info admission board reviews/switching nom preference

norwesco1

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5-Year Member
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Nov 11, 2008
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S had a CVW this weekend--it was a wonderful experience, but as parents we left more confused by some of the information we received than prior to our visit. Admissions briefings sent some mixed message and some of the information was actually in direct conflict from what other admission reps had indicated. Unfortunately our son has a decision to make this week. His file was complete August 28th. He is DODMERB qualified and his CFA is complete. All of his stats are very strong, yet we have heard nothing indicating his status as far as competing for an appointment. We briefly spoke to his regional officer (who really did not seem to be familiar with him, and he was not with us when we had the discussion) following one of the briefings and he simply stated that "sometimes it takes a while to get all the apps into the "Q". He did not offer to follow up and we did not press it as there were others waiting to speak with him. All we really want to know is if his file has been reviewed by the admissions board and if he is scholastically qualified. In any case our son has a MOC interview this Saturday. In our state you must specify your SA preference and are only nominated for one academy. He currently has USNA as his preference and it is his number one choice. Given the fact that we cannot seem to get any information regarding his status at USNA (BGO not helpful either) and Air force is very interested --ALO has contacted him multiple times--is it prudent for him to switch his nomination preference? He currently has asked for an AF nom from a senator only and those are difficult to get. If anyone has any insight that might be helpful it would be much appreciated!!!
 
Your question isn't an easy one, but I'll do my best to answer. If your son's file was complete as of Aug 28, it SHOULD (and I emphasize that word) have been reviewed by now for academic qualification. However, from what I understand, letters may not yet have gone out indicating academic qualification status. I would have your son check with his BGO -- our system typically indicates of a student has been found qualified by the Admissions Board. Note that we know ONLY if he has been found qualified; if the record hasn't been reviewed, the BGO will NOT know where it is in the queue, when it will be reviewed, etc.

You can also have your son call CGO. Sometimes things are a bit crazy on these candidate visit days. Also, it's not surprising the Regional Director doesn't know your son's file. Consider that there are ~14,000 applications and 6 regions (I think). Knowing each candidate personally isn't an option.

Of course, as you know, the fact he is qualified does not necessarily mean he will receive an appointment (even with a nom). It's a great start (you need to be qualified to receive a nom) but there are folks who are triple Qed who still don't get appointments.

As for what to do with your MOC . . . the question your son needs to ask himself is whether he will truly be happy at either USAFA or USNA. If he has a preference, he should list that SA first on all of his noms. If he really doesn't care and would be equally happy at either school, then he has more flexibility (can list one first on one MOC list and the other first on another MOC list). I realize it's tempting to list USAFA first because it sounds like he may be closer (in time, at least) to an appointment from that school than from USNA. However, if he picks USAFA first with the MOCs and that's not really his first choice, he will be VERY disappointed if/when his USNA quals come through.
 
If you want to know if your son has been academically qualified, call the admissions office and ask. If he has been, then he is triple qualified. Beyond that, you will not get much information from the admissions office other than work on getting a nomination. If he wants to go Navy, he should put USNA as his preferred choice and hope for the best. If he is indifferent, and he believes that Air Force will take him, then maybe the "bird in the hand" is better.
 
If you want to know if your son has been academically qualified, call the admissions office and ask.

It is NOT your place to call the Admissions office - that should be something that your son does. He should be handling all things USNA. When we went to CVW that was something that was stressed over and over.
 
I dont want to hijack this thread but,

How should one (I) go about contacting the admissions office regarding their status? I want to know everything about how my file is being processed. As of now I know nothing. I have no idea about the status of my 3Q process. Honestly, I am afraid to ask. I dont want to be THAT irritating candidate.

Thanks,
 
I actually think part of the issue here is that WE have not been involved at all until now. After attending the CWV it became clear that most parents have been much more vested in the "process" than we have been. They are also much more Knowledgeable when it comes to "playing the game." I am an admissions rep at a very large (and selective) civilian institution, so I probably was a bit too sensitive about not over stepping. There is a point however, when guidance needs to be provided and concerns and clarification can be articualted better by a parent. He needs to make a choice this weekend and we want to make sure he has all the facts at his disposal. Given the fact that calling the CGO is virtually impossible for him during school hours and that his previous attempts to phone him or e-mail him often garnered no responses, I can't imagine a phone call from us at this point would be of detriment. From discussions with many other parents it was obvious that they had multiple contacts with CGO's and academy officials. While I whole-heartedly agree that we should not interfere, at some point it is ok for a parent to support a prospective candidate with more than just encouragement.
 
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