confused about application

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academyforums

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I know the first part of the USMA online application does not come available until July, but how long does each part of the applicaition take? Is it the kind of thing you can finish in a day, or does it take a long time?
Also, can I finish my online application before summer is over? If so, does that mean I can have a complete application, but just be waiting on a nomination?
 
sorry about all of the questions, but I have one more:
I am applying to my congressman, two senators, and the vice president for a nomination. How do I get a letter of reccomendation that applies to each of these? Should it just be more general and about myself
 
academyforums said:
sorry about all of the questions, but I have one more:
I am applying to my congressman, two senators, and the vice president for a nomination. How do I get a letter of reccomendation that applies to each of these? Should it just be more general and about myself
Click to expand...

For the Naval Academy (may be different from West Point) Once you have access to CIS there will be a checklist you can review and for the most part be able to access the resources you need for that information

You need SAT/ACT scores sent in directly to the academy using their reference number from collegeboard, and whatever the ACT organization is, a transcript from school, reccomendations from high school teachers, CFA, DODMERB and your nomination.

You'll see on CIS when your stuff has been recieved by the academy. As far as the transcript and SAT/ACT scores, you have no controll after you send them off. For the teacher reccomendations, there is a spot online where they're supposed to go and directly send their reccomendation electronically. If you can get them to do so in good time, you'll see that added pretty fast.

The CFA scores need to be sent electronically too. My HS teacher got those in as soon as I was done but it took a day or two to have it hit the system.

DODMERB will contact you once most of your application is complete.

The nominations will come directly from the department that nominates you. You don't need to tell the admission office that you got it, as they have their own system for doing that.

Each senator/congressman is different with how they want it done.

I don't need to send an essay for one congressman, as he wants to do interviews, and I have a senator that has a board set up for him to do the whole nomination process. I'm sure you can send a generalized essay, but I have two different length requirements so I have to write a short and a long one.

search out your representatives for your state and go to their official websites. You'll see their specific process when you find the service academy nomination process. The VP nomination is very similar.

Hope that helps, and if any of that info is wrong, anyone feel free to correct.
 
academyforums said:
I know the first part of the USMA online application does not come available until July, but how long does each part of the applicaition take? Is it the kind of thing you can finish in a day, or does it take a long time?
Also, can I finish my online application before summer is over? If so, does that mean I can have a complete application, but just be waiting on a nomination?
Click to expand...

Once you get your stuff done, i.e. CFA, ask teachers for reccomendations, its mostly a waiting game.
 
academyforums said:
I know the first part of the USMA online application does not come available until July, but how long does each part of the applicaition take? Is it the kind of thing you can finish in a day, or does it take a long time?
Also, can I finish my online application before summer is over? If so, does that mean I can have a complete application, but just be waiting on a nomination?
Click to expand...

yes, you can finish your application before the summer is over.

The second step kit, that you will have access to in July will allow you to

- make appointments for medical examination, complete it.
- CFA, you can take it now if you are ready
- your high school transcript can be sent to West Point by you school on you finish your junior year
- Need to send your SAT/ACT scores
- candidate essasy, stright forward, have someone proof read it
- letters of recommendation, talk you our math, english, and science (should be chemistry or physics) now. What happen is that you enter their email addresses in the applicatio portal, they get an email with a link to complete your recommendation. If you don't have their email address, they can't do it over the summer and if they are not warned about it, they might not do it.

Letters of recommendation for nomination process is different for each Senators and Congressman.
 
The SSK (Second Step Kit) is the on-line application for West Point. It will be available on your candidate portal once your RC has made an initial evaluation. He will not make this initial evaluation until he has at a minimum - your SAT/ACT scores.

In the SSK box is a listing of all the 'stuff' you have to do to complete your file. Each item has an icon next to it. When it is first opened, each icon will be red. They will turn to green once that item is complete.

The components of the SSK are:
1) Candidate Personal Data Record (CPDR)
- this in where you enter your personal info
2) Request for Academic Information
- you enter the contact info for your High School's transcript official
3) Candidate Activities Record (CAR)
- this is where you get to enter all of your accomplishments!
- athletics and extracurriculars
- you will also enter the contact info for the person (principal, counselor, school administrator) who will verify that what you entered is accurate.
4) Candidate Statements
- these are your 3 essays
5) Candidate Fitness Assessment (CFA)
- you will enter the contact info of the authorized person that will be administrating your CFA.
6) School Official Evaluations (SOE)
- you will enter the contact info of 3 of your teachers. They MUST be a teacher that you had for English, Math and Physics/Chemistry from grades 9-12.

Your SSK is finished when all the icons are green. IOW - you have submitted all of the forms and WP has received all forms back from school officials.

Your file is now complete.
All you need is DoDMERB clearance and a nomination.

Can all of this be done by the end of summer? Absolutely. But as you can see, it is not all up to you. You are relying on someone sending in your transcripts, someone preparing to administer your CFA and submitting it, you are relying on the school official to verify you CAR and you are relying on the 3 teachers to fill out the SOEs and submit them.

Politely ask each of these officials if they could complete their forms this summer and tell them why.
Most teachers/school officials want to help their students.
 
buff81 said:
All you need is DoDMERB clearance and a nomination.
Click to expand...

When does DoDMERB contact you? or when do you contact it? In fact, how does the whole DoDMERB process work.

I'm going to be gone for the first four weeks of June, then I'm coming back home for a week to hopefully complete the SSK, then my whole family (including me) is leaving for another week. If DoDMERB contacts me while I'm gone and I can't respond because I'm on the other side of the world, what would happen?
 
Once your RC makes the initial evaluation and deems that you are a competitive candidate, he will authorize DoDMERB to schedule you for the medical exam. DoDMERB (through their contractor Concorde) will contact you with instructions on how to schedule this exam. This usually occurs in July. Once you receive the scheduling instructions - there is a time limit on you making the appointments.
If you have a concern about this - ask your FFR, or RC, or call DoDMERB ( 1-800-841-2706 from 7AM-4 PM, Mountain Time, Mon - Fri) or email DoDMERB at helpdesk@dodmerb.tma.osd.mil.
 
Does DoDMERB contact you by phone, email, or snail mail? Because I could probably reply to emial while I'm away but not regular mail.
 
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