New Member/ New Appointee's Dad

USNA 19 DAD

5-Year Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2015
Messages
184
I kind of stalked around a bit during the whole process, but never joined up because it just made the waiting and hoping worse. That said, my boy just received appointment to the USNA 10 days ago. Still waiting for the BFE, but have been assured it's on the way. What a huge weight off of his shoulders.....Okay, mine too.
 
Congratulations. Your world is about to change. There are several Facebook pages devoted to families try to join those (they require a photo of the appointment letter). So much info on those pages.
 
I requested to join one, included pic of appointment letter, and never got a response. But USNA Class of 2019 Parents Page has sure been helpful!
 
USNA 19 Dad, congrats to you and your DS. I'm another MI parent for class of 2019. I sent you a PM.
 
Congrats and welcome.....now you can share with others who are going through the same rigors....

Push Hard, Press Forward
 
Welcome to all the new folks here!

It's quite a ride, and after all these years, I'm still on it!

I'll try to be nice. :)
 
Congrats! Hope to be in your shoes one day. My son is doing everything he can to be like your son. Please, share your secrets on the process. I myself am stressing over getting a nomination. Any thoughts? It seems grueling and statistically unlikely.
 
There are no real secrets to speak of. It is for sure an long process that can be pretty stressful; although I think I was more stressed than my DS. Getting on the nomination slate I don't think was the hard part. Being at the top is the kicker. More than likely your DS's best shot will be getting your local MOC's nomination (and to be on top). In my DS's case he went up against 15 for our local MOC's nomination. 1 in 15 is certainly an easier number to hit than the 1 in hundreds he competed against for a State Senator's nomination. We live in a district with no particularly large city in it so it was not as competitive as a metropolitan area due to the smaller population. You will hear this plenty around here........Make sure your DS has a plan B and C too. Good luck.
 
Dad, how is your DS doing? I think this is sort of when the hard part of Plebe year starts to kick in. Its getting colder, its not new any more, academics are moving at a rapid pace and Thanksgiving seems so far away. I actually think the January to Spring Break stretch is the hardest, but for everyone its different. Those football weekends they are earning I am sure are helping! We never got those Plebe year. Hopefully he is doing well and enjoying life (as much as possible as a Plebe)!
 
Thanks for asking Hoops. He is doing great. I don't want to jinx it, but we never got "that call". Not during PS, and not since classes started. He didn't exactly love all the things that they endured during PS, but he also said he understood why they did things the way they did and that it was for the greater good. As far as classes go.... 6 week exams have come and gone and for the first time in his life he is not a 4.0 student! Just like looking at a strike on the first pitch in baseball I told him "Well now you've seen it". He agreed and is pretty sure with a little tweaking of his study habits he will keep the GPA where he wants. He told me the shear amount of obligations (in and out of the classroom) the Mids have is pretty overwhelming. I think the words came out of his mouth before he thought about what he was saying, but he said "This is not as easy as high school Dad." My reply... "Duh, ya think?" He does say that he loves it there and wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I can't ask for much else.
 
Great to hear! And if 1200 + plebes haven't verbalized what he said... They are all thinking it! Sounds like he has a great grasp on it all and perspective, he will do great. For a lot of Mids their worst grades are Plebe year. Academics actually get harder, but you have more time and the stress is different. Sounds like a great young man, good luck to him!
 
I really appreciate the info. I feel like he will do his part. But what I've heard about nominations is everything from; you have to make a "donation" to your congressman and volunteer at their office, to he has to be valedictorian, and he has to be a star athlete, and president of everything. Comes across disheartening. Sadly I agree a plans B and C a must.
 
Every MOC does things differently. You will find much of those items are rumors. I would venture to say there are just as many appointments to candidates whose parents belong to the opposite party as the MOC as there are those who are the same. A lot of MOCs used alumni, members of their offices, volunteers they trust, etc to sit on their boards. That is who made up my boards many years ago and those who make up the boards where I live now. We couldn't begin to tell you what party these kids or their families belong to. Every interview I have conducted has been to identify the best candidate who shows the best qualities to make a well rounded Officer who can make it through a SA. Heck I met some amazing kids in interviews, but didn't think they could make it through a SA directly out of high school. Honestly don't worry about what you can't control, at the end of the day it's about putting the best package possible forward. That is all you can control. Good luck!
 
We never met our congressman, and he's in a different party than I am.... DS made the appointments and did the interview with a board of volunteers.

He's now an 18'er at USAFA.
 
I really appreciate the info. I feel like he will do his part. But what I've heard about nominations is everything from; you have to make a "donation" to your congressman and volunteer at their office, to he has to be valedictorian, and he has to be a star athlete, and president of everything. Comes across disheartening. Sadly I agree a plans B and C a must.
Those things you were told are not true. My son recently got his appointment offer to USAFA class of 2020. We have zero political connections and he managed to get nominations from both a senator and our congressman. He is not his class valedictorian, but he is ranked about 16th out of around 280, he's a president of nothing (though he is the battalion commander of his JROTC program) and he only plays one sport that is not real popular in our area. But, he is extremely determined, which has gotten him much farther than some of his brilliant peers. Because of his determination to attend an academy, his grades are great even though they don't come easy and he has earned some awesome opportunities and had a very busy summer after junior year (Boys State, USNA summer seminar, US Senate Page Program). He's been able to do things that a lot of his peers have no clue about and that's because he's been planning since starting high school. His dreams are coming true! If your son is really working for it, he need not be the best at everything and the most politically connected. Absolutely have a plan B, but don't let him listen to everything he hears.
 
.....But what I've heard about nominations is.......................

It is NOT necessary that you donate or hobnob with your MOC to get a NOM. One thing you will learn about applying to the SA's is there are no lack of friends/relatives/neighbors or even the mailman who will offer you all sorts of dreadful advice. People who have NO idea what they are talking about will tell you everything from soup to nuts about the application process. Rely instead on those who know what they are talking about based on current/actual experiences in these processes.

Yes, the process is challenging and there are lots of talented individuals applying. You do NOT have to be Superman (or Superwoman), however, to get an appointment.
 
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