To soothe your souls I can give you my stats...
Question for those who understand: do the academies distinguish between different States in terms of determining who may get LOA's? Or how about regions? By this I am asking, are they more likely to provide a LOA to a candidate from an underrepresented state than they are to a kid from say New York, Virginia, or some other state which is heavily represented? How much authority or influence does the regional commander have in the process?
Don't bother trying to make sense of the LOA. Your brain will hurt the more you try to compare yourself to someone's stats.
Sorry I didn't include more I was writing in a hurry and forgot to include those things and I more so wanted to list my actual resume/ achievements. I am a URM/ female if that gives you all a better idea.Don't bother trying to make sense of the LOA. Your brain will hurt the more you try to compare yourself to someone's stats.
From my perspective, we can make some sense of LOAs, but not through "stats" alone. And most cases, we don't have all the information. Not to pick on CATLOVER2, ACT and recruited athlete status were not disclosed until asked. The only exception might be "scholars" during September. If a candidate is top 1% from a good high school, scored 99% on SAT/ACT, and most of his or application completed, a decent chance of getting a LOA as a part of the "scholar" goals. However, if within the state there are several other candidates with similar "stats," the candidate might not get a LOA since there is a higher chance of one of those highly qualified applicants coming to West Point.
Non-URM/male/not recruited athlete/non-soldier applicant with CATLOVER2 "stats" getting a LOA is not likely.
But URM/female/recruited athlete/soldier applicant with CATLOVER2 "stats" getting a LOA is likely. But if there is a higher number above mentioned applicant within the state, the likelihood of LOA diminishes.
I agree 100% with 845! Move on to something else. It will drive you crazy! Here are just a FEW stats of 2 applicants I know very well:Don't bother trying to make sense of the LOA. Your brain will hurt the more you try to compare yourself to someone's stats. Unlike the LOE that the RC has a lot of control over as they look at their districts, LOAs tend to more tightly controlled precisely because they are a conditional appointment and the RC does not have the level of authority to appoint someone to West Point. LOEs are at the congressional level - a real micro competition look, while LOAs are at the national level to try to lock in what West Point believes is the talent (that includes class composition goals like LG mentioned) that will otherwise get recruited away to another school (think Ivies and not just those other academies).
I agree 100% with 845! Move on to something else. It will drive you crazy! Here are just a FEW stats of 2 applicants I know very well:Don't bother trying to make sense of the LOA. Your brain will hurt the more you try to compare yourself to someone's stats. Unlike the LOE that the RC has a lot of control over as they look at their districts, LOAs tend to more tightly controlled precisely because they are a conditional appointment and the RC does not have the level of authority to appoint someone to West Point. LOEs are at the congressional level - a real micro competition look, while LOAs are at the national level to try to lock in what West Point believes is the talent (that includes class composition goals like LG mentioned) that will otherwise get recruited away to another school (think Ivies and not just those other academies).
APPLICANT A: APPLICANT B:
1. Received LOA in Oct (high school class of 2016) 1. Is on round 2 of applying-TWE early April ( from same high school/2015)
2. 6 AP courses-A's and B's (3's and 4's on AP exams so far) 2. 6 AP courses-All A's and scored 4's and a 5 on the BC Calc exam
3. 1 varsity letter-1 captaincy 3. 6 varsity letters-4 captaincies
4. 1850-SAT/30 ACT 4. 2100-SAT/32 ACT
5. # 3 in class of 495 5. # 3 in class of 511
6. Female 6. Male
7. District 2/Massachusetts 7. District 2/Massachusetts
8. Received congressional nomination 8. Received congressional nomination
9. No athletic awards...will most likely receive some academic 9. Numerous athletic/academic awards
awards this spring.
I could go on and on with comparison stats. You can see the differences and one has an LOA in hand and the other does not. Find a hobby to fill the time while you wait because all the stats in the world, or the district you are from, will not guarantee an offer of appointment. Do your best, stay positive, celebrate if you receive an LOA and then receive an appointment, but also prepare for the "what if". GOOD LUCK and enjoy this crazy ride!!
Is being female/a minority that huge of a boost? According to the class of 2017 profile a higher % of qualified males were accepted than qualified females(55.1% vs 54.1%). I'm not trying to say you are incorrect it's just that it seems kind of strange to me that the acceptance rate would be higher for males if females are being heavily favored.I agree 100% with 845! Move on to something else. It will drive you crazy! Here are just a FEW stats of 2 applicants I know very well:Don't bother trying to make sense of the LOA. Your brain will hurt the more you try to compare yourself to someone's stats. Unlike the LOE that the RC has a lot of control over as they look at their districts, LOAs tend to more tightly controlled precisely because they are a conditional appointment and the RC does not have the level of authority to appoint someone to West Point. LOEs are at the congressional level - a real micro competition look, while LOAs are at the national level to try to lock in what West Point believes is the talent (that includes class composition goals like LG mentioned) that will otherwise get recruited away to another school (think Ivies and not just those other academies).
APPLICANT A: APPLICANT B:
1. Received LOA in Oct (high school class of 2016) 1. Is on round 2 of applying-TWE early April ( from same high school/2015)
2. 6 AP courses-A's and B's (3's and 4's on AP exams so far) 2. 6 AP courses-All A's and scored 4's and a 5 on the BC Calc exam
3. 1 varsity letter-1 captaincy 3. 6 varsity letters-4 captaincies
4. 1850-SAT/30 ACT 4. 2100-SAT/32 ACT
5. # 3 in class of 495 5. # 3 in class of 511
6. Female 6. Male
7. District 2/Massachusetts 7. District 2/Massachusetts
8. Received congressional nomination 8. Received congressional nomination
9. No athletic awards...will most likely receive some academic 9. Numerous athletic/academic awards
awards this spring.
I could go on and on with comparison stats. You can see the differences and one has an LOA in hand and the other does not. Find a hobby to fill the time while you wait because all the stats in the world, or the district you are from, will not guarantee an offer of appointment. Do your best, stay positive, celebrate if you receive an LOA and then receive an appointment, but also prepare for the "what if". GOOD LUCK and enjoy this crazy ride!!
#6 is more than likely why Applicant A got a LOA.
Is being female/a minority that huge of a boost? According to the class of 2017 profile a higher % of qualified males were accepted than qualified females(55.1% vs 54.1%). I'm not trying to say you are incorrect it's just that it seems kind of strange to me that the acceptance rate would be higher for males if females are being heavily favored.
Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No more LOA talk! Look up the several hundred pages already listed on this, and then drop it.
On I-Day or R-Day, absolutely no one will care if you received an LOA or if you got a late (May) invite.
Just do your best and quit this LOA chatter.