No LOA, No Nomination ... End of the process?

[TigerM0M]

My DD is rn on same boat. DD got acceptance from USCGA & very good offers from public universities.
How‘s your DS experience at Prep school? Did he get in this year USAFA class 2024?
I’m wondering if your DS accepted & went to the USCGA acceptance events as plan B & how was it?

 

[whynotnow]

FYI, this is a 4 month old thread and the OP hasn't been seen since last September.

 

[ginapenny]

My DS received a TWE from USAFA and had no NOM for there either. Was offered a Falcon Foundation scholarship in JULY same year.
Anything is possible it seems

It’s a great opportunity!!!

 

[shiner]

That's not true when one doesn't have a nomination.

Happy to say you are incorrect. Let's not kid ourselves and say it is easy, but there is a path off the NWL. I received 5 TWE and NO nominations during the traditional window. I ended up with a Senatorial NOM and direct appointment to USAFA (May), and a Congressional NOM and direct appointment to USMMA (April).

 

[CKR2024]

I had a nomination and did not receive an appointment for c/0 2022; however, I did receive a Falcon Foundation Scholarship(civilian prep school scholarship) along with my TWE in March. I'm not sure if you need a nomination to get the scholarship, but I wouldn't make any hasty decisions or jump to conclusions until you get that TWE!

Can you explain what a falcon scholarship is, I’m having trouble finding info about it

 

[CKR2024]

My DS received a TWE from USAFA and had no NOM for there either. Was offered a Falcon Foundation scholarship in JULY same year.
Anything is possible it seems

How does this scholarship work? Wouldn’t July be too late to get into a school to use it?

 

[kinnem]

Easy enough to find. Got this googling USAFA Falcon Scholarship. See here: https://www.academyadmissions.com/requirements/academic/falcon-scholarship/

 

[pnwpandas]

Happy to say you are incorrect. Let's not kid ourselves and say it is easy, but there is a path off the NWL. I received 5 TWE and NO nominations during the traditional window. I ended up with a Senatorial NOM and direct appointment to USAFA (May), and a Congressional NOM and direct appointment to USMMA (April).

So, DS did not receive any USAFA nominations from senators or congresswoman (she gave him one to USNA), despite having above-average CFA scores, excellent grades and in top 1% SAT scores plus medically cleared. How did they get that NOM to you? Did you engage in some relentless follow-up or did someone advocate for you? Curious. Thanks!

 

[T-37IP]

The USCGA is a GREAT school!!!!! Absolutely no shame there! A different career path to be sure, but a fantastic way to serve your country nonetheless!

 

[shiner]

How did they get that NOM to you? Did you engage in some relentless follow-up or did someone advocate for you?

No. I was too naive about the process at the time, didn't have the internet to find a community like this, and really thought it was the end of the road. I was looking into self prep at NMMI because I was not going to give up on the dream. Having a nomination is not a requirement to be placed on the National Wait List. In retrospect, I think I was sitting out there as a qualified candidate and they began working their way down the NWL to fill out the class. It was late May/June, so many students ahead of me on the list likely already had made selections to either other Service Academies or to civilian schools and were not going to pivot that late in the game.

I was fairly all-in on Service Academies and to this day do not recall applying to a traditional school - even as a backup. The later the admissions cycle drags on in the year, each school knows how many open seats they need to fill to get the class size where they want to be (or allowed to be). They also know what nominations will be used and which are still available to utilize behind the scenes. As for how they got it to me, it was a phone call from the Senator's office and they said "We have had a vacancy and USAFA wants to appoint you. You have less than 24 hours to decide if you want it or we are going to the next person on the list. If you choose to accept, you need to be there in 2 weeks to start BCT."

In general, not having a nom is a bad thing. However, it is not a game-ender. The game is not over until BCT/INDOC starts. That said, a student who has not been accepted by mid-May should read that to mean it is very unlikely to happen this cycle. Late appointments happen each year, but there are very very few in the scheme of things.

I consider myself very lucky to have been selected. In hindsight, the struggle likely made me appreciate it more than had I been selected in November. Just because you may be one of the last to receive an appointment is not an indicator of where you will finish in the class order of merit at graduation. Last in does not mean borderline qualified.

 

[pnwpandas]

No. I was too naive about the process at the time, didn't have the internet to find a community like this, and really thought it was the end of the road. I was looking into self prep at NMMI because I was not going to give up on the dream. Having a nomination is not a requirement to be placed on the National Wait List. In retrospect, I think I was sitting out there as a qualified candidate and they began working their way down the NWL to fill out the class. It was late May/June, so many students ahead of me on the list likely already had made selections to either other Service Academies or to civilian schools and were not going to pivot that late in the game.

I was fairly all-in on Service Academies and to this day do not recall applying to a traditional school - even as a backup. The later the admissions cycle drags on in the year, each school knows how many open seats they need to fill to get the class size where they want to be (or allowed to be). They also know what nominations will be used and which are still available to utilize behind the scenes. As for how they got it to me, it was a phone call from the Senator's office and they said "We have had a vacancy and USAFA wants to appoint you. You have less than 24 hours to decide if you want it or we are going to the next person on the list. If you choose to accept, you need to be there in 2 weeks to start BCT."

In general, not having a nom is a bad thing. However, it is not a game-ender. The game is not over until BCT/INDOC starts. That said, a student who has not been accepted by mid-May should read that to mean it is very unlikely to happen this cycle. Late appointments happen each year, but there are very very few in the scheme of things.

I consider myself very lucky to have been selected. In hindsight, the struggle likely made me appreciate it more than had I been selected in November. Just because you may be one of the last to receive an appointment is not an indicator of where you will finish in the class order of merit at graduation. Last in does not mean borderline qualified.

Thank you for the reply. It's very informative!