the SA application process. The guadance counselors mean well but they get swamped. Make sure they know about the deadlines before your Junior year ends and offer to help in what ever way you can to make their lives easier. However if they do miss a deadline (it almost happened to my son in 08) they will say sorry, but you are still out of the process.

Be aware the process is long and hard but worth it. Have a plan B and Plan C just in case. Study study study and come to the boards for help and advice.
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Great Advice! We had trouble getting DD transcripts and letters. Even after explaining to the principal this delay is hurting DD, the snail's paced continued. I finally went to the board of education and had them take care of business. We honestly tried to follow the chain of command in the school, thankfully the board made sure paperwork was submitted. I even remember someone from the board going to the H.S. telling the Principal to make it happen. To make matters worse, the Math teacher was computer illiterate....
 
I called admissions to change my social from my summer seminar application. they were very helpful, I'm sure you could do the same.

Since i'm from Cali, it's a little harder to call, I can never make the time difference workout! :biggrin:

is anyone else trying to finish the app in july?? When can we schedule dodmerb?
 
Last year, I got the DoDMERB scheduling info early in June... like the first week in June. You can schedule them as soon as you want after you get the packet.
 
official candidate!

just got the letter! i am so excited and want to finish the app asap!
 
NamD said:
Ah i see! Yes i am going to NASS this year! Session 3 :)

Well your nomination has certainly been an eye opener for me! I was told to wait until the fall to apply for nominations. Whats bugging me the most about the whole process is the interview and the essays...which I assume are usually the biggest hurdles for nominations haha
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Presidential also is a bit different than the congressional nominations, because the only qualifiers is a parent's service time. There are unlimited amount of presidential nominations that can be handed out (again different from congressional) but only 100 or so slots that will be charged to this nominating source. Because there are no other qualifiers you need to worry about and you're not competing for this nomination in the more typical sense, its easy to get quite early in the process. You just send your paperwork in early and do any follow ups that the academies require.

For congressional nominations, there is a limited amount that the congressman has to give out (generally 1 or 2 a year) and you're competing to get on his/her slate for that nomination. That's why there's competition (interviews, essays, etc) for these nominations and also why it takes longer to find out about. The upside is, if you are the principal for this nomination and you are qualified in all other aspects, you pretty much will be granted an appointment. Its good to contact your congressional offices about this during this timeframe as mentioned to get your name out there and find out what requirements are needed to complete their applications, but most of the deadlines won't be until Oct-Nov (although one of mine was in Sept) timeframe and interviews tend to be after that. These slates don't have to be turned in until Dec-Jan timeframe and why most appointments don't go out until then.
 
yup! when i first opened it, all i saw was the reccomended work out routine and thought it was weird because i had never heard of usna sending something like that. lol. then i saw the letter and was so excited!
 
When can we schedule dodmerb?
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You must have 50% of your application completed before USNA Admissions will allow you to schedule a DODMERB exam.

Additionally, the first batch of "official candidate" letters were mailed this past Thursday.
 
jadler03 said:
You must have 50% of your application completed before USNA Admissions will allow you to schedule a DODMERB exam.

Additionally, the first batch of "official candidate" letters were mailed this past Thursday.
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so what do we have to turn in ? where can i find a complete "checklist" so I know that I'm doing this correctly ?
 
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