Candidate Status???

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mark1991

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I am currently applying to the academy and have recently finished the paperwork for the academy on November 7th. I have already received the status of candidate and was accepted to summer seminar last year. In addition, on my online application my nomination status has registered as received. (My congressman did not run for re-election so he did all the nominations early.) Am I essentially a shoe in for a LAO to the academy?

Mark
 
Congratulations on your nomination. However, I think you have the process reversed about LOAs. More candidates get nominations than get appoinments to the academy. Getting a nomination does not guarantee an appointment. On the other hand, candidates that get LOAs - which are Letters of Assurance from the Academy, are assured from the Academy of getting an appointment as soon as the candidate gets a nomination. Since Members of Congress (MOC) want their nominees to get appointments my understanding is an LOA is the "shoe-in" as you describe it for a nomination since the MOC knows that the LOA receipitant will be assured of an appointment.
 
A candidate status does not indicate that you will get an LOA. Your candidate status could either mean you have a nomination and/OR you are a competitive applicant. I'm not sure if LOAs are still being given out, since many recieved them last month. Perhaps someone else has more insight.
 
think of it this way

applicants: 10,000
candidates: 6,000
LOA's: 200
nominations: 3,500
appointments offered: 1,350
appointments accepted: 1,300

so you can see, not many people will recieve LOA's and they are sent before nominations or dodmerb qualifications. the Academy has to really want you to give you an LOA (IC, academics, etc) mainly to convince you to go here instead of somewhere else.
 
If I have already received a nomination from my Congressional Representative, and I may also receive a nomination from the President, what are the chances of receiving an appointment then?
 
What's the turnaround time for an appointment from getting a LOA, then nomination?
 
i know my congressman (IL) both don't really start looking nominations until December sometime. one of them is understandably a bit busy, but so far I haven't even heard anything about interviews, even though I know they will have them eventually.
 
In Texas, our senators don't interview (I assume because of large number of applicants from a large population base). First date of their selection committees meeting is next Friday, Nov. 21 for Senator Cornyn. His letter said nominees would be notified shortly thereafter by letter. Our representative's deadline was not even until today, Nov. 15. I know Hornet said he got Cornyn's nomination in Nov. so we are hoping for the same.
 
Aggie has hit on a very important thing. Mentioning THEIR state. While there are many similarities, each state and group of nominators has their own style. Yet, almost all of them in a state usually works with each other. Remember, they are trying to maximize the number of appointments when all is said and done. In some state, one nominator WON'T nominate someone if another rep/senator/presidential/etc... has already nominated you. Some coordinate with each other so each one is nominating a different person; with the Rep usually going for semi-automatic quotas. Each state is different. In our state, there are SO FEW that are applying and are qualified, that all the nominators nominate the same people. They even want to nominate you if you've already got a nomination from say a presidential. Of course the academy likes that because they can use the presidential for someone else. The MOC likes it because it shows that THEY have a person accepted. But again, our state has so few. I think this PAST year, there was only about 20 applying for the air force academy.

Our MOCs/their staff do a lot of preliminary info with the candidates ahead of actual nominations to determine the candidate's likelihood of acceptance. The MOCs really trust the academies. If an LOA comes in, that is a guarantee for a nomination in our state. No questions asked. The MOC figures if the academy thinks you're good enough, then you ARE good enough. Again, easy to do with only 20 people applying to the air force academy. In my son's case, he already had the actual appointment the first week on November, so the MOCs regrouped on their nominations. While it is possible to get all 20 applicants a nomination between 2 senators and 1 representative, not all were given a nomination. Even with a small amount of applicants, the nominators still have very high standards.

So, for those interested in the future for obtaining a nomination, contact your rep/senator's staff to find out exactly their requirements. Each one can be different. Ask how they communicate with each other. They want to save time and not waste it if possible. For those already in to system and process, best of luck to you. As mentioned many times before, no matter your application, grades, sat/act, EC, sports, etc... eventually, you need a nomination. That is very competitive. It is the job interview of your life. Have passion; have excitement; be professional; be confident; don't be arrogant, but at the same time, it is NOT THE TIME to be HUMBLE. Let them know why YOU deserve that slot over everyone else who is applying. later... mike....
 
"with the Rep usually going for semi-automatic quotas."

What do you mean on the above?
 
aggie83 said:
In Texas, our senators don't interview (I assume because of large number of applicants from a large population base). First date of their selection committees meeting is next Friday, Nov. 21 for Senator Cornyn. His letter said nominees would be notified shortly thereafter by letter. Our representative's deadline was not even until today, Nov. 15. I know Hornet said he got Cornyn's nomination in Nov. so we are hoping for the same.
Click to expand...

yup. Should find out very shortly after the committee meeting. Keep those fingers crossed!
 
Christcorp said:
Some coordinate with each other so each one is nominating a different person; with the Rep usually going for semi-automatic quotas.
Click to expand...

You contradicted yourself several times in that post, Mike, but you have totally lost me on this comment. Please explain.
 
Yeah I'm a little curious about that too, because my nomination was from my Representative (OR). What does that mean, and also what are the chances of receiving an appointment to USAFA if I have that nomination and may also receive a presidential nomination?
 
Getting Nomination

Hi, I'm in pretty much the opposite situation of the guy that started this thread. I have LOA's from both West Point and USAFA. I got them last month. Does this help my chances of getting a Nomination? If so, when will I know of my Nomination. I had my first two interviews almost a month ago (Allard & Salazar, CO), and I have one more in a couple weeks (Musgrave, District 4), and I still haven't heard anything.

Thanks,
Geoff
 
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LOA's definitely help your chance of getting an appointment. How much? That is the million dollar question. Most members of congress "TRUST" the academies. If the academy says that you are good enough academically, physically, socially, and culturally; and that THEY ASSURE you that you will get an appointment to the academy as long as you get A NOMINATION and pass your DODMRB physical; (These are "Usually" the only 2 stepping stones allowed to still be pending in order to get an LOA); then your nominator will generally trust the academy and give you the nomination. So yes, your chances become much higher.

Having said that, an LOA isn't an automatic. Let's assume that the DODMRB passes you with flying colors. (We had an individual nominated and ready to attend, but failed the DODMRB physical; and couldn't get a waiver). But assuming that is OK; it is also possible that your MOC who needs to nominate you, could have other candidates that they believe excel beyond you. Remember, to get an LOA "Usually" means you had your application completed and turned in extremely early. But it's NOT a 1st come 1st served situation. Applicants have a large window of time to submit their application and receive a nomination. That's one reason most MOC don't do their interviews until around December.

You will DEFINITELY get "extra points" for having an LOA. (LOTS OF EXTRA POINTS). But remember, the person who submitted their application NOT EARLY however STILL ON TIME; is NOT going to get punished because theirs was the last one submitted. When my son did his application, the counselor at the academy said that his was actually the 1st 100% completed application for the year in the entire country. It was completed 100% by the 2nd week of July. Nothing left possible. Yet, members of congress still did interviews and such in November/December, and had he been required to have one of their nominations, he probably would have been sitting with an LOA until November/December waiting.

So that is where it's possible that your nominator could nominate someone else over someone with an LOA. It isn't very common, but it definitely happens. If you have everything else taken care of. (Medical). Then prepare yourself for the nomination interview if you haven't already had it. (For those in similar situations). It is the "Job Interview" of your life. Make it count. Don't hold back. later... mike....
 
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