Question About Appointments

M

mb06189

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Feb 26, 2023
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Let's say someone receives a nomination from their District Rep., and 10 nominations were awarded by him/her. Who are you competing against? Is it those other 9, or everyone with a district rep nomination? Everywhere I look I see mixed responses and I don't see anything published by USAFA themselves.
 
Say the candidate has a nom from MOC in District 3, along with nine others. It’s a full slate, and if the MOC is like most others, they submit it unranked. Which means the candidate is up against the other nine on the slate, and it’s up to USAFA to decide. If the MOC submits a principle nom — not that common, it seems — then that candidate gets an offer of appointment if they’re fully qualified.

The others on the slate, if they’re fully qualified, are still in play. It’s up to USAFA to build the class it wants with these remaining nominees.
 
A good place to start reading would be here:

Nominations FAQ

Below are answers to many Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) re the nomination process. Thanks to USNABGO08 for assistance. As always, we've made every effort to be accurate but the below has not been reviewed or approved by any SA or MOC contact. NOTE: Nominations are a fairly complex...
www.serviceacademyforums.com

But, to answer your question, you would be competing against the other 9 on that slate for THAT nomination. If you don’t get that nomination, you’ll still be eligible for a nomination from the national pool, which is the rest of the candidates who have a nom, but didn’t win the slate. You should be applying to all sources of nominations that you are eligible for so that you have the most opportunities.

Stealth_81
 
There have been multiple cases of several people within the same congressional district or nominating source that have gotten appointments.... it honestly depends on how competitive certain areas and sources are. You should apply for all levels of nominations as you have a variety of sources to get nominated from.
 
Some Reps and Senators share info with each other and won't double nominate, others are completely independent from each other. Apply to all nominating sources, do your best, and don't worry about something you have zero control over.
 
ak29 said:
There have been multiple cases of several people within the same congressional district or nominating source that have gotten appointments.... it honestly depends on how competitive certain areas and sources are.
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This is true, with a couple of clarifications:

First, it can be impossible to know to which nomination source an appointment is charged. Each MOC is allowed to have five appointments charged to them, per academy, at any one time. Generally, that means one appointment per year plus a spare. Many MOCs will imply that all mids/cadets from their district are attending the SA courtesy of them. Why not — it’s constituency service, after all. But it’s not technically true.

Second, it only takes one other candidate with credentials superior to yours to make it a competitive district. Yes, some districts are overflowing with qualified candidates. But in the pecking order that is SA admissions, any district can be competitive.
 
One more item to note, if a candidate is awarded a SA appointment from a nomination source, and does not accept it, the appointment does NOT automatically go to the next candidate in line from that nomination source. Instead all the other candidates with a nomination, from that nomination source are just put in the general pool that the SA pulls from. This happens when a very strong candidate earns multiple SA appointments, but obviously can only accept one.
 
Well, there is also the football team factor. If you are great and can lead the team to a perfect season, then I would say that could come into play also:)
 
Even if the MOC specify a principle candidate for nomination, it is not automatic though. Final decision still belongs to the SA. I've heard they will just put a nominee from the pool into that slot instead. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
 
Walking Tall said:
Even if the MOC specify a principle candidate for nomination, it is not automatic though. Final decision still belongs to the SA. I've heard they will just put a nominee from the pool into that slot instead. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
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If an MOC gives a principal nomination to a candidate deemed 3Q, that candidate is going to be appointed to USAFA (or West Point). Law gives USNA some wiggle room.
 
A1Janitor said:
If an MOC gives a principal nomination to a candidate deemed 3Q, that candidate is going to be appointed to USAFA (or West Point). Law gives USNA some wiggle room.
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For an athlete that received a LOA, we were told that based on his submitted paper works, the SA believes that he shouldn't have any problem getting a nomination. Only if for whatever reason he didn't get a nomination would the SA intervene and help out. What do they mean by that ?Is that possible since he needs a nomination for the LOA to take effect.
 
Walking Tall said:
For an athlete that received a LOA, we were told that based on his submitted paper works, the SA believes that he shouldn't have any problem getting a nomination. Only if for whatever reason he didn't get a nomination would the SA intervene and help out. What do they mean by that ?Is that possible since he needs a nomination for the LOA to take effect.
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Not every candidate with an LOA gets appointed. If a candidate doesn’t meet the terms of the LOA, like not getting a nomination, it isn’t a guarantee. The SA has discretionary sources to charge the appointment to in that case. But there are cases where they didn’t. Search the forums.

I don’t know who told you that. If it is an official source, listen to them and not me.

I wouldn’t sweat it. Get the nomination and remove the uncertainty.
 
Walking Tall said:
For an athlete that received a LOA, we were told that based on his submitted paper works, the SA believes that he shouldn't have any problem getting a nomination. Only if for whatever reason he didn't get a nomination would the SA intervene and help out. What do they mean by that ?Is that possible since he needs a nomination for the LOA to take effect.
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SA’s have their own discretionary nom sources, that they control.

Specific to recruited athletes, coaches may have a few ‘blue chips’ (depends on the sport).

Even if an athlete receives an unconventional nom, they still have to be found fully qualified. They may not pass the eye medical exam, as an example.

Apply for all noms you qualify for (don’t forget VP!). If you are a blue chip today, you may not be a blue chip a month from now (it’s the nature of recruiting). Pursue back up plans. And good luck!!
 
DS is recruited "Blue Chip" athlete for Class of 27, just finished BCT 2. I'm asking this questions to get a better understanding so I can explained it correctly if someone ever asked me. Don't want to give out false information.
 
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