Letter of Assurance
- Thread starter LAfan26
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LOA - Letter of Assurance, if you become academically, medical, and physically qualified and get a nomination, you will get an appointment.
LOE - Letter of Encouragement. You are a competitive candidate, so complete your application if you want to come to West Point.
No. I will caveat my answer to my state. And safe to assume what is being happening at my state is same for the region.
As stated the purpose of LOE is to encourage candidates to complete their application, so if a candidate completed his or her application no encourage is needed.
Perhaps you are thinking about DoDMERB exam. My RC prefers completed application or at minimum completed candidate statements before authorizing DoDMERB exams for competitive candidates.
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MemberLG, I had my entire application, CFA, and DODMERB completed by 6 September 2012, and my LOE was dated 11 September 2012, so I do not know if they changed the policy now that LOAs are back on the table.
It is what is, sometimes a deduction based on a sample size (old too and personal) is not the best answer. If you get bored, do an internet search on Psychology of Intelligence Analysis by Richards J. Heuer.
Looking at LOE sent dates for 2012 for my state, several in September, several in October, several in November, and some in December. There is an candidate getting his LOE and incompleted application, so evidence suggests that complete application was not required for LOE at least in my state in 2012.
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Makes perfect sense to me since the point of an LOE is to encourage one to complete their application. I don't see why someone with a complete application would even receive an LOE, but I suppose it happens.
845something
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Because it authorizes an overnight visit which at West Point had historically been reserved for appointed candidates and those with LOAs. Without rolling admissions, there are no offers till later and with fewer/limited LOAs, it meant that candidates couldn't visit overnight to help them make a decision if West Point was right for them.
ca2midwestmom
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My DS received an LOE in early September, three months after attending SLE (the year there was only one session of 500). I know his application wasn't complete by then. We didn't realize what the letter was at the time and thought it was strange he was being offered an overnight visit when he had just returned from a week-long visit. He was encouraged by the letter, even though he wasn't a recruited athlete; he didn't receive a principal nomination. But he did receive an appointment in January.
DS received a LOE dated August 21, 2014. His application was completed late July - including CFA and DoDMerb. He also attended SLE. Hope this helps with the discussion about the continuation of the application - his application was complete and he received a LOE.
Our family is curious with the return of the LOA's and if this may mean they may also return to the rolling admissions process that they also used in the past?
Our family is curious with the return of the LOA's and if this may mean they may also return to the rolling admissions process that they also used in the past?
USMAROTCFamily
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Our son's RC also mentioned an LOA to him when his "package" was being reviewed during a meeting. It surprised me, too, as I thought they were no longer giving them, for the most part. But I guess they are bringing them back for the non-recruited, non-URM candidates., but otherwise exceptional candidates. They eluded that having a 33 ACT along with the rest of an outstanding total package regarding ECs, Leadership, etc., might garner one. That could be regionally based, however, as it might take a 35, for example, in a uber-competitive district/region, I suppose.
USMAROTCFamily
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There is no "expiration" to a LOA. You do not have to make a decision on anything until you receive an actual appointment offer. There have been candidates who receive multiple LOAs, and then multiple appointment offers.