Letters of Assurance

Don't forget that MOCs sometimes "game" the system and will purposefully not nominate an LOA candidate because he/she has other nominating sources OR they think the candidate will "get" one by some other means.
 
Don't forget that MOCs sometimes "game" the system and will purposefully not nominate an LOA candidate because he/she has other nominating sources OR they think the candidate will "get" one by some other means.

I somewhat disagree. MOCs are politicians. It reflects very favorably on them to have as many of their nominees appointed as possible. It doesn't matter if the appointment is charged to them or in some other (creative) way. This is especially true of a congressman with a very localized constituency. By nominating a candidate with an LOA, it is guaranteed that they will be offered an appointment. Why would an MOC pass that up?
 
Over the years, I've probably worked with about 10 candidates who received LOAs but no nom. In every case, I think the nom folks probably got it right. I've yet to see a (IMHO at least) "truly deserving" LOA candidate who didn't get a nom.

The above said, some MOCs make their decisions solely "on paper" as well -- i.e., they don't conduct interviews. One would hope that, among the teacher recs, the BGO interview and the nom committees, the process would "get it right." And I think it does about 99% of the time.

By nominating a candidate with an LOA, it is guaranteed that they will be offered an appointment. Why would an MOC pass that up?

I think some try to "game the system" by appointing a principal nominee and giving another nom to an LOA candidate. That way, they think they'll get at least 2 appointments. That might have been ok a few years ago when class sizes were larger. If every MOC in the above situation (and not all are) did that, and if USNA gave appointments to 2 people in each of those situations, that could create issues solely from a numbers perspective. That may be in large part what happened two years ago. To address that, it appears that USNA has reduced the number of LOAs and also doesn't "guarantee" that a 3Q'ed principal nominee will be appointed, although in fact, the overwhelming majority (if not all) are.
 
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Not only for the reason USNA1985 explained above, but might not give them one period. They figure it is the next nominating source's job to give them it (but not them)!

Similarly, some MOCs require you to notify them if you have another nomination (i.e. Presidential, etc). So, if a candidate sends in their LOA, it might not mean much if it is the MOCs policy not to double nominate.

This is why candidates should read and find out how each of their MOCs setup their process. Sending in an LOA is highly recommended, but in some cases, it might not prove to be such an advantage. If you are going to the interview, I would err on the side, of never being awarded an LOA in the first place -- but have the documentation and be able to talk about it if given the chance or asked.
 
I had two sons who each received an LOA. When they conducted their MOC interviews, the MOC interviewers were clearly aware of it. One question that kept coming up was: "If you receive a nomination from this office, would you accept an appointment to the Naval Academy if offered?" I interpreted that question as, "Should we even bother giving you a nomination if you intend to go another college?"
 
How is a candidate notified that they have an LOA? Snail mail? Email? Smoke Signal?
 
My son had a Presidential nom and an LOA pending medical checked out. When the moc's contacted him to schedule interviews, he mentioned his status. They told him to come in anyway. First question he was asked was "why are you here if you already have an LOA and a nom?" They still interviewed him, but he sensed they were just going through the obligatory motions. He said their tone was somewhat terse, with one interviewer asking him if he would feel badly if he "took" the nomination from another deserving candidate who had no other means to a nomination. Huh? He did not receive a nom from either of them. Funny thing is though when the 3rd moc called to set up an interview a few weeks later he already had his appointment in hand and mentioned this. They told him no need to come in and congratulated him. Later he was informed he received the nom from that moc after he was already appointed.
 
If you have an LOA and a Pres nom, that's all you need (from a nom standpoint, that is). I understand why USNA might want you to apply for other noms, as it gives them more flexibility. However, at some level, I can see why the MOCs (well, the nom committees) might feel the way they expressed themselves to your son. From their POV, your DS didn't need their nom because he already had one and only needed one (with an LOA). Thus, they might feel he would be taking one from someone else.

The above said, IMHO there were far better ways to handle the situation on their part than what you described. They should have started by congratulating your DS and then explained that, because he had an LOA and nom, he didn't need an MOC nom and they wanted to use their MOC noms for candidates who needed them, including LOA candidates w/o Pres noms.

Some MOCs may have so few qualified candidates that they want to give folks like your DS a nom just to fill their slate. But if they aren't in that situation, it is better for the overall "process" for 10 other candidates to receive that nom.
 
He reached out to his bgo, admissions rep and the coordinators at the moc offices to try and get some clarity about what he should do. All of them strongly encouraged him to go. Trust me, he would have preferred not to, especially given the reception he received.
We live in a very competitive (think major east coast city)area. He was trying to be sensitive to the other candidates but ultimately he did what he was told. The oddest thing was when he received a nom from moc#3 after the fact.
 
LOA's are few and far between. Just put together the best application you can and let the chips fall where they may. As a swimmer you should know that you train for months for just a race or two. So now is your training for just one race. Possibly the biggest in your life and I am quite sure the most competitive. The applications for the c lass of 2019 were I believe the most in history. Plus the class had the highest percentage of women, the best physical scores and the highest academic test scores. This was what the Sup said at I-Day. So again none can tell you your chances and wether you will get an LOA or even an appointment. Just pray for plan A (USNA) and have a plan B. You never know what will happen. Finally, I wish you the best of luck. It is a long and lonely process. But at I-Day it will be worth the time and effort.
 
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