LOA Question

Dial the gate

5-Year Member
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Jan 29, 2013
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So, I thought I had this figured out...:confused:

I thought, if you received an LOA, and you are medically, physically and academically qualified, when you receive a nomination, you are offered an appointment. If you are on an MOC's slate, does that not mean you have a nomination or are you waiting like everyone else to see if you get THAT slate's nomination? From reading the appt thread, some LOA's are appointed as early as the late fall to just yesterday :confused:
 
Nominations make things complicated.

If you get an LOA, fulfill the requirements, and receive some sort of nom, you will be appointed. When the folder arrives doesn't really matter in the long run.

Very few people get LOAs. It feels like there are a lot of LOAs, but this is a small internet community with maybe forty to sixty appointees frequenting these boards any given year.
 
That's a good question...

It feels like there are a lot of LOAs, but this is a small internet community with maybe forty to sixty appointees frequenting these boards any given year.

So, are any of the Mods privy to that sort of info about this board? How many unique visitors it attracts in a given week or month? With the 2017 Appointment thread now up over 100 appointees, I'd have to think at least 200 or 300 folks are either posting or watching at some point during any given week.
 
So, I thought I had this figured out...:confused:

I thought, if you received an LOA, and you are medically, physically and academically qualified, when you receive a nomination, you are offered an appointment. If you are on an MOC's slate, does that not mean you have a nomination or are you waiting like everyone else to see if you get THAT slate's nomination? From reading the appt thread, some LOA's are appointed as early as the late fall to just yesterday :confused:

Son got an LOA at the end of august but didnt get the BFE until the end of November.

When you get an LOA there is nothing on there that says Letter Of Assurance. Instead it says "guaranteed offer of appointment" We weren't even positive it was an LOA until I called one of my buddy's whose son got one a few days before.

On the Letter there is 12 check boxes. The check boxes include: Nomination, Medical Qualification, BGO Interview, Personal Data Record, CFA, Official Test scores, Trascripts, LOR, CAR. etc. There is a handwritten X across the box of what you still need to get. Once you get those items that have an X next to them, then you are guaranteed an appointment. My son only had the box next to nomination checked. Shortly after he received notification of his nomination he received his BFE.

Regarding the nomination specifically, if you are one of the ten that the MOC nominated you are good. You don't have to be the principal.

Also, important to note!!!! every year is different.
 
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Thanks nuensis and vista123, just trying to figure out how a lot of LOA's are notified of appointments in the fall/winter as soon as the nominations are done versus some with an LOA are appointed at this "late" date. I know the end result is still an appointment, but I think most would agree, finding out in October is easier on the blood pressure than finding out in March.
 
Yes finding out earlier is less stressfull than finding out later. On the other hand try talking your appointed senior into studying AP CALC BC for an A instead of a B being good enough. Its hopeless. :rolleyes:
 
Yes finding out earlier is less stressfull than finding out later. On the other hand try talking your appointed senior into studying AP CALC BC for an A instead of a B being good enough. Its hopeless. :rolleyes:

Hi Vista123. DS has an appointment to another SA and still waiting on USNA. Your statement about studying for an "A" vs a "B" in AP CALC BC rings true here too! Good Luck with that!:biggrin:
 
So, I thought I had this figured out...:confused:

I thought, if you received an LOA, and you are medically, physically and academically qualified, when you receive a nomination, you are offered an appointment. If you are on an MOC's slate, does that not mean you have a nomination or are you waiting like everyone else to see if you get THAT slate's nomination? From reading the appt thread, some LOA's are appointed as early as the late fall to just yesterday :confused:

You guys are missing his question....

Yes, I believe it could count that the LOA candidate could charge the congressman his/her slate. I would assume though that the LOA nomination would be charged on the NWL instead of the slate instead.
 
Sorry-I missed the question. You were asking about charging to which slate? I thought you were asking about when you get the BFE after an LOA. sorry. It is my understanding you dont find out (ever) whose slate you were charged to. In fact my son was directed to get a second nom, even though he had a first and only needed one (due to the LOA). This gives usna an opportunity to move appointments around as they need.Sorry I missed the question.
 
Many MOCs do not submit their slate until the deadline of Jan 31, so there is no chance of a fall appointment.
 
Sorry, Patriotic, my wording was confusing, vista had it right. I was just wondering why some LOA's find out later than others if all they are potentially waiting on a nomination.

Vista, your DS cracks me up! Think mine may not get out of bed if he gets that appointment!
 
DS has an appointment to another SA and still waiting on USNA. Your statement about studying for an "A" vs a "B" in AP CALC BC rings true here too! Good Luck with that!

Yep - same story here, except it's AP Chem, AP Physics, AP Calc, AP English! ...

And Patriotic - Let's Go Blue :thumb:.
 
Sorry-... In fact my son was directed to get a second nom, even though he had a first and only needed one (due to the LOA). This gives usna an opportunity to move appointments around as they need.Sorry I missed the question.

Let's be clear about this. USNA cannot "direct" an LOA nominated candidate to "get a second nom." They may ask, which apparently they did. (How did they do so? Who requested such? I've not heard of this type of "directive" or maneuver AFTER receiving a nom AND an LOA. In fact ALL candidates are encouraged to seek A NOMINATION from all viable sources at the outset and in advance of receiving a nomination. None are required nor "directed" to get a 2nd.)

But once one nomination is received ... with an LOA. No others are needed.

Just to be clear.
 
Oh ... those grades! I know my DS is trying to kill me. I'm holding onto one little glimmer of hope from a thread that I read a while back, where someone (who sounded knowledgeable!) said it is a good thing if a future mid experiences a little drop in grades prior to going to the academy .... My (former) straight-A DS, (early LOA recipient, early appointee), is wrestling with with 5 APs (Physics, Calc AB, Economics, Chem, and Gov), as well as two honors classes. All of that, coupled with varsity swimming and a job, is a heavy load, I realize, but the grade books are showing it! I keep telling him they're going to revoke that appointment, but he assures me it will all be fine. I'm so glad to know that I'm not alone in yet another of the many stressful aspects of this process. It's good to have "friends" with whom I can freak out.
 
Gee whillikers Whistle pig, I am assuming you were part of the conversation between my son and his BGO so you know what DS was asked to do or not...NO???????? well than let me clarify...


My son called his BGO after receiving his first nomination and told him of his first nomination (with a LOA in hand). DS asked BGO if he should go ahead with the interview for the second MOC. The BGO told DS it was helpful for USNA for my son to get a second nomination, even though he did not need one.

sometimes WP I think you are more interested in YOUR response than actually reading what other people type...just to be clear...:rolleyes:
 
I thought, if you received an LOA, and you are medically, physically and academically qualified, when you receive a nomination, you are offered an appointment. If you are on an MOC's slate, does that not mean you have a nomination or are you waiting like everyone else to see if you get THAT slate's nomination? From reading the appt thread, some LOA's are appointed as early as the late fall to just yesterday :confused:

I'm not entirely sure of your question. If you have an LOA and are fully qualified, you will receive an appointment. Some may receive it earlier b/c they have a Pres nom or their MOC turned in a slate early. Some may be late b/c they were waiting for DODMERB to clear or to pass the CFA.

It is irrelevant to the candidate to whom they are slotted and, in my experience, USNA doesn't wait to offer the appointment b/c they haven't decided to which source to slot the candidate.
 
...My son called his BGO after receiving his first nomination and told him of his first nomination (with a LOA in hand). DS asked BGO if he should go ahead with the interview for the second MOC. The BGO told DS it was helpful for USNA for my son to get a second nomination, even though he did not need one.

Thanks so much for correcting and clarifying. Saying he was "directed" to pursue a 2nd nomination simply is not accurate. Especially when we know it was from a BGO volunteer who has not authority to direct anything in the process. :rolleyes:

Good to get it clear and correct. :thumb:
 
Presidential Nominations in the Fall

Thanks nuensis and vista123, just trying to figure out how a lot of LOA's are notified of appointments in the fall/winter as soon as the nominations are done versus some with an LOA are appointed at this "late" date. I know the end result is still an appointment, but I think most would agree, finding out in October is easier on the blood pressure than finding out in March.

I believe the first nominations to come out are Presidential, in the fall. As to your blood pressure theory, I'm not so sure about that. Waiting for an appointment is immediately transfered to waiting for I-Day. As a parent, they felt the same, at times, excrutiating :wink:
 
I believe the first nominations to come out are Presidential, in the fall. As to your blood pressure theory, I'm not so sure about that. Waiting for an appointment is immediately transfered to waiting for I-Day. As a parent, they felt the same, at times, excruciating

Yeah, many of my friends who were eligible for Presidentials had them before all of my applications were due to my MOCs. My MOCs sent out their nominations in mid-to-late November, but some did not until Jan 31.

Agreed on the blood pressure. As someone who had an LOA before Columbus day and received their appointment just after Thanksgiving, I've been super concerned about getting hurt for months now. I fortunately don't play a contact sport, but between fretting about being in shape enough for I-Day and whether each and every twinge is going to become an appointment-ending injury, I'm certainly still concerned about USNA, just in different ways.
I don't really know how my parents are feeling about the wait, but its not a total picnic on the appointee-end either.

And with regards to the mentions of grades dropping - at least be glad your kids are into school somewhere. I have friends with serious cases of senioritis that haven't even been accepted into their safety schools yet... And I'm sitting here writing this instead of my history paper...
 
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