How does nomination increase chances of acceptance
Well you cannot receive an appointment without a nomination, so it’s important. Statistically it’s really hard to say without knowing all the data for all the candidates or your slate. Bottom line, it’s needed and it’s one more step.
If you look at the stats for the Class of 2025 - there were 16K + applications started - there were only about 6,300 total nominated - and I am sure some nominated were not medically, physically (CFA), or academically qualified - if you have a nomination and are fully qualified your chances are much better to get one of those 1,300-1,400 offers of appointment than being one of the 16K that began applications. Each step in the process takes you closer to an offer of appointment. Once you are found to be fully qualified and have a nomination, it is all about stacking candidates up against each other - GPA, SAT / ACT scores, recommendations, CFA, as well as demographics, leadership, athletics, etc.
After you complete the application, get a nomination, and are qualified medically you have done all that you can do. You just have to hope it is enough to put you above the line and receive an offer of appointment but lots of other highly qualified individuals are thinking the same thing. Good luck, thanks for your willingness to serve! Concentrate on a strong finish to your senior year and always have a “plan B” ready if the academy falls through.
After you complete the application, get a nomination, and are qualified medically you have done all that you can do. You just have to hope it is enough to put you above the line and receive an offer of appointment but lots of other highly qualified individuals are thinking the same thing. Good luck, thanks for your willingness to serve! Concentrate on a strong finish to your senior year and always have a “plan B” ready if the academy falls through.
usna1985
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It greatly increases your chances as compared to a candidate with no nominations in that, if you don't have a nom, your chances of an appointment are essentially nil.
However, beyond that a nom may increase your overall chances of an appointment greatly . . . or not at all. Let's say that you are in a non-competitive state or district on a slate of 10 nominees. USNA considers you 9/10 or 10/10 on that slate in terms of your competitiveness. USNA will likely take their top-ranked person on that slate. The rest go to the National Pool, but if you're not even competitive on your slate in a non-competitive region, your chances of earning an appointment out of the National Pool are small.
Conversely, you are in a super-competitive state or district and USNA considers you 2/10 or 3/10 on your slate. Even if you don't win the slate, you will be very competitive in the National Pool.
The appointment process is more complex than the above. However, the helpfulness of a nom depends on the competitiveness of your district / slate AND how high you stand on that slate (either because the MOC ranked or based on USNA's determination). Put simply: Win a slate and you're golden. Place 2-10 and . . . it depends.
However, beyond that a nom may increase your overall chances of an appointment greatly . . . or not at all. Let's say that you are in a non-competitive state or district on a slate of 10 nominees. USNA considers you 9/10 or 10/10 on that slate in terms of your competitiveness. USNA will likely take their top-ranked person on that slate. The rest go to the National Pool, but if you're not even competitive on your slate in a non-competitive region, your chances of earning an appointment out of the National Pool are small.
Conversely, you are in a super-competitive state or district and USNA considers you 2/10 or 3/10 on your slate. Even if you don't win the slate, you will be very competitive in the National Pool.
The appointment process is more complex than the above. However, the helpfulness of a nom depends on the competitiveness of your district / slate AND how high you stand on that slate (either because the MOC ranked or based on USNA's determination). Put simply: Win a slate and you're golden. Place 2-10 and . . . it depends.
So just throwing this out there...DS is a reapplicant, he was turned down medically last year and asked to reapply this year. Since this has been his dream since middle school he decided to give it another go even though we realize there are no guarantees with the medical waiver situation. His high school grades, EC's, sports everything were excellent and he had no trouble getting a nomination from our MOC last year. This year though things got weird during the nomination process and there were different panel members interviewing who got really hung up on his medical waiver situation and asked a lot of questions about that which made me very nervous. Fast forward a few weeks and he was declined for a MOC nomination, which made zero sense since if anything he was more competitive this year than last (grades and scores went up senior year). We have found out since that others in our state were being turned down if they needed a medical waiver, since they apparently think this makes a candidate less competitive. Never mind that this is not their job to decide, but the medical departments at the academies.
We have been able to message with his admissions counselor who agreed that this was not great on the part of the interview panels, but there was nothing they could do about it since the MOC's are free to run nominations however they choose. DS is at an excellent STEM program that the NAVY recruits from heavily, with a partial scholarship. His first semester grades turned out to be excellent and he has been invited to apply for even more scholarships that he now qualifies for as a result. The admissions counselor said not to give up and just to be sure that he had completed the VP nomination application (he had). There was also some mention of superintendent nominations sometimes being used for medical situations and he might fall under that category, but it sounded vague.
My question is...what are the odds here? And why are we even encouraging kids to reapply if MOC's are going to be gatekeeping things that aren't their job to decide? What about the reapplicants who didn't have good high school grades but did really well their first semester...and can't submit those grades to their MOC's in time for the nomination process? It just seems like this whole game is rigged and it's not doing the country any favors when capable people aren't being given a chance. Add to this that when DS and I went to CVW they told the parents that the current plebes were really struggling in maths due to the pandemic, and DS is rocking calculus at college. His major and skillset are things that are needed, but he needs a medical waiver so now he's just done before it even starts?
Okay - rant over. But any insight would be appreciated!
We have been able to message with his admissions counselor who agreed that this was not great on the part of the interview panels, but there was nothing they could do about it since the MOC's are free to run nominations however they choose. DS is at an excellent STEM program that the NAVY recruits from heavily, with a partial scholarship. His first semester grades turned out to be excellent and he has been invited to apply for even more scholarships that he now qualifies for as a result. The admissions counselor said not to give up and just to be sure that he had completed the VP nomination application (he had). There was also some mention of superintendent nominations sometimes being used for medical situations and he might fall under that category, but it sounded vague.
My question is...what are the odds here? And why are we even encouraging kids to reapply if MOC's are going to be gatekeeping things that aren't their job to decide? What about the reapplicants who didn't have good high school grades but did really well their first semester...and can't submit those grades to their MOC's in time for the nomination process? It just seems like this whole game is rigged and it's not doing the country any favors when capable people aren't being given a chance. Add to this that when DS and I went to CVW they told the parents that the current plebes were really struggling in maths due to the pandemic, and DS is rocking calculus at college. His major and skillset are things that are needed, but he needs a medical waiver so now he's just done before it even starts?
Okay - rant over. But any insight would be appreciated!
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A1Janitor
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First, rigged is the wrong word. Like admissions stated, MOCs can do whatever they want, even when it seems unfair.
You don’t know that your DS is more competitive this year over last year. The candidates on his slate this year could be stronger than the ones last year.
All medical dqs aren’t the same. Some are not possible, some are rare, while others may be easier to waive. The law and the needs of the navy come into play.
Apply for all nominating sources as suggested. Apply for all scholarships as well.
It isn’t over until he is told it is over. Best of luck.
You don’t know that your DS is more competitive this year over last year. The candidates on his slate this year could be stronger than the ones last year.
All medical dqs aren’t the same. Some are not possible, some are rare, while others may be easier to waive. The law and the needs of the navy come into play.
Apply for all nominating sources as suggested. Apply for all scholarships as well.
It isn’t over until he is told it is over. Best of luck.
usna1985
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For better or worse, MOC committees are free to choose whomever they want for noms. Folks with LOAs have complained that some MOCs won't give them noms b/c they (wrongly) assume the USNA will just "find" a nom for them. That is also totally unfair, but it happens.
There have been MOCs who refuse to make any noms to SAs -- just on general principle. There are MOCs who don't manage their noms properly and have years when they have no vacancies (i.e., no opportunity to nominate) for one or more SAs. Neither of these are fair either.
I would say that the current system is generally a LOT better than it was years ago, when patronage and nepotism and all sorts of similar things came into play. But it's still far from perfect -- especially for some MOCs.
Also . . . it is true that candidates who need medical waivers may have a tougher time getting an appointment than those who don't. As A1Janitor points out, not all medical conditions are equal. MOC committees really aren't in a position to make this determination, but they might think they are -- or just decide not to chance it.
A1 is also correct that, just because a candidate is more competitive this year doesn't mean s/he is more competitive vs. the competition. IOW, I may have improved over last year but those competing against me this year are a lot better than I am.
There have been MOCs who refuse to make any noms to SAs -- just on general principle. There are MOCs who don't manage their noms properly and have years when they have no vacancies (i.e., no opportunity to nominate) for one or more SAs. Neither of these are fair either.
I would say that the current system is generally a LOT better than it was years ago, when patronage and nepotism and all sorts of similar things came into play. But it's still far from perfect -- especially for some MOCs.
Also . . . it is true that candidates who need medical waivers may have a tougher time getting an appointment than those who don't. As A1Janitor points out, not all medical conditions are equal. MOC committees really aren't in a position to make this determination, but they might think they are -- or just decide not to chance it.
A1 is also correct that, just because a candidate is more competitive this year doesn't mean s/he is more competitive vs. the competition. IOW, I may have improved over last year but those competing against me this year are a lot better than I am.
Rigged may not be the best word, but I do question if the nomination portion of the application process does serve the needs of the Navy very well. I do realize that some waivers are harder to get than others (we have definitely gone down that research rabbit hole), but it just seems like it should be the actual Navy medical making that decision, not nominating committees without medical backgrounds making these decision preemptively. I work in higher education and realize that no school has a perfect application process, I also realize that USNA has a very different purpose and can't be directly compared to other schools, however I don't think it's hard to find ways that allowing politician's in on the process could at best be counter productive.
The funny thing is that DS has already been approached by civilian contractors who work alongside the service selection he was hoping for about applying for paid summer internships. We know that regardless of if he gets into USNA or not he will most likely have opportunities to work in the field if he wants it, possibly with fewer strings attached and more flexibility etc...which just seems odd. Since we don't come from a military background we just felt it would be beneficial for him to be immersed in that culture at an academy. There is more than one way to use your skills and talents to serve your country, and I don't think he will have a hard time finding ways to do that...it's just disheartening as a parent.
Also...any unicorn stories of kids who need a medical waiver and a nomination still getting an appointment?
The funny thing is that DS has already been approached by civilian contractors who work alongside the service selection he was hoping for about applying for paid summer internships. We know that regardless of if he gets into USNA or not he will most likely have opportunities to work in the field if he wants it, possibly with fewer strings attached and more flexibility etc...which just seems odd. Since we don't come from a military background we just felt it would be beneficial for him to be immersed in that culture at an academy. There is more than one way to use your skills and talents to serve your country, and I don't think he will have a hard time finding ways to do that...it's just disheartening as a parent.
Also...any unicorn stories of kids who need a medical waiver and a nomination still getting an appointment?
Socalusnamomwannabe
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How do I know if DS is in a competitive or non-competitive state or district?
A1Janitor
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Historically, you can try and find number of appointments from your district/state.
Every district is competitive if there is at least one great candidate applying, which can happen any year.
quinn.d.tv
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@A1Janitor any suggestions on sites or resources to find the number of appointments from my district? I did a quick search online naming my district, to no avail.
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Look for a press release from the elected official.