LOA Letters

jonathanrwkelly

5-Year Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2010
Messages
4
My admissions checklist is all GREEN
(except for the Nomination and two teacher Recs)
My SATs are in (2140 for all three)
My HS transcripts are in (No problem there)
My CFA is No Risk
My DODMERB is done.
I am hoping for an LOA...soon.
Anyone know when they are going out?
 
I'm in the same boat as you johnathan. The first LOA's are going to be sent out late July. Good luck :thumb:
 
My admissions checklist is all GREEN
(except for the Nomination and two teacher Recs)
My SATs are in (2140 for all three)
My HS transcripts are in (No problem there)
My CFA is No Risk
My DODMERB is done.
I am hoping for an LOA...soon.
Anyone know when they are going out?

Good luck! I still need to turn in college transcripts, college activities, do my CFA, and finish nominations. Hope to get a LoA also :biggrin:.
 
UGH!!! The goal is not the LOA: very few of those go out. The goal is nomination and then admission to WP...please, do not get your hearts set on LOAs.
 
UGH!!! The goal is not the LOA: very few of those go out. The goal is nomination and then admission to WP...please, do not get your hearts set on LOAs.

Personally, I wouldn't say that. Last year WP sent out 500 of them. The other academies from what I've heard (I only "know" about WP) are much lower so that's more true. But that's 1/3 the class this year at WP. I think there's nothing wrong with striving for an LOA - especially if it motivates you to get your application complete earlier. Our Regional Commander told our region's MALO's that there were 30+ kids within the region who would have gotten appointments had their applications looked in October the way they did in January. Who did NOT get them.

Get it done early - whether for your own satisfaction, to try to get an LOA, to get it out of the way, or to improve your chances. Whatever reason - get it done early!!
 
...and if it comes to be that you will be spending a year at USMAPS, don't be heartbroken. It is an opportunity, as well as an HONOR.

My two cents :)
 
Last year West Point was very aggressive with LOAs and handed them out like candy. This year the thought is that they will scale back on the number of LOAs given. They are given to a small % of candidates.

Just b/c your resume walks on water, doesn't mean you will get a LOA. LOAs help West Point achieve their class composition goals. Someone may get a LOA whose application may not appear as 'good' as yours but they may help with the class balance. They are given to a small % of candidates.

Try a different attitude about LOAs. Don't even think about it. That way IF you get one, you will be joyously surprised instead of being possibly disappointed. Don't agonize over a LOA by waiting for it, checking the mail for it, asking on forums here, 'Who's received a LOA ?'. They are given to a small % of candidates.

LOAs are wonderful, but it doesn't always mean you will get an appointment and if you do, a timely one. It is contingent on certain requirements being met - namely a nomination and being DoDMERB qualified. You could get a LOA in October and not be DoDMERB qualified until April. There could be many non-LOA recipients accepting their offer of admission while a LOA recipient is waiting for one of the contingencies to be met. They are given to a small % of candidates.

If you get one, you get one. If you don't, you don't. LOAs are out of your control. What you DO have control over is having your application completed in a timely manner. Finish early and don't sweat the LOA. And oh BTW - they are given to a small % of candidates !!
 
I believe the LOAs are very important. In effect, they are a conditional early acceptance.

My son just got all icons green and has final DoDMERB qualified status. He also has a Presidentilal appointment -in short he has a completed file. I believe this early completed file will have a great positive impact on him possibly getting an LOA and acceptance.

Normally LOA are conditional on passing the DoDMERB and getting a nomination. Since he has both I think he is in good shape.
 
I believe the LOAs are very important. In effect, they are a conditional early acceptance.

My son just got all icons green and has final DoDMERB qualified status. He also has a Presidentilal appointment -in short he has a completed file. I believe this early completed file will have a great positive impact on him possibly getting an LOA and acceptance.

Normally LOA are conditional on passing the DoDMERB and getting a nomination. Since he has both I think he is in good shape.

Sounds like your son doesn't need a LOA.:wink:
 
LOAs are wonderful, but it doesn't always mean you will get an appointment and if you do, a timely one. It is contingent on certain requirements being met - namely a nomination and being DoDMERB qualified. You could get a LOA in October and not be DoDMERB qualified until April. There could be many non-LOA recipients accepting their offer of admission while a LOA recipient is waiting for one of the contingencies to be met. They are given to a small % of candidates.
My new cadet's admissions officer told him the exact same thing about LOAs...very few go out, don't get hung up on getting an LOA. He finished all of his paperwork early partly because he knew that once school started he was going to be swamped with school stuff.

My new cadet did not attend SLS, did not receive an LOA, but received his nomination and accepted his offer of admission LONG before another student (female) in his school who had an LOA. He also had a backup plan--he was accepted at 3 universities and earned an ROTC scholarship--the student with the LOA did not apply to a single backup college and was in a real panic late into the spring before all was said and done.
 
My new cadet's admissions officer told him the exact same thing about LOAs...very few go out, don't get hung up on getting an LOA. He finished all of his paperwork early partly because he knew that once school started he was going to be swamped with school stuff.

Accurate point! Our experience was that our kid received an LOA because he was a sought after athlete (with a brain); and because the Academy does not do early commits like civilian colleges, he needed to have some kind of validation that he was considered qualified and the interest from his first-choice, West Point, was truly going to happen before he took himself "off the market". Please note that the coach collected his records and letters of recommendations early in the process to make certain he had what admissions was looking for BEFORE the recruitment became serious.

An LOA doesn't seem to be reserved just for athletes. I know another that had the subjective qualities (leadership, moral/ethical fiber, etc.) WP looks for plus had SAT 800s across the board. They received an LOA, too. Kids like these are going to go to some highly-competitive school and the admissions folks at the Academy don't want them to slip away.

Remember, you don't need an LOA to be admitted to WP. You need and appointment. An LOA really is just an assurance of continued interest.
 
Last year WP sent out 500 of them. ......... But that's 1/3 the class this year at WP.
But, 1/3 of the class at West Point probably didn't receive LOA's; especially the early LOA's.

Compared to the total number of applicant's few LOA's go out. West Point could offer more LOA's than the other academies. They definitely offer them earlier.
From what I have seen, most of the early (July & August) LOA's are offered to candidates who went to SLS. A lot of these early LOA's never translate into an appointment, usually because the candidate changes their mind about West Point.

If you want to make the LOA your goal on the way to an appointment; that's fine but realize it's possible to receive an LOA and get tripped up (usually by dodmerb) and not be offered an appointment.

An LOA is a condidtional offer. It's conditional because not all parts of the application are complete. If you are a candidate like BigNick's son with a complete package, including nomination you will NOT receive an LOA - you will simply receive an appointment if selected for admission.

If you do NOT get an LOA - do not despair. Keep updating your file, apply for your Nominations and keep in touch with admissions.
 
An LOA really is just an assurance of continued interest.

Actually, it's a Guarantee that an Appointment will be offered, provided the conditions of the LOA are met.

True that LOA's are not only for athletes - West Point *recruits* for scholar/leaders as well.
 
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