Thank you, that's helpful. I was thinking of the hypothetical scenario where a very competitive applicant pool has 15 excellent highly qualified candidates that would be successful at USNA but only 10 can be picked. I guess NROTC would be the path for those who are qualified but without the nomination then? I know I'm overthinking; DS hasn't even had his interviews yet. Just mapping out the contingency plan(s)!
Agree with the above: your excellent GPA will rule out NAPS if no nomination is forthcoming.
If you don't receive a nomination, your best option is to attend college for a year, taking courses that mirror the plebe's first year at the Academy, and reapply. Ensure you achieve excellent grades to demonstrate your ability to succeed in college. You'll need to submit your first-semester grades as part of the reapplication process. Additionally, participating in an NROTC program during this time will further strengthen your application, and you can always apply for the NROTC scholarship. However, this limits your college choices to those with an NROTC program. Alternatively, you could self-finance a year at one of the Academy's prep foundation schools.
This approach demonstrates your seriousness and determination to attend the Academy. Additionally, use this time to address any CFA weaknesses.
@IronmanDaremo's son followed this route. After getting the dreaded TWE on his first attempt, his son attended college and reapplied. He is now a youngster at the USNA.
Having a backup plan is essential. Assume you won't receive an appointment the first time, which is what we did. My daughter applied to USNA, the NROTC scholarship program and ten universities with NROTC programs. She received a nomination from our congressman despite being from a hyper-competitive district and waited and waited for a decision. She received a NROTC scholarship and admission to her top-choice university in mid-January of this year. As a result, we were planning for her summer NSI in Chicago and her first year living on campus, all while preparing for her reapplication to USNA. It wasn't until April that she received a final decision from the Academy.
Essentially, we lived in two parallel universes: 1) Applying to USNA and fulfilling all requirements, and 2) Applying to other colleges with a plan to reapply to USNA during her freshman fall semester.
Your goal should be to have one or more acceptance letters in hand from good schools before you hear the final decision from the Academy.