Nomination Interview

shadow18

Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2019
Messages
148
I had one of my nomination interviews recently and I cannot stop thinking about how the entire time I spoke about Norwich University with my interviewers. The asked me about plan B and I told them about the military colleges and we just went off on a tangent about Norwich. Should I be worried? They seemed genuinely interested about what I had to say to them about Norwich and I think they were just very curious.
 
If they took the conversation there, and you didn’t push it yourself, then don’t worry about it. It’s likely they already heard from you what they needed to hear. And anyway, there’s nothing you can do about it now. Control what you can and move on.
 
The good news is that committee is clear that you are determined to become an Army officer and that you want the full immersion experience at USMA or at an SMC. It sounds like you represented yourself and responded to their interests. You can beat yourself up about this or you can feel like you engaged a group of people senior to you in a discussion that showed your knowledge, commitment, and interest. You clearly have done your homework. Try not to overthink it.

Also, is your Norwich application finished? Is your Army ROTC application finished. Not a Plan B, just another great plan.
 
I had one of my nomination interviews recently and I cannot stop thinking about how the entire time I spoke about Norwich University with my interviewers. The asked me about plan B and I told them about the military colleges and we just went off on a tangent about Norwich. Should I be worried? They seemed genuinely interested about what I had to say to them about Norwich and I think they were just very curious.
Sounds to me like an excellent interview. They let you take charge of where it went, and you did. Sounds like they were also very good interviewers. You most likely revealed a lot about yourself, which, to me, is the point of these interviews. The more organic an interview, the better. Good job; no worries.
 
My DS went off on his plan B A&M Galveston and he still got the nomination. Turned out one of the interview panel members was an ROTC Aggie alum. So you never know! Mostly they want to see you are not relying on only the SAs.
 
The good news is that committee is clear that you are determined to become an Army officer and that you want the full immersion experience at USMA or at an SMC. It sounds like you represented yourself and responded to their interests. You can beat yourself up about this or you can feel like you engaged a group of people senior to you in a discussion that showed your knowledge, commitment, and interest. You clearly have done your homework. Try not to overthink it.

Also, is your Norwich application finished? Is your Army ROTC application finished? Not a Plan B, just another great plan.
Yes, I was accepted to Norwich with a $100,000 scholarship so it is high on my list. The other SMC that I am thinking about is The Citadel because I live 20 minutes from it, but they will not offer any scholarships until March! I have to finish my AROTC applications as well and my AFROTC application. But my first choice is military academies!
 
If they took the conversation there, and you didn’t push it yourself, then don’t worry about it. It’s likely they already heard from you what they needed to hear. And anyway, there’s nothing you can do about it now. Control what you can and move on.
Thanks. I did not push it as they asked me if I applied to any other colleges and I told them about The Citadel and Norwich, and they asked where Norwich was located and we just talked a lot about that.
 
Thanks. I did not push it as they asked me if I applied to any other colleges and I told them about The Citadel and Norwich, and they asked where Norwich was located and we just talked a lot about that.

That seemingly casual conversation that evolved into much discussion about Norwich likely revealed an important indicator to the panel. It exposed your knowledge of commissioning sources outside of the SA you are seeking a Nomination for. Your ability to describe SMC’s, the Military and your “plan B” showed them your level of commitment and understanding you already have as well as your desire to commission and serve. Those are exactly the things interview panels are looking for once they’ve gotten past the file on the table in front of them. Well done!
 
That seemingly casual conversation that evolved into much discussion about Norwich likely revealed an important indicator to the panel. It exposed your knowledge of commissioning sources outside of the SA you are seeking a Nomination for. Your ability to describe SMC’s, the Military and your “plan B” showed them your level of commitment and understanding you already have as well as your desire to commission and serve. Those are exactly the things interview panels are looking for once they’ve gotten past the file on the table in front of them. Well done!
Thanks! Like I said I was thinking about the interview too much and I thought that I emphasized the SMC's more and I thought that may have been a problem, but you have reassured me that it actually looks good! I've got my congressman interview today so hopefully, that goes well!
 
Our DS was asked about his plan b, he told them he had been awarded a Tier 1 NROTC scholarship to Norwich. They knew about Norwich and it's history and commended him on his choice and receiving the scholarship. They said it was a very good thing and furiously scribbled on their notes. Oh, and they smiled.
 
Thanks! Like I said I was thinking about the interview too much and I thought that I emphasized the SMC's more and I thought that may have been a problem, but you have reassured me that it actually looks good! I've got my congressman interview today so hopefully, that goes well!

hope today went well
 
My son was asked during his interview if he thought the SAs produce better quality officers. I was very proud of his response saying that, "you can be a good officer no matter where you receive your military training if it is your goal to be a good officer. There have been just as many notable ROTC and OTS officers as there have been for the academies, which route you take to get there is a personal choice." I think they wanted to see if he was looking for the "brand" vs. what he really wanted to get out of it, which is to learn how to be a good leader.

Also, when one of the interviewers who wrestled in college found out he is a wrestler, they talked about wrestling for the last half of the interview. He said it was a very laid back and enjoyable (because he got to talk about wrestling) interview.
 
Back
Top