Question about FFR

Could Tugboat or anyone who has heard of a similar situation/timeline please comment?

Do you think it's a good sign or is it a bad sign that maybe something is "off" with a candidate's file if:
Monday-DS receives an email from admissions saying: Get your semester 1 transcripts in ASAP! (Transcripts were sent Jan 1st but his school resent them again on Monday since they had obviously not gone through.)
Wednesday-NE Admission person writes to say transcript was received...file complete with nomination.
Thursday/today-Phone call from FFR this evening requesting an interview for this coming Tuesday.
Could it be because he is from a non-military family and they have questions about why he wants to attend WP? Or could there be something in his file that they are uneasy about?? Or is this simply normal and a good sign/final step?? Ideas? Thought? Thank you!

Did your DS already interview with FFR before this point?

goforspaatz said:

Did your DS already interview with FFR before this point?

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No, he has not interviewed with FFR. This coming Tuesday will be the first time.
Thank you for your thoughts.

I don't have a crystal ball and do not know what admin is thinking or going to second guess and give you false hopes. It wouldn't be fair for anyone.

FRR are folks who may be either a parent, alumni or somebody interested in volunteering. They do not represent the academy and are not needed for a appointment. If you have attended SLE a Cadet would have conducted an interview as a leadership requirement. In some areas they may sit in on MOC interviews and selection processes. In parts of the country there is no one who can do it and so its too great of a variable. They do have the ability to gain access to West Point Admin to see how far you have completed your file but do not have the ability to see how close you are or compare you to others. Their only knowledge of competitiveness is based on information from other interviews. They do not have the same ability as the RC to see into your file such as WCS. They are invited to attend a conference at WP once a year for updates.

Many FFR will take the time to request an interview when your file is close to completion or is completed. They just want to put a name with a face and get a chance to meet you and your family. They usually don't waste their time with those who don't have their file three quarters completed in this late stage of the game with just two weeks before the door is closes to finish their file.

When your DS does have his interview have him dress in a nice dress shirt, slacks and "shoes and socks". (unless its a household custom to remove them at the door) The family should also look presentable. He is there to meet you and look over your file with you and what to expect based on his past experience. It could take 30 min, an hour or two. Relax, talk and ask questions. Have polite pleasant conversation, ask about his experience, his family experience and connection to WP. Also ask about AOG scholarships, prep schools MAPS and also your Plan B and local WP parent clubs in your area.

Your file is finished, you have a nomination, this is a positive sign, its a good thing!

Please keep us posted, please.

Push Hard, Press Forward

JTGib 13 - I'm a FFR from a different region than you, so it is hard to say why the NE RC requested an interview.
Interviews are not required for admission. There are no WCS points given based on the interview.
The reasons for interviews are two-fold :
1) To inform -
FFRs use the interview to educate candidates about WP and the admissions process. It is also a chance for the candidate to ask questions about WP, the Army, military life, etc. Is the fact that your family is non-military the reason for the interview? Does WP want to make sure your DS understands what he is getting himself into? Maybe, but IMPO - probably not.

2) To gather info about the candidate -
Candidates can be very different in person than on paper. You can have a walk on water candidate based on the application, but in person, it may be evident that they may not be a good fit for USMA or as a future officer. Interviews provide WP with eyes on the candidate that is not possible through a paper application. IMPO - this is probably the reason for the interview. With a nomination in hand, your RC was anxious to get your transcripts in to complete your file. A possible scenario is - RC thinks you are a great candidate, you now have a nom and RC wants FFR to gets eyes on you to see if you are as good as you appear on paper.
We also want to make sure the candidate wants to go to WP for the right reasons. This is not your situation, but a reason I've seen for RCs requesting an interview, is in the case where the candidate has a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, sibling, etc that is a WP grad and WP wants to make sure that the candidate is the who wants to go to WP and not family member pushing the child to go to WP. There have been many accepted candidates go to WP for the wrong reasons and end up processing out.

Honestly - no one can really say why the interview at this point, but if your DS wasn't a competitive candidate, they wouldn't be requesting an interview.

tug_boat and buff81,
Thank you both for your input. Your detailed thoughts and ideas are much appreciated. Also, thank you for the reminder that it's all a guessing game at most parts of this process. My son has wanted to serve for as long as I can remember so he also has a great Plan B, C and D in place with a 4-year NROTC scholarship. Usually, after all of the SA/nomination and ROTC interviews, he has always felt confident with his answers so I will guess he does a good job interviewing, but when he called home last night about this one, he sounded a bit worried. WP is his first choice so that is part of the angst, I'm sure. I will pass your words along to him and as he prepares/thinks about the interview, I hope he will discover on his own that this is simply another step towards a possible offer of appointment. Thank you again!

tug_boat said:

They do not represent the academy

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I disagree with this sentiment that the FFR does not represent the academy. While they are not employed by the academy, they have gone through a screening process/training and the academy lists their name on their website and refers to them as a local representative. Our local FFR seems to have a very close working relationship with the RC. A very strong interview with the RC can only help an applicants file. Our DS met with his FFR toward the end of his application cycle and he game some great feedback to him.

USMAROTCFamily said:

I disagree with this sentiment that the FFR does not represent the academy. While they are not employed by the academy, they have gone through a screening process/training and the academy lists their name on their website and refers to them as a local representative. Our local FFR seems to have a very close working relationship with the RC. A very strong interview with the RC can only help an applicants file. Our DS met with his FFR toward the end of his application cycle and he game some great feedback to him.

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Thank you USMAROTCFamily. It's great to hear as many thoughts as possible. I hope my DS will also receive some (great) feedback from the FFR as did yours.