Application Questions

[bluedog]

Hello, I am working through the application and wanted to ask a couple of questions. There are three things I have yet to complete: essays, CFA, and recommendations. The essay should be done shortly but I have questions regarding the other two.

1. When is the CFA due? Personally, I feel like I would get the best score if I waited about a month after the school opened for my senior year. However, I have seen people recommend getting it in as early as possible. I have been and plan to train all summer when I am not at camps such as boys state, so if I can wait a couple of months it would be for the best (maybe about 3).

2. Can I wait until my senior year for the recommendations? I feel I would get better recommendations by asking them as I already know a majority of them. Or would it be more beneficial to just get recommendations from my junior even if they are a bit worse?

3. When should files be submitted for nominations? On a past thread, they said to wait longer. I know it depends on the office processing it and the type of nomination as they all have different rules but in general, what is a good time frame?

4. When does the FFR interview occur? Do they reach out or do you reach out when you think you are ready?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Capt MJ]

CFA - get it done before the due date. But don’t procrastinate - injury, illness, family emergency, bad weather, sudden non-availability of your venue or video assistant or your administrator can and do happen. By the time applications are due, you will have had months to get it done. This is one of the few things completely under your control. It’s one less thing to worry about as you juggle senior year, SA applications, nom applications, ROTC scholarship applications, college applications, DoDMERB medical review, standardized tests, endless deadlines. Of course, you are prudently developing alternate plans.

Nominations - all elected officials run their process the way they wish, including deadlines, info requested, interviews/no interviews, etc. You want to submit your best application before the deadline. Plan accordingly.

Recommendations - do you mean letters of recommendation from various people speaking to your character? Or do you mean the teacher evaluations? USMA will tell you what course teachers they want evaluations from, I believe, you supply their emails, and those teachers submit responses to evaluation prompts directly to USMA.

The more you complete of your application, the sooner your DoDMERB medical review process will open, assuming USMA finds you competitive. That process can surprise people with its length and complexity. There are people hoping to be in the Class of 2027 who are waiting right now for a medical waiver to resolve in their favor.

 

[Academician]

Don't sacrifice quality for an early application. Clearly, you want to complete items in a timely manner. Nominations, for example, are not processed until the due date. If the date is October 1, as an example, then complete the entire nomination application in early September. Capt MJ's point about DODMERB (and other processes) is true: often application steps take longer than you anticipate so starting 'early' makes lots of sense. I recommend to my students to introduce themselves to the FFR and keep her/him posted on your progress including sending a copy of your résumé. I hope that helps.

 

[USMAZoo98]

The CFA deadline is typically the end of January. My advice is to train and prepare - don't rush to complete it. You should give yourself a diagnostic CFA so you have an idea of where you stand and what you should focus on in training. I agree with the sentiment above about not waiting too long to avoid the risk of injury undermining your test. But in my experience, candidates are much better served if they wait until the fall to take the CFA for record.

With regards to submitting congressional nomination packets, there is no benefit whatsoever to submitting them early. In fact, if you submitted them now, you might find that congressional offices are not even focused on the class of 2028 year group yet. Focus on putting together the best nomination packet you can, even if that means waiting until September. Rushing to complete this step sometimes proves detrimental to the candidate.