Multiple SA nomination requests

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elee325

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Feb 16, 2019
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Hi all,
Hope this question hasn't been addressed yet. We are little confused in requesting nomination for a multiple SAs. We plan to request nomination from 2 Senators and 1 Representative. However, one of the Nomination Request form from one Senator's office instructs to check only one SA as preference. How do we apply for a multiple SAs? Do we have to fill out separate forms to each offices? Thx in advance.
 
elee325 said:
Hi all,
Hope this question hasn't been addressed yet. We are little confused in requesting nomination for a multiple SAs. We plan to request nomination from 2 Senators and 1 Representative. However, one of the Nomination Request form from one Senator's office instructs to check only one SA as preference. How do we apply for a multiple SAs? Do we have to fill out separate forms to each offices? Thx in advance.
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My son applied for just USNA from rep. After interview, he contacted her office and asked for multiple SAs. They gave him USNA and USMMA.
 
Every MOC is different so my answer is not absolute.
Most MOCs will ask your preference in the interview process. For my DS, he had 3 interviews. He stated that he was interested in USNA and USAFA and the USAFA was his preference. He received a nomination for USNA from two MOCs and a nomination for USAFA from one MOC.
It should be noted that there are multiple variables effecting a MOC's nomination, for example, a MOC can only have 5 people in a SA at any one time. The MOC may nominate up to 10 people for a single vacancy.
 
Please tell me if I am being ignorant or rude or anything else. I have wondered why, all these candidates who apply to every SA do that? I would think that if someone wants to serve, they have a particular service they wish to serve in? When a candidate gets three MOC or SEN NOMS, and gets three offers of appointment and they sit on them for a while deciding, don't they realize that that are other deserving candidates hoping for those spots? Unless you are simply seeking a free education and guaranteed job and will get out as soon as possible, why would someone apply to every SA?
 
All good questions, and if you spend any amount of time browsing the forums, you’ll see these are often discussed.

For those who earn offers of appointment, those offers are theirs until the deadline. Some may truly have a general wish to serve, and can see themselves at sea, on land or in the air, and their decision does not crystallize until near the end of the process. It’s not wrong, it may just be different than the candidate who has dreamed of being a Devil Dawg since they first saw a Marine silent drill team, and he or she focuses solely on USNA and NROTC. That’s fine too.

The SAs target a range for the class size depending on the needs of the Services (which run manpower accession models factoring in all accession commissioning pipelines), offer more appointments than they expect acceptances, account for multiple-SA applicants, and have a pretty good idea of how the numbers will work, after years and years of building classes. Every applicant with an offer(s) should take the time he or she needs to get questions answered, make another visit, consider all options, to support an informed, well-considered and thoughtful decision.
 
Thank you Ma'am....Your advice is well founded and you explained it well. And your comment on "their decision does not crystalize until near the end of the process" I guess hits the mark. I was just curious if whether or not people did it for the education or the career...and when they "made their final decision"?
 
Impulsive said:
Thank you Ma'am....Your advice is well founded and you explained it well. And your comment on "their decision does not crystalize until near the end of the process" I guess hits the mark. I was just curious if whether or not people did it for the education or the career...and when they "made their final decision"?
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My son put his eggs in the USNA basket. He asked for the USMMA nom as well in case the colorblind waiver failed at USNA ... not realizing at the time USMMA will not give the waiver.

My son only wanted to be a naval officer.

Certainly many candidates might not have such a preference.
 
Impulsive said:
Thank you Ma'am....Your advice is well founded and you explained it well. And your comment on "their decision does not crystalize until near the end of the process" I guess hits the mark. I was just curious if whether or not people did it for the education or the career...and when they "made their final decision"?
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People do enter the SAs, and the services, for a wide variety of reasons. It can range from a heartfelt call to service to practical attractions of free job training, pay, medical and other benefits, or a mix of reasons both patriotic and self-serving. As long as they serve honorably, I am fine with that.
 
Impulsive said:
I would think that if someone wants to serve, they have a particular service they wish to serve in?
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I wouldn’t go so far as to call you ignorant or rude, but using your reasoning, every high school senior should apply to one and only one college. That is, “I would think that if someone wants to go to college, they have a particular school they wish to attend.”

Sorry, no. My DD has a burning desire to serve her country, honor the legacy of her immigrant grandparents, defend our way of life — all by serving as a commissioned officer. The notion of a free education didn’t cross her mind, because we’re capable of paying cash for a private school. She certainly preferred one particular academy/branch, but would have gladly taken any of the three options for which she applied.

No one candidate is keeping “other deserving candidates” from an offer of appointment. Sorry again, but that viewpoint is naive, and it deflects responsibility for one’s own actions and achievements. You’re essentially saying, “Junior, you’d get in if only someone would make their decision more quickly, and even better if that decision is to go elsewhere.”

Each candidacy stands on its own. If an SA deems one candidate more deserving than another, that candidate has every right to use their entire allotted time to make their decision. Because he/she has earned it — simple as that. If a candidate fails to win offer of appointment, it is not another candidate’s fault.
 
@imulsive you are thinking and wondering from your own viewpoint. Which is normal. Especially if you are a junior in high school. With age (generally) comes the skill of looking at things from viewpoints other than your own. A skill that is imperative to learn in order to be an effective leader. So it’s a good question to ask. But don’t assume everyone thinks the way you do. Sounds like you do have a burning desire to serve a single service. My own kids at 17 and juniors in high school were just only beginning to morph from a kid enjoying high school, to “what do I want to be when I grow up”. Moving towards adulting. So for them, it was more a case of ‘don’t close doors until you are ready’ to actually shut them. Especially in the case of the SA’s, where one has to begin the application process so early, sometimes what a student THINKS they want to do, and what they end up doing are way different. So it could be a case of applying to all because they don’t want to miss the opportunity to attend when they ultimately decide the right path for them.

And as discussed, no one takes away an offer from you. You earn the offer. Despite other candidate offers.
 
For me, it was simple. I grew up on a coastal barrier island. I can’t remember a life without salt water. Swimming, body surfing, sailing Hobie cats, puttering around in small boats, cold outdoor showers to rinse the sand off before coming into the screened porch, the sound of the waves, tidal rise and fall, salt breezes, the stars at night over an endless expanse of ocean. I knew the Army, Air Force and Marines, while they had challenging and interesting career paths, had many bases without the large body of navigable water factor I seem to need. That, plus dad and 4 uncles were Navy men, and a now-closed Naval Air Station nearby, plus increasing interest in all things Navy, refined my focus. I think if I had known more about the Coast Guard at that time, I would have explored that, as the water factor is definitely there.

People take all kinds of paths in their minds to arrive at what’s right for them. For some, it’s a straight shot, no looking right or left. For others, it’s a maze, with many possible turns, but with learning and adapting occurring at every blind alley.

Planning our next vacation cruise now...trans-Atlantic with 8 sea days in the itinerary, nothing but sea, sky, wind, stars, and with luck, a night-time phosphorescent wake and dolphins surfing the pressure wave at the bow. I get up at 0430 just to walk deck laps all by myself, soak that up.

Listen to brain AND gut about what path is a good fit.
 
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For the OP, @elee325 you may need to choose your #1 for each MOC. Most likely, you will open separate applications for each MOC, but not separate applications for the same MOC for multiple SAs; contact that MOC and see if he/she allows multiple requests. My DS had a #1 for senator/representative and a different #1 for other senator.
 
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@MidCakePa I do not want to start a fight here, I am sorry if my question offended you. It was a simple question that I thought would be easy to answer. To respond to me aggressively is not needed, I qualified my question as just being curious. I am glad your daughter "has a burning desire to serve her country", and I hope that if not all, then the vast majority of applicants to the SA's feel the same way! When you say that "I would think if someone wants to go to college, they have a particular school they want to attend" would be true for my sons, and their friends. Do they apply to more than one, yes, but it is based more on type of major they want and percentage of placement in jobs in their field, and they definitely have a first choice of school, but I was just curious as the different services generally offer different types of careers, the AF- flying, Navy- ships, flying, or being a Marine, Army-shore based, or combat. Just thoughts, I can totally understand applying to the AFA and USNA as they overlap in certain areas.

I was not talking about "taking something away from others". I am not a child, but a Veteran who supports ANYONE who desires to serve. My only reason for asking this "atomic" question was I just wanted to get people's feelings about why they would apply to every SA out there. I was not criticizing anyone's choice just curious. And you and @justdoit19 I question your response that being on three appointment lists at one time does not hold up another applicant. I have looked at some of the threads here for USNA Class of 2023 appointments, USMA Class of 2023 appointments, USMMA Class of 2023 appointments, and the majority of the early appointees were "undecided" until recently. And it can and does effect other candidates because if the applicant has a "primary" NOM from a MOC they get an automatic appointment by virtue of type of NOM. And why if a candidate asked for a "primary" NOM would that candidate not immediately accept the offer of appointment? If it is because they were not offered a "primary" NOM to the school they really want, then it all makes sense, but that's why I asked the question, because no one says "I applied to all three academies because I didn't receive any "primary" NOM's, again I fully understand, I was merely curious the reason for not accepting an offer of appointment right away. And once the SA offers appointments to fill out the incoming Class, they will place others on the NWL or whatever the academy calls their waiting list. So by holding the offer of appointment till the end is not right or wrong, I was just wondering "why"?
 
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I don’t understand the primary nom stuff.

Candidates don’t ask for a primary nom as far as I know. MOCs give them sometimes.

My son was not given a primary nom. He was ranked #1 on his slate by the committee.
 
@Impulsive Many candidates have known medical issues that may or may not be waived. Therefore, they apply to multiple academies.
I think the desire to serve trumps a particular branch for many future officers.
 
Here is what I THINK I am understanding: you are wondering why an applicant would apply to multiple academies, and asking for a principal nom, yet not be sure they want to go there? Which seems kind of ‘rude’ for lack of a better word, Bc it ties up that principal nomination to that one candidate, who sits with it while they decide. If they went positive they wanted to go, why would they ask for a principal nom. Is that correct as to what you are wondering?

If so, perhaps this helps. Candidates don’t ‘request a principal nom’. All a candidate does is apply with each MOC they are able to apply to. Including VP, presidential, ROTC, or any they are eligible for. They apply, and each source decides. I have never heard of a candidate reaching out to request a principal nomination. In our case, we applied to our 3 MOC’s, and DS didn’t even know what process they used (principal, unranked or ranked slate). DS received 2 principal and one ranked nomination. Ultimately he would be charged to ONE of the three nominations, the other two are still available (in fact I THINK that the one principal nomination he wasn’t charged to, opens up to anyone).

He (we) knew none of this when he decided to apply. And he wasn’t sure between USAFA, USNA, AFROTC, or NROTC. He hadn’t decided bc he didn’t know yet.

There are lot of postings here about the “taking a spot” line of thinking. You can read about that debate. But the academies have been at this a long time, and have it down pat, to put together the class they want. Which Includes many factors. Including offering more appointments Bc they know their attrition rates. Similar to overbooking DR appointments.

The other thing to realize is that students apply to the SA’s before/along with nomination applications. So they dont “apply to all SA’s bc they didn’t get a primary nom”.

It is a lot to understand. Read the stickies at the top of the forums will add clarity to the process. As will reading the menus at USNA admissions online.
 
A1Janitor said:
I don’t understand the primary nom stuff.

Candidates don’t ask for a primary nom as far as I know. MOCs give them sometimes.

My son was not given a primary nom. He was ranked #1 on his slate by the committee.
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The MOC's committee?
 
Our senators only let you choose 1 SA. MOC letsyou rank by preference those you would accept an appointment. My DD wants to fly and ultimately work for NASA with dreams of astronaut. That being said doing her research, though USAFA is her dream, USNA has created more astronauts with CGA and USMA also contibuting. So they could all get her to her end goal. She has no preference what she can fly so she isopen to options.
 
I have no idea what all the MOC do, but here our MOC's all have you check off your "first choice" of academy. And as I understand the process, when a candidate receives a "Primary NOM" they automatically get an offer of appointment contingent on being qualified across the board prior to R-day, or I-day. Please advise me if I have this wrong as this our first time with all this? If as you say your DS received 2 "primary or principal" NOMs then in all likelihood he is sitting with two offers of appointment, yes? Then not to be rude, but I would think that by this time he would know where he wanted to go (first choice), and if it was the academy he did not get the "primary or principal" NOM from then I can totally understand his waiting. This was the sole reason for my initial question, why do some candidates do this? I wasn't trying to insult or offend ANYONE, I legitimately just was curious why a candidate would not accept an appointment when offered. Just trying to learn!

You telling me you son's path, and the info you impart help me to understand. I didn't think the academies gave out more appointments than available positions, so that is something I have not seen elsewhere and goes towards explaining that no candidate gets "held up waiting" but that if qualified and wanted by the particular academy they will get an appointment even if the class if full because the academies factor in multiple appointments. So I thank you for all the information your are willing to share.
 
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