Excellent post btown. The only advantage an LOA provides is to the applicant who is interested in the academy; but is also interested in some other schools that are competitive. "Usually your privates, ivy league, etc...." An LOA is nothing more than early admissions. As btown mentioned; once you walk into BCT; if you in fact choose the academy; how you got there is totally irrelevant. No one cares. No one is impressed. But if you're applying to harvard, yale, brown, USC, etc...; then getting an LOA, along with other early admissions from those other schools, give you options. Same if you happen to have a presidential nomination or similar, and get an actual appointment the first week of November. It's nice so you can look at your other early admissions and acceptances and have more options. It's difficult to choose purdue that accepted you with early admissions in October/November when you aren't going to find out about the academy until probably March. Many schools who do early admissions want some sort of commitment when you apply early.
And to expound on what btown said about "I" day and BCT, the last thing you want to do is to talk about yourself and your accomplishments. There will be plenty of others who had an LOA or appointment early. There will be plenty of others with the 4.0gpa. Don't talk about your grades. Don't talk about your accolades and accomplishments. DON'T talk about CAP, Boy Scouts, or JrROTC. No one cares. C3C, C2C, and C1C don't care, because you're JUST a C4C. Other C4C don't care, because out of the 1300-1400 who entered BCT, probably 1200-1300 of them are type "A" personalities who also think they they too walked on water. By the time your first year is up; especially once you become a C3C and can look at the new C4C running around with their heads cut off and acting "********"; you'll then realize the reality of the situation. It's not something that someone can tell you and you'll understand. It's one of those situations where you and your bud or budette are sitting around watching TV; a C4C comes up to you and starts rattling off the Sir this, Ma'am that stuff. They leave your presence, and you and your bud/budette look at each other and giggle and think; "Was I Really That ******** Once Too????????" Then it ALL MAKES SENSE.
And this is the same whether it's the academy, enlisted BT, ROTC, or OTS. A normal college has a diversity of different types of people with different personalities. The academies are made up of many of the same types of personalities. Highly motivated individuals. Usually in control of their lives. Put into a situation where they have absolutely NO CONTROL. Then, just like a pimple, they pop. Just about all of them do. Within days, you feel that time has stopped. You measure time by when you eat. If you aren't doing something and resting, you feel that "SOMETHING IS WRONG????" Your brain becomes mush. But it feels right, because EVERYONE ELSE is acting just like you. But again; when you become the C3C and have to interact with the C4C, you'll understand.
So back on track (I have a problem with that); if you're aiming for an LOA, then you need to be getting your application done as fast as possible. Obviously, prior to 1 September is the goal. (Actually Aug 15th to give time for the paperwork to be processed and ensured it's all ready to go prior to the board reviews). But if you can't get it that soon, get it as soon as you can. The sooner you do, the more opportunities you'll find. Best of luck to you. Mike.....