So I Just Got an LOA... timeline?

Pierre680

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I received an LOA on Friday and had my final interview with MOC on Saturday. Has anyone ever heard of someone getting an LOA and not getting a nomination? How long will it take for me to hear back from the MOC about my nomination status? And, as always, BEAT ARMY
 
Yes, each year there are a number of candidates who receive an LOA but not a nomination. Hence, work on Plan B. MOC nomination slates are due to SAs on 1/31. Your MOC will likely inform you much sooner, but they all move to their own rhythm. Patience is key — yours, not theirs.
 
Even if you get a nom, keep working plan B. One never knows what mishaps might occur before your report to an academy. Are you DoDMERB qualified at this point or are you still waiting on that as well?
 
Even if you get a nom, keep working plan B. One never knows what mishaps might occur before your report to an academy. Are you DoDMERB qualified at this point or are you still waiting on that as well?
I'm medically qualified. All I'm waiting on is nomination from MOC
 
The reason Kinnem (don’t want to speak for them, but guessing he will agree) to keep working Plan B is you never know what will happen between now and I Day. Every year we see appointees on this board either not receive a Nom with an LOA or get hurt before I day. It is rare for someone with LOA to not get an appointment, but it’s not unheard of. We also see every year an appointee who breaks an arm or blows out a knee in May before I Day. Plan Bs provide options for the what if’s. Someone a few years ago on this forum was injured getting off the bus (if I remember right... tore up a knee) on R Day at USMA. They didn’t get to swear in. They were given an LOA and came back the next year and I believe they are a cadet today (someone correct this one... it’s been awhile). I used to work I day at USNA for years. Every year I saw 1-2 kids talking with admissions in Alumni Hall about why they can’t swear in that day and handed an LOA for the next class. Just put out these examples of why a Plan B is important.
 
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The wait is hard after that LOA, but it pales in comparison to the few thousand who are CPR and waiting on pins and needles until April 15th. ;)
 
The reason Kinnem (don’t want to speak for them, but guessing he will agree) to keep working Plan B is you never know what will happen between now and I Day. Every year we see appointees on this board either not receive a Nom with an LOA or get hurt before I day. It is rare for someone with LOA to not get an appointment, but it’s not unheard of. We also see every year an appointee who breaks an arm or blows out a knee in May before I Day. Plan Bs provide options for the what if’s. Someone a few years ago on this forum was injured getting off the bus (if I remember right... torr up a knee) on R Day at USMA. They didn’t get to swear in. They were given an LOA and came back the next year and I believe they are a cadet today (someone correct this one... it’s been awhile). I used to work I day at USNA for years. Every year I saw 1-2 kids talking with admissions in Alumni Hall about why they can’t swear in that day and handed an LOA for the next class. Just put out these examples of why a Plan B is important.
Hoops, you can speak for me anytime. You read my mind like an open book.
I think the kid with the stepping off the bus problem was at USAFA. That's where everyone rides a bus on I Day, or whatever the Air Force calls it.
 
I read a story about a kid at USAFA who got to the haircut and couldn't do it. His parents were halfway to the gate (the gate is 7 miles away) and had to turn around, pick him up, and take him home.
Man, I can't imagine what that car ride home was like, for either side of that equation.
 
I read a story about a kid at USAFA who got to the haircut and couldn't do it. His parents were halfway to the gate (the gate is 7 miles away) and had to turn around, pick him up, and take him home.
Man, I can't imagine what that car ride home was like, for either side of that equation.
We might have to quit using "for want of a nail.." and go with "For want of a haircut..." from here on out.
 
I received an LOA on Friday and had my final interview with MOC on Saturday. Has anyone ever heard of someone getting an LOA and not getting a nomination? How long will it take for me to hear back from the MOC about my nomination status? And, as always, BEAT ARMY

Yes. Every year for the last 5 years I have been on SAF. And at USNA, LOA+principal nomination does NOT always mean an appointment. Again you could be no.1 nominee today, you could be no. 11 by the time they submit slates. Always have plan B,C...X in place.
 
I read a story about a kid at USAFA who got to the haircut and couldn't do it. His parents were halfway to the gate (the gate is 7 miles away) and had to turn around, pick him up, and take him home.
Man, I can't imagine what that car ride home was like, for either side of that equation.

Why turn around and pick him up??? He's on his own. [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]
 
I received an LOA on Friday and had my final interview with MOC on Saturday. Has anyone ever heard of someone getting an LOA and not getting a nomination? How long will it take for me to hear back from the MOC about my nomination status? And, as always, BEAT ARMY

Yes. Every year for the last 5 years I have been on SAF. And at USNA, LOA+principal nomination does NOT always mean an appointment. Again you could be no.1 nominee today, you could be no. 11 by the time they submit slates. Always have plan B,C...X in place.


So my DS has an LOA and the below MOC. Waiting on medical. There is a chance that if medical clears he might still not get in?


Nomination Source State District Date Received
Congress/Senator 1 IL 03-DEC-2018



 
If he is 3Q with a Nom and met the conditions of an LOA he will get an appointment. The key is the LOA in this case not the principal Nom. An LOA just needs a Nom, any kind of nom, doesn’t matter where they are on the slate, it’s a nom.

US code dictates the Nom process. There is language that addresses principal nominations for SAs. For USNA the language is slightly different. This language differs from USMA and USAFA that says 3Q + principal = appointment. The language is slightly different that does not require this for USNA. For the large majority, trends have shown USNA honors principal noms + 3Q = appointment, but we have seen in rare cases this not occur. It’s the subtle language differences that allow this. An LOA is different and dictates what is required to turn a conditional offer to a full appointment. There are some older threads that quote the code. @usnabgo08 has had some terrific posts in the past on this.
 
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No. If all he has left is to be medically qualified, an offer is assured (if of course, he IS medically qualified).
 
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US code dictates the Nom process. .

To Hoops point, for USNA...here is the code:

"Each Senator, Representative, and Delegate in Congress, including the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico, is entitled to nominate 10 persons for each vacancy that is available to him under this section. Nominees may be submitted without ranking or with a principal candidate and 9 ranked or unranked alternates. Qualified nominees not selected for appointment under this subsection shall be considered qualified alternates for the purposes of selection under other provisions of this chapter."

Note that it does not stipulate that a principal nominee must be selected for appointment, if they are qualified.
 
In the last decade, I've had ~5 LOA recipients who were fully qualified but didn't get a nom. They all received turndowns.

Why, you ask, would an LOA recipient NOT get a nom? The main reason, I suspect from my small sample size, is that they don't come across well in the interview and/or the MOC committee believed there were 10 more qualified candidates. Remember that USNA Admissions doesn't meet candidates (other than thru a BGO) before offering a nom and sometimes gives out an LOA before the BGO interview. And, even an "awkward" BGO interview is unlikely to derail an otherwise great candidate. Thus, there are some folks who are terrific "on paper" but who just don't present well for any number of reasons (too shy, can't answer basic questions, come across as a know-it-all).

In a few cases (thankfully, very few) MOCs may try to "game the system" by refusing to nominate LOA recipients on the (incorrect, at least for USNA) theory that USNA will "find" the LOA candidate a nom and thus the MOC will get an extra appointment -- one from his/her slate and the other (LOA recipient) who will get a nom from another source. Sadly, that doesn't always work out well for the LOA candidate and, as noted, is very rare.
 
+One. In a very competitive district an LOA candidate may have 1 Nom given to him/her to another Academy and all or most candidates are limited to 1 Nom at a district. So the candidate goes to another Academy. Those who did not get Nom went to civilian colleges with ROTC Scholarships. This has been a common consequence at my district. And few top candidates even got Noms but did not get Appointments. Among the turn down went to MIT and Harvard with ROTC Scholarships. It happens so don’t be off guard and seek all possibilities including another Academy in your choice and ROTC options.
 
I received an LOA on Friday and had my final interview with MOC on Saturday. Has anyone ever heard of someone getting an LOA and not getting a nomination? How long will it take for me to hear back from the MOC about my nomination status? And, as always, BEAT ARMY

Yes. Every year for the last 5 years I have been on SAF. And at USNA, LOA+principal nomination does NOT always mean an appointment. Again you could be no.1 nominee today, you could be no. 11 by the time they submit slates. Always have plan B,C...X in place.


So my DS has an LOA and the below MOC. Waiting on medical. There is a chance that if medical clears he might still not get in?


Nomination Source State District Date Received
Congress/Senator 1 IL 03-DEC-2018


My bad... I really meant to type 3Q (not LOA)+ Principal nomination does not always equal appointment. LOA + ANY nomination (and obviously 3Q) should get an appointment. Good luck.
 
I received an LOA on Friday and had my final interview with MOC on Saturday. Has anyone ever heard of someone getting an LOA and not getting a nomination? How long will it take for me to hear back from the MOC about my nomination status? And, as always, BEAT ARMY

Good Luck ! here is my status with LOAs.
  1. I received MoC nomination for USAFA but didn't had the USNA LOA then (October last week).
  2. I was Declined by Senator1 for USNA even after having the LOA letter (November second week).
  3. I received Senator2 Nomination for USNA , before the interview I told that I have received a LOA from USNA (last week).
  4. I received the LOA from USCGA (September). - No nominations required.

I now wait for the appointment letters from the 3. It's a wait game now.
 
Good Luck ! here is my status with LOAs.
  1. I received MoC nomination for USAFA but didn't had the USNA LOA then (October last week).
  2. I was Declined by Senator1 for USNA even after having the LOA letter (November second week).
  3. I received Senator2 Nomination for USNA , before the interview I told that I have received a LOA from USNA (last week).
  4. I received the LOA from USCGA (September). - No nominations required.

I now wait for the appointment letters from the 3. It's a wait game now.

It seems like you are in an excellent position.

Have you satisfied the conditions specified in your LOAs? That’s when you can permit yourself to be fairly sure to expect an offer of appointment. You have a nom for USAFA, right, but no LOA, so your position WRT an appointment is unknown there. Keep your non-SA back-up plans current, in case something occurs before an SA reporting date (injury/illness, family emergency) preventing you from reporting in.

Congratulations on getting a nice handful of noms and LOAs.
 
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