Noncommittal Letter - Next Steps

J

Jack_Adkins

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Joined
Sep 10, 2023
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Hello everyone,
After opening my application file and uploading all of my information (leadership, athletic experience, etc.), I received this “noncommittal” letter from my regional commander. What exactly does this letter mean, and what specifically do I need to do before I can continue my application? The letter says I would likely thrive with the blend of activities there, but it also says that I need improvement in my Leadership and/or Academic credentials. I have received many awards and have extensive leadership experience, all of which I included in my application file, so I’m entirely sure what I need to improve on in order to move forward with the process.

I greatly appreciate any help anyone may be able to offer.
 

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Welcome new member of a few minutes!

If that is your real name, recommend you go into your account tools and change it to a user name. Unlike your personal social media where you have extensive privacy settings and filters, this is an anonymous open forum. The less personal info you put out there the better, especially if you want to go into military service. Redact personal info from anything you post.

Others familiar with USMA communications will likely pop up and respond.

In general, SAs are looking for quality over quantity, in terms of leadership roles, activities where you have made an impact. Academically, and again generally, USMA wants to see that you have taken the hardest courses your school offers in preferred subjects, and done well, and are competitive with your standardized tests.


Take a look at class profiles to see how you compare:

Read the letter carefully - right now you are baseline, but the door is still cracked open. Some specific guidance has been given.

And - nothing beats you gathering your thoughts and confidence, preparing your questions, and contacting your Admissions points of contact - your primary source - in a live phone call and asking for candid, unsoftened advice, and then actively listen to understand what you are being told.
 
Thank you for the advice. That’s also good to know regarding the name thing - I’ll go change that.
 
Jack_Adkins said:
Hello everyone,
After opening my application file and uploading all of my information (leadership, athletic experience, etc.), I received this “noncommittal” letter from my regional commander. What exactly does this letter mean, and what specifically do I need to do before I can continue my application? The letter says I would likely thrive with the blend of activities there, but it also says that I need improvement in my Leadership and/or Academic credentials. I have received many awards and have extensive leadership experience, all of which I included in my application file, so I’m entirely sure what I need to improve on in order to move forward with the process.

I greatly appreciate any help anyone may be able to offer.
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I speculate that your test scores are too low for you to be competitive assuming you loaded enough extracurriculars and sports participation. Reach out to your FF Rep or District Coordinator and ask where your file is weak. In my state, the average super-scored percentile of non-service, non-recruited athlete related Offer comes in at about 91-93 percentile every year with a high of 100 and a low of about 85. Service connected nominations and recruited athletes pull class averages down - in my state anyway. Have someone give you a frank evaluation of the weaknesses in your file and shore up those weaknesses - reapply after 1 or 2 years of CC or JC if your main weakness was depth and breath of academic background or testing.
 
Army Vet & WPFF said:
I speculate that your test scores are too low for you to be competitive assuming you loaded enough extracurriculars and sports participation. Reach out to your FF Rep or District Coordinator and ask where your file is weak. In my state, the average super-scored percentile of non-service, non-recruited athlete related Offer comes in at about 91-93 percentile every year with a high of 100 and a low of about 85. Service connected nominations and recruited athletes pull class averages down - in my state anyway. Have someone give you a frank evaluation of the weaknesses in your file and shore up those weaknesses - reapply after 1 or 2 years of CC or JC if your main weakness was depth and breath of academic background or testing.
Click to expand...
Yep, I suppose that likely is what the problem is. I scored a 25 on the ACT, which is above average but I know that is not high enough to be competitive with West Point's standards. I'm retaking it next month to try and bump up my scores. I'm supposed to meet with my FF rep sometime this week, so I'll also ask him.
 
You have a LOT of time to bump up your scores. As soon as you post new scores, the rest of your packet may open up for you.
Continue to apply for nominations so that you are set and ready.
Continue taking the steps to complete your application packet.

Also, apply to your other colleges and complete your Army ROTC scholarship application.
 
Jack_Adkins said:
Yep, I suppose that likely is what the problem is. I scored a 25 on the ACT, which is above average but I know that is not high enough to be competitive with West Point's standards. I'm retaking it next month to try and bump up my scores. I'm supposed to meet with my FF rep sometime this week, so I'll also ask him.
Click to expand...
This is why you have not been deemed competitive yet. There are baselines for the SAT and ACT that the Academy requires candidates to achieve before they will unlock a second step kit (the full application). You certainly need to get your standardized test scores up. Leadership is demonstrated through the activities that you list and the role you play in clubs or sports. If you are a member of a bunch of clubs but are not an officer or captain of a sports team, your leadership profile may appear weak on the application. You should also consider if there are things outside of school that could enhance your leadership profile, like volunteer work or a job that has some specific responsibilities.
 
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