Congressional Nomination Interview description

[CessnaEnthusiast04]

To the people of the forum,
I thought I would share my experience from the congressional nomination interview I had today. I know I was not quite sure what to expect going into it, so I hope this helps someone!.

I arrived in a suit about 20 minutes early, then was called into the room by an aide. I shook hands with the congressman and aide and introduced myself.
From there it was about 25 minutes of questions ranging from "tell me about yourself" to "tell me about a time you failed, and how did you overcome it". For those wondering, those are the types of questions to prepare for. If I had to give any advice, I would say to go into the interview knowing what you want -exactly what you want (what major, what career, how long will you serve)- and be straightforward. Luckily I did not get too nervous, and I think that the term "fake it til you make it" holds true in terms of displaying confidence. Overall, it was more of a conversation than an interview.
Best of luck to everyone applying!
-P

 

[jaglvr]

To the people of the forum,
I thought I would share my experience from the congressional nomination interview I had today. I know I was not quite sure what to expect going into it, so I hope this helps someone!.

I arrived in a suit about 20 minutes early, then was called into the room by an aide. I shook hands with the congressman and aide and introduced myself.
From there it was about 25 minutes of questions ranging from "tell me about yourself" to "tell me about a time you failed, and how did you overcome it". For those wondering, those are the types of questions to prepare for. If I had to give any advice, I would say to go into the interview knowing what you want -exactly what you want (what major, what career, how long will you serve)- and be straightforward. Luckily I did not get too nervous, and I think that the term "fake it til you make it" holds true in terms of displaying confidence. Overall, it was more of a conversation than an interview.
Best of luck to everyone applying!
-P

Was the Congressman actually part of the panel? Many times they delegate it out to past SA grads, Officers, etc.

 

[ParachutePanda]

My Congressman was not present during my interview. I had a panel of past graduates from various SA's. My Congressman's point person for the nominations was also present during my interview. They didn't ask any questions, just there to observe I guess.

 

[FiveByFive]

You should post this in the "Nominations" section because it doesn't just apply to USAFA, but to all schools that require a nomination.

Maybe a moderator can move it.

 

[dah19]

Was the Congressman actually part of the panel? Many times they delegate it out to past SA grads, Officers, etc.

I was think in the same thing. I know when my son went through the process it was a panel of military and community people, not the congressperson or senators.

 

[Peter2025]

A big thing that I had to learn is taking your time. When asked a question, don't just start talking... take a few seconds to collect your thoughts. If they ask you a question that stumps you, say let me think about that for a moment. If they ask a question like "tell me about a leadership challenge you've experienced and how you've overcome it" and you cannot think of a situation after a moment, just say that. This happened to me and I gave some general issues I had to deal with even though I had nothing specific. Long story short, be calm, be collected, take your time, and show professionalism. Hope this can help.