Principal Nomination

[SledgehammerB]

I received my Principal Nomination 3-weeks ago and want to know if this Nomination helps out more in the Application process than a Regular Nomination from Congress.

 

[AROTC-dad]

From the forum FAQs on nominations:

What are “principal” noms?

MOCs can submit their slate in one of three ways. It is ENTIRELY up to them; they can do it differently for different SAs and they can change their approach every year. Some may tell candidates how they do it but they aren’t required to.

The first way is “Principal Nominee with Competitive Alternates.” Here, the MOC makes one candidate his/her “principal nominee.” That means that, if that candidate is fully qualified, the SA MUST offer him/her an appointment. [Several years ago, a very small number of 3Qed candidates with principal noms to USNA did NOT receive appointments -- the law describing USNA admissions is worded slightly differently than for USAF and USMA. Thus, for USNA only, 3A+ a principal nom is almost a guarantee but not 100%]. Competitive alternates means that, if the principal nominee is not fully qualified, the SA has discretion in choosing the remaining 9 (or fewer if there were fewer than 10 nominees) if they are otherwise qualified.

The second way is “Principal Nominee with Ranked Alternates.” This differs from the above in that the MOC ranks all 10 of his/her nominees. The SA must go down the list. So, if the principal nominee isn’t qualified, the SA must offer the nomination to the next highest ranked, fully qualified candidate on the list and so on.

The third way is a competitive slate. Here, the MOC gives a list (or “slate”) of 10 (or fewer) candidates to the SA and lets the SA decide which one they think best for the offer of appointment. This is the MOST common method among MOCs.

 

[jl123]

A Principal Nomination does not make your application look any more or less attractive to USMA admissions than a regular nomination. You still have to complete the process the same as every other candidate.

However, if you are academically, physically, and medically qualified a Principal Nomination guarantees an appointment. If you are missing one of those Q's, it guarantees you will not receive an appointment.

 

[A1Janitor]

A Principal Nomination does not make your application look any more or less attractive to USMA admissions than a regular nomination. You still have to complete the process the same as every other candidate.

However, if you are academically, physically, and medically qualified a Principal Nomination guarantees an appointment. If you are missing one of those Q's, it guarantees you will not receive an appointment.

If you are missing one of those q’s, it guarantees you won’t get an appointment without a waiver.

My son has an LOA and isn’t medically qualified because of color blindness. He isn’t guaranteed not to get an appointment.

 

[SledgehammerB]

A Principal Nomination does not make your application look any more or less attractive to USMA admissions than a regular nomination. You still have to complete the process the same as every other candidate.

However, if you are academically, physically, and medically qualified a Principal Nomination guarantees an appointment. If you are missing one of those Q's, it guarantees you will not receive an appointment.

If you are missing one of those q’s, it guarantees you won’t get an appointment without a waiver.

My son has an LOA and isn’t medically qualified because of color blindness. He isn’t guaranteed not to get an appointment.