Hold Status

jimtodd72

jimtodd72

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Jan 15, 2017
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So the dreaded Thin White Envelope arrived yesterday. We assumed what it was and didn't give it to my son because they were preparing for senior prom last night. It wasn't entirely what we expected. We knew he was on "Hold" based on the portal and the letter explained that he is on hold and on the national wait list and to continue to keep admissions informed of grades, accomplishments, etc. It's been such a long process and it's time to start informing other schools of his plans. I told him that if he wants to just cash in his chips and go to NC State we fully support that decision. He said he wants to keep pounding so tomorrow he will send in his recently awarded Eagle Scout rank and grades from the most recent quarter and hopefully he can bag a few more 800m wins in track that he can report. Through this, I have really gained an appreciation for how sharp these kids are and why my stupid butt ended up at VMI!
 
jimtodd72--This is about the time of year that appointments start coming out. I think if you look at the appointment thread, you will see that there is an uptick within the last week or so. Just fyi, the usmma board on here is less populated than the other schools, so the numbers are much lower, but there is enough to pick up trends. Anyway, there are a fair number of students who are given appointments that decline them for one reason or another. The HOLD letter you got is not a negative, as it means you are still in the hunt. But, you are smart to keep plan B.C and D open. And, you do not have to make a final decision to most schools until May 1. And even then, it is only a small $500 or so deposit. Besides usmma's second wave in a few weeks I guess, you always have the possibility that a spot opens up even closer to indoc. I knw someone who got the call about 48 hours before reporting. So, keep updating. Eagle is worth more points on your profile. But, keep plan B open as well. Good luck.
 
jimtodd72 said:
So the dreaded Thin White Envelope arrived yesterday. We assumed what it was and didn't give it to my son because they were preparing for senior prom last night. It wasn't entirely what we expected. We knew he was on "Hold" based on the portal and the letter explained that he is on hold and on the national wait list and to continue to keep admissions informed of grades, accomplishments, etc. It's been such a long process and it's time to start informing other schools of his plans. I told him that if he wants to just cash in his chips and go to NC State we fully support that decision. He said he wants to keep pounding so tomorrow he will send in his recently awarded Eagle Scout rank and grades from the most recent quarter and hopefully he can bag a few more 800m wins in track that he can report. Through this, I have really gained an appreciation for how sharp these kids are and why my stupid butt ended up at VMI!
Click to expand...

Here are some other posts and information about what Hold Status Means.

From @cousmma5280:
"HOLD is a good thing. It means you are on the NWL. Depending on how you rank with the others you have a chance of getting in. If not, you might be offered a scholarship to the Prep schools. Seriously consider taking it. Students have a high chance of getting in next year when they reapply. NWL is where everybody goes at some point in the process. Hold is a good thing. It means you have made the cut to be considered. Just because there is a hold does not mean there isn't a space. It only means that decisions have not been made. USMMA fills slots on a state basis. As a result, before any appointment is made, they need to be able to look at all of the applicants from that state. For the class of 2020, it seemed that appointments "rolled" across the country, during the time frame of late March and early April. They did not make a lump mailing on one day. Then, there appeared to be a second round sometime at the end of April early May. So, if state A has 1o slots, and State B has 4 slots. State A is found to have 12 applicants that the school wants. They can take 10 to fill up the state. But, State B only has 2 applicants that meet requirements. They can then take the 2 qualified from State A and fill in the spots left open in State B. There are a number of states that do not fill their spots. Some states have more than their number. So what to do now, besides wait. Keep an open dialogue with your admissions counselor, and, any others you may have had contact with at the school. Keep an open dialogue with the coach if there is one in the picture. They can help with information on the process and possibly progress.”

From an Alumni friend of mine:
USMMA is required (by law) to offer admission to applicants based on their ranked order-of-merit by State. As candidate files are evaluated, some (whose overall standing is VERY high) are offered admission early-on, the majority, however, are placed in a "hold" status. Those candidates then wait until all applications are evaluated and rank-ordered. In the beginning of April when admissions have all completed files reviewed and sequenced, they make offers to fill the State quotas and then move to the National Waiting list. Hope this explanation helps. "Hold" status is a good thing and shows that your package was reviewed and found worthy to be competitive against others in your state....now they just have to review everyone else in your state and rank them before offers are made.
 
Thanks for the info regarding this. Is it safe to assume that appointments have been offered for the allotted number from our state at this point and then whether they accept or decline is up in the air?
 
golfindad said:
jimtodd72--This is about the time of year that appointments start coming out. I think if you look at the appointment thread, you will see that there is an uptick within the last week or so. Just fyi, the usmma board on here is less populated than the other schools, so the numbers are much lower, but there is enough to pick up trends. Anyway, there are a fair number of students who are given appointments that decline them for one reason or another. The HOLD letter you got is not a negative, as it means you are still in the hunt. But, you are smart to keep plan B.C and D open. And, you do not have to make a final decision to most schools until May 1. And even then, it is only a small $500 or so deposit. Besides usmma's second wave in a few weeks I guess, you always have the possibility that a spot opens up even closer to indoc. I knw someone who got the call about 48 hours before reporting. So, keep updating. Eagle is worth more points on your profile. But, keep plan B open as well. Good luck.
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My son also has been on hold, and is being recruited by the wrestling coach, but although he was in the top 7 in our state he has gotten bumped off the list and was not offered a spot at this time. He would be willing to attend the prep school but I doubt that he will get in considering he is already qualified and not a minority in any way, but does anyone know the process for this or if there is something to make this more of a possibility? Also, is the prep school actually at Kings Point and can he train with the wrestling team? And if he gets offered a spot at the prep school is it paid for by USMMA or not? This is all so new to me so I appreciate any help and advice!! Thanks
 
Ok...I'm new to this so I think I posted in the wrong place earlier! Just wanted to know other people's opinion on the USMMA prep school. I was told my son, who is on hold, probably would not get in this year but could possibly be a candidate for prep school. I tried looking into it but didn't find much info. Is it actually at Kings Point, and if so would he be able to train with a sports team while at prep school? Also is this paid for by USMMA or is it an out of pocket expense? Because he already qualifies academically and is not a minority I have a feeling he will not be asked to be part of the prep school, but it's worth a shot. I know there are other prep programs as well and would welcome any information regarding them. Thanks so much for any insight you might have. My son doesn't even know he probably won't be accepted yet...he is going to be so disappointed tonight!!
 
todtan. question. Who told you he probably wouldn't be accepted? If from Admissions, or the wrestling coach, you may want to believe it a bit more. If by someone else, consider it scuttlebutt. But, moving to the question about prep. USMMA does not have a prep like the DOD schools. The DOD schools have a prep designed initially for enlisted and athletes, and the NCAA required that it be opened, which is how, at usma, for example, the OAG scholarships came about. Two different types of prep at those schools. AT USMMA, there is only one prep, and it is not on campus. The USMMA prep is not for students who are "not qualified". It is more like students who may just need a little extra or for whatever reason did not get in. It is a different model, it looks like, than the preps like usmaps. The "desired" school changes it seems every so often. I think it is currently a toss up between NMMI and MMI, with NMMI seeming to have the most. I don't know about the cost, but I think it is a self pay--but I could be wrong. There are folks on here who have knowledge about USMMA prep--you may want to start a new thread. The basic deal with an offered prep is that you must satisfactorily complete the year at prep--and you need to get a nomination again. But, if you satisfactorily complete the year at prep (not self prep but offered prep) and obtain the nomination, you are almost a shoe in for the next year. Nobody will tell you its a sure thing. But, the prep schools will tell you how many of their sponsored preps get in, and, if some don't, it is usually because they failed or quit. And, a word of encouragement, I know of at least two (and there are probably more) members of the class of 2020 that received an offer to prep sometime in mid to late april(?) and then were later offered a direct admit.
 
Prep school is paid by USMMA and is at either New Mexico Military institute or Marion in Alabama. You also have the option to "self sponsor " at the prep schools where you pay your own way bit there are no guarantees for acceptance at the academy next year though their acceptance rates are very high. Look up each of those schools and they have prep info on their websites.
 
Call and email your admissions officer now and express a strong interest in prep school, if you should be denied an appointment. If selected for prep, you would be sent to MMI in GA or NMMI in NM on 50% scholarship (not full ride).

Hold is not the end. It's safe to assume that appointments for your state quota have been offered, but many are not accepted and they have till 5/1. Also, other states will not meet their quota for qualified candidates and those slots could potentially go to the next person on NWL in order of merit.

Eagle Scout is a definite boost. Send it in and follow up to make sure it is acknowledged in your package.
 
My son is a current MMI sponsored prep still awaiting appointment(Marion Al). This year is the first year that they have 11 usmma sponsored prep. Last year they only had 3 and 2 were appointed. Not sure what happened to the other cadet. The tuition for out of state is around 23-24 k. 10k is paid by the foundation and 4k is paid for by USMMA. My son was fully qualified but needed extra. He was offered prep by USMMA but he made sure they knew that he was willing to take prep school also. So my advice is to keep in touch with admissions office regularly and make sure your ds/dd let them know that they are willing to go to prep school. We were told by many that it is a golden ticket but as of now we are still waiting. Go on the MMI web site and check it out. It is not a cake walk. Last semester the SAP cadets were taking 19 credits with 3 days a week PT from 5:45-7am then classes starts at 8am. Also 1 of the USMMA self prep was already offered an appointment. todtan, last year a classmate of my son was on hold and was notified appointment by CG May 1, so don't give up yet. Hopefully USMMA will be the same
 
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