My son got the principle nomination from his State's Senator, but got rejected by the Naval Academy

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proutsneck2000

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My son got the principle nomination this past December. We were all very surprised and extremely excited once we understood what it meant. He got a rejection letter, on Friday, stating his SAT scores were the reason and that he would not be considered for even the prep academy. Is that legal or correct? We are wondering if the Naval Academy even knew he had the principle nomination. His SAT scores were what they were when they nominated him and he has heard that there are people there who have lower scores, from other mids there. Who can we talk to? The first call was to the Senator's office.
 
proutsneck2000 said:
My son got the principle nomination this past December. We were all very surprised and extremely excited once we understood what it meant. He got a rejection letter, on Friday, stating his SAT scores were the reason and that he would not be considered for even the prep academy. Is that legal or correct? We are wondering if the Naval Academy even knew he had the principle nomination. His SAT scores were what they were when they nominated him and he has heard that there are people there who have lower scores, from other mids there. Who can we talk to? The first call was to the Senator's office.
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If you don't mind me asking what where his SAT scores?
I would contact your BGO or Regional Director of Admissions for more info on this.
 
His SAT's were 1130. They said in his letter he needed 1300. We have signed up to do the SAT's again, but have already missed so many deadlines.
 
I read somewhere on here that the principle has either ranked or competitive alternates. If the principle nominee is found qualified, then they get the appointment, if they are found to be not qualified, then the appointment goes to either a ranked alternate or, the alternate deemed most qualified by the admissions board if it is left competitive by the MOC.

Your son was disqualified based on test scores so the appointment will go to one of the alternates.

Best of luck to your son going forward.
 
A principal nominee is (generally) assured of an appointment IF he/she is fully qualified by USNA. Fully qualified means scholastically, medically, and CFA. If someone is not qualified in any area, USNA will not appoint him/her.

In this case, USNA apparently has determined that your DS doesn't meet the academic qualifications due to his SATs. I'm aware of other candidates this year with similar scores who were also rejected academically.

The fact your MOC found your DS sufficiently qualified for a nomination is not directly relevant to USNA's determination. MOCs can nominate whomever they like on whatever basis they want. They do not consult with USNA before making their nominations -- it is a separate, but parallel process. The fact the MOC nominates someone, or even makes that person a principal nominee, does not mean USNA will agree that the person is qualified. That appears to be what happened here.

It is too late for this year's cycle to retake the SAT. If your DS still wants to attend USNA, he should first study for the standardized test of his choice and then retake with an eye to being appointed next year. Given how impressed your MOC apparently was, he should have an easy time getting a nom, or even a principal nom, next year.
 
usna1985 said:
A principal nominee is (generally) assured of an appointment IF he/she is fully qualified by USNA. Fully qualified means scholastically, medically, and CFA. If someone is not qualified in any area, USNA will not appoint him/her.

In this case, USNA apparently has determined that your DS doesn't meet the academic qualifications due to his SATs. I'm aware of other candidates this year with similar scores who were also rejected academically.

The fact your MOC found your DS sufficiently qualified for a nomination is not directly relevant to USNA's determination. MOCs can nominate whomever they like on whatever basis they want. They do not consult with USNA before making their nominations -- it is a separate, but parallel process. The fact the MOC nominates someone, or even makes that person a principal nominee, does not mean USNA will agree that the person is qualified. That appears to be what happened here.

It is too late for this year's cycle to retake the SAT. If your DS still wants to attend USNA, he should first study for the standardized test of his choice and then retake with an eye to being appointed next year. Given how impressed your MOC apparently was, he should have an easy time getting a nom, or even a principal nom, next year.
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Thank you so much for your straight response. That is the path we are taking. He is in fact scheduled to retake the SAT. He is also enrolled in a college that supports the type of academics the NA looks for. The frustration is that so many of the "right" people said it was practically guaranteed, unless he did something to get disqualified. He is a model student and great young man, who works hard. When I say "right", I mean experienced with this process.

My son has a great attitude and perseverence. He is ready to go to college this upcoming fall and try again. He really believes in the Naval Academy and all it represents.

I on the other hand, have questions and feel that I deserve some answers, especially if there are other candidates with lower scores accepted and attending. I am reaching out here, because I really don't know who or what to ask. That leaves me asking what is on my mind, at the end of the day. I don't want to step on anybody's toes. I am not sure if there is an appropriate way or place to ask the questions or if the mindset is to not question anything, but accept and move on and try again next year.
 
Proutsneck2000--Sorry about this turn of events. I can only imagine how disappointed you and DS must be after thinking this was a sure bet. Even though the letter stated your DS was academically unqualified, there are so many other areas they look at. Was your son a varsity athlete for his high school career? Did he compete in the debate team and go to State? Did he attend NASS last summer and wow his squad leaders? Were his letters of rec top notch? There just seems to be so much more than test scores considered in the appointment process. Having said that, did he take the ACT? My DD was much more competitive with it.
 
nodiva said:
Proutsneck2000--Sorry about this turn of events. I can only imagine how disappointed you and DS must be after thinking this was a sure bet. Even though the letter stated your DS was academically unqualified, there are so many other areas they look at. Was your son a varsity athlete for his high school career? Did he compete in the debate team and go to State? Did he attend NASS last summer and wow his squad leaders? Were his letters of rec top notch? There just seems to be so much more than test scores considered in the appointment process. Having said that, did he take the ACT? My DD was much more competitive with it.
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YES to all of those questions. He was the captain of his varsity swim team, on top of swimming varsity for 3 seasons, along with doing other sports. His Letters of Recommendation were glowing, from his classroom teachers, to prestigious members of the community. He did speech and debate, went to Princeton Model Congress, went to Boys state and won an elected position. He has a 4.0 GPA, with AP classes and college prep classes. He did attend NASS last summer and STEM the year before. Active volunteer with National Honor Society and works 2 PT jobs. At the YMCA, he was the highest scored PT lifeguard. He has maintained that all through high school and not even stopped, when some of his friends started slowing down their senior year. Thank you, we are just stunned, because it took a lot for us to bye into the concept of Principle nomination and now that we have, with much research about what that meant, are very confused.
 
He sounds like a great kid--you must be so proud. I'm sure his plan B's are impressive--no doubt a ton of schools want to get their mitts on him!
 
nodiva said:
He sounds like a great kid--you must be so proud. I'm sure his plan B's are impressive--no doubt a ton of schools want to get their mitts on him!
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Thank you again. He is a great kid and what's funny is, he did what he did, all on his own. I know he will do well in life. Just feeling, well, frustrated with the process.....the parent's perspective, who now has to get into financial aide and logistics.
 
Unfortunately, you can't really compare to others that have been accepted because there are so many variables. The candidates who had the same SAT scores may be coming from an under-represented area of the country, or they may have other attributes that the Academy may be looking for.

Ultimately, the only ones who know who will get appointments is admissions.
 
In the end, I think that is the only reality and answer. For an 18 year old, kid, that works. For a 50 year old professional, with a couple of degrees, who spent 10 years in the military and still has a lot of ties to it, and has accountability on her shoulders everyday, I feel that somewhere out there is someone with answers. Is it appropriate to contact admissions, or to leave well enough alone.
 
Proustneck2000 I totally feel your pain with the whole financial aid process. Ugh. And, of course, all of the deadlines either just passed or are tomorrow.
 
proutsneck2000 said:
I on the other hand, have questions and feel that I deserve some answers, especially if there are other candidates with lower scores accepted and attending. I am reaching out here, because I really don't know who or what to ask. That leaves me asking what is on my mind, at the end of the day. I don't want to step on anybody's toes. I am not sure if there is an appropriate way or place to ask the questions or if the mindset is to not question anything, but accept and move on and try again next year.
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I feel your pain and understand your quest to obtain answers. However, you may find you just need to accept and move on as you stated. I will share our story just to let you know you aren't alone in finding yourself in an unusual situation. My DS and I found ourselves with similar frustrations last year. While not a primary nom, he received an LOA early Feb for a direct admit but needed a color deficiency waiver. He got the waiver mid April but the offer changed to NAPS due to "extremely limited color deficiency availability". While we were very appreciative of the rare waiver and grateful for NAPS, it was still hard to grasp why the LOA terms changed when we were under the impression if you met the criteria for the LOA you would be appointed. We chose not to question and to embrace NAPS. iMHO, one of the most valuable lessons for civilians to learn is that things in the military don't always occur as expected.
 
I want to thank you for all of your comments tonight. We got the news on Friday afternoon and have been going through next steps. It helps me stay focused, tomorrow, when I go back to work and not ponder about what I should do or could do. Your feedback was appreciated.
 
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