Did everyone get an SSK allowing them to continue their application?

[Texark147]

Correct, but it says to have everything complete in 60 days that you are in control of. For instance, they want the SOE emails sent to the teachers, it's out of the candidates hands at that point.

I should say they "want" them to have everything complete in 60 days that they are in control of. I would doubt they would close the portal so quickly, but my DS isn't taking any chances.

 

[smokey%]

Somewhat related to the above posts about getting SSK stuff in early. To be eligible for a LoA you should aim to have most of your SSK (barring nominations and DoDMERB) in by July correct? I remember seeing somewhere that WP starts looking at applications to give LoAs in mid-July.

 

[DrMom]

He is not in control of the SoEs, and USMA will understand that. Also the guidance counselor and registrar may be unable to share their material during the summer.

However, if your kid is still in school and has a good relationship with his Math, English, and Chemistry or Physics teachers, he can ask if they would be willing to support him in his West Point applicaiton over the next 2 months and what is the best email address at which to reach them. We did this....

 

[DrMom]

Somewhat related to the above posts about getting SSK stuff in early. To be eligible for a LoA you should aim to have most of your SSK (barring nominations and DoDMERB) in by July correct? I remember seeing somewhere that WP starts looking at applications to give LoAs in mid-July.

That is not true actually and it is best not to think about LoAs which are not a necessary part of a successful application.

 

[Texark147]

He is not in control of the SoEs, and USMA will understand that. Also the guidance counselor and registrar may be unable to share their material during the summer.

However, if your kid is still in school and has a good relationship with his Math, English, and Chemistry or Physics teachers, he can ask if they would be willing to support him in his West Point applicaiton over the next 2 months and what is the best email address at which to reach them. We did this....

Oh I understand that. I meant that he is only in control of inputting their emails. Here is what the letter says they are in control of ..."Only two of the requirements are directly under your control - the Candidate Personal Data Record and the Candidate Statements. For the other requirements, you will provide Points of Contact who will then receive instructions electronically on how to complete the information on your behalf. It is your responsibility to follow up with them in order to ensure their timely completion. "

I do take this to mean my DS should have his CPDR complete, and the Candidate Statements done within 60 days, as well as the SOE email contacts turned in.

 

[99Gold]

There is no time limit (especially 60 days) to complete the SSK except the formal application deadline in January. The SSK is the full open application process. Not sure why there would be some indication about 60 days. I would recommend contacting admissions directly to confirm there is not some issue, but I am 99 percent certain that is not correct.

Here is the exact wording my ds received in the letter. He already submitted the data record. It looks like he needs to get his essays in within the 60 days. He's a little frustrated with that since he will be at SLE, Boys State, USAFASS and then our own family vacation during that time. He was planning on chipping away at all of the essays (noms, SAs, etc.) in July and finish them in August before school starts. DS#1 took a lot of time refining his essays before submitting them in Sept. Funny thing is that he has everything else completed except 1 SOE and his CFA (which he's hoping to knockout at SLE). Time to pivot that timeline.

"GO BLACK KNIGHTS! This is a long letter with important information concerning your application to the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York. Don't stop reading until the end! We've opened your candidate file to compete for admission for the West Point Class of 2028 and a complete candidate application is available for you online at the candidate portal at https://candidate.westpoint.edu. It is important that you submit the materials in the application as soon as possible. If you don't submit this information within 60 days, we may close your file. Only two of the requirements are directly under your control - the Candidate Personal Data Record and the Candidate Statements. For the other requirements, you will provide Points of Contact who will then receive instructions electronically on how to complete the information on your behalf. It is your responsibility to follow up with them in order to ensure their timely completion. You should already be practicing the events for the Candidate Fitness Assessment."

 

[Texark147]

Here is the exact wording my ds received in the letter. He already submitted the data record. It looks like he needs to get his essays in within the 60 days. He's a little frustrated with that since he will be at SLE, Boys State, USAFASS and then our own family vacation during that time. He was planning on chipping away at all of the essays (noms, SAs, etc.) in July and finish them in August before school starts. DS#1 took a lot of time refining his essays before submitting them in Sept. Funny thing is that he has everything else completed except 1 SOE and his CFA (which he's hoping to knockout at SLE). Time to pivot that timeline.

"GO BLACK KNIGHTS! This is a long letter with important information concerning your application to the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York. Don't stop reading until the end! We've opened your candidate file to compete for admission for the West Point Class of 2028 and a complete candidate application is available for you online at the candidate portal at https://candidate.westpoint.edu. It is important that you submit the materials in the application as soon as possible. If you don't submit this information within 60 days, we may close your file. Only two of the requirements are directly under your control - the Candidate Personal Data Record and the Candidate Statements. For the other requirements, you will provide Points of Contact who will then receive instructions electronically on how to complete the information on your behalf. It is your responsibility to follow up with them in order to ensure their timely completion. You should already be practicing the events for the Candidate Fitness Assessment."

Same for my DS. He will be gone the first 3 weeks of June at summer seminars and Boys State, then a vacation mid July. He also has everything done except one SOE, CFA, and essays. Hopefully he will knock the CFA out at SLE. He started working on essays yesterday.

Is this "60 days" something new? Did your oldest have the same requirement?

 

[99Gold]

Same for my DS. He will be gone the first 3 weeks of June at summer seminars and Boys State, then a vacation mid July. He also has everything done except one SOE, CFA, and essays. Hopefully he will knock the CFA out at SLE. He started working on essays yesterday.

Is this "60 days" something new? Did your oldest have the same requirement?

DS#1 did not recevie a 60 day timeline when he applied 2 years ago.

 

[USMAZoo98]

I think an important part of the language is they "may" close your file. I believe that Admissions regularly reviews candidate files and if they see that a candidate has taken no action on the items in the file, then they have the authority to close the candidate file. It does not mean that they will. Admissions also understands that much of the application timeline is out of the candidates control. As a last resort, if you believe your admissions file is incorrectly closed for some reason, you should immediately reach out to your Admissions officer to inquire why that may have happened.

I do not think any candidate should stress over that "60 day" language. If you are working on your candidate file, Admissions will know that and they will not just arbitrarily close it.