Received LOA but no nomination

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kaleidoscoper

5-Year Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2014
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6
So I received an LOA back in September. I just received notice today, however, that I did not receive a nomination from my local congressman. To be honest, I'm actually pretty confused; I have really great academic records, very high SAT scores, and am physically qualified. I'm also very involved with leadership at school and in the community. I'm also a minority and a female. Maybe something went wrong in my interview or maybe I didn't express my interest clearly enough, but I am really crushed right now. I don't come from a particularly competitive district, and my friend who is currently a cadet told me that she was sure that I could get one from the congressman, so she advised me not to spend time applying for MOC noms. Anyway, am I out of the game? Is there any way I can still receive an appointment? WP has definitely been my dream school since forever, and I am seriously pretty distressed right now. Thanks.
 
Wow....

Wow...I'm really stunned. Maybe your MOC didn't have any vacancies. Have you talked with your RC? I would call him like yesterday.

You need an nom in order to receive an offer for appointment to WP. Time is not on your side right now. The dead line for noms is at the end of January.

Good Luck!! Let us know what happens, please.

Push Hard, Press Forward
 
kaleidoscoper said:
I don't come from a particularly competitive district, and my friend who is currently a cadet told me that she was sure that I could get one from the congressman, so she advised me not to spend time applying for MOC noms.
Click to expand...

Wow, I'm honestly really surprised that any cadet would tell you not to apply to your MOC noms. An LOA would have given you a straight shot in with ANY nomination, congressman OR senator. Why not take every possible avenue to get a nomination and increase your chances of an appointment if this is your dream school? :confused: Just a lesson for the future, always take precautions, and don't assume anything. Never allow "not wanting to waste time" to supersede your dreams. And lastly, know that not everyone gives good advice (it doesn't matter if it's a cadet, an officer, a general, or the president.), so always seek second opinions.

That being said, I hope you figure out a way to get a nomination and get your appointment. I would hate to see you lose out on an appointment because you followed bad advice.
 
My advice...do not focus on what ifs or what could have been done differently....focus instead on what you can do to move things forward. Excellent advice from tug boat...call your rc and see what options you do have. Keep us posted and best of luck!
 
I believe the Vice President is still accepting nomination applications. Maybe you could try and get one from him? Those slots are probably very competitive, but its worth a shot. Are their any service connected nominations you could take advantage of?

And here's a quote from West Point Website that might give some hope:
"If you are NOT nominated through any of these competitive processes, you could still be placed on a national waiting list and be offered admission from that list."

I'm sorry to hear this unfortunate turn of events has occurred. Just keep your head up and keep pushing forward. Always have a little hope.
 
Thank you guys for all your help! I really appreciate it. I sent out an email to my RC-hoping for the best. Also contacted the congressional aide who conducted my interviews to ask him about my file.
 
You are mixing "Apples and Oranges"

Remember - you are INDEPENDENTLY evaluated by two completely different agencies - West Point Admissions and your Member of Congress. Often these two evaluations produce different results.

WP reviewed your record and decided to give you an LOA. The LOA probably put conditions on your entrance such as passing the physical exam, getting a nomination etc. West Point has "targets" for female and minority candidates which worked in your favor. They were comparing you to other candidates in your category.

The MOC does not know or is probably not concerned about the WP evaluation. The MOC is comparing you to the other candidates in that Congressional District. From your note, it is clear that you were not considered to be one of the top candidates in that District.

My experience has been that WP often finds nominations for minority and women candidates with an LOA from other sources.

Another important point - get your advice on Admissions from your Regional Admissions Officer or the Field Force officer in your area - not from a Cadet.

Therefore do not give up. Contact your regional Admissions and Minority Recruiting officer for their assessment of your situation.
 
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Did your congressman know you had an LOA? Sometimes that's a game changer, as they want to have as many get in from their slate as possible. I would contact them as well and be sure they know you have a "golden ticket." Often there is someone on the slate who is not going to be qualified in one area. Perhaps your name could replace someone who gets a medical DQ or is not deemed qualified. Hindsight is 20/20...I am so sad to read you took the advice of a cadet as opposed to USMA admissions which states to apply to any and all nomination sources. However, that's water under the bridge at this point...action points for you include contacting your MOC and your minority recruiting officer. Good luck!
 
Personally call your RC!!

As a grad and FF Rep, I have no idea why your MOC would not nominate you based on what I read, but one thing caught my attention. With your future on the line, you emailed your RC???? Call the dude!! Don't leave a message, don't take that he/she is to busy to answer. Keep calling until you speak live. Remember your RC has a boss if you can't seem to make personal contact. Your email action tells me you are reserved or laid back. At your age I understand, but "get over this hesitancy to bother someone now". There are avenues for your appointment that only the Adm. Dept. can work. The game is not over until the academy tells you it is over. Not too late to work the system. Find a FF Rep to help you. Gook luck!!
 
It is bit odd. Possibilities I see is that perhaps your MOC nomination panel was trying to "game" the system as they figured since your have a LOA and West Point will find you a nomination or your told the nomination panel something along the line of I am want to attend West Point because it's free. I serve on my MOC's nomination panel. One year, we didn't give a nomination to a very highly qualified candidate because the candidate said all the wrong things during the interview.

Need to focus on the future, can't undo the past.

Definitely get in touch with your RC. Your RC should tell you where you stand. There is a chance you could get a Supe's nomination, your RC should be able to tell you what your chances are.

Are you willing to go attend a civil prep program? There are about 50 slots for West Point sponsored civil prep program - a scholarship where it usually comes to you get about 1/3 scholarship from the AOG, the school gives you about 1/3, and your out of pocket cost is about 1/3. A cheaper civil prep is about $10,000 a year and more expansive is about $20,000 a year. So your out pocket cost will be about $3000 to $6000 plus personal expanse. If you are interested, make sure you tell your RC. Difference between a West Point sponsored civil prep and self-prep is that successful completion of the sponsored civil prep guarantees you an appointment.
 
It's really two completely separate application and acceptance procedures.

Oddly, my DS received only one LOA from the 3 SA's that he applied to and that was the only one that he did not ultimately receive an appointment to. He did not get the MOC nomination. Go figure?
 
I am not clear on your original post. You reference an 'interview' but then state you didn't apply for a NOM. Who exactly was that 'interview' with????

To be in the running for an appointment you need to be 3Q AND have a NOM. While the deadlines for applying for NOM's vary somewhat by state, I think you missed the window of opportunity for this cycle if you didn't apply.
 
Does anyone know if the VP is still taking applications? The wording on his website is pretty ambiguous; I sent in one anyway, but I'm not sure if it applies to this year? Thanks for all your help, everyone.
 
Yes, I was. I called the congressional aide in charge of nominations in my district to ask him about my file and about what I could have done/why I didn't receive a nomination, and he said he'll call me back on Monday. So my RC told me that she hasn't received the official nominations from my district and to inform her of the outcome of our discussion. Pretty sure he's not going to change his mind, but I'm going to try to appeal my case.
 
I am in the same boat as kaleidoscoper but for the Naval Academy. Here is the thing, my congressman does primary nominations and only gave out two alternate spots and a primary. Could my name still be added to the slate or is it that once he sends in the slate if is 100% finalized?
 
I'd call his office. He can nominate up to 10 as far as I know, so just explain the situation and see what they will do.

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