Essentially rejected and in need of clarification for my plan next year.

flightzealot

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Joined
Jun 23, 2016
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17
Hey,

Thanks to everyone on here who helped me with my application to the USNA last year. I received no nomination so I know I'm going to be rejected.

Next year I do plan to reapply (following all the procedures layed out on the USNA's website) but I have a few questions.

1. When I reapply for the nominations (aside from the ROTC nomination) do I use the Senators/Congressmen or women from the state/district in which I'm going to college or do I use the representatives from where I used to live (at home). So, for example, if I'm going to Tulane for University but my "home" is back in NY, do I use the New Orleans representatives or the ones back in NY?

2. For the ROTC nomination, does the specific ROTC unit at a specific school nominate a candidate or is it the cohesive ROTC unit throughout all of the universities that nominates a candidate? If it's the former, would it be to my advantage to attend a school with a smaller ROTC unit?

3. Does the USNA still look at the high school transcript with the college transcript or just at the college transcript?

4. Does the USNA like to see reapplicants from better schools and more esteemed ROTC units?

, Thank you
 
From what I have read on the forum, most of these questions can be answered best by your USNA admissions counselor. They can tell you where the weaknesses are in your application so you can improve upon them. I have heard getting good grades in classes similar to the Plebe schedule is important. So ace English 1 and 2, Calculus 1 and 2, and Chemistry 1 and 2. You can always take one or two or these classes in the summer at your local college before beginning your four year program in August. That way you'll have them on your USNA app in the fall.
 
Here is what my advice would be as I had a re-applicant successfully get into USMA this year. The process is basically the same for all.
  1. Normally you apply to the MOCs from your home of record. Since you did not get an appointment this year, this may be a problem. The USMA Field Force Rep for Houston has suggested that it is possible to change this when you go off to college. You would need to look at ways to officially change to New Orleans, get a Louisiana drivers license, register to vote there, register a car there etc.
  2. The ROTC nomination comes from each unit commander at each ROTC unit. You need to make a good first impression and continue to do well in ROTC. It takes some time for them to get to know you so you must make an extra effort to impress the local ROTC leadership. Show up in shape, do well on your PT test, participate in ROTC activities as much as possible, and make good grades.
  3. USNA will look at all of your high school transcripts, class rank and school profile just as before. The advantage that college applicants have is that their are extra points awarded for successfully completing a semester of college. These points are not available to high school students. This can significantly raise your WCS. They will also look at your test scores. If these are lower than the average, you would want to look at improving them through test prep and retakes.
  4. It is more important that you do well in college taking a challenging course load than necessarily going to the best college in the Nation. You will hear that the academies love re-applicants but what they are really saying is that the admission process is set up to give an advantage to candidates that successfully complete a semester of college.
The bottom line is you need to do a self evaluation and understand why you did not get a nomination and where your application can be improved. You are the only person who really knows this. You will have to put extra work in improving those areas while you continue to do well in the new areas that college affords. It can be done but takes more hard work.
 
  1. USNA will look at all of your high school transcripts, class rank and school profile just as before. The advantage that college applicants have is that their are extra points awarded for successfully completing a semester of college. These points are not available to high school students. This can significantly raise your WCS. They will also look at your test scores. If these are lower than the average, you would want to look at improving them through test prep and retakes.
  2. It is more important that you do well in college taking a challenging course load than necessarily going to the best college in the Nation. You will hear that the academies love re-applicants but what they are really saying is that the admission process is set up to give an advantage to candidates that successfully complete a semester of college.
Does that extra credit to the WCS apply to dual enrollment high schoolers? My DD candidate is in line to get her Associates degree with her HS diploma so when she applied to USNA she had already completed 3 semesters of college in her transcripts. This actually pulled down her overall GPA and class rank because she had two "no one ever gets an A in my class" professors. It's not fun watching a 4.0 drop to a 3.7 so we focus on intelligent Admissions at Plan B's seeing the overall value of the number.
 
Does that extra credit to the WCS apply to dual enrollment high schoolers? My DD candidate is in line to get her Associates degree with her HS diploma so when she applied to USNA she had already completed 3 semesters of college in her transcripts. This actually pulled down her overall GPA and class rank because she had two "no one ever gets an A in my class" professors. It's not fun watching a 4.0 drop to a 3.7 so we focus on intelligent Admissions at Plan B's seeing the overall value of the number.
No they do not. They do get credit for taking the most challenging classes their school has to offer.
 
Does that extra credit to the WCS apply to dual enrollment high schoolers? My DD candidate is in line to get her Associates degree with her HS diploma so when she applied to USNA she had already completed 3 semesters of college in her transcripts. This actually pulled down her overall GPA and class rank because she had two "no one ever gets an A in my class" professors. It's not fun watching a 4.0 drop to a 3.7 so we focus on intelligent Admissions at Plan B's seeing the overall value of the number.

Am sure this is/was part of your Plan B-C-D considerations, but there is an impact on ability to apply for National NROTC scholarship with too many college credits already in hand.
http://www.nrotc.navy.mil/entrance_requirements.html
 
No they do not. They do get credit for taking the most challenging classes their school has to offer.

Maybe it is different at USNA, but USAFA looks at dual credit courses similarly as AP and IB in that they are advanced classes over normal high school courses. DD, class of 2020, received an AS and AA in Chemistry from college when she graduated high school. I seriously doubt USAFA did not consider this in her WCS score, at least in the academic percentage. Coming from a small rural school, the most challenging courses offered by the school were Algrebra II and Trigonometry, chemistry and physics without lab. All courses above this level could only be taken as dual credit college courses. Her high school also "weighted" most dual credit college courses.

So, college courses, whether dual credit or as an actual college student (already graduated high school), are still college courses above and beyond high school level. I have a hard time believing USNA does not look favorably on this.

WonderGirl1965, I commend your DD on her drive to complete an Associates while in high school, especially if it includes STEM courses. I know from my DD's experience, this definitely required more time management to work around her sports, band, and other service commitments.
 
The problem with changing your state of residence when you go to college is that it's hard to get it done (changing driver's license, voting, etc.) before your MOC packets are due, which can be as early as mid-September in competitive regions. Also, consider how excited the MOCs in your new area of residence will to give one of their noms to someone who moved into the state a few weeks before solely to attend school and probably has no intention of permanently living there.

The fact you didn't get a nomination in your home state this year doesn't mean you can't next year if you improve your package.
 
Am sure this is/was part of your Plan B-C-D considerations, but there is an impact on ability to apply for National NROTC scholarship with too many college credits already in hand.
http://www.nrotc.navy.mil/entrance_requirements.html

CaptMJ, per your link, "College credits do not count until an applicant has graduated high school and completed a term of college; then all college credits earned (prior to and after high school graduation) count towards the eligibility requirements."

So, by this requirement, dual credit courses taken while in high school will not negatively affect ROTC scholarship eligibility if applying directly from high school.
 
CaptMJ, per your link, "College credits do not count until an applicant has graduated high school and completed a term of college; then all college credits earned (prior to and after high school graduation) count towards the eligibility requirements."

So, by this requirement, dual credit courses taken while in high school will not negatively affect ROTC scholarship eligibility if applying directly from high school.

Yes, of course - didn't intend to muddy the water.
 
The problem with changing your state of residence when you go to college is that it's hard to get it done (changing driver's license, voting, etc.) before your MOC packets are due, which can be as early as mid-September in competitive regions. Also, consider how excited the MOCs in your new area of residence will to give one of their noms to someone who moved into the state a few weeks before solely to attend school and probably has no intention of permanently living there.

The fact you didn't get a nomination in your home state this year doesn't mean you can't next year if you improve your package.
Agree completely.
Stay focused on your current semester. My DS was in the same situation last year and this is what he did to receive an Appointment to Class of 2021...
1. Finish high school strong: get straight A's or as close as you can get it, and study hard for AP exams so you get 5 on each; Hire a tutor if needed.
2. Excel in your spring sport in hs;
3. Reapply to all Senators, Congressman and other nomination sources before you leave for college;
4. Train hard for CFA - as a college-reappliant you should be able to max out your scores on most of it;
5. Max out the PRT on day 1 of NROTC;
6. Oh yeah, go NROTC in college;
7. Take Tier 1 courses in college. If you took AP Calc in hs, take it again!
8. Kick butt in Calc and English from day 1, you need strong evals from these profs for your application;
9. Kick butt in NROTC and tell your LT Advisor from day 1 that you want the CO's recommendation for the unit nomination;
10. Get A's in college;
11. Wait until Christmas break to write your Personal Statement, so you have a full semester of college and NROTC experience to write a killer essay.

Now, do some candidates get in with less effort? Probably. The choice is up to you.

Don't give up the ship!
 
There used to be a sticky at the top of this page with tips for reapplicants. I think USNA1985 wrote it if you want to search archives. The bottom line, Admissions is going to want to see how you perform in competitive, academically challenging college environment. Think of it as simulating Plebe Year , without the plebe experience.
 
6. Oh yeah, go NROTC in college;
9. Kick butt in NROTC and tell your LT Advisor from day 1 that you want the CO's recommendation for the unit nomination;

If I recall correctly...you cannot receive a ROTC nomination to USNA unless you are specifically in an NROTC unit. I don't think ROTC does "honor" schools (someone please correct me if I am wrong). I am mentioning this since OP said "ROTC." I don't recommend telling your chain-of-command early on that you are seeking an ROTC nomination....prove yourself first. If you mention your interest on day 1, then they might think that is all you care about and are after.

2. Each NROTC unit can submit up to 3 nominations...but there is a cap on how many can be charged to this source (just like the POTUS nomination is limited at 100).
3. Both transcripts.
4. The only "advantage" of well known schools is the quality of the courses/curriculum.
 
Just a mom's two cents, but NROTC is not required for reapplicants. My plebe and several of his friends were not in NROTC by choice, so there are other ways to shine brightly for admissions. Nothing wrong with NROTC of course!

This is just in case others are reading this.
 
They won't let you into see Lebron James if you don't have a ticket to the game. Likewise, what USNA thinks of you or your package is not relevant unless you can obtain a nomination. You need to find out why your MOC did not include you on the slate of 10 names. Is the competition that stiff in your area? Is it always that stiff? How likely are you to get a nomination next year if you did not get one this year? I think you should start by getting a hold of your nomination source's contact and ask them for some feedback.
 
Just a mom's two cents, but NROTC is not required for reapplicants. My plebe and several of his friends were not in NROTC by choice, so there are other ways to shine brightly for admissions. Nothing wrong with NROTC of course!

This is just in case others are reading this.
Please let us not miss the point of OP's original post... NROTC is NOT the only way to obtain an appointment, as originally stated, however, since OP did not receive an MOC nomination, the intention of this post was intended to offer a helpful roadmap of one college re-applicant's actual path that actually resulted in an Appointment. Please do not misinterpret this post as the ONLY way to do it.

Just trying to help OP moving forward.

Don't give up the ship!
 
In my opinion the #1 reason to attend a service academy is to serve the nation as an officer in the armed forces. If you want to attend for a different reason then maybe you should re-evaluate your goals. ROTC is a completely acceptable means to do this and produces fine officers. Showing the academy that service to your nation is important through an ROTC commitment is the best way to shine.

The OP didn't not get a nomination last year from his MOC and ROTC offers a alternate path to a nomination. Being enrolled in a Senior ROTC program irregardless of scholarship makes you eligible for a service connected nomination. If you only receive one nomination you only have one real shot at gaining an appointment. Most people who come off the NWL have multiple nominations, stellar stats and missed out on their slate for special reasons. The more chances you have to compete for an appointment from a nomination source the better your chances of admittance. You are correct that NROTC is not required but the OP should investigate all options. Nominations are basically unlimited for Senior ROTC cadets but there are a maximum of 20 Appointments that can be charged.

The real question the OP needs to answer is why did he not get a nomination from his local MOC. Something tells me if he honestly looks in the mirror, he knows what was lacking and if he can improve on it.
 
Hey,

Thanks to everyone on here who helped me with my application to the USNA last year. I received no nomination so I know I'm going to be rejected.

Next year I do plan to reapply (following all the procedures layed out on the USNA's website) but I have a few questions.

1. When I reapply for the nominations (aside from the ROTC nomination) do I use the Senators/Congressmen or women from the state/district in which I'm going to college or do I use the representatives from where I used to live (at home). So, for example, if I'm going to Tulane for University but my "home" is back in NY, do I use the New Orleans representatives or the ones back in NY?

2. For the ROTC nomination, does the specific ROTC unit at a specific school nominate a candidate or is it the cohesive ROTC unit throughout all of the universities that nominates a candidate? If it's the former, would it be to my advantage to attend a school with a smaller ROTC unit?

3. Does the USNA still look at the high school transcript with the college transcript or just at the college transcript?

4. Does the USNA like to see reapplicants from better schools and more esteemed ROTC units?

, Thank you
@flightzealot, I encourage you to reflect on your nomination application and your interview. Regardless of the path you take next, if you desire an appointment you will need a nomination. Review and think about your essay response along with all other application questions, Find potential interview questions and practice your response and delivery. You will never be prepared for all questions, but practice formulating a well articulated response in a calm and relatively quick fashion to unexpected questions. Do not rush but do not freeze up. Review and edit your essay's prior to submiting until you are comfortable with them. Do not stop following your goals. My DS was a Re-Applicant but did not participate in NROTC nor ROTC. He placed a huge effort into taking a heavy and challenging class schedule at a school which would not be considered tier 1 and he was successful. It can be done and you can do this, but you need the nomination. First things first!
 
Thank you all so much for the responses, I greatly appreciate it. This thread really cleared things up for me. Essentially, what went wrong with my application, at least I believe, was a silly mistake on my part and something genuinely out of my control. I live in NY and I did get called for the interview with one Senator, so I know that my application was adequate considering that only the top 25 applicants for a Senator nomination in NY (large population) were selected for the interview. However, when I applied for the nomination from my Congressmen, the information on his website for whats required in the nomination application packet was outdated. On their website it said "fill out this preliminary application and send it into the office for a packet containing everything required for the nomination" but underneath that it stated everything required for the nomination. So I just put together everything required (and it were the same materials required by both Senators) for the nomination and sent it in. After about 2 and a half months, I get a call from the office telling me that their are about 5 missing materials from my application. I was confused with what was missing (I asked and they gave me an unorganized answer), then they gave me 1 week to get everything else together (which was virtually impossible). At the end of the day, they still offered to interview me but I denied because I didn't want to annoy/frustrate the interviewers with my incomplete application. This was my mistake, and I take full responsibility for it as I should have known better and considering the fact that other applicants sill managed to get nominations from their office. The second factor that lead to my "downfall", was the fact that at the time of application, I had an extremely severe case of cystic acne (one of worst cases you will ever see, my face was essentially an open wound). I was put on Accutane, and I'm still on it now. I'll be off the medicine by July (and my face is almost clear now), but I wouldn't be off of it for the required time before "Induction Day". My SAT score was a 2100 (1440 composite), I now have a 100+ average, and my EC's, although not extraordinary, were still decent, so I believe that it was mainly the medical/my nomination mistakes that led to my rejection.
 
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