Principal Nomination

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waites654

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Good evening,

My son received a principal nomination from his congressman. We are still waiting for his results from DoDMerb to be released hopefully completing the 3q sequence.

I’ve read that USNA does necessarily need to honor the principal nomination but it would be rare for them to turn it away. What are the actual odds that they do not offer an appointment assuming he qualifies in every other way?
Also, what are the odds that he could hear about an offer sooner than January?


Also, how long does DoDMerb generally take to review and submit their documents? He completed the physical about a month ago.


Thanks
 
waites654 said:
Good evening,

My son received a principal nomination from his congressman. We are still waiting for his results from DoDMerb to be released hopefully completing the 3q sequence.

I’ve read that USNA does necessarily need to honor the principal nomination but it would be rare for them to turn it away. What are the actual odds that they do not offer an appointment assuming he qualifies in every other way?
Also, what are the odds that he could hear about an offer sooner than January?


Also, how long does DoDMerb generally take to review and submit their documents? He completed the physical about a month ago.
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I've been a BGO for well over 30 years now and I can tell you with no uncertainty:
NO ONE KNOWS THE ODDS of not getting an appointment but they are small.

NO ONE KNOWS THE ODDS of finding out sooner than January (meaning December). I will tell you that the odds
are very strong that he will find out by mid-April and no, I'm not being a smartass. . . that's just the way it goes.

Make sure that your son is logging into his DODMERB account to see what if anything they are saying and he should reach
out via phonecall if he hasn't heard from them by Dec 1 or so.

By the way, is your comment about the Principal just from the Congressman or has his USNA portal reflected having the nomination?
the Congressional staff has to actually report the slate to USNA for them to credit your son with the nomination and his portal will
reflect the nomination once it is received.
 
Thank you for your answers and candor on all accounts.

He received a direct call from the congressman letting him know that he is his principal nominee. This was followed up with an email letting him know that the nomination would be logged in the USNA portal and an official letter would be sent to him from the congressman.
We can see a nomination logged in his portal now and we are just waiting for the letter.
 
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@OldRetiredSWO is spot on. Odds, chances, the only certainty is a candidate will eventually receive a decision of some kind, probably by mid-April, but notifications can go into May and June. It doesn’t matter when their application was submitted, what kind of nom or how many, or if they have an LOA.

A principal nom forces an SA to give an appointment to a certain nominee, if they are fully qualified, even if USNA ranks other nominees on that slate higher. And yes, the legal language for USNA is different than USMA and USAFA, allowing USNA not to do it, but they usually do. For any nominee reading this who is on a slate using this ranking method, and you are not the principal nom, do not despair, as USNA, USMA or USAFA can return to the slate and offer appointments to other fully qualified nominees on a slate, and charge those appointments to other nom authorities they manage, not as one of the MOC’s.

As just noted, the candidate must be fully qualified to receive a full offer of appointment. USNA does not typically tell candidates if they are.

Fully qualified:
Medical: DoDMERB Q or waiver
Physical fitness: CFA passed
Academic/scholastic: everything else in the application evaluated with the whole person method


Continue to tend alternate plans until not needed.
 
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Thank you both

We are definitely working on other plans but Annapolis is his dream school so we are hopeful that everything lines up for him.

As parents, we are fully invested in this process. He’s a strong candidate but I have no grand delusions about him getting in since it’s so selective. I had the privilege to fly down and tour the yard a few weeks ago in the Inspire program. I was very impressed and could definitely see why he wanted this so badly but also saw the slate of candidates he is competing against.

My takeaway was that the Naval Academy has an embarrassment of riches in relationship to the candidates they can choose from but this is rightfully so. The programs, setting and opportunities that come from belonging here can be life changing.
 
waites654 said:
Thank you both

We are definitely working on other plans but Annapolis is his dream school so we are hopeful that everything lines up for him.

As parents, we are fully invested in this process. He’s a strong candidate but I have no grand delusions about him getting in since it’s so selective. I had the privilege to fly down and tour the yard a few weeks ago in the Inspire program. I was very impressed and could definitely see why he wanted this so badly but also saw the slate of candidates he is competing against.

My takeaway was that the Naval Academy has an embarrassment of riches in relationship to the candidates they can choose from but this is rightfully so. The programs, setting and opportunities that come from belonging here can be life changing.
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Just to set expectations, there was someone from last cycle who was their congressman's principal nomination and did not receive an appointment. Here he is and you can follow his posts about it...

D

Post in thread 'USNA Class of 2028 Waiting and Speculating'

NomSeeker said:
Dean, NC parent here. You're still in the fight. That principal NOM is a good arrow to have in your quiver..I like your chances…
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I appreciate the note. Perhaps we set our expectations too high given the principal nomination. We were under the impression that principal nominees generally get an offer if they’re qualified. His portal indicated he was 2Q and we were optimistic he had enough other positive attributes (Eagle Scout, National Youth Leadership Training, captain of year-round club swim team, challenging academics, solid ACT, etc.) to push him across the finish line...
  • Like
 
Good luck to your son.

I adore your recognition of the opportunities and doors opened through a USNA appointment. Your son will find sooooo many amazing opportunities while there, too!! Take advantage of everything. Let us know how this works out for y’all!!
 
justdoit19 said:
Good luck to your son.

I adore your recognition of the opportunities and doors opened through a USNA appointment. Your son will find sooooo many amazing opportunities while there, too!! Take advantage of everything. Let us know how this works out for y’all!!
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And don’t forget to join your State Parents Club, should the appointment come is his way. They are a great source is support and information (and pride).
 
Edmund said:
Just to set expectations, there was someone from last cycle who was their congressman's principal nomination and did not receive an appointment. Here he is and you can follow his posts about it...

D

Post in thread 'USNA Class of 2028 Waiting and Speculating'

NomSeeker said:
Dean, NC parent here. You're still in the fight. That principal NOM is a good arrow to have in your quiver..I like your chances…
Click to expand...
I appreciate the note. Perhaps we set our expectations too high given the principal nomination. We were under the impression that principal nominees generally get an offer if they’re qualified. His portal indicated he was 2Q and we were optimistic he had enough other positive attributes (Eagle Scout, National Youth Leadership Training, captain of year-round club swim team, challenging academics, solid ACT, etc.) to push him across the finish line...
  • Like
Click to expand...
Thanks Edmund

I’m a realist and although I like our chances I also know to plan for alternates. Seeing this gives me more ammunition to prepare other options. The old Marine in me won’t let me do otherwise



justdoit19 said:
And don’t forget to join your State Parents Club, should the appointment come is his way. They are a great source is support and information (and pride).
Click to expand...
This is in the plans should we be fortunate enough to get the nod. I learned about sponsors and the state parents club during my Inspire program visit. I really like the fact that I can stay involved and help others too.
 
waites654 said:
Thanks Edmund

I’m a realist and although I like our chances I also know to plan for alternates. Seeing this gives me more ammunition to prepare other options. The old Marine in me won’t let me do otherwise




This is in the plans should we be fortunate enough to get the nod. I learned about sponsors and the state parents club during my Inspire program visit. I really like the fact that I can stay involved and help others too.
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It's cliche on here, but you really have to make sure you have a Plan B and C lined up and ready to go.

Best wishes!
 
@waites654

Your son can add hope for a NAPS or USNA Foundation prep scholarship into the “hope mix.” If he was invited to Inspire and has a principal nom, then he has attracted notice. If for some reason he is not offered an appointment this cycle, and it’s a matter of USNA thinking he needs some prep work, they might make an offer for either of the prep opportunities. Those are considered a golden ticket for the next cycle class. There are many threads on this path.
 
Hes already talked to me about NAPS and foundation schools. He would relish any opportunity provided to get especially there if he weren’t appointed this class year.

Prior to the nomination he was also look into NROTC as a plan B. We will continue this path as well
 
waites654 said:
I appreciate everyone’s help. We just found out this morning that he was given an LOA to add to his nom

Waiting on DoDmerb to come back now
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The LOA usually means he’s cleared the bar for the academic/scholastic qual. Excellent news.

A restrained happy dance is probably in order if DoDMERB is Q or a waiver.

There will still be an unknown wait.
 
Since USNA doesn't routinely tell an applicant if they are 3Q, I suspect that some with a principal NOM who ultimately didn't get an appointment were actually not 3Q (but assumed they were). There is no way for an individual applicant to 'determine' if they will get the scholastic Q. MOC NOM committee can use whatever criteria they choose and could be different from how an SA evaluates applicants. Resolving DODMERB issues can take time and no one on here can tell you how long that might take based on the specific medical issues that have to be worked through.
 
time2 said:
Since USNA doesn't routinely tell an applicant if they are 3Q, I suspect that some with a principal NOM who ultimately didn't get an appointment were actually not 3Q (but assumed they were). There is no way for an individual applicant to 'determine' if they will get the scholastic Q. MOC NOM committee can use whatever criteria they choose and could be different from how an SA evaluates applicants.
Click to expand...
Yes there is sometimes a big difference between what an applicant or parent thinks is "Challenging Academics" and the level of grades and class rank that the Service Academy sees as Qualified. Same thing between what the applicant/parent sees as a "Solid ACT" and what the academies see as qualified.
 
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