District Competitiveness

Some non-qualified candidates will get noms. This most often happens in less-competitive areas.

Think of it this way . . . you're an MOC in a less-competitive area. You get 7 applications for your 10 noms. 4 of those folks aren't qualified. The MOC gives those 4 folks a nom. They are thrilled -- happy with their MOC. This leaves the SA to be the "bad cop" to tell the candidates they aren't qualified. All upside and no downside for the MOC.

Understand, though, that if you have a nom, you still must be 3Q to receive a direct appointment.
 
10 applicants for a nomination is not a lot since each MOC gets a slate of 10 people to nominate anyways. But forget about how competitive it is because no matter what, you are going to do your best to impress them on your application and in your interview.
 
Competitiveness of a district is tied to 2 things: [1] the sheer number of candidates seeking nominations and [2] the overall quality of the schools in that MOC's district. As a very general rule districts in more affluent areas have higher school spending and produce higher SAT scores etc.

Take a look at the high schools in your district [be sure to research congressional district boundaries - they sometimes look funny] and see how they rank in terms of SAT/ACT performance vs state and national average. That will give you some idea.

This is true in our district and in our state. We have both high quality and quantity of applicants in our district. Most do not get a nomination. In our state we have over 600 applying to senators for noms. Many don't even try because they think it's akin to winning a lottery, bad idea not to apply. The senators only invite a handful to interview.
 
This is true in our district and in our state. We have both high quality and quantity of applicants in our district. Most do not get a nomination. In our state we have over 600 applying to senators for noms. Many don't even try because they think it's akin to winning a lottery, bad idea not to apply. The senators only invite a handful to interview.
Sounds like my state.
 
In our state last year, both senators indicated they did not interview all candidates. They selectively interviewed and shared that they interviewed 160 +/-. That sounded like a lot for the panels to deal with to me.

Put your best application forward, have plan B-Z in place. Then, spend time with family and friends, finish your academic year strong, stay healthy and let the rest not stress you out.
 
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