Too late to apply?

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96B

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Hi, my DS is nearly complete with his USMA application and has received an LOA. However, he received a nomination for both USMA and USAFA and now he's finding interesting aspects to USAFA to consider- my question is: Is this too late to start an USAFA application?
Thank you
 
How odd that the member of congress would give a nomination for an academy that he is not applying to! I guess this person did not have other people vying for a nomination to USAFA.

They have rolling deadlines so he can start his application and see what deadline they give him. He will have to be diligent to fill out the requirements in a timely manner. And hopefully he can have his teachers fill out their recommendations before the holidays. Good luck to him!
 
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nj2025 said:
How odd that the member of congress would give a nomination for an academy that he is not applying to! I guess this person did not have other people vying for a nomination to USAFA.

They have rolling deadlines so he can start his application and see what deadline they give him. He will have to be diligent to fill out the requirements in a timely manner. And hopefully he can have his teachers fill out their recommendations before the holidays. Good luck to him!
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We thought it strange too. At the end of his interview they asked him where he was applying and if he was interested in other academies as well, he mentioned AFA and that was all it took.
Thank you for taking the time to reply. I appreciate the information and the well wishes.
 
96B said:
We thought it strange too. At the end of his interview they asked him where he was applying and if he was interested in other academies as well, he mentioned AFA and that was all it took.
Thank you for taking the time to reply. I appreciate the information and the well wishes.
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You’re welcome!

That was very nice of them to offer other nominations!! And congratulations on the LOA to USMA but maybe he will see the light! 😊
 
Same thing happened with my son. The MOC staffer asked him if he would "have any interest at all" in one of the SAs that wasn't on his application. He said he didn't know that much about it but would definitely look into it. They added that one to his nomination. We took that to mean that they didn't have any applications for that one. He was happy to receive the nomination and has now applied there too.

As far as the application goes, I'm sure it isn't too late. Most of the information is the same. LOR have been written, ect. so it is just a matter of nicely asking all the same people to update for USAFA and submit them again. I will say the USAFA does have two or three essays that the other SAs my DS applied to didn't have and the application as a whole seemed a little more tedious. Also, the USAFA uses an individual rolling deadline, so once he starts he needs to be ready to push through.
 
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NavyHopefulMom2027 said:
Same thing happened with my son. The MOC staffer asked him if he would "have any interest at all" in one of the SAs that wasn't on his application. He said he didn't know that much about it but would definitely look into it. They added that one to his nomination. We took that to mean that they didn't have any applications for that one. He was happy to receive the nomination and has now applied there too.

As far as the application goes, I'm sure it isn't too late. Most of the information is the same. LOR have been written, ect. so it is just a matter of nicely asking all the same people to update for USAFA and submit them again. I will say the USAFA does have two or three essays that the other SAs my DS applied to didn't have and the application as a whole seemed a little more tedious. Also, the USAFA uses an individual rolling deadline, so once he starts he needs to be ready to push through.
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Thats great information, thank you so much for taking the time to answer. Best of luck to your son!
 
I had a similar experience, was completely on the boat for two SAs, and received a nom to the three. My personal approach: Take a deep breath, grab a snack, write some kind emails to your recommenders, and power through the application! You never know what information one will uncover or what conversations one will have that may sway the top pick, so options are always a welcome idea.

Only speaking from my personal experience. :)
 
I agree with every note here. Complete the PCQ as soon as possible and then focus on finishing everything by January 31, 2023!
 
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So wild how things differ from state to state and MOC to MOC. In Virginia Senators will only consider you for noms to your 1st choice of academy (they get 6-700 applicants) and MOCs rarely give a person more than one nom unless a very rural district.) You should bask in the opportunity of choice and try to get things done if you have interest. I believe you will need to have, at least, begun an application for the nom to have some place to land when uploaded by MOC staff. Good luck!
 
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Similar thing happened to my son. He came home after his first MOC interview and started an application with the USMMA. His deadline for that is far enough in advance that he believes he will get it done in time. Before the interview we didn't even know about the USMMA SA. It's great to explore all options and great job to all the adults on the interview panel to make suggestions to candidates they see potential in. Good luck to your son.
 
96B said:
We thought it strange too. At the end of his interview they asked him where he was applying and if he was interested in other academies as well, he mentioned AFA and that was all it took.
Thank you for taking the time to reply. I appreciate the information and the well wishes.
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DoDMERB results are accessible by SA. He can ask USMA to send CFA results to USAFA. He’ll have to hustle on the other stuff.
 
MarTac said:
So wild how things differ from state to state and MOC to MOC. In Virginia Senators will only consider you for noms to your 1st choice of academy (they get 6-700 applicants) and MOCs rarely give a person more than one nom unless a very rural district.) You should bask in the opportunity of choice and try to get things done if you have interest. I believe you will need to have, at least, begun an application for the nom to have some place to land when uploaded by MOC staff. Good luck!
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Yeah, we only had 18 applicants that interviewed for our district. It was at the congressional level though, not senate.
 
There are some districts out there where applications are down and efforts are being made to offer qualified candidates as many opportunities as possible.

In one of the congressional districts I cover, we historically average 12-15 USAFA applicants each year. This year they had 3 for USAFA.

It will be interesting to see the application numbers that are published for the C/O 2027 right after I-Day
 
96B said:
Yeah, we only had 18 applicants that interviewed for our district. It was at the congressional level though, not senate.
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Mine had 12 total. Not for USAFA only, but 12 people showed up for nomination interviews for all 4 academies. Most SA probably didn't even have 10 applicants in my district.
 
The MOC board I sit on...does not give nominations to SA's that a candidate has indicated he/she is not applying to.
 
YoitsFly said:
Mine had 12 total. Not for USAFA only, but 12 people showed up for nomination interviews for all 4 academies. Most SA probably didn't even have 10 applicants in my district.
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Are you sure that there aren't more that could not be there that day? Reapplicants away at college, Prep Schoolers, etc.
This year, I was on a panel on a different day from the rest of the district that covered folks like this.
 
OldRetSWO said:
Are you sure that there aren't more that could not be there that day? Reapplicants away at college, Prep Schoolers, etc.
This year, I was on a panel on a different day from the rest of the district that covered folks like this.
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99% sure. I asked if there was another possible interview date because I had a state championship cross country meet that day and they said that was the only date they are interviewing for everyone in the district. Could be 1 or 2 people more that weren't at the interview, but I was told the application pool was small.

Everyone that I know who applied for a nomination from my district received a nomination to all of their SA they are applying to.
 
This exact situation happened with my son last year. He was focused on USMA and USNA from the beginning. He did the summer seminars with them both, received the LOA early from West Point. He has friends at both USMA and USNA. His uncle went to West Point and has family who have served both in the Army and Navy. He went to his congressional interview in hopes to receive a nomination for both USMA and USNA. He did not even ask for a USAFA nomination. He ended up receiving nominations to all three Academies. He went for the over nights at both USMA and USNA. In April he received appointments from USMA, USAFA and was waitlisted with USNA. Finally, he visited USAFA in early April. He came back from the visit assured this is where he was going to go. He accepted the appointment shortly after. Today, he is at USAFA and he feels confident he made the right decision. Last year was a long and difficult year for him, but at the end of it all he is grateful for how everything turned out. I wish your son the best.
 
Also, I forgot to mention that he applied later for USAFA. The applications were very similar, so he thought he might as well. He is very grateful he did.
 
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FalconFather26 said:
This exact situation happened with my son last year. He was focused on USMA and USNA from the beginning. He did the summer seminars with them both, received the LOA early from West Point. He has friends at both USMA and USNA. His uncle went to West Point and has family who have served both in the Army and Navy. He went to his congressional interview in hopes to receive a nomination for both USMA and USNA. He did not even ask for a USAFA nomination. He ended up receiving nominations to all three Academies. He went for the over nights at both USMA and USNA. In April he received appointments from USMA, USAFA and was waitlisted with USNA. Finally, he visited USAFA in early April. He came back from the visit assured this is where he was going to go. He accepted the appointment shortly after. Today, he is at USAFA and he feels confident he made the right decision. Last year was a long and difficult year for him, but at the end of it all he is grateful for how everything turned out. I wish your son the best.
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Great feedback. Thanks for taking the time to share this. Congrats to your son and your family, an impressive feat to get multiple Academy offers! Wishing him all the best. Will share this with my son.
 
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