Other Possible Nomination Sources

a.lo1021

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Apr 14, 2019
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Hi all!

I have an LOA for USNA but no nomination. I was just wondering if there were ANY other possible nom sources as of now other than VP, which I already applied for.

Is it still possible to receive a nomination followed by an appointment by other any sources?

Thank you in advance!
 
Only other one would be a Supt’s Nom based upon the info you have provided. Those are pretty rare and at the discretion of the Supt.
 
If the SA wants someone bad enough — typically indicated by an LOA — they will find a way to offer an appointment. That includes candidates who do not have a nomination. My DD is an example of this: LOA from USAFA on April 27, pending nomination. Offer of appointment on April 28, because they “found” her a nomination.

As said many times here, it ain’t over until you have TWE. Meanwhile, work on that Plan B.
 
If the SA wants someone bad enough — typically indicated by an LOA — they will find a way to offer an appointment. That includes candidates who do not have a nomination. My DD is an example of this: LOA from USAFA on April 27, pending nomination. Offer of appointment on April 28, because they “found” her a nomination.

As said many times here, it ain’t over until you have TWE. Meanwhile, work on that Plan B.
Will doc thank you!
 
If the SA wants someone bad enough — typically indicated by an LOA — they will find a way to offer an appointment. That includes candidates who do not have a nomination. My DD is an example of this: LOA from USAFA on April 27, pending nomination. Offer of appointment on April 28, because they “found” her a nomination.

As said many times here, it ain’t over until you have TWE. Meanwhile, work on that Plan B.
Will doc thank you!
Do*
 
I've heard of cases like this before - an LOA recipient without a nomination - but it is extremely rare. What puzzles me is this: The Letter of Assurance is not only sent to the candidate, it is also copied/forwarded to the three primary nominating sources, the applicable congressman and both senators. The LOA is basically telling these nominating sources, "If you nominate this candidate, he/she will get an appointment!" This begs the question, "Why wouldn't a nominating source nominate a candidate who is guaranteed of an appointment by the academy itself?"

I think there are two possible explanations how this could happen.

1. The congressman's Service Academy Coordinator is unaware that the candidate has an LOA. They probably received the letter but you can imagine the deluge of correspondence that comes into the office. It simply didn't get noted. It got lost in the shuffle. This is why I always advise a candidate who receives an LOA to send that LOA to the nominating source (even though the LOA already indicates that it has been forwarded) with a concise explanation indicating the significance of receiving an LOA. This insures that the letter gets put into your file. It's a reminder, of sorts.

2. Despite receiving an LOA, that is no guarantee that the candidate is a good interviewee. Maybe the candidate did or said something during their nomination interview that was off-putting; so much so, that the interviewer thought it was disqualifying, despite the fact that the candidate had an LOA in hand.

Let's not forget that the congressman is probably not making the selections. Do you really think a senator or congressman (especially one who is running for reelection) is going through ACT scores and reading recommendations from teachers? No! They have a staff that does that. The person who is probably creating the slate of 10 nominees for each vacancy is the Service Academy Coordinator who is probably assisted by a couple staff members, some of whom are serving internships. The LOA has either fallen through the administrative cracks or the candidate has done/said something that somebody on that staff found particularly distasteful - and, therefore, disqualifying.
 
I got nominated by my congressman for USAFA, USMA, and USMMA, but not USNA. I did not receive a nomination from either senator (no senatorial interview, too many applicants). I then received my LOA in November, and my Congressman had made nominations in October because he was leaving office.

I've heard of cases like this before - an LOA recipient without a nomination - but it is extremely rare. What puzzles me is this: The Letter of Assurance is not only sent to the candidate, it is also copied/forwarded to the three primary nominating sources, the applicable congressman and both senators. The LOA is basically telling these nominating sources, "If you nominate this candidate, he/she will get an appointment!" This begs the question, "Why wouldn't a nominating source nominate a candidate who is guaranteed of an appointment by the academy itself?"

I think there are two possible explanations how this could happen.

1. The congressman's Service Academy Coordinator is unaware that the candidate has an LOA. They probably received the letter but you can imagine the deluge of correspondence that comes into the office. It simply didn't get noted. It got lost in the shuffle. This is why I always advise a candidate who receives an LOA to send that LOA to the nominating source (even though the LOA already indicates that it has been forwarded) with a concise explanation indicating the significance of receiving an LOA. This insures that the letter gets put into your file. It's a reminder, of sorts.

2. Despite receiving an LOA, that is no guarantee that the candidate is a good interviewee. Maybe the candidate did or said something during their nomination interview that was off-putting; so much so, that the interviewer thought it was disqualifying, despite the fact that the candidate had an LOA in hand.

Let's not forget that the congressman is probably not making the selections. Do you really think a senator or congressman (especially one who is running for reelection) is going through ACT scores and reading recommendations from teachers? No! They have a staff that does that. The person who is probably creating the slate of 10 nominees for each vacancy is the Service Academy Coordinator who is probably assisted by a couple staff members, some of whom are serving internships. The LOA has either fallen through the administrative cracks or the candidate has done/said something that somebody on that staff found particularly distasteful - and, therefore, disqualifying.
 
@Memphis9489 Let me suggest a third possibility based on MidCakePa's comment:

If the SA wants someone bad enough — typically indicated by an LOA — they will find a way to offer an appointment. That includes candidates who do not have a nomination.

I suspect some MOCs believe this and therefore don't give a nomination to LOA holders figuring the Academy will find one elsewhere for them... then he's "guaranteed" 2 at the Academy. Unfortunately there are folks each year who get an LOA, no nomination, and no appointment. There are also folks like MidCakePa's DD each year for whom they do find a nomination. One can never assume which camp they fall in, but one should always have hope unless and until a TWE arrives.
 
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@Memphis9489 Let me suggest a third possibility based on MidCakePa's comment:

If the SA wants someone bad enough — typically indicated by an LOA — they will find a way to offer an appointment. That includes candidates who do not have a nomination.

I suspect some MOCs believe this and therefore don't give a nomination to LOA holders figuring the Academy will find one elsewhere for them... then he's "guaranteed" 2 at the Academy. Unfortunately there are folks each year who get an LOA, no nomination, and no appointment. There are also folks like MidCakePa's DD each year for whom they do find a nomination. One can never assume which camp they fall in, but one should always have hope unless and until a TWE arrives.

What I don’t understand is how bad can the MOC be to not give a nomination to someone who earned an LOA?

Are there really ten more deserving of a nom than an LOA according to admissions?

Each Senator asked my son if he had an LOA and a nom at his interview. They didn’t give him a nom (rightfully so).
 
In DD’s case, she received MOC nominations for USNA and USMA. She told the interview panels that USAFA was her third choice (which she would have gladly taken if the others didn’t offer appointment). We also live in the Mountain West, where USAFA candidates are plentiful. Finally, our state’s MOCs coordinate their slates for maximum coverage.

Add that all together and I believe you get a top-notch candidate without a nomination. Probably more common than we might think.
 
In DD’s case, she received MOC nominations for USNA and USMA. She told the interview panels that USAFA was her third choice (which she would have gladly taken if the others didn’t offer appointment). We also live in the Mountain West, where USAFA candidates are plentiful. Finally, our state’s MOCs coordinate their slates for maximum coverage.

Add that all together and I believe you get a top-notch candidate without a nomination. Probably more common than we might think.
I think that might’ve happened to me, USNA candidates are plentiful on the West Coast, especially in my area. I assume they only had spots for nominations for USAFA, USMA, and USMMA for me, though I am only interested in USNA.

That, and my congressman made early nominations before I had my LOA secured. So, here’s to hoping I can get some sort of nomination and an appointment in the next few days!
 
In DD’s case, she received MOC nominations for USNA and USMA. She told the interview panels that USAFA was her third choice (which she would have gladly taken if the others didn’t offer appointment). We also live in the Mountain West, where USAFA candidates are plentiful. Finally, our state’s MOCs coordinate their slates for maximum coverage.

Add that all together and I believe you get a top-notch candidate without a nomination. Probably more common than we might think.

I'm not sure I'm following you in the context of an LOA recipient not receiving a nomination.

Your daughter received a nomination for two out of the three academies to which she was applying. And ... ?
 
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What I don’t understand is how bad can the MOC be to not give a nomination to someone who earned an LOA?

Are there really ten more deserving of a nom than an LOA according to admissions?

Each Senator asked my son if he had an LOA and a nom at his interview. They didn’t give him a nom (rightfully so).

How can a LOA mean they deserve a nom over 10 other candidates? A LOA does not mean anyone would deserve a nomination over someone else.
 
X


What I don’t understand is how bad can the MOC be to not give a nomination to someone who earned an LOA?

Are there really ten more deserving of a nom than an LOA according to admissions?

Each Senator asked my son if he had an LOA and a nom at his interview. They didn’t give him a nom (rightfully so).

How can a LOA mean they deserve a nom over 10 other candidates? A LOA does not mean anyone would deserve a nomination over someone else.

Who are the LOAs? According to the Naval Academy:
  1. Outstanding Achievement - Students who have an outstanding achievement record will receive a Letter of Assurance. This letter indicates our intent to extend an Offer of Appointment and could be received as early as September of your senior year in high school.
I’m assuming if a candidate’s achievement record is outstanding enough to warrant an offer of appointment (conditional), than that candidate would be one of the ten best candidates for a nomination. The percentage of LOAs with a nomination, I assume, is high.

Edit: my son got an LOA and there were only 13 applicants to the MOC. So my views might be based on my knowledge of our experience in our district.
 
I can say there are many outstanding candidates left without LOA’s. Our senator interviewed 340 students for 10 nominations. My son received a nom from him and didn’t receive a LOA. Just because he didn’t have the LOA didn’t mean he wasn’t outstanding. Means he didn’t have the LOA.
 
I’m assuming if a candidate’s achievement record is outstanding enough to warrant an offer of appointment (conditional), than that candidate would be one of the ten best candidates for a nomination.
One of the 10 best? Sure. The best? Not always. It is a competition and that other guy who also, perhaps, has an LOA might be a smidge better in some areas.
 
I’m assuming if a candidate’s achievement record is outstanding enough to warrant an offer of appointment (conditional), than that candidate would be one of the ten best candidates for a nomination.
One of the 10 best? Sure. The best? Not always. It is a competition and that other guy who also, perhaps, has an LOA might be a smidge better in some areas.

An LOA doesn’t have to be the best for the nominaction.

I said “What I don’t understand is how bad can the MOC be to not give a nomination to someone who earned an LOA?”

I never said an LOA is the best.

I suspect the majority of the LOAs secure nominations. It’s the rare case where they don’t.

Maybe I am wrong.
 
I’m assuming if a candidate’s achievement record is outstanding enough to warrant an offer of appointment (conditional), than that candidate would be one of the ten best candidates for a nomination.
One of the 10 best? Sure. The best? Not always. It is a competition and that other guy who also, perhaps, has an LOA might be a smidge better in some areas.

An LOA doesn’t have to be the best for the nominaction.

I said “What I don’t understand is how bad can the MOC be to not give a nomination to someone who earned an LOA?”

I never said an LOA is the best.

I suspect the majority of the LOAs secure nominations. It’s the rare case where they don’t.

Maybe I am wrong.
Your right. My bad. For some reason I had appointment stuck in my head. Thanks for catching that.
 
I agree with the above that the main reasons that an LOA candidate doesn't get a nom is that he/she interviews TERRIBLY or the MOC thinks that the SA will "find" a nom for the LOA candidate so nominates 10 other people in the hopes of getting more constituents into the SA.

Other reasons could include the LOA coming after the MOC has made his/her decision. Or the MOC will give a candidate only one nom to one SA and the candidate either has multiple LOAs or picked a SA as #1 but doesn't have an LOA there.

We preach that an LOA is not a guarantee of an appointment -- you have to get a nom. I've had a few candidates in the last several years who had LOAs, didn't get noms and didn't get an appointment. It's rare but it happens.
 
I then received my LOA in November, and my Congressman had made nominations in October because he was leaving office.
I will never fully understand this process. I can't imagine why a MOC would give out nominations as early as October. They have the right to do so, but is it the right thing to do? It is only 2 months into the school year. Many things can happen during the fall semester of your senior year. Like, for example, getting an LOA to the USNA... You said your MOC was leaving office. Did he/she finish out the term? That goes to January.

My son received an LOA the first week of September. At first we thought it was a blessing, but then quickly learned it meant nothing without that nomination, so I feel for you. He was in 'LOA status' for 5 months before the nomination made it official.

I hope someone, somewhere, is looking at your whole picture and will get you that nomination. I'm rooting for you.
 
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