Candidate status Class of 2022 someone?

wondermom

wondermom

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May 26, 2016
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Not a big deal (yet) just asking...somebody here has their status change to CANDIDATE for WP?, my DD open her file in the 3 Academies early this year to be able to apply to SLE, NASS and AFSS ( was accepted to all 3), filling same info, she received this week the change of her status to CANDIDATE in AF but still not yet in USMA, somebody already did?
 
@wondermom Be sure your girl checks her deadline for her USAFA application. It could be four months from today.
Also, she should continue to look at the links for the PDF correspondence from USMA, my guy had a 'noncommittal' letter that meant USMA would not make him a candidate until he shared more information like improved SAT scores and a higher GPA.
 
DrMom said:
@wondermom Be sure your girl checks her deadline for her USAFA application. It could be four months from today.
Also, she should continue to look at the links for the PDF correspondence from USMA, my guy had a 'noncommittal' letter that meant USMA would not make him a candidate until he shared more information like improved SAT scores and a higher GPA.
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She did her deadline is October 31st
 
DrMom said:
@wondermom Be sure your girl checks her deadline for her USAFA application. It could be four months from today.
Also, she should continue to look at the links for the PDF correspondence from USMA, my guy had a 'noncommittal' letter that meant USMA would not make him a candidate until he shared more information like improved SAT scores and a higher GPA.
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Hello Dr. Mom:

My son received the non-com letter also, and he was a bit confused about the meaning of it. Intuitively, "non-committal" does not sound like a good thing. However, the letter reads as though you have passed the initial review, and it asks the applicant to continue working on his/her whole person score. He did some research and found that the Non-committal letter is sent to competitive applicants. A non-competitive candidate or "screened" candidate receives a letter that indicates a deficiency and the portal is actually closed until this deficiency is remedied. The good news for a screened candidate is that his/her portal can be reopened if the issue is resolved. Just to head off any further confusion, in the information above, I used the term "candidate" rather than "applicant" because the Directorate of Applications presentation from which this information was gleaned uses the term candidate.

The good news for an applicant who receives a Non-committal letter is that he/she is competitive and needs to continue working on all of those varied pieces of the applicant puzzle, including the nomination process. The letter also states that you should continue to, "strengthen your record to the fullest extent possible." My son is signed up for the September ACT test; it will be his fourth. He continues to work on his CFA training (including the dreaded basketball throw) and is getting ready for two-a-days for football, along with a long list of other activities.

So based on his research, the non-committal letter is a good thing. Also, the "Overview" portion of his portal still reads, "** This evaluation will not begin until August 1, 2017 at the earliest for most candidates to USMA 2022.**" If you received the non-com letter, keep moving forward.

jdb
 
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@JDB I was told my test scores were competitive but I never got a non-committal letter. Does it just encourage candidates to continue working on their application because they're competitive?
 
GoArmy22 said:
@JDB I was told my test scores were competitive but I never got a non-committal letter. Does it just encourage candidates to continue working on their application because they're competitive?
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Hello GoArmy22:

Hopefully someone who knows this process well will weigh into the thread, but in the mean time I will share what DS found. The presentation I mentioned above was about Field Force Training and it is a 30 page Power Point presentation. The address to download it is as follows:
www.west-point.org/academy/fieldforce-se-michigan/.../File_Management.ppt
The presentation contemplates four types of "Candidates": Unknown Candidate, Non-competitive Candidate, Competitive Candidate, and Admissable [sic]. All four indicate communication from West Point of the status is required. So no matter your status you should receive notification from the Academy. Regardless, if your portal hasn't been closed, your still in the hunt.

As for the Non-committal letter, it is three pages and nowhere that I could find does it say, "You are competitive." That's why it was confusing. The Air Force portal actually marks your application as competitive, there's no ambiguity. Here is the opening paragraph of the West Point letter:
"GO BLACK KNIGHTS! This is a long letter with important information concerning your application to the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York. Don't stop reading until the end! We've received your initial information to compete for admission for the West Point Class of 2022. We have an Internet web site featuring many resources for West Point candidates with open admissions files located at https://candidate.usma.edu. The website will allow you to view your file on-line and submit messages to the Admissions staff."
From there it tells you to get on the nomination process, keep improving your whole person score, learn about the army, and it tells you information about your liaison officer.

I wouldn't hazard a guess as to why you haven't received a correspondence. My son's letter came to him on the portal, in a blue box, under the box with his name and USMA ID, on the first page of the West Point Candidate Portal, after log in. The box is titled "Official Correspondence," and there is an Adobe PDF avatar in it, and next to that is says "NONCOMMITTAL." I hope this helps you.

jdb
 
All I can say is that last summer my kid got the noncommittal letter and they did not open the rest of his application until he submitted his six semester transcript and SAT scores (which were greatly improved over the PSAT scores and GPA he reported when he applied for and was rejected from SLE). I don't think applicants should be worried yet but there will be a time later this summer when other applicants' portals open and others do not without additional work.

It was the same for USNA BUT NOT FOR USAFA because he started that application w the higher GPA and SAT scores in August.
 
@JDB There's nothing under my correspondence yet, but I think it may be different for me because I'm reapplying and I have to resubmit a few things. I think the only thing Admissions has right now is my test scores, but regardless I'll probably see some kind of correspondence in August
 
GoArmy22 said:
@JDB There's nothing under my correspondence yet, but I think it may be different for me because I'm reapplying and I have to resubmit a few things. I think the only thing Admissions has right now is my test scores, but regardless I'll probably see some kind of correspondence in August
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I will defer to DrMom's hard earned wisdom on this subject, she and her DS have already been through this. Just keep moving forward and doing all you can to improve your whole person score.

We can chalk this up to USMA kind-of-sort-of following Sun Tzu's advice, "The whole secret lies in confusing the enemy, so that he cannot fathom our real intent.” In this case the Admissions Office just confused us instead of the enemy. :)

jdb
 
Think of it as a challenge to rise to. Continuous improvement; elevate your goals and never be complacent. You are aiming at a moving target; not an absolute score or minimum standard.

Retake SAT multiple times; also take ACT if your state doesn't normally use it. [Both tests are available in all 50 states; you just have to register and pay on your own.]

Show your motivation - there is no penalty for multiple test scores and it is in fact encouraged via 'superscoring.' A different perspective than the ivies etc where it is usually viewed as desperation or a tactic to game their system.
 
Also @wondermom remember that you are at the start of a marathon. She may finish the application and then you are on tenterhooks until late April. Further, this game is not over until R-Day next year (or I-Day if you daughter is called to serve in a way that being a squid would be acceptable to her). That she was accepted to all three summer programs is a great sign and means her portal is likely to open as soon as those sorts of things start to happen (My #3 was 'denied' from NASS and SLE). In the mean time...practice for the CFA and preparing all possible nomination packet material--and seeking the names and email address of her referees would be a good way to work on this as well as taking a round of SAT prep or working with the SAT Prep book. She can also consider filling in the ROTC application for the service in which she truly feels called to serve. Good luck.
 
Just a little clarification on the 'Non-Com' letters that Dr.Mom's and JDB's sons received.
There are really 2 kinds of letters that look like they are 'Non-Com,' but they are 2 different creatures.

1) Non-Competitive Letter
- Receiving this means that the candidate is not competitive at this point. This looks like what Dr. Mom's son received. This letter means that your file is closed until further improvement is shown in the candidate's file. The letter should highlight the areas that need improvement - usually in the academic area. You may hear the word "screened' referred to with these candidates. You can have your file reopened with improvement in your file, as in the case with Dr.Mom's son. I believe he is at Beast now.

2) Non-Commital Letter
- Receiving this means that the candidate is Admissible or Competitive. This looks like what JDB's son received. This is the letter that West Point refers to as the 'Non-Com' letter. It encourages the candidate to seek a nomination and to keep improving their file. I believe that it is called a Non-commital letter because, while WP sends this letter to encourage the candidate to stay the path, they are not making any 'commitment' to the candidate as far as an appointment, like a LOA does.

Hope this clears up the mud!
 
@buff81 #3 got the Non-commital letter. He did not get a Non-Competitive letter. We spent a lot of time looking at the non-commital letter and trying to decipher its meaning. There was a time in late July into August when everyone else's portal opened last summer but #3's did not open until he provided more information like his nomination letter, which was done in early August.

Yes, he is at Beast now. Bless his heart. After a busy senior year that started with a summer at Philmont, finishing Eagle Scout, SAT Prep...into three nomination applications, three service academy applications, ROTC applications, and five college applications, and varsity sports, a club sport, a religious club, and straight A's all year...I wonder if he is more or less happy to relax and do what he is told one thing at a time this summer. It was a long road--and I am still delighted that he ended up at West Point after the long year of great options revealing themselves to him one at a time...each one more unexpected and delightful.
 
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JDB said:
GoArmy22 said:
@JDB I was told my test scores were competitive but I never got a non-committal letter. Does it just encourage candidates to continue working on their application because they're competitive?
Click to expand...

Hello GoArmy22:

Hopefully someone who knows this process well will weigh into the thread, but in the mean time I will share what DS found. The presentation I mentioned above was about Field Force Training and it is a 30 page Power Point presentation. The address to download it is as follows:
www.west-point.org/academy/fieldforce-se-michigan/.../File_Management.ppt
The presentation contemplates four types of "Candidates": Unknown Candidate, Non-competitive Candidate, Competitive Candidate, and Admissable [sic]. All four indicate communication from West Point of the status is required. So no matter your status you should receive notification from the Academy. Regardless, if your portal hasn't been closed, your still in the hunt.

As for the Non-committal letter, it is three pages and nowhere that I could find does it say, "You are competitive." That's why it was confusing. The Air Force portal actually marks your application as competitive, there's no ambiguity. Here is the opening paragraph of the West Point letter:
"GO BLACK KNIGHTS! This is a long letter with important information concerning your application to the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York. Don't stop reading until the end! We've received your initial information to compete for admission for the West Point Class of 2022. We have an Internet web site featuring many resources for West Point candidates with open admissions files located at https://candidate.usma.edu. The website will allow you to view your file on-line and submit messages to the Admissions staff."
From there it tells you to get on the nomination process, keep improving your whole person score, learn about the army, and it tells you information about your liaison officer.

I wouldn't hazard a guess as to why you haven't received a correspondence. My son's letter came to him on the portal, in a blue box, under the box with his name and USMA ID, on the first page of the West Point Candidate Portal, after log in. The box is titled "Official Correspondence," and there is an Adobe PDF avatar in it, and next to that is says "NONCOMMITTAL." I hope this helps you.

jdb
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I wonder if that is new verbiage for the LOE? Sounds very similar. DD received one last year and basically states same thing, that she was competitive for admission and continue to seek nominations and improve on her WCS. Appears non-committal letter is a good sign :)
 
Update: The portal opened today and I just received my Non-Commital PDF! Hoping it's a good sign like everyone said. Now I just have to submit everything ASAP :)
 
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GoArmy22 said:
Update: The portal opened today and I just received my Non-Commital PDF! Hoping it's a good sign like everyone said. Now I just have to submit everything ASAP :)
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Are you a sponsored prep or college re-applicant?
 
GoArmy22 said:
I'm a college re-applicant
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Good luck this go around! DD is a sponsored prep so was just curious :) Her portal opened today as well but no NONCOMMITTAL letter. Assuming process is somewhat different (abbreviated) for AOG's.
 
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