Nominations from Texas

TexasHopeful

5-Year Member
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Mar 10, 2010
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Can anyone shed some light on the nomination process for the highly competitive state of Texas???

Here is my son's scenerio....He has two top picks USMMA and USNA. He has applied and been accepted as an "official candidate" and submitted his nomination request to all three MoC. Our MoC ask you to rank in order of preference and he alternated his #1 pick. Does the Texas delegation only issue 1 nomination per worthy candidate or is there a chance he can get more than 1 nomination in the state of Texas??? Thanks for the insight!
 
Hi TexasHopeful!

Generally speaking, I believe our two US senators, Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn, normally each submit a slate of 10 nominees to each Academy, and then the Academy will select the candidate they award the actual nomination to.

Each Congressman is also allowed to submit a slate of up to 10 nominees from their own district for each spot they have open (each MOC can have up to 5 per academy at one time). Somebody correct me if I've got that wrong - it's only been a year, but the details are already getting hazy! :rolleyes:

Also, don't forget to apply for a Vice Presidential nomination (paperwork is on the VP's website and is very simple compared to the other noms). It's a long shot, but somebody's got to get it, right?!

Good luck to your son! :thumb:
 
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It is possible to recieve more than one nomination from each MoC. My brother recieved two from Cornyn 2 years ago. As for Texas being competitive..... I think so, especially last year. Every year more and more candidates show up making it worse and worse for you and me. But don't worry as long as you show outstanding credentials there should be no reason to turn you down.
 
I think Texas is asking if there is a chance of getting more than one nom for a specific SA, i.e. is Texas like NC where the MOC's don't talk to each other, thus you can have a nom from each MOC.


Texas is known to say they do not duplicate, i.e. they do talk to each other. However, I know several cadets that got noms from Hutchison and Cornyn. If I recall correctly these Sens. ask that if you get a nom from another source to remove your name from their list. Sometimes, the noms come down within a few days of each other, thus there is no time to remove yourself from the list.

The important thing to understand is how the nom process turns into an apptmt. Principal and if you are triple q, than the SA will offer you the apptmt, otherwise you go up against that slate and the highest WCS wins.

The other thing to understand is just because you handed in and received your WCS does not mean the decision will be made that day. NO candidate (unless principal or LOA) will get an appt until everyone on the MOC's slate has received their WCS. You may meet the board in Nov., however if the last person on that slate does not hand in until Feb., there will be nobody from that slate charged to the MOC.
 
The two Texas senators and some congressmen do 'talk' with one another. This was the case with my son who is now a 2014 basic cadet. He submitted his nomination application to all 3 MOCs. He got his nomination from Sen Hutchison first week of November. A few weeks later, he got congratulatory letters (but no nomination) from Sen Cornyn and our congressman. He did not request removal from the other MOCs when he got KBH nomination hoping to get more nominations to increase his chances.
 
One thing that every candidate should realize, YOU ONLY NEED ONE!

It is theoretically possible that every candidate on a slate get an apptmt.

I will try to make this as easy to follow, but it can be confusing. As time goes by and you become more familiar with the process it will make sense to you.

Slate Sen A:
1. Jane Doe, she has 2 other noms Cong 1, and Presidential...SA appts her under Cong 1.
2. John Smith has Cong 2 and Sen A.... gets apptd under Cong 2
3. Matt Blank has Sen A and Presidential...he gets in with Presidential
4. Shelly Green has Sen A and ROTC...she gets in with ROTC
5. Tom Yellow has an LOA, and only Sen A. He gets in with the nom, but the SA charges him to the Supt.
6. Carol Black has Sen A an B...charged to Sen B.
7. Jack White has Sen A and JROTC...charged to JROTC
8. Barry Brown has Cong 5 and Sen A...goes in to Cong 5
9. Molly Magenta has Cong 6, Sen A and VP...goes to VP
10. Phil Final only has Sen A...nobody above him has been charged to Sen A, thus he wins, even if his WCS on the slate was the lowest score.

Getting an apptmt is like making a puzzle, the SA doesn't know how it will look when it is finished until is finished. The reason people say go for every nom is because it allows the SA more abilities to slide you in. However, if you only get one, don't look at it as this hurts, because you don't know the situation for the other candidates on the slate, you are still in the running.

Also, from personal experience, many yrs ago our friends DS was heartbroken because he got a nom to the AFA, and was not principal, his No 1 was the USNA. A few days later he received an apptmt to the USNA from this same MOC. What occurred was the principal on the USAFA turned the apptmt down for USMA, the principal on the USNA contacted the MOC and stated she only wanted the USAFA. The MOC offered her that principal and slid our friend's son onto the USNA list where he had the highest WCS. She is still at the USAFA and his is still at USNA.

Have faith and just try to ride the roller coaster of next yr out. It will drive you insane, but we can all testify that you will survive it, and no matter how many low points you will endure, receiving the BFE erases them.
 
Just follow the process, and the deadlines. You just never know what will happen. Older son had nom from Cornyn and Congressman, but did not get accepted to USAFA. Younger son switched from USAFA to USNA at the last minute, got a nom from Poe and is at USNA now as a Plebe.

Best thing that could have happened! Older son is where he needs to be, AROTC...younger son and USNA are a great fit Just trust the process and keep all your options open.
 
Thanks for the info...we'll apply at all and follow the process! We'll pray and hope for his rightful place!:smile:
 
I've posted about this issue before but will again a it bears repeating for a new class of candidates. For those of you in competitive states and/or districts (which, quite honestly, is most of you), consider VERY carefully how to approach your noms if your MOCs require you to "choose" or "rank" the SAs in terms of preference.

If you would truly be happy at more than one SA, you may want to "split" your choices -- i.e., put USMA first with 1-2 MOCs and USNA first for the other 1-2 (adding up to your 3 noms). However, if one of the SAs is heavily your first choice, be wary of trying to "game the system."

A couple of years ago, I had a candidate put USMA down for 2 MOCs and USNA for 1. He got 2 noms to USMA and didn't even get an interview from the "USNA MOC." He asked me what he should do. I told him that he should go to USMA b/c, I hoped that since he'd listed it first for 2 MOCs, it was his first choice. Not sure it was but he was stuck, sad to say.

Another version of the scenario is that you pick X SA as your first/only choice. During the MOC interview, you're asked, "If we offer you a nom to Y SA, would you accept it?" It's hard to know how to answer b/c you don't know what the MOC nominating committee is thinking. They could be certain that they will NOT offer you a nom to your first choice but want to give you something, if you'll accept it. OR, they could be preparing to give yout the nom to your first choice but, if you'll take/be happy with a nom to your second choice, they'll give you that. Or, they could simply be trying to figure out what their options are . . . IOW, they are simply asking and it's not a "trick question." Remember, MOCs want to make the most number of constituents at least somewhat happy -- after all, they're politicians.

Thus, I think you must go into the process with a pretty good idea of what your first choice is and stick with that. You have to make a decision at some point along the way -- better to do it early.

I know some people say, "X SA is my first choice but I'd take Y SA if it's that or nothing." Unfortunately, what typically happens in that circumstance in a competitive area is that you end up with your second choice. Which is OK, if your heart is still in it. The "moral" of this story is that trying to "game the system" (and I mean that in a positive way) often backfires.

Finally, two ways "out" of this morass. The first is those fortunate enough to be able to obtain a Presidential nom, which will be good for all SAs. And, second, those who apply to USCGA, for which no noms are needed.

To answer your question re whether your son can get a nom to more than one SA from TX . . . it is probaly unlikely but not impossible. Remember what I said above, MOCs want to make the greatest number of constitutents happy. Thus, if a given MOC has 10 slots for each of 4 SAs (USMA, USAFA, USNA, USMMA), that MOC can make 40 candidates, friends, and families happy by giving each person only one nom. If that MOC gives one person two noms, that's only 39 happy people and one more unhappy set of friends and family.

The way duplicates typically happen in competitive states is: (1) the MOCs are simply willing to give noms to multiple SAs; (2) there are fewer than 10 qualified applicants in your district for one of the SAs to which you're applying (unlikely); or (3) you are so much more outstanding than the 11th most competitive person for the nom and the MOC thinks you have a much better shot of being appointed. I can't speak specifically for TX, but as noted, it's not common in competitive states with so many kids wanting to attend SAs and so few nom slots.
 
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My son is a 3/C at USNA. He received nominations from our representative and Sen Hutchison. Cornyn and Hutchison do compare lists, but not all representatives report their lists to Cornyn and Hutchison. I think a great deal of this depends upon the staffers handling the whole process. And those folks change often. So, you can only prepare the very best packet for each.

I will tell you that Cornyn and Hutchison have not historically interviewed. Two years ago they received something like 400 apps for USNA nominations, plus the state is so large, travel to interview could be hundreds of miles. So, make sure you get everything you want the review board to know expressed in that packet somewhere!
 
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