My nomination came in... Now What? And what are my chances?

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lstoner7

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Aug 8, 2017
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I received my best gift of this Christmas on the 23rd, in the form of a nomination to the United States Military Academy. Obviously I was very excited, but now I am in the state of waiting.

I have two questions: When is a normal time to hear from the academy about your admission decision?
Also, what do you guys think my chances of admission are with the following in mind?

SAT:
Math- 750
Reading-710
Essay-18

Academics:
3.84 GPA
12 of 241 in my class
4 AP classes, ~20 "honors" classes in total

Extra-Curriculars:
Publications
Student Council
Debate
THON Club
Altar Server
STEM Team

Leadership:
Editor-in-Chief of the yearbook
Student Council Vice President
THON Club Officer

Athletics:
Football- Lettered
Track and Field- Lettered
DoDMERB medically qualified
CFA- 73ft. basketball throw, 8.7 shuttle, 13 pull-ups, 45 push-ups, 75 sit-ups, 6:35 mile

Other:
Was invited for an overnight to West Point (received an LOE)
Was told by office of nomination that I ranked "very highly" in the interview process (not exactly sure what this means, obviously no specifics can be given)


Looking at past class profiles, I feel I have a pretty good chance. But, I don't want to get my hopes up too high. Let me know what you think, thank you.
 
lstoner7 said:
I received my best gift of this Christmas on the 23rd, in the form of a nomination to the United States Military Academy. Obviously I was very excited, but now I am in the state of waiting.

I have two questions: When is a normal time to hear from the academy about your admission decision?
Also, what do you guys think my chances of admission are with the following in mind?

SAT:
Math- 750
Reading-710
Essay-18

Academics:
3.84 GPA
12 of 241 in my class
4 AP classes, ~20 "honors" classes in total

Extra-Curriculars:
Publications
Student Council
Debate
THON Club
Altar Server
STEM Team

Leadership:
Editor-in-Chief of the yearbook
Student Council Vice President
THON Club Officer

Athletics:
Football- Lettered
Track and Field- Lettered
DoDMERB medically qualified
CFA- 73ft. basketball throw, 8.7 shuttle, 13 pull-ups, 45 push-ups, 75 sit-ups, 6:35 mile

Other:
Was invited for an overnight to West Point (received an LOE)
Was told by office of nomination that I ranked "very highly" in the interview process (not exactly sure what this means, obviously no specifics can be given)


Looking at past class profiles, I feel I have a pretty good chance. But, I don't want to get my hopes up too high. Let me know what you think, thank you.
Click to expand...
It looks like you will be 3Q + Nom and be competitive for an appointment, but there is no way to look inside the black box and estimate the chances of any individual. There are too many variables.

Now is the hardest part - sitting and waiting. At this point there are only a few things you can do:
  1. Check your portal every day for a 3Q letter and any green checks that turn red. Your transcripts box will go red when 2nd semester transcripts are due.
  2. Work on other college plans.
  3. Concentrate on doing well in school and enjoying your last semester.
You will hear from admissions when they are good and ready - your first lesson in "hurry up and wait" - not trying to be funny; the army moves at its own, sometimes frustrating, pace. The first wave should occur around mid-January. You may hear then or you may hear in May. USMA's Facebook page and twitter may give a heads-up on when waves are coming.
 
Last few years, the first significant "wave" of appointments from USMA have been mid-January. You will see it here as people start posting their good news. Sometimes, to whip all the candidates, and their moms, into a neurotic frenzy, USMA Admissions Facebook posts a picture of the appointment packets going out to the post office.
 
jl123 said:
lstoner7 said:
I received my best gift of this Christmas on the 23rd, in the form of a nomination to the United States Military Academy. Obviously I was very excited, but now I am in the state of waiting.

I have two questions: When is a normal time to hear from the academy about your admission decision?
Also, what do you guys think my chances of admission are with the following in mind?

SAT:
Math- 750
Reading-710
Essay-18

Academics:
3.84 GPA
12 of 241 in my class
4 AP classes, ~20 "honors" classes in total

Extra-Curriculars:
Publications
Student Council
Debate
THON Club
Altar Server
STEM Team

Leadership:
Editor-in-Chief of the yearbook
Student Council Vice President
THON Club Officer

Athletics:
Football- Lettered
Track and Field- Lettered
DoDMERB medically qualified
CFA- 73ft. basketball throw, 8.7 shuttle, 13 pull-ups, 45 push-ups, 75 sit-ups, 6:35 mile

Other:
Was invited for an overnight to West Point (received an LOE)
Was told by office of nomination that I ranked "very highly" in the interview process (not exactly sure what this means, obviously no specifics can be given)


Looking at past class profiles, I feel I have a pretty good chance. But, I don't want to get my hopes up too high. Let me know what you think, thank you.
Click to expand...
It looks like you will be 3Q + Nom and be competitive for an appointment, but there is no way to look inside the black box and estimate the chances of any individual. There are too many variables.

Now is the hardest part - sitting and waiting. At this point there are only a few things you can do:
  1. Check your portal every day for a 3Q letter and any green checks that turn red. Your transcripts box will go red when 2nd semester transcripts are due.
  2. Work on other college plans.
  3. Concentrate on doing well in school and enjoying your last semester.
You will hear from admissions when they are good and ready - your first lesson in "hurry up and wait" - not trying to be funny; the army moves at its own, sometimes frustrating, pace. The first wave should occur around mid-January. You may hear then or you may hear in May. USMA's Facebook page and twitter may give a heads-up on when waves are coming.
Click to expand...
What's a 3Q letter or "3Q + Nom" as you said? I'm not familiar with that term. Thanks for all of the help over the past couple of weeks, hope you had a good Christmas.
 
3Q = You have passed CFA, have clearance from DODmerb, and have qualified academically. Your application is complete with the exception of a Nomination.

3Q + Nom = All of the above AND you have secured a nomination from one of the sources. You would now be cleared to go ahead and wait!!!
 
Most folks hear in March. Some don't hear until May.
 
lstoner7 said:
What's a 3Q letter or "3Q + Nom" as you said? I'm not familiar with that term. Thanks for all of the help over the past couple of weeks, hope you had a good Christmas.
Click to expand...
3Q (triple qualified - academic, medical, physical). Letters are issued by the Regional Commander (RC) for your area.

It's not a requirement and RC's don't always issue them, but most do. It will usually appear in your portal after your academic file has been reviewed and qualified.
 
My DS was 3Q'd and file complete in November of last year. He did not hear a single word until April 10th. Five nail biting months of waiting. He is now a happy Plebe home for Christmas. Prepare yourself for a wait, but hopefully you will hear good news sooner!
 
Continue to work on Plans B &C...Stay in shape...Stay away from hazardous activities which have high probability of a DQ (motorcycle riding, DWI, etc.) Enjoy the rest of your Senior year! Good luck.
 
Remember how the process works. You have a nomination from a MOC so now you will compete against the other individuals the MOC nominated. This is called a slate. Once the application window closes, all candidates on that slate are ranked and the highest ranked candidate gets the offer of appointment. Reality is that you are only competing against the 9 other individuals in your district and you will not hear until after the application window closes in March.

If you do not win that slate, you go on the NWL and the next 150 ranked candidates get an offer. After that, they fill the class with Additional Appointees which are chosen form qualified candidates to fill the class composition goals.
 
I see most of your replies are indicating March or April. Is it possible I don't hear until May? Most of the other colleges I've been accepted to want a binding decision by May 1. Also, I now have a better understanding of how the selection process works, but I have quick question there as well. I mentioned I was told I was "ranked highly" by my MOC, how does that factor in with the academy itself? Do they use the MOC's rankings 100%, or do they use them as a guideline where they ultimately make the decision? Does your congressional ranking carry any weight in the national pool? Thanks again.
 
Every MOC is different and some may be very well versed in the process and others may think they know but your congressional ranking means little to the admission process unless your MOC identifies you as a Principal Nominee. It does not sound like they have done that. Your application seems strong and it looks like you are in good shape to compete.

There are always a few exceptions each year but the majority of appointments and acceptance by the candidates will be completed by May 1st.
 
lstoner7 said:
I see most of your replies are indicating March or April. Is it possible I don't hear until May? Most of the other colleges I've been accepted to want a binding decision by May 1. Also, I now have a better understanding of how the selection process works, but I have quick question there as well. I mentioned I was told I was "ranked highly" by my MOC, how does that factor in with the academy itself? Do they use the MOC's rankings 100%, or do they use them as a guideline where they ultimately make the decision? Does your congressional ranking carry any weight in the national pool? Thanks again.
Click to expand...
A few things to remember:
  1. USMA's ranking by WCS may be very different (better or worse) from your MOC's ranking, but if your MOC submitted a ranked slate USMA must respect the order of that slate to determine which qualified candidate will be offered an appointment to fill the vacancy.
  2. You may be lucky and get an appointment in the first or second wave, but you also may be waiting until April or even May. If your WCS is high enough, admissions will not wait to reconcile the MOC slate before offering an appointment - they will figure out how to charge it later.
  3. Do not worry about the May 1st date. I think you misunderstand the process. Prior to May 1st you can be committed to as many colleges as you want. On May 1st you must be committed to one, and only one, college. However, if you receive an appointment after May 1st or an offer from the wait list of another college, you can withdraw your original commitment and accept the appointment or other offer.
 
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