No nomination
- Thread starter m0mof5
- Start date
- Joined
- May 22, 2018
- Messages
- 5,502
Extremely low. There are extremely rare stories of an SA “finding” a nom for someone at the 11th hour. That happened with DD, when USAFA sent her an LOA a few days before the decision deadline of May 1, pending a nom. A couple days later, she was told she’d been nominated. She was flattered and appreciative, but had already accepted USNA’s offer.
That last-minute nom out of the blue is a unicorn, if not even more. Keep the faith, but tend to Plan B with purpose.
That last-minute nom out of the blue is a unicorn, if not even more. Keep the faith, but tend to Plan B with purpose.
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2010
- Messages
- 1,185
Rare, but happens. I received my nom in June. The applicant is no longer in charge of their own destiny and is at the mercy of many external factors related to where he is in the overall applicant pool and in relation to other applicants from the nominating district. It is an uphill battle of which you have no further input other to ensure they have your updated scores on standardized exams. Prepare for Plan B and if the goal of attending a service academy is paramount, consider a Service Academy Self Prep program like Marion Military Institute.
Does he have to apply to a prep program separately? I thought he may be given that option through academy application? He's wanted to attend USAFA since he was 11, so he's definitely open to prep school.
luqui03
USAFAPS Class of '23/USAFA Class of '27
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2021
- Messages
- 352
No, the Academy selects who will get a Prep School offer. It can be at the last minute as well, end of May beginning of June.
- Joined
- May 22, 2018
- Messages
- 5,502
Note that USAFA Prep is typically for candidates who need further academic grounding, i.e. those who are less than fully qualified academically. The prep school is not normally a fallback for those who lack a nom.
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2010
- Messages
- 1,185
Four potential prep options exist -- two you do not control or apply for, and two that you do apply for.
1) USAFA Prep School - the official prep program run by USAFA. You do not apply directly to this, but applicants from the admissions pool are considered.
2) USAFA Falcon Foundation Scholarship to one of several preparatory school partners. Like USAFA Prep School, you do not apply for this scholarship. These are private schools that offer a prep program. This path is a paid tuition path.
3) Self Prep is where you apply to one of these outside preparatory partners on your own and pay your own way.
4) Go to a traditional college, take a rigorous course load, and reapply.
I advocate pursuing option #3 because you control it and can always change if option 1, 2, or offer of direct appointment arrive in your mailbox. There are multiple schools of thought on this forum on what to do if you are not selected. I can only speak to my personal philosophy. If the candidate is competitive and there are no glaring deficiencies in the application package - academic, athletic, leadership, extracurricular - then I would follow the model laid down by the Service Academy when they have an applicant they are interested in, but for whatever reason, it was decided they were not a fit in the incoming class. They spend their budget to send someone to one of ~5 named prep school programs. They literally vote with their wallet and put forward the plan they see as the best way to get someone ready for direct admission in the next class. This is an all-in approach. Some of the classes will not transfer to other schools IF you reapply and are not selected. It is a gamble, but it is one where the applicant is betting on themselves and is convinced they will do 100% of the work to achieve the outcome. If you went this path, and were still not selected, you could try again or simply walk away knowing that you did everything within your control to achieve the goal of a SA Appointment.
If the candidate was not competitive, or wants to keep one foot in the traditional college basket, simply go to any school you were accepted into. Take a rigorous course load and perform well. Reapply, and see what happens next year. If you don't make it, you are already making progress on your degree plan and could consider ROTC or OTS as alternate commissioning paths.
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2017
- Messages
- 840
One addition to Shiner's great advice: have your son attend a school next year with an AFROTC unit, join that unit, continue to build his resume and reapply to the Academy. USAFA is impressed when students reapply and show that they have done good college-level work. Your son's fall transcript will an important component. Ideally, he will receive a recommendation from the unit commander or another unit officer. He can also pursue a nomination through AFROTC. Lastly, AFROTC awards on-campus scholarships to ROTC cadets. The funding for that program was significantly increased this year so your son could benefit from this change. With my students, I call this "Plan C" -- but ideally it can lead back to "Plan A" and an appointment to USAFA. Some 25 - 30% of cadets do not arrive directly from high school, so this step is not unusual. In fact, all three of my students who followed this path received appointments the following year. No guarantees! But another chance for your son. I wish him the best with his next steps.
Thank you! He completed his ROTC application in the fall, so just waiting to hear back on that. His first choice is of course academy, then prep, then ROTC.