Should I fill out the Application if I havnt been Nominated Yet?

Is there a point to filling out my actual WP and Naval Academy applications if I havnt been nominated yet? is there any benefit to that other than the fact that I can submit it quicker if I eventually become nominated?

 

You're kidding, right? Oh course you fill out the application to WP first. And complete it as fast as you can. You're actually behind the power curve on this. You'll need to get your application finished as much as possible to be considered competitive and serious if you want a nomination.

Push Hard, Press Forward

 

Im not kidding at all. What is the point of filling out the application first if I do not know if I will be appointed? I dont really understand that logic. Do the senators/rep get to see the completeness of your application? Is that part of their nomination process? It does not seem to specify on the WP/Naval Academy website or my senators/rep websites.

 

It is implied here http://www.usma.edu/admissions/shared documents/admissions timeline.pdf that you fill out the application after you have been nominated (it is to my understanding that noms are usually given out by november/december)

 

I have most of it done, I just need to do my CFA and I have it planned. But from reading the forum, it seems to me like it is pure speculation that you have to have completed your application by October/November. In Mass, deadlines for noms arent even due until October 31st. Obviously, it would be best to get them done as soon as possible, but other than the fact it ensures you arent cramming to fill everything in, is there any other benefit? Deadlines arent until February...

 

While it is a stretch to say if you do not have everything done already you are screwed, you definitely want to get your application done WAY before the deadline. Not only does it look better but your DODMERB will open which can take awhile.

I will have my essays done this weekend and thus be completed with my app other than DODMERB. It is still somewhat early so you will be fine.

 

OP is way behind the curve. Everything is done contemporaneously. All applications, and materials. This is not speculation. The advice on this forum comes from folks who have done it, or who's kids have. Asking a question and then arguing with those who answer, because you are upset with the answer may be suggestive of character flaw. But I digress.

If you want to wait untill the nomination process is complete, go ahead, and good luck. I'm sure the other candidates with appropriate it.

 

For most candidates, West Point won't authorize DoDMERB exams or request DoDMERB results requested by another commissioning source, until the application is complete. So if you finish your application by the deadline, no DoDMERB result, your application could be considered incomplete. DoDMERB results take 4 to 6 weeks or more.

If you finish your application early, your will more get attention from your regional commander and possibly given favorable considerations.

Your regional commander shifts candidates between nominations to maximize appointments in his area. Candidate A has senatorial and congressional nominations and good enough to be appointed using either nomination. Candidate A is #1 in her Congressional district. Candidate B is in the same Congressional district, but #2. If West Point wants Candidate B because he completed his application early, they will appoint Candidate A using the Senatorial nomination, thus making Candidate B #1 in the Congressional district and give him the Congressional appointment. However, if Candidate B doesn't finish his application, the admission office is not really tracking him for an appointment, so they appoint Candidate A using the congressional nomination and appoint Candidate C using the senatorial nomination.

 

So you asked a fair question.

For your information (I have been a member of this forum for more than a few years and as a parent - have had two of my DS' earn appointments) you received answers from some of the best minds who participate on this forum and the consensus is clear - finish your application as soon as possible. I concur with that opinion as well.

Now the choice to act on that advice or not act on that advice is completely up to you. Really no need for rebuttals at this point.

Best of luck!

 

[QUOTE=" DoDMERB results take 4 to 6 weeks or more.

[/QUOTE]
That is only if there are no issues or findings. For some, it's much longer and waiting too late to submit in the first place cost them a shot at the academy.

 

You are theoretically correct. An extremely qualified candidate can complete the application later than recommended and still expect an appointment. They will be near the top of the list no matter when their application is complete and USMA will wait as long as possible before bypassing them. Appointments made in January/February will not affect them as much as a merely qualified candidate that delays completing the application.

But delaying is an unwise strategy. USMA is very competitive. #5 in Rhodes Scholars. Your idea of what a top candidate is may differ from USMA's. There is too much beyond your control that can go wrong and need extra time. Most successful candidates get the requirements done as soon as possible and then wait for months hoping for an appointment.

 

I really was not intending on appearing rude. Im appreciative of the responses I have received, but I was just looking for a solid answer. Advice from folks who have done it, or who's kids have although useful, may not always be factual. I was simply wondering if there was any facts associated with a commonly accepted notion. Simply because everyone has done and continues to do it one way, does not mean that it is the end all. Im not trying to argue, but rather get the answer to my question.

I appreciate it, thats all I was asking for. Obviously delaying wouldnt be advisable, but I was just wondering.. Thank you.

 

My son was encouraged by the liaison officers from USMA, USAFA, and USNA to get application done within one month of the portal being opened. Frankly, that was almost impossible, but he did everything he could. His regional commander said to get application completed as soon as possible too. If you wait too long you will likely find yourself behind the eight ball, and without the time to get it done timely. It is not a regular college application.

 

Why would any MOC give out a nomination to someone who hasn't even applied to a service academy? They'd be wasting a nomination. (And when the panel asks where have you applied, and you say no where yet, how does that look?)

Even on the off chance you received a nom before you applied, that doesn't guarantee anything, and then you'll be fighting the clock to get the application complete, including DoDMERB, assuming you're a competitive candidate. Seems like backwards thinking to me -- give me the reward first, then I'll put in the work.

 

While your logic may make sense to you, it is, without question, flawed from the Academy's perspective and here is my proof point. At a recent briefing DS's RC advised admissions are like a roller coaster where the x-axis is competitiveness and the y-axis is time. In the first cut all applicants are considered and the offers come from the top of the roller coaster and the most competitive candidates will be offered; then the roller coaster starts downhill(and obviously travels along the y, or time, axis) and the subsequent offers are from the remaining pool of most qualified candidates. This is the biggest chunk of offers and then as the number of remaining slots needs to be filled the academy will then look at the top of the remaining pool assuming they have now heard from all the other offers made and understand some of them will decline. The moral of his story was apply as EARLY as possible as you want to be at the top of the roller coaster for the initial consideration and you want to ride the roller coaster DOWN the hill; if you are late with your application and are riding the curve back UP the hill, it'll be tougher. This may seem counterintuitive but it was his clear articulation of the process; I'd also concur that earlier is better and am saying this as a grad and parent of a current applicant. DS has packet 100% complete, including pass on CFA from SLE, medically qualified and all "green" on the portal- better to be in wait mode than worrying about what happens if a remedial is required, teachers are slow on SOE's, etc.

 

Posts like this are tantalizingly annoying and also quite frankly disrespectful to those appointed and the parents of Cadets present and past. If the OP doesn't get that, then truly he/she is in a very small minority of those interested in attending an academy. This forum is sooooo patient and generous. But the entitlement oozing from the OP smacks of a troll or possibly an 8th grader posing as a HS senior. The short answer has been given and so has the long. If you think you deserve an appointment and you think other cadets will want you in their company, then gain some humility and fill it out early as possible like 99.9% of all Cadets did. My two cents...