Ranked "admissible"

surgicalghost13

5-Year Member
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Jul 11, 2011
Messages
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I just talked with my regional liaison and he said the rankings for kids who have completed their initial application have come out. He informed me that I was ranked admissible already (I'm a reapplicant and was ranked "competitive" last year). How good of news is this? Should I keep my hopes high or is this kind of a minor accomplishment? Where does this put my application?

Thanks,
Surgicalghost
 
I just talked with my regional liaison and he said the rankings for kids who have completed their initial application have come out. He informed me that I was ranked admissible already (I'm a reapplicant and was ranked "competitive" last year). How good of news is this? Should I keep my hopes high or is this kind of a minor accomplishment? Where does this put my application?

Thanks,
Surgicalghost

Not to burst your bubble, but from my perspective not much.

I wouldn't call it "ranked," rather "evaluated." For class of 2017, the initial application consists of opening a file, standardized test scores, and self reported information.

My guess is that either you retook the standardized test score or your standardized score is pretty good.
 
As information is received by Admissions every candidate is placed in one of 4 categories - briefly

1. Unknown - not enough info to make any decision - very incomplete file
2. Non-Competitive - File is closed and candidate is told that appication will not proceed
3. Competitive - 90% of candidates are in this category. Things look good enought to proceed with full application, medical exam etc.
4. Admissionable - WP wants you - more info might be needed but they have IDed you are a very desirable candidate - these are the people who get LOAs

The good news is that you can be moved from one category to another (up or down) as you provide more info - for example - new SATs that are much better might move you up a category, bad grades possibly move you down, selection for Boy's State or team Captain possibly move up etc. etc. Each case is individual.
Therefore if you are in the competitive category - so far so good - we will proceed with your file. Time to do what you can to get moved to the Admissiable category-then you are getting close to an offer of admission.
 
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As information is received by Admissions every candidate is placed in one of 4 categories - briefly

1. Unknown - not enough info to make any decision - very incomplete file
2. Non-Competitive - File is closed and candidate is told that appication will not proceed
3. Competitive - 90% of candidates are in this category. Things look good enought to proceed with full application, medical exam etc.
4. Admissionable - WP wants you - more info might be needed but they have IDed you are a very desirable candidate - these are the people who get LOAs

The good news is that you can be moved from one category to another (up or down) as you provide more info - for example - new SATs that are much better might move you up a category, bad grades possibly move you down, selection for Boy's State or team Captain possibly move up etc. etc. Each case is individual.
Therefore if you are in the competitive category - so far so good - we will proceed with your file. Time to do what you can to get moved to the Admissiable category-then you are getting close to an offer of admission.

Since I am a reapplicant they already have my activities, teacher reccomendations, test scores, and transcripts, this is a fairly good sign??
 
I have to disagree somewhat on the categories. At least from the MALO perspective, the levels I see are:

1. USMA Closed - this is usually because of Medical early then for files that aren't complete enough later in the process. A lot go to this on March 1 after the deadlines.

2. Undetermined - usually this is someone who opens a file but never goes much further and doesn't submit any official transcripts/ACT scores, etc.

3. Screened - this means effectively not good enough to be considered a candidate. Usually things like a 17 on the ACT. But your file isn't closed, and improving that ACT score could change your category.

4. Risk - these are lower scores but usually close enough that they think there's a chance they could come up. Say around a 23 ACT. So with enough EC's and a really strong file elsewhere, these candidates "might" get in (extremely unlikely these days though). I do not pursue interviews with risk candidates but would give one if requested. I would also be very up front that they had little chance for admission without improving their file.

5/6. Competitive/Admissible - despite asking several years, I have not gotten a clear division between these two. Basically they seem to mean the same thing. My loosest interpretation is that Competitive is sometimes assigned without proof (ie. based on what the candidate tells us) while Admissible means the scores came from the ACT, counselor verified activities, etc.. But I seem some of both - people get appointments directly from Competitive and Admissible candidates don't get in. At least in my state though, nowhere near 90% of my candidates are competitive or admissible - probably under 50%.

7. Qualified - this is someone who has received a nomination but is not yet at the point of being offered an appointment. You see these only briefly, usually in February or for Presidential Nomination candidates.

8/9/10. Offered/Accepted/Declined. Offered means they were given the appointment, then Accepted if they accept and Declined if they decline (obviously).

Back to the OP though - I would just take the Admissible to mean they have processed your material and consider you competitive - no more, no less. I do believe though that you need to get new teacher recommendations and that your file won't be fully reevaluated until you submit your new transcript after first semester. Certainly update test scores and activities if they improve or you have new things to add.
 
Marceimi,
I took those categories DIRECTLY from the latest 2012 Field Force training briefing slides.

However, we are answering the orginal question the same way - Admissionable means so far so good. Admissionable is a necessary step in the right direction but only a step. Keep adding to, updating, and completing the application.
 
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Hey Nick - I have FF training tomorrow in Chicago so maybe I'll get the updates then! :wink: I was just using the actual database to relate the categories I've seen for the last few years, and never heard "Noncompetitive" used, instead of risk/screened.

Also, maybe because I'm in a less-competitive area, but I probably see 50% of my state's files never move beyond Undetermined. Then maybe half of my remaining files end up being competitive/admissible (or eventually get an appointment), while the rest are risk, screened, or closed/withdrawn.

In any case, I've asked our RC directly and never gotten a straight answer on what makes a candidate go from Candidate to Admissible so I wouldn't read too much into the difference between those classifications.
 
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