Kansas, anyone?

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anon2021

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hi all!

Is anyone here from Kansas? Just received a letter from Senator Moran for his interview on September 24th. Thought it was quite different from all the forums I read here...."Interviews will be held from 8AM to 3Pm...time of interview AND number of interviews varies on the number of applicants that are able to come"

Just thought this was a bit different from the rest. If anyone can offer any insight on the actual format of his interviews, that would be great! I'm just looking for estimates of the time that each interview took/did it actually take the whole day/was there a lot of waiting/how many people were on the panel

Thanks!
 
From what I can remember from Sept 2013, Moran's interviews were held on one day in Abilene. My DS had at least 3 interviews, maybe 10 min each, in front of a panel of 4-6 each. He had applied to two SAs. I think he said the interviewers were grouped by SA, so for the USMA interview, there was at least one WP/Army interviewer among the 4-6; same with USNA/one Navy or USNA related interviewer among the 4-6. All candidates had lunch with Senator Moran and the interviewers mid-way through; there was also an opportunity to meet in person and have a picture taken with Senator Moran. (He is not on any of the interview panels -- but if you look at his website, at least in the past, it listed the interviewers). Yes -- it took the whole day. We drove out from NE KS the night before (we are 2.5-3 hrs away), and I dropped off my DS that morning for an ~8 am-ish check-in. I hung out at the hotel, and then my car for the rest of the day. (In 2013 there was a bad storm so the original plan to hold the interviews at the Eisenhower Presidential Library was changed at the last minute to a local hotel/conference room. The Library was closed that day. Some parents waited inside the hotel but I knew my DS wouldn't want that.)

You will get all the info you need in the letter/communication from the nomination coordinator. What I would suggest is that you dress in business attire -- if you are male, dress slacks, shirt & tie or suit jacket (although not required if you don't have one); for females, a conservative skirt & blouse or dress. Dress like you are going to a job interview. Neat, clean, showered, hair combed.

Bring several copies of a one-page resume that you might have submitted with your nomination application. If you retook the SAT/ACT since you submitted your application and got new/better scores, bring several copies. If you have an LOA, bring copies of it.

Senator Roberts' nomination interviews were very different, as were our Congressman's. PM me if you have any questions. Good luck!
 
Yep, Moran's interviews are still held for one day in Abilene, also at the Eisenhower Library. We are about 2.5 hours away, but my dad and I couldn't find anything close by for a hotel the night before.

I may have taken your message wrong, but did you mean that for each SA you apply to, there is also an interview? I applied for USMA, USNA, USAFA, and USCGA in that order.

And my father shouldn't be there at all? I thought maybe there was a waiting room for parents, but I can make him go get coffee for the entire day :)

Thank you for all the answers - this really helped!

I have Senator Robert's interview coming up around the end of October I assume.
 
Oh and one more question - how many kids were there? Is there a lot of waiting around and was it really crowded? We found one motel that has a reputation for fleas, so we weren't sure if all the out of town families had already booked the good ones

Sorry. More than one question.
 
anon2021 said:
Yep, Moran's interviews are still held for one day in Abilene, also at the Eisenhower Library. We are about 2.5 hours away, but my dad and I couldn't find anything close by for a hotel the night before.

I may have taken your message wrong, but did you mean that for each SA you apply to, there is also an interview? I applied for USMA, USNA, USAFA, and USCGA in that order.

And my father shouldn't be there at all? I thought maybe there was a waiting room for parents, but I can make him go get coffee for the entire day :)

Thank you for all the answers - this really helped!

I have Senator Robert's interview coming up around the end of October I assume.
Click to expand...

I found the agenda and info from my DS's interview day. On the list, there were 7 boards/rooms of 3 interviewers each (3 boards for USNA, 2 for USAFA, 2 for USMA). (This may have changed that day, but this is what was sent out ahead of time.) Applicants checked in between 7:45-8:15 am, individual interviews took place from 8:30 am - 12:40 pm in 10 min increments. In between, there was a USNA Midshipman visiting with applicants and answering questions. Lunch with the Senator from 1-2 pm. Photos with the Senator (I never did see a photo of my DS & Moran, even though he received a nomination and an eventual appointment.) Everyone was dismissed at 2:30.

Since you are applying to 4 SAs, you likely had to rank your #1, #2 choices, etc in the nomination application. Those will probably be the focus of the interviews (remember -- they're only 10 min long). You will likely be asked why one SA over the other, or in my DS's case he was asked if he received a nom for USMA, would he attend (USNA at the time was #1 on his list). You may be asked questions completely unrelated to the military. (What's your favorite book/hero and why?)

In 2013 there were ~150 applicants for nominations, but most had applied to multiple SAs.

I would encourage your father to visit the museum/library instead of sitting in a waiting room all day. You wouldn't take him on a job interview, would you? He will definitely be on his own for lunch.
 
anon2021,
Plebe at USMA from Kansas here,
Just thought I would give you a few tips for the Moran interview and the application process in general.

1. Be yourself when answering questions.
A relaxed, but attentive interviewee shows confidence and poise. They are looking for potential leaders, and leaders need to be genuine people.

2. Don't be intimidated by the number or type of people applying.
There are plenty of nominations to go around, and, at least last year, USMA had the fewest applicants.
Also don't stress too much about other people's CFA or GPA. The interview is about what you cannot put on paper, its how you present yourself as an applicant.
One more thing, if you don't get a nom at Moran's, don't worry. You have three other nomination sources and it only takes one to get in. (I had 3 to Navy but was denied while accepted to USMA with 1 nom)

3. If you haven't yet, take a walk around the presidential library.
Eisenhower was a great leader, proud Kansan, and WP grad. You might learn a thing or two that would be helpful in the interviews, especially if you are applying to USMA.

Feel free to PM with any questions regarding noms or WP,

Good Luck!
 
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