Nomination Question

A

a_cadet

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Sorry if this has been asked to death but there’s something I’m still not getting about the nomination process, even after going to the SS and trying to find out online.

Do they just throw everyone with a nomination into a category and then select the most qualified people or do they have to appoint someone from each district so long as they are qualified? For example, if someone was the only person nominated from a district and they qualify on every metric, do they just automatically get in?
 
Have you read the nomination FAQ thread in the Nomination Forum? It’s a great resource.

Nominations FAQ

Below are answers to many Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) re the nomination process. Thanks to USNABGO08 for assistance. As always, we've made every effort to be accurate but the below has not been reviewed or approved by any SA or MOC contact. NOTE: Nominations are a fairly complex...
www.serviceacademyforums.com

Stealth_81
 
Here is some advanced reading on nominations and how it all works:



Generally speaking, a candidate must be fully qualified with a nomination to be offered an appointment. Fully qualified usually means: academic/scholastic (the usual stats but everything else that is evaluated apart from medical and physical); medical, through the DoDMERB process; physical, via the CFA process. There are always more fully qualified candidates with noms than there are seats available in the class. USCGA is not required to use the nomination system and uses something other than the CFA. USMMA nominations have some unique rules, different from the DoD SAs.

In the scenario where the Representative, for example, chooses to put just 1 individual on their slate of noms, though allowed to nominate up to 10, which would be unusual, that would certainly give that candidate a great shot at an appointment, as the SAs like to see representation across Districts and States. If in this scenario - again, rare - the Representative designated that lone nominee as the principal nom AND they were fully qualified, the SAs would have to offer an appointment. Technically, USNA does not, as their statutory language is slightly different than USAFA and USMA, but they usually observe principsl noms.
 
Capt MJ said:
Here is some advanced reading on nominations and how it all works:



Generally speaking, a candidate must be fully qualified with a nomination to be offered an appointment. Fully qualified usually means: academic/scholastic (the usual stats but everything else that is evaluated apart from medical and physical); medical, through the DoDMERB process; physical, via the CFA process. There are always more fully qualified candidates with noms than there are seats available in the class. USCGA is not required to use the nomination system and uses something other than the CFA. USMMA nominations have some unique rules, different from the DoD SAs.

In the scenario where the Representative, for example, chooses to put just 1 individual on their slate of noms, though allowed to nominate up to 10, which would be unusual, that would certainly give that candidate a great shot at an appointment, as the SAs like to see representation across Districts and States. If in this scenario - again, rare - the Representative designated that lone nominee as the principal nom AND they were fully qualified, the SAs would have to offer an appointment. Technically, USNA does not, as their statutory language is slightly different than USAFA and USMA, but they usually observe principsl noms.
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Rare for sure, but it actually happened in my district not once but twice in a row. That’s why I asked. Thank you!
 
Nominations come from your Senator, Congressman, and a couple of other places. The appointments are from the academy. Each nomination source has sole discretion on how they hand out nominations. The academy uses a whole person concept when building a class representing the entire country, not necessarily the highest scored, in numerical order. You must have a nomination to receive an appt, plus DoDMERB. You have zero control so just focus on putting forth the best package, CFA, and interview you can.
 
Julia67 said:
Rare for sure, but it actually happened in my district not once but twice in a row. That’s why I asked. Thank you!
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Are you saying that your congressperson nominated only one person? For two years in a row?

If that’s what you are saying, how do you know that? Did the congressperson publish their one nominee?
 
It's possible for a MOC to nominate one person on a slate-but likelihood is very low because there are usually (but not always) plenty of applicants and politically MOCs like to show they have nominated as many as possible from their District/State.

The Nomination process is somewhat complex, required by law and it is best to study the sticky link and then ask questions on this forum. Don't be afraid to ask the MOC staff questions-getting to know them is usually a plus. Note that there are three types of slates a MOC can use to nominate persons on: 1.without ranking, 2. with a principal candidate and nine ranked alternates, or 3. with a principal candidate and nine unranked alternates.

There is NO requirement for an MOC to tell the public or candidates which type of slate they are using. In some cases, an MOC might nominate a Principle yet tell all nominees on the slate that they "have been nominated". The SA would take the Principle if that person meets the SA requirements. You may ask your MOCs staff (Rep and 2 Senators) what type of slates they intend to use. It's not unheard of for some MOC staff to not fully understand the types of slates etc.

Apply for all Nom sources you qualify for, including the Vice President. Generally, the best qualified applicants obtain nominations. Roughly 6,000 Noms are given for 1200 spots for each of the DOD SAs...this doesn't include Presidential, V.P. and other nomination sources. Getting a Nom is only required milestone, but a critical one to get "Appointed" by SA (technically the President appoints, but defers that task to each SA).
 
justdoit19 said:
Are you saying that your congressperson nominated only one person? For two years in a row?

If that’s what you are saying, how do you know that? Did the congressperson publish their one nominee?
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he publishes it. I’ve talked to one girl from the previous year and she claimed she was just the only one to apply. We live in a high achieving and liberal district— people would rather go to a state school or an Ivy League than a service academy.
Also I should probably clarify I meant he nominated one person to USAFA. He’s nominated a couple to the naval academy and West Point each year too.
 
Julia67 said:
I’ve talked to one girl from the previous year and she claimed she was just the only one to apply. We live in a high achieving and liberal district— people would rather go to a state school or an Ivy League than a service academy.
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Your only legitimate source for number of nominees is the MOC’s office. And they may or may not tell. This does seem highly unlikely, as constituent service is a critical part of any congressional office. While anything is possible, I have a very hard time seeing a MOC, no matter how liberal, denying candidates an opportunity to attend an SA. At least in as explicit a form as this.

We live in a very liberal district of a very liberal state. It’s one of those places often referred to as “People’s Republic of _____.” And yet each year, there are many candidates for the 10 noms for each SA. And the MOC grants all 10 noms. (It’s a district that’s also very high-achieving, by the way. With many who aspire to Ivies and public Ivies. And yet also plenty of interest in SAs.)
 
In the liberal District that I serve...last cycle we filled all Slates except for USMMA...not a lot of interest for K.P. among the applicants (we did not fill that slate). The DOD SA's were all filled-some candidates did not get their first choice for a Nom (typically USNA & USMA seem more popular in this particular district). I wish more potential candidates knew about all the Federal SA's, including USCGA, which does not use Nominations.
 
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Julia67 said:
he publishes it. I’ve talked to one girl from the previous year and she claimed she was just the only one to apply. We live in a high achieving and liberal district— people would rather go to a state school or an Ivy League than a service academy.
Also I should probably clarify I meant he nominated one person to USAFA. He’s nominated a couple to the naval academy and West Point each year too.
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By ‘publish’, I mean in a press release from his office. Our senators put out their slates, via official pressers on their websites which are therefore searchable via Google. Which I look at every year.

You state ‘publish’, but then also say ‘I talked to…’. What I’m asking, is if you, yourself, have seen a publicly released slate containing only ‘one name, two years in a row’ (you can still google their press releases from the past).

It’s really strange, as you can see from the responses you have gotten. I personally cannot imagine a Sen/Rep only nominating ONE student to a specific SA. Very odd. I would challenge you to double check that, from the primary source.
 
MidCakePa said:
Your only legitimate source for number of nominees is the MOC’s office. And they may or may not tell. This does seem highly unlikely, as constituent service is a critical part of any congressional office. While anything is possible, I have a very hard time seeing a MOC, no matter how liberal, denying candidates an opportunity to attend an SA. At least in as explicit a form as this.

We live in a very liberal district of a very liberal state. It’s one of those places often referred to as “People’s Republic of _____.” And yet each year, there are many candidates for the 10 noms for each SA. And the MOC grants all 10 noms. (It’s a district that’s also very high-achieving, by the way. With many who aspire to Ivies and public Ivies. And yet also plenty of interest in SAs.)
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You misunderstood. I meant the students aren’t interested, not that the MOC didn’t grant it.

And yes, I know it from an official press release. The girl being the only one to even apply for a nom is just what she claimed.
 
If she was the only one that applied and got it, I would like my chances in that district if I was qualified.

I would be careful what unofficial people tell you. It’s possible they are telling you information they believe to be true, but isn’t necessarily true.
 
A1Janitor said:
If she was the only one that applied and got it, I would like my chances in that district if I was qualified.

I would be careful what unofficial people tell you. It’s possible they are telling you information they believe to be true, but isn’t necessarily true.
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I’m not sure to be honest, she could have just been lucky. But I also don’t see why my MOC would only nominate one person for USAFA if many others applied. Maybe the board only hand it out to people they feel have a chance, regardless of how many that ends up being. I know for sure that they only nominated one to usafa because I’ve seen the press releases from an official source.
 
Julia67 said:
I’m not sure to be honest, she could have just been lucky. But I also don’t see why my MOC would only nominate one person for USAFA if many others applied. Maybe the board only hand it out to people they feel have a chance, regardless of how many that ends up being. I know for sure that they only nominated one to usafa because I’ve seen the press releases from an official source.
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Do you know how many applied?
 
Julia67 said:
No, that’s not public info. She claimed she was the only one but she could just be guessing, not sure how she came to that conclusion.
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My son thought he was the only one from his school district to be appointed to USNA. Until a graduate of his high school and USNA in 1972 congratulated him on Facebook recently. Just missed the link in the chain!

She might have been told bad information that might not be true.
 
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