Nomination Questions

CandidateElias15

USNA '15 Appointee
5-Year Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2010
Messages
160
Hey all,
I just received an LoA from Annapolis dated 4 OCT 2010.
It is contingent on receiving a nomination, and I saw that it was also copied to my nominating sources.
My first interview is the 14th (Sen. LeMieux) and I want to nail it; does anyone know what questions they ask?
And if I do nail all three of my interviews (FL 24!), is there any chance that I will not get an appointment?
Thank you for you help!
 
If you look at the top of this forum (Naval Academy) there are some "stickies" (threads that stick to the top of the forum). One of them is advice on what to expect during the BGO and MOC interviews. Read thru them, there is alot of great advice there.
While I agree you need to do well on your interviews, "nailing" them doesn't guarantee you the appointment, only actually receiving the nom will subsequently get you the appointment.
Congrats on the LOA and good luck!
 
There's no way to predict what an MOC nom committee will ask. As the above poster said, the stickies will provide some insight into the types of questions you should be prepared to answer. But some committees like to throw curve balls and there's no way to prepare for that.

Also, being real here, some MOCs give every nominee an interview regardless of qualifications. Others use a weeding out process. Thus, nailing an interview may or may not make a difference, depending on how your MOC operates. That said, I agree that doing well on the interview is important.
 
Just make sure that when you go into the interview you have a sense of humility. Nothings annoys people more than someone who thinks they are the greatest thing to walk the earth. That being said, make sure you give your panel the things about you that you think make you stand out, i.e. any hobbies or interesting facts, something to get them to remember you by.

Also keep your mind open to all possibilities. I started my panels dead set on Air Force, and it took on hour long interview to make me change to Navy. And don't be worried if one goes bad, you have two more to nail. You only need one nom and you're in.
 
One question that seemed to be a theme throughout my now Plebe's interviews was (paraphrasing): "What qualities do you think make a good leader?" Those types of broad questions make answering in a concise fashion difficult - you don't want to spend too much of your interview time on any one answer. Besides looking at the stickies, it is useful to look back over your answers to the essay questions in the nomination application. Some interviewers may ask you to expand upon a topic that you wrote about. Then there are the body language issues - firm but not excessive handshakes, asking if you may have a seat, sitting up straight, not folding arms, making eye contact with the person asking the question, etc. Always "yes", not "yeah", articulating clearly and loud enough to be heard, no nervous laughter, avoid using the words "like" and "you know" in your answers. As corny as it seems, we did practice interviews to prep.
 
I agree with all of the above advice. Just wanted to add that at our son's interview, one of the panelists threw out the question "Which president of the United States was a Naval Academy graduate?" Luckily our son knew the answer: Jimmy Carter, Class of 47. We learned later that he was the only candidate who got the answer right! So, just do your homework and be ready in case there are some random knowledge questions. :smile:

Oh, and our son did practice interviewing as mentioned above - it helped a lot!
 
Hey all,
I just received an LoA from Annapolis dated 4 OCT 2010.
It is contingent on receiving a nomination, and I saw that it was also copied to my nominating sources.
My first interview is the 14th (Sen. LeMieux) and I want to nail it; does anyone know what questions they ask?
And if I do nail all three of my interviews (FL 24!), is there any chance that I will not get an appointment?
Thank you for you help!

For you, at this stage of the game, a nomination is an appointment because of your LOA.

I don't think you need to "nail it" so much as you need to insure that you do not do or say something so incredibly stupid that your MOC finds you unworthy of a nomination. It would have to be something you do or say because, obviously, your other credentials are more than adequate.

Both my sons got LOA's before they did their MOC interviews - just like you. In the first interview, the panel of interviewers obviously already knew about the LOA. The "interview" was over in less than 3 minutes. The only question was, "If you get an appointment to the Naval Academy, is it your intent to attend?" (My sons did not apply to any of the other service academies) This seemed like an odd question but, I think, what they really meant was, "Would we be wasting our time giving you a nomination because you've already made up your mind to attend another university?"

In their other two interviews, it was not apparent that they knew about the LOA. At least, it never came up. The interviews were more involved.

Nonetheless, they each got a nomination from our local congresswoman, Marsha Blackburn (R), who, I was told, had only one vacancy for the Naval Academy for that year. So, I have no idea to whom the slots were charged. It really doesn't matter from the candidate's perspective.

If you have an LOA and you get a nomination, they'll find you a vacancy one way or the other.
 
Just make sure that when you go into the interview you have a sense of humility. Nothings annoys people more than someone who thinks they are the greatest thing to walk the earth. That being said, make sure you give your panel the things about you that you think make you stand out, i.e. any hobbies or interesting facts, something to get them to remember you by.

Also keep your mind open to all possibilities. I started my panels dead set on Air Force, and it took on hour long interview to make me change to Navy. And don't be worried if one goes bad, you have two more to nail. You only need one nom and you're in.

They should already have your "resume" and already know just about everything about you; i.e. GPA, ACT/SAT scores, class standing, activities, etc ...

The most important thing, in my opinion, is to come across as a mature, articulate, and likable individual. I would not be spring-loaded to regurgitate accomplishments that they already know about, unless specifically asked.

I would be more prepared to answer questions like:

Whatever gave you the idea to attend a service academy in the first place?

What interests you about being a military officer?

Why did you chose the Naval Academy and not any of the other academies? (My sons were asked this at one interview. This is a potentially dangerous question because you do NOT want to disparage any of the other academies.)

What attributes do you think a good military officer has? Do you think you have those attributes?

Does it concern you that you are entering the military at a time when our nation is at war?

Is there anything about attending a service academy that gives you any concern?

Do you know anybody who attended a service academy? Did you ever talk to them about it? Do you think you know what to expect when you get there?

Is there some area in which you think you need to improve? (Everybody hates these type of questions. But, you have to be prepared for them.)

Also - be aware of the following interviewing technique - the "pregnant pause." It makes the interviewer very uncomfortable. It generally occurs after you've just completed an answer and are awaiting the next question. But the next question does not quickly come. It makes you feel like you need to elaborate on your previous answer. Don't do it! Just smile, look comfortable and confident, and wait for their next question.

Another technique that often throws an interviewee for a loop is when you finish answering a question, they say, "Tell us a little more about that." This is usually done when they think you have just given them a pre-prepared or "canned" answer to a question. They want to see you shoot from the hip so they force you to elaborate. There is a strong urge to say, "But that was my answer!" :smile:
 
Congratulations CandidateElias15! My daughter will be there on the 14th as well for the interview. Hoping for a successful interview for both of you.
 
Thank you all, I'll be sure to remember the advice. And to practice, for that matter.
Best of luck to your daughter as well, sgmom.
 
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