Congresional Nomination

C Sweers

Member
Joined
May 17, 2015
Messages
11
Hi. I'm new on here and I'm just finishing my Sophomore year in high school.

I attended a Admissions Briefing at the USNA when I was out visiting last week. He said to start applying for a Nomination early but how early? April of my Junior year? Earlier or later?

Also, when should I contact my teachers asking for Recommendation letters? For the Nominations they require three letters of Recommendation, at least one academic from a teacher. Should I do more than one Academic? if not, besides my teachers, who can I ask for Recommendation letters from?

What should I include in the essay they need?
 
You can't start applying for your nominations until your MOC opens up applications for your year group. For most that will be the summer between junior and senior year. Follow the instructions on the website for the MOC nom as it will tell you what they want in your application. Every MOC is different, just follow their rules. You can probably get a good idea of what will be expected by looking at the MOC website now. There is guidance on what they want to see on letters of recommendation from your teachers and others. Its great you are thinking of this early, but take a deep breath, you are a year out. Take a look at this forum and the stickies at the top of each SA you are interested in applying to. They give great advice on what you should be focusing on and tips. Read through old posts as tons of your questions and great examples of interview prep questions, what to wear, how to prep are offered up in there.
 
Nomination applications tend to be released in April or May of your Junior year, and due around November (but check your congressman's deadlines).

I contacted my teachers at the end of summer and they were happy to do them. Personally, I had my teacher and my sports coach write me one each. I asked each for an evaluation of my character, which both could attest to.

Other ideas for who to ask- a boss of a job, a teacher who sponsors a club you're in (who can attest to your leadership ability), a spiritual leader, a JROTC instructor, etc.

In the essay, write about something that will make you stand out. Write about a life experience and how you grew from it, your motivation to attend a less-than-normal school, leadership experience, etc. I think the panels want to see you as a human, not just someone who believes their resume will get them somewhere.

Whatever you write, remember it and be able to defend it. I wrote about coming from a background of civil servants, which the panel questioned me about.

This should give you enough to chew on for a while! If you have questions, pm me.
 
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