Non recruited athlete LOA

Non recruited DS just received an LOA. Things are moving early in 2027 admissions! DoDMERB is done and Presidential nom is done. Exhaling slightly 😄
Now (September) is about the right time for LOAs to be appearing. Normal rhythms.

Good to see this!

Successfully complete anything in the specified “To Do” list in the LOA (CFA?), and at some point, the offer of appointment should magically appear, no prediction when. Having the Presidential nom is a good place to be in with an LOA. The first appointments on the annual list here are often those with Presidential noms and LOAs.

Then the only thing left to do is have an alternate plan ready to go if the appointee gets injured or is too ill too close to Induction Day. Happens every year.
 
Now (September) is about the right time for LOAs to be appearing. Normal rhythms.

Good to see this!

Successfully complete anything in the specified “To Do” list in the LOA (CFA?), and at some point, the offer of appointment should magically appear, no prediction when. Having the Presidential nom is a good place to be in with an LOA. The first appointments on the annual list here are often those with Presidential noms and LOAs.

Then the only thing left to do is have an alternate plan ready to go if the appointee gets injured or is too ill too close to Induction Day. Happens every year.
Amen!
 
Is your DS going to continue applying to congressional nominations? I’m in the same boat he is and I’m trying to figure out what to do.
 
Word of advice: APPLY TO EVERY NOM YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR. Do not think just because you got the magical unicorn that you are all set. That is not the case, plenty of people who receive LOAs do not receive appointments. This is one thing that you can do to solidify your appointment. Make sure it is done right and that you are well prepared. It's ok to have more than one nom too!
 
I would say that a candidate with an LOA who already has a Presidential or other non-competitive nom in their portal should discuss with an Admissions rep whether they should pursue elected officials noms and VP nom. But not decide this unilaterally!

Without an LOA, the advice is always “apply for all noms for which eligible.” With an LOA, and no noms in hand, ditto.
 
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You should continue to pursue all noms until your offer of appointment is in hand. Then, you should pull out of other nom sources UNLESS you want an appointment from another SA. In fairness to others, you should pursue this only if you have a genuine interest in attending another SA, not simply to “collect appointments.”
 
Is your DS going to continue applying to congressional nominations? I’m in the same boat he is and I’m trying to figure out what to do.
Absolutely! He is also a USAFA applicant and is torn. Full speed ahead and also backup plans B through F until the dust settles and he can make a decision.
 
Some words of advice for all you SA applicants, I just went through this process (2026), I was an early 3Q and Noms from my Senator and Congressman and didn't receive an appointment, with that being said, Definitely apply for ROTC scholarships as your fall back, getting 4-year NROTC and AFROTC scholarships was a lifesaver for me and I'm very happy where I am today.
 
Non recruited DS just received an LOA. Things are moving early in 2027 admissions! DoDMERB is done and Presidential nom is done. Exhaling slightly 😄
How much of their application was completed when they received the LOA?
 
My son had everything in except medical and nom by around September, and he had done his BGO interview in late October, but it wasn't in the system yet. He got his LOA for c/o '25 the day after Thanksgiving. His LOA had requirements to have all three satisfied to be awarded the appointment. They input the BGO information soon after that, he got his medical waiver around January, but unfortunately he never got a nom, so he was TWE'd for '25.

The point? Until every box is actually checked, and you have the "Offer of Appointment" on your candidate portal, the LOA is just a bragging right. It offers a guaranteed appointment IF you meet all the requirements enclosed within it. Some people don't satisfy them all ......
 
One thing I noticed that seems really odd with my LOA is that a nomination is never mentioned. The LOA is from USMA and I have a presidential nomination at this point.

The exact text of the letter is “The Admissions Committee has recommended you for an appointment to the United States Military Academy. Accordingly, I have reserved a cadetship for you contingent on medical qualification, physical qualification, CFA videos if applicable, continued excellent work in school, and file completion.” It then goes on to tell me to send in the rest of my file and a deadline to do so. It states “When these matters are resolved, you will be appointed a member of the USMA Class of 2027”.

Never is a nomination mentioned which seems very strange. This is the main reason why I was unsure of whether or not I should continue to apply to congressional sources. From what I’ve heard of other LOAs, cadetship is also stated as being contingent on a nomination. Does anyone have any insight to this or am I just overthinking it?
 
One thing I noticed that seems really odd with my LOA is that a nomination is never mentioned. The LOA is from USMA and I have a presidential nomination at this point.

The exact text of the letter is “The Admissions Committee has recommended you for an appointment to the United States Military Academy. Accordingly, I have reserved a cadetship for you contingent on medical qualification, physical qualification, CFA videos if applicable, continued excellent work in school, and file completion.” It then goes on to tell me to send in the rest of my file and a deadline to do so. It states “When these matters are resolved, you will be appointed a member of the USMA Class of 2027”.

Never is a nomination mentioned which seems very strange. This is the main reason why I was unsure of whether or not I should continue to apply to congressional sources. From what I’ve heard of other LOAs, cadetship is also stated as being contingent on a nomination. Does anyone have any insight to this or am I just overthinking it?
While I have more experience on the USNA side of things and not as much on West Point, I would think that a Pres. nom would constitute for a nomination at USMA, and I would work on the things listed such as physical, medical, etc. I would get those in ASAP, just to make sure you get that LOA turned into an official offer. That being said, if you want to play it safe, I would still fill out other Nom. Sources packets (I. e. Senators/Reps) until you get confirmation that the Pres. Nomination went through/is official. However, I would also pose this question on the USMA boards as well, as I’m sure they’ll have a better answer.
Cheers!
 
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