Application Timeline

USNA2020

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Apr 8, 2015
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73
Hi all, 2020 hopeful here currently applying. I have a couple specific questions about the process- if you know it's been discussed on the forum before, please link me there!

What exactly happens at the admissions review board in the early months? I'm going to finish my application in August, but I will still take the October SAT, and will retake the CFA. If admissions reviews my application in September, do they make a yes/no decision right there and then, or do they hold some applications to be reviewed again at a later date?

Also, am I allowed to send a resume to my admissions officer? I have a few leadership activities to add, and I already submitted the activity records portion of the application.

Thanks so much in advance!
 
If your activity record has already been submitted, and reviewed by your counselor/teacher then you will need to email your regional director. If it has not been accepted by your counselor/teacher you can email them the changes and they can add it to your activity record. (source same thing happened to me)
 
You do not want the Admissions Board to look at your completed application pack until it is the best possible that you can make it. They do not go back and re-review an application----there are far too many applications to do that. If you are planning on retaking the SAT/ACT or CFA, you need to contact your Regional Director in Academy Admissions and request them to pull your application aside and hold it until you have the final test results that you want submitted. Yes, that means that getting your application done early really loses any advantage if you are waiting for October results as your application will go in with the usual mob. However, a higher SAT/ACT score is much more important than an early submission, everything else being equal.

Going along with that you can always send your Regional Director updates to activities, awards, etc. up until your application is finally released to the Board.
 
Spud- In other words, if they reject your application in September you'll get a TWE that early? Also, do we get notified when the admissions board reviews our application? Thanks!
 
No and No. Your notification will come when it comes. The Academy website says by the March/April timeframe....the key word is "by" which means it could come sooner but there is no way to know. You have got to realize the sheer ocean of candidates the Board has to wade through and they do meet that advertised deadline, but exactly when a certain garden variety candidate will get notified before then is not the Board's priority. That is why you will hear on these threads time and again to submit your USNA application, flush the stress of waiting, get on with your Plan B and let the chips fall where they may.
 
If your record is "rejected" for board scores and your scores improve, USNA will typically take another look at your record and that could result in a change in your status. However, that will only make a difference if scores were the only/predominant reason for the rejection. So, for example, if you had weak teacher recs, your course load/grades were sub-par, etc., the improved scores won't in and of themselves make a difference.
 
I would not totally agree with Spud. For most individuals, there isn't a reason to "hold" your record. It isn't as if you are going to have such more of an impressive resume in the fall of your senior year that you probably do not know about now. Your academic record isn't really going to change (minus your first semester transcripts). If you are involved in athletics, chances are that the your record may go to the board without the CFA, so that might not even factor in. You can put your planned/future activities in the comments section (i.e. selected team captain for fall sports team, etc). The only real game changer is your SAT/ACT score. If the SAT/ACT scores are low (not egregiously low -- sorry, I can't give you a threshold and is probably on a per-candidate basis), then they might defer the record pending improved SAT/ACT scores. So it isn't as if you are "rejected" right away. Given that USNA preaches for candidates to take the SAT/ACT many times, they understand that scores might improve over the cycle, so they typically do not reject early in the game.
Not submitting your application because your record isn't "perfect" is not what I recommend --- BUT, do not submit a grossly incomplete application.
 
And I agree with both 05 and 08. My answer was more the Reader's Digest version for the, as I mentioned, garden variety candidate. I had an accounting prof that would preface even the simplest question in class with "It depends...." and I should use that handy phrase more often. (Yes, an accounting class!)
 
And it would be prudent to ask you BGO if your packet is strong or not, what areas are needing improvement, etc. Like BGO08 stated, it is likely that not alot will change fall of your senior year as far as your completed record. I believe that most BGO's will be straight forward and let a candidate know if they are - as Spud says - garden variety or not.
 
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