Letters of rec + an obvious question

bobbybobster123

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Sep 23, 2020
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I'm a senior in high school looking to go to USAFA or USNA. I've just received two letters of recommendation from teachers, and one from a Veteran I worked with for a Boy Scouts project. I have a couple of questions:

1) Can I use the same letters of recommendation for college and for nominations?

2) How badly does applying late hurt my chances? I started at the beginning of the school year, when I heard many started in junior year.

3) What now? - I have yet to reach out to my liaisons. How should I schedule a phone call/virtual meeting? How should I treat them? Will I appear unmotivated asking them things this late. What's the proess for DODMERB and CFA?

4) How can I come in contact with graduates/cadets at USAFA or USNA? I missed the open house (irresponsible, I know) so I haven't yet had an opportunity. Thanks to anyone who answers.
 
As a fellow applicate here's advice on number two.
1) I turned in my pre-candidate questionnaire on March 1st 2020. I was a junior and this is the earliest anyone can apply, March first of their junior year.

2) I reached out to my ALO early, first semester of my junior year. He said this way one of the first times someone had reached out that early. I reached out through the email I found on the Academy website and you can do so through what's on your portal

3) many many applicates wait or decide much later on that they want to try for USAFA. As long as you put in the work and proves what you got who cares when you started? In my eyes you are competition I don't care when you started the race, I don't care how well you started it in the end you're right beside me racing for the finish line like I am. The only thing starting "late" does is it can make it harder to find a good date for CFA ( too cold normally), harder to take as many tests as you need, and if you're like my senators your nominations are due right now.

4) you can't control it. You started where you started. Time to do what you can control and race with what you got. Sure other's starting position puts them ahead, but every race I've run it never really mattered if you had the stuff to make it. At the end of the day all you can do is show what you got and make them struggle to say no to you.
 
it doesn’t matter when you start but hopefully you have not missed the nomination application deadlines. and using the same LORs is ok as long as they address the right message.
 
1) My DS asked the same people for recommendations and they changed who was addressed to, but otherwise was the same recommendation.

2) Starting late doesn't technically matter as long as 1) you have been doing the kinds of things the academies want to see all along and 2) you didn't miss any deadlines. One of our Senators had their deadline early Sept if I remember and they gave bonus points to anyone who got the packages their in the first couple of days.

3) I assume you have completed questionnaire and and have a portal opened up for you? If so, so what the portal tells you. If not, figure out how to take the questionaires for each academy.

4) You pretty much just put out a call for help at this point. Start by tracking down alum from your high school that are there now or graduated from the academy. After that, make a respectful and nice appeal to folks on this board who might be willing to talk to you one on one.

Immediately check your congressman/woman and Senator webpages and call their office/email if unclear. They have firm deadline dates usually to apply and without a nomination, you are out of luck.

Good luck
 
I'm a senior in high school looking to go to USAFA or USNA. I've just received two letters of recommendation from teachers, and one from a Veteran I worked with for a Boy Scouts project. I have a couple of questions:

1) Can I use the same letters of recommendation for college and for nominations?

2) How badly does applying late hurt my chances? I started at the beginning of the school year, when I heard many started in junior year.

3) What now? - I have yet to reach out to my liaisons. How should I schedule a phone call/virtual meeting? How should I treat them? Will I appear unmotivated asking them things this late. What's the proess for DODMERB and CFA?

4) How can I come in contact with graduates/cadets at USAFA or USNA? I missed the open house (irresponsible, I know) so I haven't yet had an opportunity. Thanks to anyone who answers.
1)Every MOC is different, so hard to answer. But, DS's 3 MOC processes required separate forms. It was just like applying to 3 different colleges on 3 continents.

2) DS didnt do his pre-app until mid August of Senior year. He was certainly behind every curve, but only got dicey for a few things. Namely, one of the MOC deadlines was Oct 1st, and required a lot of external information.

3) Again this is just one data point, so could be representative, could be an extreme outlier. DS' BGO reached out to him (early NOV?) and mentioned that normally they would have been in contact a few times prior to that date and finalized interview date. DODMERB gets triggered once X of Y happens in your app. 105% of the time, their emails will likely go to junk, so keep searching there. The lateness should only affect you if DQ'd, assuming you trigger it sometime soon. Waiver requests are out of your control, but if you see one is requested, you will really need to be expedient at all times to keep the ball rolling.

4) USNA kept sending admission webchat invites, maybe every 30-60 days. With the daily admin briefing not in person, they may have those virtual ones more frequently and were usually hosted by at least one grad (if I recall). Also, search SA forums for each of the academies. There are a few cadet/mids on each that might be able to answer questions for you.

5) Unasked (one thing that BGO suggested in their intervew was for DS to also apply for ROTC scholarships. That will add 2 more complicated app processes, but shows 1) interest in being an officer as much as being an SA grad and 2) gives you a great alternative option.
 
Currently, your most critical gate to this is the MOCs nomination application deadline which are usually right around this time of year. If you haven't read your Senator's and Congressman's web sites to find out their process and their deadlines then that is the first thing you need to accomplish. Without a nomination you cannot be admitted to an academy. If you've missed those deadlines and your not eligible for a ROTC, Presidential, or some other form of nomination then the VP nom is the only one open to you and that's an extremely long shot, unless there is something very special about you. Get on that first and foremost. Although the remaining tasks are important, you have time to accomplish them.
 
Good advice above. If the nomination deadlines have passed for your MOCs (often 10/1), perhaps put yourself “at the mercy of the court” and ask if you can still submit a few days late. You never know.

Not to be flippant, but here’s a bright side: If things don’t work out this go-round, you’ve got a big head start on next year! You’ll be that much more prepared and have additional time to really buff up that application. Applying from college is not at all unusual.
 
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