^^ I agree. Knowing that number isn't going to change anything about how you interview or what you put on your application. If someone is new to the process, it is better to focus on the things you can control and not get overly involved in %, stats, acceptance rates etc ...............none of which mean that much in the bigger scheme of things.
DS bummed with MOC nomination/interview
- Thread starter greenarcher9
- Start date
I agree. Calling the MOC's office is easy. The staff member answering the phone or the person coordinating SA applications can answer the question.
More information is usually better than less information. Knowing the number of slots can be useful in ordering preferences if there is not a clear #1 choice.
Example: In one district with which I am familiar USNA gets many more applications and is more competitive for nomination than the other SA's. Putting USNA as #2 choice makes it unlikely the candidate will get a nomination to USNA if there is only one slot. Knowing the number of slots to each SA allows the candidate to make an informed decision in ordering preferences.
Gaming the NOM system could back-fire if you eventually end up with a NOM to an SA you really don't want to attend. You should decide on the priority based on your interests and which SA you really want to attend, not based on how my slots you think are open.
Risking losing a nomination to your clear preference in return for getting one to a low interest SA is not wise, which is why I qualified my example with "if there is no clear #1 choice."
Making sound strategic and tactical decisions based on all available information is a part of success in life - whether that is choosing to take an action or choosing not to take an action, an informed choice is better than relying on fate.
Making sound strategic and tactical decisions based on all available information is a part of success in life - whether that is choosing to take an action or choosing not to take an action, an informed choice is better than relying on fate.
Dadx4
5-Year Member
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- Sep 11, 2015
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Agree. Ideally, candidates should rank service academies based on desire to attend/overall fit, not on the statistical probability of getting a nomination to any service academy. By example, if the clear objective is USAFA, throw everything at USAFA and don't look back! If there is no clear academy choice, the presumption is a general desire for the candidate to serve in any branch of the military, but that presumption is rebuttable, and it could also be presumed that the goal is a "free" education. It pays dividends down the road when the candidate is truly where they want to be, instead of settling and possibly being unhappy. Just my two cents.
The differences between a USAF pilot and USN pilot or an Army infantry officer and Marine infantry officer are not sufficiently distinct to presume a candidate has only a general desire to serve in the military, while the presumption that the goal is a free education presumes too much. Would a candidate be unhappy at USAFA because they didn't get into USNA? Would they be unhappy studying economics at Columbia because they really wanted business at Penn?
If a choice might result in a candidate "settling and being unhappy", then the choice was clear in the first place and would never have been made. People normally do not waste their time applying to schools they have no desire to attend, regardless of the probability of acceptance.
To extend the above example further (specific to one particular district) - if a candidate wants to be a pilot and USNA has 1 slot and USAFA has 2 slots, putting USAFA as #1 virtually guarantees that the candidate will get a USAFA nomination and not get a nomination for USNA. All eggs lie in one basket. Putting USNA as #1 allows the candidate to compete for the USNA nomination and still virtually guarantees the USAFA nomination.
Some candidates have a clear preference and their choices are easy. Many candidates apply to more than one SA that they would be happy to attend. Ignoring available information limits opportunity.
MAC_Daddy
Rationalization is the enemy of excellence!
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- Mar 8, 2017
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MOC can nominate 10 for 1 spot. 5 appointments to USNA from our district last year. I know 3 had an athletic LOA. While a recruited athlete, our DS and his coach devised to roll the dice to see if he could get in on his own first because his candidacy was so strong. Fortunately it paid off and the coach used that LOA to help another great kid in. The bottom line is, I don’t think the athletes that have LOA’s count against the MOC support. The numbers don’t match if it did.
Enthalpy
2021 USMA Dad
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- Jan 29, 2017
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Last year DD applied to USMA and I had similar thoughts as a Recruited Athlete from our town was given the LOA.
Long story short, both the RA and DD received appointments to USMA . Beat Navy!