Multiple Nominations

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Tucker2023

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I've seen pics on the internet of kids with multiple appointments. Can someone offer some insight on how this is possible and if there is a way, when completing the nomination packages to give oneself a chance to receive more than one nomination? The site search of this forum offered some results but no real clarity. It appears its a big mysterious puzzle.

My son went to NASS. He loved it. He was told by the blue and gold officer he was highly competitive. He just returned from the FVE at the Air Force. He also loved it there. I found a post on the alumni page regarding the FVE and it says 80% of the visiting candidates accept an appointment to the USAFA (they only invite 125 candidates). He does not know for sure which he would want to go to as of today.

The US Representative's office just called to clarify something and also to confirm his top pick because they will have branch specific boards for the interviews in December. She also said based on his scores and resume he was highly competitive so he needed to put some thought into which Academy and let her know if he wants to change his top choice. He put USNA as his top pick for his Us Rep nomination package and both of his senator packages that he submitted weeks ago (before visiting the USAFA). Should he change his top pick for one or both of the senators to the USAFA? So hopefully he would get a nomination for the USNA from the US Rep. and then a USAFA nom from a senator?

What is the winning strategy for this game we are playing?

He is in District 17 in Texas.
 
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All depends on two things: how your DS prioritizes the SAs, and how your MOCs manage their slates.

If DS has a clear first choice and would take the second choice only if the first isn’t available, then he should make that clear to all MOCs. This should maximize his chances of getting a nomination to his first choice.

If DS has no preference between two or more SAs — or has a preference but it’s not particularly strong — then he can give different MOCs different first choices.

The second variable can complicate things. Whether your MOCs — two senators and one representative — work independently or coordinate their slates can affect your strategy. But again, it comes back to whether there’s a clear first choice or not.

We live in a moderately competitive district, but near an SA, so for that one it’s very competitive. For DD, that specific SA was her third choice anyway. She made very clear to the MOCs what her top choice was, but also said she’d be grateful for a nomination to any of them. She ended up getting nominations to #1 and #2 (and was the principal nominee for #2); she also got a nomination to #3 much further down the road, but we don’t know if it was charged to any of our MOCs.
 
Last question first - stay focused on the path directly ahead, do not look left or right at other Districts, other stats, other applicants, who’s got an LOA, and so on.

If the elected officials consult with each other and don’t duplicate noms, that is the other end of the spectrum from those who operate independently and give multiple noms to the same applicant for various Academies.
Or, you could have the truly spectacular candidate, the dot way out there in the regression analysis, who was eligible for a Presidential or service-connected nom, and the SAs felt so strongly about that applicant they offered an appointment in the early rounds.

You will see again and again on here - “rollercoaster,” “marathon and not a sprint,” “extreme test of patience.” All true.

Back to my first comments - do not look anywhere but straight ahead. If in extremis, stick fingers in ears while loudly saying lalala.
 
Potter2023 said:
I've seen pics on the internet of kids with multiple appointments. Can someone offer some insight on how this is possible and if there is a way, when completing the nomination packages to give oneself a chance to receive more than one nomination? The site search of this forum offered some results but no real clarity. It appears its a big mysterious puzzle.

My son went to NASS. He loved it. He was told by the blue and gold officer he was highly competitive. He just returned from the FVE at the Air Force. He also loved it there. I found a post on the alumni page regarding the FVE and it says 80% of the visiting candidates accept an appointment to the USAFA (they only invite 125 candidates). He does not know for sure which he would want to go to as of today.

The US Representative's office just called to clarify something and also to confirm his top pick because they will have branch specific boards for the interviews in December. She also said based on his scores and resume he was highly competitive so he needed to put some thought into which Academy and let her know if he wants to change his top choice. He put USNA as his top pick for his Us Rep nomination package and both of his senator packages that he submitted weeks ago (before visiting the USAFA). Should he change his top pick for one or both of the senators to the USAFA? So hopefully he would get a nomination for the USNA from the US Rep. and then a USAFA nom from a senator?

What is the winning strategy for this game we are playing?

He is in District 17 in Texas.
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Unless you have detailed information about the process and competition for your specific year, trying to divine a winning strategy can backfire. Every representative and senator manages their own process, competition can change each year, and a MOC may be able to submit two slates of nominees to one of the academies, which dramatically changes the scenario. It would also be helpful to know if your Senators and US Rep coordinate nominations with each other.

Since your MOC has already asked about his top pick, you might call (better if your son calls) and ask about the chances of a nomination for both USAFA and USNA. That may yield some useful information. Oftentimes in districts with many applicants, MOC's will limit candidates to one nomination - in this case you want to make sure the #1 choice listed in the nomination packet is really the top choice. It is common for a more qualified candidate to end up with no nomination to their second choice if it means the MOC has to leave another constituent with no nomination.
 
In my DS’s district in PA, the rep allows you to rank the 4 so better chance of multiple noms from the rep; but our senators only allow 1 choice.
 
I've seen kids every year try to "game" the system to get nominations to multiple academies. Academy A is really their first choice but the give each MOC a different academy as their first choice. Some get a nom to their second or third choice academy and not to their first choice because a MOC thought their second or third choice was their first choice. Happens every year. My own thinking is if you have to give a top choice, then give your top choice. If yo can rank them, then rank them in your order of preference. Just 2 cents from some guy who never lived through this particular process.
 
It is virtually impossible to get a nomination form both Senator's in the state of Texas and getting just one is extremely difficult and candidates usually have something unique in their application. I would ensure that he list his first choice with his local MOC as this is the most likely path. Your chances of winning a slate are usually much greater at the local level.
 
Some MOCs talk to each other; some don't. Remember each slate is 10 candidates so you could be ranked differently on 2 different slates.

DS got 2 noms from his rep and one from one senator - he wound up with 2 noms for USAFA but chose USMA in the end.

Our Rep allowed you to interview for all 3 SAs if you wanted; senators made him state his 1st choice. Ironically MOC had 2 slates for USNA and only 17 applicants so DS could have had nom to all 3 SAs if he wanted; he did not apply to USNA.

But a retired Brig Gen in MOC's office told all candidates to apply for every nomination they could from every source possible. Its not gaming the system - there are no assured nominations.
 
Thank you all for the awesome feedback. We had quite a lively discussion last night in our home. Given that the USAFA identified him as a top diversity candidate and invited him to the FVE, we believe he is fairly high on the USAFA list to receive an appointment. He decided to give himself the best shot possible to get a nomination and appointment to an academy by changing his top choice with his local US Rep to the USAFA. However, he chose to leave the two senators as USNA. If he makes the cut at the senator level and also gets a nomination from one of them then he may have an opportunity to have a choice.

In an effort to be a pro-active poster - yes, there is a clear plan B if he does not get into either academy.
 
So much comes down to your local congressman, especially in Texas. Older DS did receive a nom to each academy but from our local rep. Nothing from the Senators. But each year our district is more and more competitive so even just two years later DS is taking nothing for granted and listed his order the same on each slate.
 
ppr.84 said:
jaglvr said:
In my DS’s district in PA, the rep allows you to rank the 4 so better chance of multiple noms from the rep; but our senators only allow 1 choice.
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@jaglvr Which PA district are you in?
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As this is an anonymous forum, we typically don't recommend that members publicly share anything more granular than state. Sharing district information may make it easier to map your forum ID to your real identity. If you want to share this information, you might want to PM the recipient.
 
There are lots of variables from state to state. In our state, the two senators confer so that each has a slate of 10 with no duplicates. Our senior senator has a principal and second nominee to each academy while our junior senator has an unranked slate.

The two senators are of the same party while our congressman is a different party. They do not confer with him and he does not rank his slate.

Our grandson had Navy as his first choice and USAFA as his 2nd with both senators and our congressman. He did not apply to West Point. He ended up as our senior senator's principal nominee for USAFA and his 2nd for USNA. The junior senator ended up nominating him to West Point and our congressman gave him nominations to both USNA and USAFA. He ended up with appointments to both.

Navy was still his first choice until he took a tour of USAFA. He was then very conflicted. As we live in the west, he took a 2nd tour and began leaning USAFA. He still couldn't decide, however, until a couple of days before the deadline. He ended up at USAFA as they sold him on the idea that AF was more family friendly. This is his doolie year. He's performing very well academically, physically, militarily, and loves it.

I've asked him multiple times if he has any regrets on his choice and he says no. Personally, I don't think your son, or another young person, could go wrong with any of the three academies. They would be my choice of school for any of my grandchildren should they wish to attend and be fortunate enough to secure an appointment. I'm not military and a tour of USNA prior to my grandson's attending a SS was my first real exposure to a service academy.
 
Sam2018 said:
So much comes down to your local congressman, especially in Texas. Older DS did receive a nom to each academy but from our local rep. Nothing from the Senators. But each year our district is more and more competitive so even just two years later DS is taking nothing for granted and listed his order the same on each slate.
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Exactly what DS did. In Florida, Senators do not double nominate, so he has USMA as his first choice for the two senators and his representative. He already interviewed with Bill Nelson USMA Board. He is having the second senatorial interview this coming Saturday with Marco Rubio USMA board. He has LOA to USMA, USNA, and USAFA, to both senators he only gave a copy of his USMA LOA, he is aware that they might be mindful of the USNA LOA because he received it back in August. In his LOA from USAFA states clearly:

"We will inform your Representative and Senators of our desire to appoint you to the Air Force Academy. However, if you have not already done so, apply for a nomination from all your eligible nominating sources. This includes your Representative, Senators, and any military affiliated nomination sources for which you are eligible. Information on how to apply for nominations can be found in your "Instructions to Candidates" posted on your portal."

His district representative has all his 3 LOAs, we know at least one other candidate in our district who also has an LOA to USNA and DS met a candidate on Bill Nelson Interview day with an LOA to USAFA. So he is working in plan B and C just in case.
 
Potter2023 said:
I've seen pics on the internet of kids with multiple appointments. Can someone offer some insight on how this is possible and if there is a way, when completing the nomination packages to give oneself a chance to receive more than one nomination? The site search of this forum offered some results but no real clarity. It appears its a big mysterious puzzle.

My son went to NASS. He loved it. He was told by the blue and gold officer he was highly competitive. He just returned from the FVE at the Air Force. He also loved it there. I found a post on the alumni page regarding the FVE and it says 80% of the visiting candidates accept an appointment to the USAFA (they only invite 125 candidates). He does not know for sure which he would want to go to as of today.

The US Representative's office just called to clarify something and also to confirm his top pick because they will have branch specific boards for the interviews in December. She also said based on his scores and resume he was highly competitive so he needed to put some thought into which Academy and let her know if he wants to change his top choice. He put USNA as his top pick for his Us Rep nomination package and both of his senator packages that he submitted weeks ago (before visiting the USAFA). Should he change his top pick for one or both of the senators to the USAFA? So hopefully he would get a nomination for the USNA from the US Rep. and then a USAFA nom from a senator?

What is the winning strategy for this game we are playing?

He is in District 17 in Texas.
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Dear Potter2023

Our DS lives in Congressional District 2 in Texas & applied last year in his SR yr of HS & received a nomination from our Congressman. It was not until the very end of April when the very last round of denial letter from the USAFA went out that we found out he did not get in. It was the most heartwrenching thing I had to watch him endure; but on the other hand it was also the most wonderful teaching lesson for him as well. He like your family could not decide between USMA/ USAFA so they chose for him. Our DS had every qualification but one & that was his downfall. We live in one of the most competitive districts in Texas and because that 1 qualification hurt him. So he took plan B (thank God we his parents) made him do it & he is in College in North Texas preparing for Round 2. He started reapplying again as soon as he could & already received his LOA for USMA & hoping to get one for the USAFA if possible. Now all he needs is CM! Just tell your DS/DD that wherever he feels he wants to go to after the Academy that's what is most important. Our family already has one son in the actually Army stationed at Fort Bragg. And he tells our DS it's not the Academy that you should base your opinion on the most because it truly matters where you end up at in the end that matters the most & what you want to do in the end that really counts. He says YES you must love where you spend those 4yrs but afterwards is what really counts!! So good luck to you & yours. Another Texas Family
 
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