So confused!

2015Mom?

5-Year Member
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Mar 21, 2011
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We are part of the "waiting" group. In reading through posts I am very confused about parts of the admissions process. Our DS is 3Q'd/NOM but has not gotten a LOA or even a returned call from his BGO. What is the "National Pool" and how do you know if your kid is in it? Does anyone know if all congressmen call their noms if they are offered an appointment? I think we are mainly confused over "rolling" admissions. DS had everything completed and submitted in November and recieved his NOM 11/22. We don't understand why he hasn't heard anything if this is rolling admissions...
Any help would be appreciated!
 
Same situation here as you. I've heard they try to get 1 candidate from each congressional district...so does that mean if the MOC used a slate nomiation does the academy automatically pick the #1 ranked candidate by the MOc's office? or do they look through the list of slated candidates and pick one themselves?
 
OK, this is what I remember from going through this last year:
There are three types of nominations:
1. Principle nomination (MOC says I want John Smith, and here are nine alternates if John Smith isn't qualified. Most MOC's do not nominate this way. If your son or daughter has a principal nom and the USNA says they are qualified, then an appointment will be offered.
2. Nomination with a ranked slate. (MOC says here are names listed one through ten in order of preference. USNA starts at the top, and the first on the list that they deem qualified gets offered an appointment.) Most MOCs do not nominate this way.
3. Nomination with a competitive slate. (MOC says here are ten names in no particular order, and USNA picks the one they want and offers an appointment.) This is how most MOC's nominate.
If your DS/DD doesn't get offered the appointment from the MOC's slate, then their name goes into the pool. Once all the MOCs appointments are offered, then the academy fills out the rest of the class from the pool. Appointments from the pool are based on the candidates WCS (not sure the exact translation...whole candidate score, or weighted candidate score I believe.)
Appointments from the pool can drag out. After a certain point, they will send out notification to a small number that they are on the waiting list, and they will sent TWEs to the rest. (Our wait list letter came the third week of April last year.)
Just remember, no news means at least you still have a chance!
How do you know if you're in the pool? If your MOCs slots have been filled and your DS/DD did not receive the appointment and they are 3 Qd, then they are in the pool.
All MOCs are given the opportunity to call the appointee, but not all do.
The bottom line is that until you get the TWE, you still have a shot. If you do get a TWE, be sure to open it. The wait list letter comes in a TWE and you only have a limited number of days to respond if you want to remain on the wait list (I think it was 5 or seven days. We lived in an area that had very slow mail delivery, and by the time we received the letter, my son only had one day to answer! So don't postpone opening a TWE! Be forewarned VERY FEW go on the wait list, and VERY FEW get appointed from it.)
I'm sure others will have more detailed answers for you...I just remember having all your questions and NEEDING answers!
I hope that helped.
Best of luck to you!
 
From our experience, please correct me if I am wrong, it's a definite waiting game.

If you receive a nomination and you are on a slate of 10 nominees from the MOC, then the Academy waits until all 10 applicants have completed their applications before appointment can be sent out. If 9 out of the 10 applicants have turned in their applications and all have been ranked. You might be ranked as #1 by the academy, but must wait for that 10th application to be completed or the due date to pass. And, you will not know what your ranking is.....

What if you aren't ranked #1 by the academy, but say...#2? This is where I'm a bit murkey.... The #1 ranked applicant may reject appointment because of other academy, etc and then they send out appointment to #2. Not quite sure how long they wait until they decide the other 9 nominees are no longer in the running.

If you are a principal nominee from your MOC (ranked as #1 by MOC) and you are 3Qd you would hear back in a more timely manner.

My older son was a qualified USAFA applicant with 2 noms, and was denied admissions immediately after deadline. Younger son was qualified with 1 nom to USNA and received appointment immediately after turning in his fitness test, prior to deadline. I believe it all depends on how many of the nominees have completed their applications.

That's our experience.......
 
Great way to find answers...

Another way to find answers is to go to the appropriate forum (Naval Academy, Nominations, etc) and click on it. The threads in the top section are called "stickies" and have answers to most frequently asked questions. If you dont see what you need there, look in the horizontal blue bar above the threads where it says "search forum" click on that and type in key words, and you can find answers to just about anything.
(I was so frantic with questions when I first registered, it was months before I ever even saw the search function or knew the stickies were there!)
Happy hunting!
 
We are part of the "waiting" group. In reading through posts I am very confused about parts of the admissions process. Our DS is 3Q'd/NOM but has not gotten a LOA or even a returned call from his BGO. What is the "National Pool" and how do you know if your kid is in it? Does anyone know if all congressmen call their noms if they are offered an appointment? I think we are mainly confused over "rolling" admissions. DS had everything completed and submitted in November and recieved his NOM 11/22. We don't understand why he hasn't heard anything if this is rolling admissions...
Any help would be appreciated!

The posters above have done a good job of accurately summarizing the process. Most candidates don't get LOAs. Please read my sticky above on admissions as it gives a lot of background on LOAs.

Your DS should have had an interview with your BGO as it's part of the application. After that, your BGO often knows less about your DS's status than you do. Thus, calling your DS isn't useful b/c the BGO has no news to give you. It may make you feel better, but it won't be helpful or useful in determining your DS's status.

Some MOCs call; many do not. It's up to them. They get about a week to call; after that, the BFE is mailed out regardless.

Being perfectly honest, the reason your DS hasn't heard is that USNA probably hasn't yet decided whether to offer him an appt. Read the post above about the 3 ways MOCs can nominate. Your DS was probably not a principal nominee -- and most candidates aren't. So, he may be competing against the rest of the country for an appt. It's a very competitive group.

As for rolling admissions -- yes, it helps to get things in early but it's not dispositive. Quality is more important than timeliness. Quality and timelines are obviously best. If there are other "equally" qualified candidates with noms, USNA has to sort out those to whom appts will be offered b/c there are more candidates than slots. This, unfortunately, takes time and is agony for those waiting.
 
The term "rolling admissions" might better be described as "rolling evaluations" of candidates. People seem to believe they will hear earlier because of "rolling admissions" when, in fact, when a candidate hears is dependent upon so many factors......most often when the others on the MOC slate of ten have their apps complete.
 
Thank you, everyone for the information. We will continue to not-so-patiently wait.
 
If you are a principal nominee from your MOC (ranked as #1 by MOC) and you are 3Qd you would hear back in a more timely manner.

I wouldn't say the manner is very timely. I have a principal nom and am still waiting...
 
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