Principal Nominee with TWE

FireflyMom said:
I would encourage anyone who received a principal nom to contact their MOC staff to inquire what happened if the service academy admissions staff won’t answer your questions about why you didn’t get in and what disqualified you ! Doesn’t seem fair to me to have a principal nom from a MOC and have the academy not provide any answers as to why that MOC’s first pick was not accepted . Just what I would have DS do if he were in that situation ! Our elected officials have a voice into how the academies do business and there is a house oversight committee I believe as well . We as private citizens apparently can be not told anything about the secretive ways things are done in the process but I certainly believe there must be some transparency granted to our MOC’s should they question things. Just my opinion !
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USMA is required by law to accept principal noms if they are fully qualified. USNA is not so required. Although they do try to accept the principal nominee they sometimes don't, and are not required to do so. I do not know the law regarding USAFA but one might want to look into that before getting a MOC to "berate" some officer.
 
The SA is not not required to appoint a principal nominee if they are not fully qualified and medically cleared. USNA is the slight exception as to a 3Q Principal nominee still possibly being declined admission. I would suggest that the OP candidate ask admissions what was lacking. If the candidate was 3Q, then I would definitely have candidate reach out to MOC second and inquire as to the reason for rejection.
Sorry to hear the rejection, hopefully you will at least receive clarity as to what went down, and maybe even a possible shift to appointment.
 
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My ds son received a congratulatory nomination but I am not familiar with the term "principle " nomination..is there more than one type of nomination from a MOC?
 
adfuerst said:
My ds son received a congratulatory nomination but I am not familiar with the term "principle " nomination..is there more than one type of nomination from a MOC?
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Head on over to the Nominations forum and read the Stickie at the top. Elected officials can choose from a few different methods to submit a slate of nominees. The “principal” method is one of them.
 
rdhdstpchld said:
Dunno. We were PPQ so you would think longer leash but nope ‍♀️ Oh well. DS mentioned applying again to my shock
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How do you know if you have been designated PPQ? My son earned his private pilot's license while in high school but to my knowledge has not been notified of a PPQ or non?
 
adfuerst said:
How do you know if you have been designated PPQ? My son earned his private pilot's license while in high school but to my knowledge has not been notified of a PPQ or non?
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It's a medical designation on his DoDMERB portal.
 
Thank you all for the responses and advice. I trust in the process, but like many on this forum, look for insight and wisdom from those who have experience with the process. My son will reach out to his ALO, MOC, and admissions counselor to seek insight, clarity, and for ways he can improve. What an honor it has been for him to be considered up until this point....proud of my boy!!
 
shock-n-awe said:
The SA is not not required to appoint a principal nominee if they are not fully qualified and medically cleared. USNA is the slight exception as to a 3Q Principal nominee still possibly being declined admission. I would suggest that the OP candidate ask admissions what was lacking. If the candidate was 3Q, then I would definitely have candidate reach out to MOC second and inquire as to the reason for rejection.
Sorry to hear the rejection, hopefully you will at least receive clarity as to what went down, and maybe even a possible shift to appointment.
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With the USAFA they don’t notify candidates if they are 3Q like the other academies , which is what’s so frustrating and different than the other ones .
 
kinnem said:
FireflyMom said:
I would encourage anyone who received a principal nom to contact their MOC staff to inquire what happened if the service academy admissions staff won’t answer your questions about why you didn’t get in and what disqualified you ! Doesn’t seem fair to me to have a principal nom from a MOC and have the academy not provide any answers as to why that MOC’s first pick was not accepted . Just what I would have DS do if he were in that situation ! Our elected officials have a voice into how the academies do business and there is a house oversight committee I believe as well . We as private citizens apparently can be not told anything about the secretive ways things are done in the process but I certainly believe there must be some transparency granted to our MOC’s should they question things. Just my opinion !
Click to expand...
USMA is required by law to accept principal noms if they are fully qualified. USNA is not so required. Although they do try to accept the principal nominee they sometimes don't, and are not required to do so. I do not know the law regarding USAFA but one might want to look into that before getting a MOC to "berate" some officer.
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I don’t know if it’s a matter of berating anyone, just getting to the bottom of things with questions that the staff won’t tell a candidate , particularly one with a principal nom .
 
If a candidate is at least at or above all of the averages as posted by USAFA for the current class (ACT/SAT, CFA, leadership, athletics etc..), and cleared DODMERB, it should give you a good idea on being 3Q. If ANY one thing is in question as to being average or above, then the candidate is hoping and praying to be above the unpublished minimum standard.
Knowing (or actually presuming) a candidate meets all of the published averages and would/should be 3Q and is just calmly waiting for an appointment as a Principal nominee is still no easy task. Nothing is certain until it’s certain....
We had the same wait as our DS had a PNom to WP and we never KNEW if he was 3Q until just before the phone call from his MOC. We thought he was, but that was only our best guess until they confirmed it.
So for those still agonizingly waiting, keep hanging in there and good luck!
 
We did that--followed all published criteria and our DS met them all and even with a principal nom he was TWEed.
 
A1Janitor said:
Are there really this many principal noms? That are 3q and don’t get in?!?
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Well at least two ;)

The trick is in determining the 3Q. CFA and Medical are easy--it's academic standards which are harder to pin down.
 
Academic is more like scholastic - the wide and variable range of numbers-type stats as well as activities, leadership roles, etc.
 
Capt MJ said:
Academic is more like scholastic - the wide and variable range of numbers-type stats as well as activities, leadership roles, etc.
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Yes. I meant what the standards are for meeting minimal academic requirements are hard to pin down. Is it a 3.5 GPA? A 4.0? Is it a minimum of 1300 on the SAT? A 1400?
 
BB24 said:
Anyone with experience and/or advice? Our son received his non select letter this morning with many others. He had a Principal Nomination from his congressman and the academy sought and granted him a waiver which we thought were all great signs he was moving towards an appointment. After much research, we thought his chances were excellent with the principal nomination. Honestly, a little heartbroken and blindsided by the news this morning as we were really holding out hope. Are the non-select letters generic, or do they really provide insight to where an applicant needs to improve for the next round? Finally, what resources can help him understand his “weaknesses” so that he can improve his chances should he navigate round two? Thank you in advance! Congratulations to all appointees and applicants!
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I think he is entitled to call admissions officer and ask for insight into why his application was denied
 
FireflyMom said:
I would encourage anyone who received a principal nom to contact their MOC staff to inquire what happened if the service academy admissions staff won’t answer your questions about why you didn’t get in and what disqualified you ! Doesn’t seem fair to me to have a principal nom from a MOC and have the academy not provide any answers as to why that MOC’s first pick was not accepted . Just what I would have DS do if he were in that situation ! Our elected officials have a voice into how the academies do business and there is a house oversight committee I believe as well . We as private citizens apparently can be not told anything about the secretive ways things are done in the process but I certainly believe there must be some transparency granted to our MOC’s should they question things. Just my opinion !
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First, are you sure you are a Principal Nominee? Second, Principal nominees must be fully qualified to be offered an appointment. If they are not fully qualified, the Service Academy can go to the next on the list.
 
I wondered the same. Barring any written confirmation of a principal nom, could the elected official have used words such as “you’re my top pick” or “my principal choice,” but not actually used the principal nomination method when submitting a slate? There could be a derailment there, and USAFA would not be required to select the candidate even if fully qualified.

Or, as noted above, the 3Q elements were somehow not fulfilled.

If the candidate contacts the MOC staffer for SA noms, he can attempt to confirm the actual type of nomination and method used. These facts would be the sole purpose of the call.

If the principal nom method is confirmed and status as principal nominee also confirmed, the candidate might then call the appropriate USAFA contact to seek clearer understanding of whether he was considered a fully qualified candidate.

I can’t recall if USAFA actually tells candidates they are fully qualified. USNA does not. USMA does notify, I think.

I think we are all interested in how this might have come about. I was under the impression that USAFA and USMA had very little wiggle room for principal nom + fully qualified. The scholastic part of the fully qualified trinity is also the mushiest around the edges.

I appreciate the poster who aired this issue and wish them the best outcome for the situation.
 
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