Difficulty of obtaining a Nomination in Maryland?

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Minichan6

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How tough is it to get a Nomination for a Service Academy in Maryland? Also I live in Anne Arundel County. I was really hoping to get my applications out soon so it could be a little early but everyone that I asked to write my LOR is taking forever but atleast they are taking the time to do that for me so I am not complaining. Anyways is it still kind of early to send out my application or have many candidates already sent out their applications. Also this is my academic resume, my gpa is really low because I kind of slacked of early in high school. My gpa is 2.84, but the end of Sophomore year to Junior year i have had a 3.5 gpa. I have taken 2 AP classes junior year and this year I am taking 4 AP Classes which includes AP Physics, AP Calculus, AP Stat, AP English Literature. I have wrestled all 4 years in High School, 2 varsity letters and will be captain this year. Playing Lacrosse. In MESA and Habitat for Humanity. Thank you for taking the time to read this so what do you guys think are my chances of getting a Nomination in Maryland? It has been my dream to go the Naval Academy and I plan to keep trying and I will never give up until I am in.
 
Depends on your Congressional District in Anne Arundel County.

As a citizen from AA County you can be in the 1st (Frank Kratovil), 2nd (Dutch Ruppersberger), 3rd (John Sarbanes), or 5th (Steny Hoyer) District.
 
I am in the 3rd District so I would be applying to John Sarbanes. If there are that many Districts and they can all nominate someone it seems it would be pretty easy to obtain one but I know that its probably not going to be easy.
 
Minichan6 said:
I am in the 3rd District so I would be applying to John Sarbanes. If there are that many Districts and they can all nominate someone it seems it would be pretty easy to obtain one but I know that its probably not going to be easy.
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It makes no difference how many districts are in Anne Arundel County, you can ONLY apply to the Congressman in YOUR district.

Each of the 435 Congressional districts in the USA covers approximately 650,000 people, no matter where it is.

The difference in AA county (and parts of Baltimore County are in the 3rd as well) is the quality of the schools (and obviously, the students attending) in those 4 districts. There can be (not certain) a big difference in the quantity and quality of applicants in each of those 4 districts.
 
As Luigi has stated the first and foremost important factor is the quality of your resume. MD has always been competitive for many reasons...one because of USNA. The allure of an SA right down the block usually increases people wanting to attend. Secondly, MD and VA have a lot AD and ret. military, it is not unusual for military children to desire to attend any SA. That said the only preferential treatment these children get are Presidential noms. Having a Presidential bears no effect on them applying or getting an MOC nom.

I am not sure if MD MOCs talk to ea other, which brings in another aspect. You may get your cong., but not your senators or get a senator and not a congressman since they share the wealth. After being on this board for a couple of yrs, I would lean to the fact that they do share their wealth.

Good luck.
 
question about FL

Pima,
How competitive is Florida? I will be applying to Congressman Mica (who sent 5 cadets to USAFA last year), Senator Nelson and newly appointed Senator LeMieux who replaced retired Senator Martinez. My ALO indicated he has above average number of applicants this year, but he said I am very competitive. I also applied for VP nom since my grandfather is retired AF and my other grandfather was a decorated WW2 vet. Thank you for any advice!
 
First, every candidate can apply for a VP, it has nothing to do with family legacy to a military member. Only Presidential has that, your grandparents would not make you eligible for a Presidential.

Second, congressional districts with military bases are more competitive, especially around Pensacola or Tampa.

Florida is competitive, I just would not say it is as competitive as NY, MD, VA, CA or CO. Probably closer to TX.

If your ALO is saying he has above avg candidates than it will be more competitive. If you really want to know, call their office and politely ask how many apps do they typically get for whatever SA you are applying to each yr, and that you understand they have no numbers for this yr, but what about previous yrs. They will tell you a ballpark. DS called his MOC because we had a unique case (DAD was AD, AK resident, but owned a home in NC where we were stationed at) Also ask if they have 1 slot or 2? Like your ALO said if you look competitive than you have a good shot regardless of how many people ask for a nom.

PS If I recall, FLA is not a state where they talk to each other, however take that with a grain of salt since I am only going on remembering people posting how many noms they got and from what states. You can also ask the staff member if the MOCS coordinate or not. I don't recall ever seeing anybody from VA saying they had more than 1, and I do recall that Schumers and Clinton both say if you have 1 nom, no need to apply for theirs, but there were people who did get 2 from NY.
 
Ohio -> USNA

While we are listing the competitiveness of nominations in different states, how would Ohio be for a USNA nomination? I see a lot of kids wanting to go to the Air Force Academy and a few for West Point. Haven't seen many wanting USNA. thoughts?
 
"Competitiveness" is largely based on your Congressional district, not your state. Save for Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming that have more senators than representatives.
For those from a large state with many Congressional Districts, usually it will be easier to obtain a nomination from your US Representative.
Competitiveness can vary widely from year to year depending on the make up and interest in your Congressional District but also by how many slots are available to your MOC that year. Usually there is one slot available that allows for one slate of 10 names but occassionally there are either none available or more than one.

Competitiveness can vary widely from district to district depending on the make up of that particular district.
For Ohio - the area around Wright-Paterson is could be very competitive, esp for Air Force since it's a big military area; while other more rural districts might be less competitive. Areas with a big Naval presence might be far more competitive for Navy than Air Force.

You have ZERO control over the competitiveness of your district in a given year. Do NOT even think about it. If you ask your MOC may tell you or may choose not to tell you. Just make your application and interview the best you can.
 
You can also go after nominations from your senators.

All in all, congressional nominations are generally not the limiting factor. Yes, more people will apply than receive nominations, BUT there are more nominations than spots at a service academy. It's not "who you know" as much as "how you interview" so practice a little, think of some hard questions that could catch you flat footed.
 
LineInTheSand said:
You can also go after nominations from your senators.
Of course - Everyone should apply to their two US Senators and their US Representative.
Numbers wise, except for the states listed in my post your best "chance" will be to receive a Nomination from your US Rep; for the obvious reason that with the US Senators you are competing against candidates from across your entire state (or half the state as some Senator's split the state).

All in all, congressional nominations are generally not the limiting factor. Yes, more people will apply than receive nominations, BUT there are more nominations than spots at a service academy. It's not "who you know" as much as "how you interview" so practice a little, think of some hard questions that could catch you flat footed.
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Not sure by what you mean by "congressional nominations are generally not the limiting factor"
If you don't receive a Congressional Nomination and don't qualify for a service-connected nomination there must be some exceptional circumstance for you to receive an appointment in that year.
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Thank you for asking JAM.

There are far more Congressional nominations available than spots open. Yes, you need a Congressional nomination for 4 of the service academies, but do not think that is the biggest hurdle.

I love when people put "received Congressional nomination for USXXA" in their resumes. Who cares? There are many who can say that. The real "test" is, will you be able to use that nomination. Every person from my high school who applied to a service academy, received a Congressional nomination. Not all of them were accepted. JAM is however obviously correct in stating that you will NEED that Congressional nomination for 4 of the 5 service academies. Take it for what it's worth. :wink:
 
There are far more Congressional nominations available than spots open. Yes, you need a Congressional nomination for 4 of the service academies, but do not think that is the biggest hurdle.
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I get it. Agreed. Simply having a Congressional Nomination is not an indication of how qualified a candidate is. One can have multiple nominations and be found not qualified by the Academy for an appointment.
Also, the NUMBER of candidates applying in one district is not necessarily indicative of the competition for an appointment or a nomination. There could be mulitple candidates who are not "qualified" or a few candidates who are far more qualified than you.
Hence my advice to not think about the competition of your congressional district.
 
I would think the difficulty is dependent upon the quality of the schools in your district, considering that all districts have the same population. Also consider the political leanings of the district. I would assume that San Fransisco is not very competitive, while a district in say, rural South Carolina would be, at least in terms of numbers of applicants.
 
Just_A_Mom said:
Also, the NUMBER of candidates applying in one district is not necessarily indicative of the competition for an appointment or a nomination. There could be mulitple candidates who are not "qualified" or a few candidates who are far more qualified than you.
Haha, right.

I remember being in the waiting room before one of my nomination interviews.

I recognized this kid sitting across the room from me. I couldn't place the face until the very end. He was kicked out of American Legion Boys' State the previous summer for urinating on another kids pillow. He asked what I was there for, I said USNA and USMMA and I asked him what he was there for "whatever one is for the Army". I'm not a betting man, but I don't think he's West Point material, and I don't think it would be a stretch to assume he didn't make it.

You could have a large number of these goof balls in the same waiting room. Don't let the numbers scare you off. Shoot for a number of nominations to increase your chances, answer questions honestly, dress like a pro and......RELAX!!!
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You have ZERO control over the competitiveness of your district in a given year. Do NOT even think about it. If you ask your MOC may tell you or may choose not to tell you. Just make your application and interview the best you can.
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Excellent advice. Focus on what you can control (your packet, your interview) not things you cannot. Much more productive use of your time.:smile:
 
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