Can West Point Help?

WESTPOINTALLTHEWAY

WESTPOINTALLTHEWAY

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Sep 20, 2021
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Just a bit of background to start off this post...

I currently live in one of the three districts in the U.S. that does not have a sitting congressperson (former congressman recently passed away). While this situation is quite unique, I have been informed by a USMA admissions officer that the staff of said congressman still reserves the right to nominate qualified individuals but has decided to not nominate any candidates during this year's application cycle.

Although a little discouraging, I have continued to forge ahead and apply to every nomination source available, and last week I learned that I will get the opportunity to interview with one of my state's senators. While I am extremely excited about this opportunity, I understand that this means that I get a shot to be 1 of 10 candidates from across my entire state (a very selective group).

Now onto the main point of my post...

In discussions with my FFR, I was told that that West Point can sometimes help candidates "find nominations" for candidates that they are interested in. Since I received an LOA in September and have a very unique and unfortunate congressional nomination situation, I am curious if I should reach out to West Point and see if anything can be done about my predicament?
 
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I have no answer for you. But it would infuriate me if this happened to my son.

I would look to Congress for an acceptable solution.

Best of luck.
 
WESTPOINTALLTHEWAY said:
Just a bit of background to start off this post...

I currently live in one of the three districts in the U.S. that does not have a sitting congressperson (former congressman recently passed away). While this situation is quite unique, I have been informed by a USMA admissions officer that the staff of said congressman still reserves the right to nominate qualified individuals but has decided to not nominate any candidates during this year's application cycle.

Although a little discouraging, I have continued to forge ahead and apply to every nomination source available, and last week I learned that I will get the opportunity to interview with one of my state's senators. While I am extremely excited about this opportunity, I understand that this means that I get a shot to be 1 of 10 candidates from across my entire state (a very selective group).

Now onto the main point of my post...

In discussions with my FFR, I was told that that West Point can sometimes help candidates "find nominations" for candidates that they are interested in. Since I received an LOA in September and have a very unique and unfortunate congressional nomination situation, I am curious if I should reach out to West Point and see if anything can be done about my predicament?
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I suspect they are well aware of it, in general, especially for the District not planning to nominate. Keep your FFR informed.

USMA does have some discretionary noms they control. They choose who gets the VP nom(s), for example. Focus on submitting your best application, ace any remaining nomination work you have to do, and see where you are after the dust settles a bit, usually after all the slates are in, and application deadlines have passed.

USMA will evaluate you as a candidate with or without a nom in hand - they already have, if you have an LOA - and next steps if you end up without a nom. They won’t know what they’ve got to work with until more pieces of the annual puzzle are in place, into the new year. There will be others in your situation, highly competitive candidates without a nom, with or without an LOA. As the elected officials’ slates come in and noms are posted to portals, they will notice who doesn’t have a nom, and surely they will be tracking their LOA list. If you call them, they can’t make promises about “finding you a nom.” They don’t have a bottomless drawer they can open right now and say “here you go.” I swear to you, though, they will do their darndest to figure out a solution within the guidelines they operate within.

https://www.everycrsreport.com/files/20191218_RL33213_f3a4006314d3a115f3b527e698866af2075056c5.pdf
 
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Don't call them.... they call you.

The LOA dramatically helps your chances in the quest to "find a nom." While not every LOA recipient will receive a nom, the opposite is far more common. In your interview with the Senatorial Nomination Board, you will want mention that you have an LOA. NOM boards like to know their nomination will net an appointment.

Do your part and apply for all of the nomination paths you qualify for. This will provide USMA with more flexibility when seeking to match you to a nomination should they need to work behind the scenes to "find" a nomination. USMA admissions is well aware of the LOA that they hand out AND whether or not those recipients received a NOM. An applicant cannot initiate the behind the scenes efforts - hence why you do not call them.

Understand that every LOA recipient will not magically get paired with a nomination should they fail to secure one from the nomination sources they qualify for. However, some will get paired to unused noms from other areas... kind of like your congressional district.
 
From DD’s experience last cycle;
LOA to USAFA, no nom: finally she received VP nom. She eventually declined her appointment.

LOA to USNA, no nom: USNA found her a nom few days before April. Currently a plebe.

what she did differently and that helped her according to the USNA official we bumped into during a meeting:

- Put a face to the name, showed extreme interest and communicated that over emails, phone conversations and even visiting USNA when she was told that she didnt need to come as her file will be closed soon. A personal 1-1 meeting with the highest admissions officer sealed the deal for her. These are the words from the admissions folks, not my words.

Will that work for you, nobody can tell. But at least you can give your BEST shot and make yourself visible on all fronts.
 
txfwindian said:
- Put a face to the name, showed extreme interest and communicated that over emails, phone conversations and even visiting USNA when she was told that she didnt need to come as her file will be closed soon. A personal 1-1 meeting with the highest admissions officer sealed the deal for her. These are the words from the admissions folks, not my words.

Will that work for you, nobody can tell. But at least you can give your BEST shot and make yourself visible on all fronts.
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Wow, that's actually really inspiring! I have an overnight visit scheduled next month and I plan on speaking to any admissions officers available!
 
DS also really desires an overnight visit at West Point. Unfortunately, with his current course load of 4 APs and 2 Honors and sports, he’s not been able to find the right time. Enjoy your visit!
 
jerrysdad said:
DS also really desires an overnight visit at West Point. Unfortunately, with his current course load of 4 APs and 2 Honors and sports, he’s not been able to find the right time. Enjoy your visit!
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Plenty of kids have that same schedule and even more. Our kid had an even heavier load than what you described as a junior and as a senior, but still did overnights.

Make time to do it. The more you know, the more you know.
 
Make sure you apply for the Vice President's nomination. These nominations are typically used for these unusual circumstances like the one you are in.
 
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