NASS - "rolling basis"

[NCA]

The website states that the selection is made on a "rolling basis," but not on "first come, first serve" basis. What does this mean exactly (I'm not a native English speaker)? Does it imply that late applicants (closer toward the due date of Apr 15th) would be disadvantaged in any ways?

 

[navy27hopeful]

This means that there is not a set date for releasing decisions, they release them as they receive the applications. This does not mean, however, that if you apply early you are guaranteed a spot. You may apply the first day and be rejected and someone who applied two weeks later gets accepted.

 

[NavyHopefulMom2027]

The website states that the selection is made on a "rolling basis," but not on "first come, first serve" basis. What does this mean exactly (I'm not a native English speaker)? Does it imply that late applicants (closer toward the due date of Apr 15th) would be disadvantaged in any ways?

First come, first serve basically implies that the order of acceptance is just reliant on the order of application. ie if you are the first to apply, you are the first in, second to apply, second in, ect. Rolling basis means that they will send acceptances starting immediately and will continue as applications come in. Highly competitive applicants will probably be sent acceptances right away. Other qualified applicants may sit a little to see how they rank against applications that come in a little later. Sooner is better in that there is a limited number of applicants that can be accepted and the available places shrinks and the theoretical pool of applicants grows over time as more applications are submitted. So submit as soon as you are able to put your best application forward. Hope that is helpful.

 

[NCA]

Thanks for all the replies. My DS is not happy with his first SAT score (740 math, 610 reading) and thought he'd be better off waiting until end of March after his second SAT attempt, as he is 100% confidence he can raise the reading score by at least 100. But, based on the rolling selection basis, I'm not entirely sure if waiting until end of March is worth it...

 

[Academician]

I agree, your son should apply as soon as he can. Small numbers are selected so do not read too much into not receiving an invitation to NASS. The key is starting the process allowing him to start his application as a candidate in April/May. Hope it all goes well for your son!

 

[PLC007]

Acceptances started very early in March last year. Waiting until end of March could also mean less available spots; though competitive applicants would probably still get in. In my opinion, 1350 SAT is good enough for NASS.

 

[RagingBull]

At the end of the day, it is a recruiting tool. No one knows what factors are truly more prevalent then others when it comes to acceptances and decisions.

 

[NCA]

I agree, your son should apply as soon as he can. Small numbers are selected so do not read too much into not receiving an invitation to NASS. The key is starting the process allowing him to start his application as a candidate in April/May. Hope it all goes well for your son!

Do you know if there is supposed to be an automated acknowledgement email upon submitting the application?

 

[Academician]

My students have noted an immediate acknowledgement in the application itself. But not an email later, as I recall

 

[njfilm23]

The acceptances last year were sent out in batches, at least in my experience.

 

[usnabgo08]

First come, first serve basically implies that the order of acceptance is just reliant on the order of application. ie if you are the first to apply, you are the first in, second to apply, second in, ect. Rolling basis means that they will send acceptances starting immediately and will continue as applications come in. Highly competitive applicants will probably be sent acceptances right away. Other qualified applicants may sit a little to see how they rank against applications that come in a little later. Sooner is better in that there is a limited number of applicants that can be accepted and the available places shrinks and the theoretical pool of applicants grows over time as more applications are submitted. So submit as soon as you are able to put your best application forward. Hope that is helpful.

One thing to note…NASS selection isn’t all about competitiveness or who is more qualified than another…there are many other factors that factor into NASS selection, such as underrepresented areas, backgrounds, etc. Every year many highly qualified candidates are not accepted to NASS, but end up appointed. Also decisions don’t go out immediately…as mentioned, March seems to be the time the first round of decisions are made…so there is already a good pile of applications stacked up in admissions. Bottom line, if you know you are going to apply, get the application in as soon as possible, but don’t foresake quality…you can’t update a NASS application once submitted…but don’t hold on to it for trivial information.

 

[Heatherg21]

My son was not selected for NASS. His test scores were in the median for the prior year class profile.

That didn’t stop him from getting an appointment.

Summer seminar and STEM are outreach programs intended to spread the mission of the academy across the country geographically and across demographics and under represented areas.
100 additional points on standardized testing is not likely to improve the chances of one being selected.

This is an outreach program and being selected or not is not an indicator of competitiveness for a future appointment.