dpt; I don't think anyone is arguing that a recruited athlete, especially a nationally ranked athlete, won't have some help with their application and the process. And that definitely can make the process easier. But the fact remains, that it's the same process. If you've got a small community where an ALO only has a couple of applicants, and that ALO is very much involved with their applicants, the "process" can be relatively easy. Or if a parent who was very knowledgeable of the academy process, because they them self were in/had been in the military or went to the academy also, and were very familiar with the process; they could make the process much easier for an individual.
A lot of people for some reason believe that the application process is really difficult.... Sorry, but it's not. What's "Difficult" is motivating a 17 year old to not procrastinate. Those here who know me, and know my son, know for a fact that from the very first day that the application cycle opened, until my son was 100% completely finished with his application, was just over 30 days. I believe it was like 35 days to be exact. It opened up a couple days after returning from summer seminar in the middle of june, and he was completely done with the application by the 3rd week of July. We're talking everything. Teacher's online evaluations, DODMRB, CFA, ALO Interview, etc... everything 100%. He even had his nomination: Presidential. Because of my military service.
Now; I can tell you that my son did 100% exactly the same application process as every single applicant in the country. The only difference was that he had someone with him that really knew the process. Same with the star blue chip athletes who are being recruited. The coach didn't DO THE APPLICATION for that individual. S/He definitely can help line it all up, but they didn't write the applicant's essays. They didn't take the physical for them. They didn't fill out the history and application for them. They probably sat them down and had them fill a bunch of stuff out immediately and didn't let them procrastinate. The entire ON-LINE portion of the application can be done in 1 day. My son did it in a weekend. ALL OF IT. That monday, he went to his high school and personally had all his transcripts, school profile, etc... physically mailed off to the academy. Then; the academy contacted his teachers; he did his CFA and ALO interview back to back in the same day; and had the DODMRB scheduled for a week later.
So I'm not telling you that the athlete didn't have help. If they are that good of an athlete, and have the grades, and the academy wants them, then they will definitely have someone "helping" them. But the applicant filled out the application, took the CFA, took the DODMRB physical, etc... None of this was waivered, and none of this was completed by the coach. However; the academy does have so many slots available for athletes; so once they got him a nomination, they could give him one of those slots.
Now; if you're telling me that he physically DIDN'T fill out the application; or they "WROTE OFF" the CFA and he never took it; or he never took the DODMRB physical; etc... then you'd have to prove that to me. Like I said, with the right motivated applicant, and a knowledgeable person assisting them, an academy application is so easy. It can be filled out, submitted, all correspondences completed, and all meetings, physicals, etc... can all be 100% complete is 30 days. Actually, it's possible to have it done in less time. However long it takes for mail to get to and from 2 points. In theory, the entire process can be completed in probably 1 week if the DODMRB could be scheduled timely. And I know this for a "Fact". Now; being the very first application completed in the country, only helps so much. If your application isn't that good; e.g. 3.3gpa, 26ACT, etc... then you've got something to worry about. A blue chip, nationally ranked athlete, does however have that going for them if their grades are lower than the average. There are those few slots held for that exceptional athlete candidate.
Anyway; sorry for the book. Just wanted to clarify some of the "Disbelief". No one is saying that an athlete such as the kid from your school didn't get some help applying. I'm sure he did. And with the right person helping them, the entire process is very easy to do. But you're making it sound like the individual didn't do the application. That someone else did the entire application for him. That's the part that's not really believable. Is it fair to have personalize assistance in the application process? That's hard to say. All of us has someone in our life help us in an area of their expertise. If you say that a coach can't help an applicant do their application, then do you tell applicants who's parents are retired military or went to the academy, that they can't help them? Or what if their parent was an ALO? "FWIW: If an ALO has a child Applying for the academy, they can't be an ALO that cycle". But that doesn't mean that they forgot all the information. Point is: Yes, athlete applicants, if HIGH ENOUGH and desired by the academy, will definitely have assistance in getting the application process completed. But the coaches themselves aren't doing the application for them, or the CFA, or the DODMRB, etc....