I Got a Presidential Nomination...Now What?

[A_High_School_Kid]

Hey All,
Recently I was pleased to here that I had received a Presidential Nomination to West Point. I have attempted to research what that means for my chances of appointment and have merely become confused as all my sources seem to contradict each other. Could you please fill me in on how this will affect my admission?
Just some background about my file:
combined 2040 on the SAT (660math, 680writing, 700reading)
combined 31 on the ACT (33reading, 27math, 30science, 32writing)
2 Varsity football teams, 3 varsity soccer teams, and three varsity basketball teams and captained for 4 seasons. (I have attended 4 high schools)
The VP of my Freshmen Class and Senior Class
Rep for my Sophomore and Junior Classes.
Cofounder and VP of a school club
Coached 4 youth soccer teams
I have participated in YIG (as committee co-chair)
I am a member of my Church Youth Group

 

[Christcorp]

Reader's Digest Version:

EVERY... Let me repeat; EVERY applicant who is qualified for the academy, and has a parent who meets the requirements in the military for a presidential nomination, WILL RECEIVE A PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION. So basically, you and about 500 other applicants have/will have received a Presidential nomination.

However; only 100 of those with a presidential nomination, can receive an appointment USING that nomination. So, if you're one of the top 100 applicants with a presidential nomination, then that's good. If not, then you won't get an appointment using that nomination. Sort of like how a senator or representative can give out 10 nominations, but all 10 CAN'T get an appointment using that nomination.

This is why you still want to apply for a senator/representative MOC nomination. In case you aren't one of the top-100 presidential nominated candidates, you can still possibly get an appointment using another nomination. Hope that explains it to you better. Best of luck. Mike....

 

[Just_A_Mom]

As Mike said - hopefully you have applied for Congressional Nominations.

You appear to have a resume that embodies a scholar/leader/athlete. If you want to know YOUR chances - then you should contact your MALO or your regional commander up at West Point.
If possible, schedule a candidate visit and keep updating your file!

 

[USAFretired1996]

However; only 100 of those with a presidential nomination, can receive an appointment USING that nomination. So, if you're one of the top 100 applicants with a presidential nomination, then that's good. If not, then you won't get an appointment using that nomination.

32 C.F.R. PART 901—APPOINTMENT TO THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE ACADEMY


§ 901.23 Filling Presidential and airmen nominating categories.

If any of the annual quotas of cadets authorized in the Regular airman, Reserve airman, or Presidential nomination categories are not filled, then candidates from the other two categories may fill the vacancies on a best-qualified basis.

Is this still current? If so, there can actually be more than 100 Presidentials.

 

[Christcorp]

Yes, that is true. In theory. Regular and reserve are your "Enlisted" slots. There's up to 85 regular and 85 slots for reservists. The presidentials almost without exception, will get filled. There's usually 500+ authorized presidentials. The regular airmen usually has less that 60 get appointed. (In the air force). Reserves, I don't have the numbers. So yes, they can fill from the other 2 categories.

However, the academy has another option that they generally use. That's the national pool. Once all the "Slotted" nomination slots are filled, the academy is free to put the remainder of candidates from the MOC nominations, into the national pool and select the physical number of appointments they need to complete the class. Usually around 400-500 appointments. This is how they normally finishing getting the rest of their appointees. That's why you want a MOC nomination also. Not that they can't fill 20-30-etc... of empty prior enlisted slots using presidentials; but the key word is "MAY". The other two categories MAY fill in some of the slots. The academy would prefer to just let there be "X" amount of remaining appointments left, and be able to select from a much larger pool of applicants. Once they go to the national pool under the guise of "Filling the remaining slots to complete the class"; there are no slots or allotments. All 400 remaining slots could come from california and texas if those are the ones the academy thinks is best.

So yes, if you're #101 in the presidential category, you "MAY" be chosen to use that nomination to fill one of the Prior-Enlisted slots that weren't filled. But I would never count on that. The academy may just CHOOSE to allow empty "Allotted Slots", to revert back to just "Normal Slots" to be filled from the national pool. Make sure you have nominations from your MOC's. Then you have even more possibilities.

 

[USAFretired1996]

^^^

Thanks.

 

[Mongo]

High_School_Kid, good advice, especially to pursue the MOCs.

Just to clarify one item, more for the record, and possibly to ease your mind a bit.

So, if you're one of the top 100 applicants with a presidential nomination, then that's good. If not, then you won't get an appointment using that nomination.

This may be how AFA does it but definitely not USNA, nor, I am relatively certain, WP, where you have your nomination. The top 100 Presidential nominatins who have not received appointments elsewhere will receive Presidential appointments. Many of those top 100 Presidential nominations will be slotted to a MOC appointment and a candidate with only a Presidential and well down the list of 500 nominees may well end up with an appointment. They will attempt to best fill the class and this is one of the reasons they ask that all candidates pursue all nomination sources.

 

[Christcorp]

Air Force isn't much different. Just that they give out early appointments in October/November. Prior to MOC interviews/Nominations. So, if you received an appointment in Oct/Nov, it must have been from a Non-MOC source obviously.

That's not to say that ALL Presidentials are given out in Oct/Nov. Not at all. Appointments are an on-going process up until March/April when they give out the majority of appointments. You could get selected for an appointment, using a presidential, in April. Just that when the dust settles, only 100 appointments will be given out using the Presidential Nomination.

I guess the more "Accurate" way of saying what you quoted me, would be to say:

So, if you're one of the 100 applicants with a presidential nomination, then that's good. If not, then you won't get an appointment using that nomination.

I crossed out the word TOP, as in TOP-100. You are correct that an individual with a Presidential and a MOC "MAY" be given their appointment utilizing the MOC nomination, and thus freeing up the presidential nomination for the individual who ONLY HAS a presidential. In that respect, Air Force doesn't quite work that way. "AT LEAST NOT FOR THE EARLY APPOINTEE". And I got that directly from our regional director for admissions. If you are an "Early Appointee" and received your appointment say TODAY, and it was with a presidential; because obviously the MOC nominations haven't happened yet; then it WILL be the presidential that your appointment will be charged to. Admissions at the air force academy do not shuffle around nominations for early appointees. That's not to say that they don't/won't for the majority of appointments that they give out in march/april. Just not the ones for early appointments in Oct/Nov.

And that's why it's important to have those MOC nominations also; if possible. This way if you are #101 in the presidentials, (Not TOP 101, but the first person after the 100 presidentials have been appointed), you have an alternate route to possibly receive an appointment using a MOC nomination.

But I do agree, that if theoretically, all 500 individuals with a presidential, ALSO had a MOC nomination; and you ranked those 500 individuals; it's possible that #285 could receive an appointment with a presidential, because 186 of those ranked AHEAD of him/her, could have received their appointment using a MOC nomination that they also had.

But we ALL AGREE. Whether it's Air Force, Army, or Navy, there are DEFINITE ADVANTAGES to having more than one nominations. No matter what one academy does compared to another, it will NEVER HURT YOU and will ALWAYS BENEFIT YOU, to apply for every nomination that you are eligible for.

 

[A_High_School_Kid]

Thanks for the info... But talk about timing, I received word today that I have an appointment and will get the letter this Saturday from my WP regional coordinator.

 

[Just_A_Mom]

Yay!!!!!!