question on how to choose S.A. & NOM

2Steaktacos

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I get that there will be less LOAs and I get why. My challenge (and probably alot of people) is that my area not only wont duplicate noms but you cant get a nom to two service academies-even among the three MOCs (I am sure there are always exceptions -but I cant count on that). We are told we have to pick ONE S.A. only when you turn in your Nom applications, they all talk. So one will not give you a nom to USNA and the other a nom to USMA. Ive read on here to put all you eggs in one basket. I get that too. But the challenge is the SA that I am more competitive for is my second choice SA. Just a slight preference right now and really any of the S.As would be great, but the formula USNA uses to get ACT scores yields me a 34, The formula that USMA uses yields me a 32.

Unfortunately I dont think ACT scores of 34M, 34E, 31R, 30S, will make the LOA cut for USMA, whereas 34M, 34E may for USNA. (I know its whole package GPA 4.4, all honors AP, team captain, hundreds of volunteer hrs)

I have loads of time of course and things may change...I am sure there have been others before me who have been in the same predicament. Any advice?
 
You still have plenty of time for nomination packages (most are due mid fall). Take the ACT again and take the SAT. Don't overthink this and try to beat some "odds." There is no telling how many LOA's (if any) either will give out. In the meantime, contact the coaches for the sports you letter in...that is a side door entrance for some.
 
It sounds like Army is your clear first choice; if so, apply to just that one. A 32 on the ACT is really quite good. Even if you don't get a LOA, you can still be nominated and appointed. You can also possibly improve your ACT score, but it's already very good.

Nothing stops you from applying to AROTC and NROTC-MO at the same time. Have you looked at the SMCs? Consider whether you would be more satisfied with any of those choices, rather than USNA. If my hypothesis is wrong and you would be happy in the Navy, then maybe you apply to just USNA. That has to be your decision.

My kid is not attending any SA, but has an AROTC scholarship. It just recently struck me, because I know parents of recent college grads who don't have jobs yet, that my kid has his first professional job lined up as well. This whole long process is about being "hired" for a career, it's not really about selecting a school.

It would be a mistake to focus on how "easy" it is to get into a particular SA, unless the different criteria somehow reflected a better or worse match to your interests. But a difference in ACT score weighting doesn't have anything at all to do with whether you are better suited for Army or Navy.
 
Apply to the SA you want to go to. I got in to USMA with a 32 on my ACT, similar stats as yours, and only 1 nomination. Every case is different, but your act score is pretty strong and won't kill you at the least.

I would try to improve your score as much as you can and focus on other things besides getting a LOA. Those are very hard to come by, and most people get in just fine without one.
 
Just as a frame of reference, I got an LOA to USMA and my ACT was 32M 33E 32R and 27S. I don't think my district is super competitive for USMA though...anyway my point is you just never know what might happen, so go with the SA that you truly like the best
 
You might want to research career paths/jobs available through the different branches of the military. If, for example, you hate ships and subs and do not want to land a plane on a ship, Navy might not be for you. If you don't want to fight wars on the ground, Army and Marines might not be for you...4 years is a very short time in your military career; consider choosing your branch not your school.
 
do you homework and check with your MOCs to see what they actually do.

my MOC don't care if an applicant has a nomination already.
 
... my area not only wont duplicate noms but you cant get a nom to two service academies-even among the three MOCs (I am sure there are always exceptions -but I cant count on that). We are told we have to pick ONE S.A. only when you turn in your Nom applications, they all talk. So one will not give you a nom to USNA and the other a nom to USMA. ....Any advice?

I heard the same thing about how my MOCs did their noms... but I pursued both USMA and USNA because I heard that story "around' but not directly from their nomination coordinators.

I ended up getting nominations and appointments to both USMA and USNA. I chose USMA (which was really my first all along). I almost-immediately released my USNA appointment fairly quickly back to USNA so they could give it to some other candidate before the window closed.

Not sure what region/state you are in, but as stated by others above, if you have one SA out in front of the others in your mind, then be up front with your MOCs about that. I told both of my Senators' nomination committees that USMA was my #1 choice (in my interviews this past winter) but that I had not yet discounted USNA since I was still waiting to do my overnight there, etc. They definitely talked to each other and compared notes (or, more accurately, their people did) and like I said I got a nom to each. One of the MOC nom coordinators told me afterwards that they agreed among themselves that despite me telling them that USMA was my #1, they knew as a 17 yr old that I would possibly swing the other way and they wanted me to be at some SA rather than none.

That's my story. YMMV. Good luck.
 
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