what does it mean if the state is more or less competitive?
does that mean, since I am in PA, that I have less of a chance, or that more cadets are chosen from PA?
Some states and some districts within certain states have more people wanting to attend SAs than do others. I can only speak for USNA, but some of the competitive states are MD, PA, VA, NJ, CA, FL, TX. These states border USNA and/or have lots of people in them. Within these states, some districts are more competitive than others.
Conversely, a state that is not competitive may still have certain very competitive districts. Often, this is due to the presence of a military base in the district. The good news is that these competitive and populous states also tend to send the most candidates to USNA. So, your chances aren't necessarilly better or worse if you live in MD as opposed to living in, say, TN.
It is fair to say that certain districts/states occasionally have more openings (nominations) than they have qualified candidates. Those tend to be the least populous states, such as ND, SD, WY, MT, etc. However, that does NOT mean that the candidates are any less qualified; there are just fewer of them in certain areas because there are fewer people.
Where you live is generally something you can't control (at least at this point in the process). So, rather than fret, just do your best to make yourself as strong a candidate as you can. Control what you can control and don't worry about what you can't control.
