How would I know if DS lives in a competitive district? I have read a handful of threads that discuss the challenges of living in one but I can’t tell if it applies to our district. We’ve tried researching it but either we are not using the right search words or it’s just something that is known & passed along.
Competitive District?
- Thread starter Ozzy33
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Do you live in a city or a rural area, is there a military base in your district, what area of the country? These are a few things that can make a district more competitive. Remember that it only takes one person to beat everyone else in the slate though.
Wahoo Fan
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I don’t think your last point necessarily applies to a competitive district. Yes, only one candidate on the slate receives the appointment from that congressmen. But the other candidates can also be considered for appointments if they are added to the national waiting list. In that way multiple candidates from the same slate often receive appointments to the same academy since they are so “competitive.”
Yes they definitely can go on to win an appointment, but its at a national level at that point which is even more competitive.
This topic comes up every so often on here and you can search back to see what was previously discussed. The reality is you can only apply for a MOC NOM based on your legal residence. Since your parents are unlikely to relocated to somewhere you THINK is less competitive, it is one of those aspects of applying to an SA you really can't do anything about. All you can do is put forward your best effort. You have no idea how many will apply this year in your area, so looking at stats from prior years really provides no useful information and honestly isn't going to change how you go about the application process. MOC can nominate 10 individuals for each spot they have open. All SA's also recommend you apply for ALL NOM's for which you are eligible. A MOC NOM is not the only source of NOM's.
From a practical standpoint, if you knew your area was 'competitive' vs one that 'isn't competitive' what exactly would you do differently when applying? The process of applying to ANY highly selective college is a competition and far more apply then eventually get accepted. That is why it is always a good idea to also have a plan B in the works.
From a practical standpoint, if you knew your area was 'competitive' vs one that 'isn't competitive' what exactly would you do differently when applying? The process of applying to ANY highly selective college is a competition and far more apply then eventually get accepted. That is why it is always a good idea to also have a plan B in the works.
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@time2 is right. How exactly would knowing — or way or another — affect your actions? You’re either all-in on the application or you’re not.
And as others have said, it only takes one candidate with stats better than yours to make your district a competitive one. But you have no way of knowing that, so again, you either apply or you don’t.
Wahoo Fan
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How it makes a difference—
There are certain congressional districts where the MOC has a rule that you can only apply for a nomination to one academy (because there are so many applicants who are tremendously competitive), so you have to choose which academy you want to compete for.
For example, say on average in your district 100 candidates apply for a USMA nomination because that academy is more local to your area and generally more popular among your community. Say only about 40-50 usually apply for the USNA nomination, and about 20 apply for USAFA.
If you really want to go to an academy but would be fine with any of the three, then you could go for the USAFA nomination to have the best odds. Or if you are applying to both USMA and USNA and want to somehow try to obtain a nomination to both, you are going to have to do some strategizing. Maybe apply for the USNA nom from your MOC and the USMA nom from your senators. Or vice verse.
If you don’t know what I am talking about or if it doesn’t make sense to you, then you are probably not in a competitive district.
There are certain congressional districts where the MOC has a rule that you can only apply for a nomination to one academy (because there are so many applicants who are tremendously competitive), so you have to choose which academy you want to compete for.
For example, say on average in your district 100 candidates apply for a USMA nomination because that academy is more local to your area and generally more popular among your community. Say only about 40-50 usually apply for the USNA nomination, and about 20 apply for USAFA.
If you really want to go to an academy but would be fine with any of the three, then you could go for the USAFA nomination to have the best odds. Or if you are applying to both USMA and USNA and want to somehow try to obtain a nomination to both, you are going to have to do some strategizing. Maybe apply for the USNA nom from your MOC and the USMA nom from your senators. Or vice verse.
If you don’t know what I am talking about or if it doesn’t make sense to you, then you are probably not in a competitive district.
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To extract some of the factors noted above and add a few more that contribute to a district’s competitiveness, noting upfront that USMMA noms differ in many respects (read their website) and USCGA is not required to use them:
- Sheer numbers of applications. A Rep can nominate up to 10 names for an available slot at the SA. At any one time, they can have 5 appointees at the SA, spread over 4 years. Some years they might submit 1 slate, for 1 spot in the upcoming class, or 2 slates for 2 spots. There is a big difference between Districts where SAs are well-known and hundreds apply, compared to a district where only 2 dozen apply for noms to one SA.
- If the 2 Senators and District Reps coordinate/collaborate to spread the wealth, by not duplicating names across any of their slates for any SAs, or directing that a candidate may receive only 1 nom, no matter how many SAs they are applying to, or some variation - this can make noms very scarce on the ground. This is the opposite end of the posts we see here every year from candidates (or their parent) who joyfully note they have 2 Senator noms and one Rep nom. Ouch. This is not something the SAs control. Each elected official is free to run their selection process as they wish.
- Individual slate competition. Are there 10 fully qualified candidates (academic/all other evaluated elements, CFA, DoDMERB) on the slate or are there 5? Those are the head-to-head competitors. No way to know how this will play out each cycle.
- How many of the nominees on the slate have obtained noms from other sources, so if the SA offers them an appointment, it could be charged elsewhere, and not to that Rep? Presidential, other service-connected, etc.
- The ranking (or not) method used by the Rep. See the link below for advanced reading on numbers/sources of noms, slate ranking methodologies, how other nominees on a slate might be offered an appointment but those are not charged to the Rep but to a nom source controlled by the SA, etc.
- Relative awareness and popularity of one SA compared to others. I would venture to say the Northeast corridor states have some fiercely competitive districts in certain areas for certain SAs, duplicated across the country in other areas. MD and Northern VA seem to be hotbeds of USNA nom apps, for example.
Finally, there is not one dang thing you can do about it, because there are enough variables each year to make estimating competitiveness a regression analysis nightmare.
- Sheer numbers of applications. A Rep can nominate up to 10 names for an available slot at the SA. At any one time, they can have 5 appointees at the SA, spread over 4 years. Some years they might submit 1 slate, for 1 spot in the upcoming class, or 2 slates for 2 spots. There is a big difference between Districts where SAs are well-known and hundreds apply, compared to a district where only 2 dozen apply for noms to one SA.
- If the 2 Senators and District Reps coordinate/collaborate to spread the wealth, by not duplicating names across any of their slates for any SAs, or directing that a candidate may receive only 1 nom, no matter how many SAs they are applying to, or some variation - this can make noms very scarce on the ground. This is the opposite end of the posts we see here every year from candidates (or their parent) who joyfully note they have 2 Senator noms and one Rep nom. Ouch. This is not something the SAs control. Each elected official is free to run their selection process as they wish.
- Individual slate competition. Are there 10 fully qualified candidates (academic/all other evaluated elements, CFA, DoDMERB) on the slate or are there 5? Those are the head-to-head competitors. No way to know how this will play out each cycle.
- How many of the nominees on the slate have obtained noms from other sources, so if the SA offers them an appointment, it could be charged elsewhere, and not to that Rep? Presidential, other service-connected, etc.
- The ranking (or not) method used by the Rep. See the link below for advanced reading on numbers/sources of noms, slate ranking methodologies, how other nominees on a slate might be offered an appointment but those are not charged to the Rep but to a nom source controlled by the SA, etc.
- Relative awareness and popularity of one SA compared to others. I would venture to say the Northeast corridor states have some fiercely competitive districts in certain areas for certain SAs, duplicated across the country in other areas. MD and Northern VA seem to be hotbeds of USNA nom apps, for example.
Finally, there is not one dang thing you can do about it, because there are enough variables each year to make estimating competitiveness a regression analysis nightmare.
A1Janitor
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There is a difference between a competitive district for a nomination and for an appointment.
For an appointment - a competitive district slate only needs one great candidate to be competitive.
For nominations - a district with many candidates may not be competitive necessarily if you are a top ten candidate.
My son’s district is a perfect example. There were only 6 applicants to USNA. So obviously it wasn’t hard to get a nomination if you are competitive. Being competitive for an appointment was a different matter.
Wahoo Fan
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In a competitive district, it is often more difficult to obtain a nomination than an appointment. If a strong candidate can just get onto the MOC’s slate, then he/she has a reasonable chance of receiving an appointment.
In some highly competitive districts, a MOC will have 2-5 candidates receive appointments for each USMA, USNA, and USAFA—EVERY YEAR. Nobody really knows who these extra appointments are being charged to, but presumably a lot are arranged from the National Waiting List.
In some highly competitive districts, a MOC will have 2-5 candidates receive appointments for each USMA, USNA, and USAFA—EVERY YEAR. Nobody really knows who these extra appointments are being charged to, but presumably a lot are arranged from the National Waiting List.
Usnavy2019
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Wouldn't be surprised if a fair amount are LOAs as well. Of course, LOAs aren't plentiful like it sometimes feels like on SAF, but if you are getting a nom in a supposedly competitive district, you most likely have pretty good paper.
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For last year (2022), the district where I do MOC interviews had (I think) at total of 27 admitted to the academies. I don't remember all of the
numbers but I think that USMMA was 2 and USAFA was 2 or 3.
I believe that candidate with a LOA who met all the conditions but waiting for a nomination do not need to win the slate in order to be offered an appointment. They only need to be one of the ten who receive a nomination, which fulfill the LOA requirement for an appointment.
That’s correct
The other thing to remember is that things change year to year. Some years I have seen districts where you needed basically a 1600 SAT, multiple leadership positions and varsity letters while the next year in the same district there is hardly a qualified candidate.
Everyone likes to say that come from a competitive district, but as others have said, it does not change your application from year to year. You have to put your best foot forward and let the chips fall where they may.
Everyone likes to say that come from a competitive district, but as others have said, it does not change your application from year to year. You have to put your best foot forward and let the chips fall where they may.
Exactly. The Maryland Congressional Delegation did a Zoom call a full two years ahead of the Nomination cycle for the class of 2027 and indicated there were usually around 100 USNA Nomination applications per congressional district.