Should I tell my other Liason Officers how I'm ranking the academies?

pooled18

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I'm establishing contact with my USMA FFR, but it's my 2nd choice, USAFA is first. Should I tell my FFR so he knows not to expect me to put USMA first?
 
When you say put USAFA first, what do you mean? How would you be ranking them....by appointments? I would imagine there's no benefit in telling your liaison officer that you prefer USAFA over USMA. If you get appointments to both, you just accept the one you want and decline the other. Good Luck! I hope you get your first choice!
 
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When you say put USAFA first, what do you mean? How would you be ranking them....by appointments? I would imagine there's no benefit in telling your liaison officer that you prefer USAFA over USMA. If you get appointments to both, you just accept the one you want and decline the other. Good Luck! I hope you get your first choice!
Alright, that makes sense. Thank you!
 
People seem to have a habit of giving up too much info when no one asked them for it. Provide all the info asked, no more and no less. While it seem like it would kind to give them heads up that they arent your first choice, its doesnt get you anywhere and could hurt you in th end. Every institution and organization work on rules and deadlines, most of the time they will not give you the time of day if you blow it. There are always exceptions. They should follow their own rules and you should enforce it. If they say May 1 is the deadline than that is the deadline. You dont need to inform them March 1 that they arent your top choice or that you arent going to accept it.
 
People seem to have a habit of giving up too much info when no one asked them for it. Provide all the info asked, no more and no less. While it seem like it would kind to give them heads up that they arent your first choice, its doesnt get you anywhere and could hurt you in th end. Every institution and organization work on rules and deadlines, most of the time they will not give you the time of day if you blow it. There are always exceptions. They should follow their own rules and you should enforce it. If they say May 1 is the deadline than that is the deadline. You dont need to inform them March 1 that they arent your top choice or that you arent going to accept it.
I'm applying for c/o 2023, so I'm reaching out to my FFR for USMA now. West point is my second choice behind USAFA, so my question was should I make my FFR aware of this when I reach out to him. Sorry if my original wording was confusing.
 
^^ I agree, nothing is to be gained by telling them of your ranking. Applicants frequently apply to more than one SA. It only matters if you get an appointment to both, then you have to decide which one to accept. MOC is usually the only place where you are asked to rank your choices. In the OP's example, if you only got an appointment to USMA, I assume you would still accept it?
 
Our MOC is the only place we ever had to rank and that was so they nominated you to a slate according to your preference.
People seem to have a habit of giving up too much info when no one asked them for it. Provide all the info asked, no more and no less. While it seem like it would kind to give them heads up that they arent your first choice, its doesnt get you anywhere and could hurt you in th end. Every institution and organization work on rules and deadlines, most of the time they will not give you the time of day if you blow it. There are always exceptions. They should follow their own rules and you should enforce it. If they say May 1 is the deadline than that is the deadline. You dont need to inform them March 1 that they arent your top choice or that you arent going to accept it.
I'm applying for c/o 2023, so I'm reaching out to my FFR for USMA now. West point is my second choice behind USAFA, so my question was should I make my FFR aware of this when I reach out to him. Sorry if my original wording was confusing.

You have to think about things that could tip the scale. If you didn't get into USAFA and you are on the boarder of an acceptance or denial at WP, knowing that USMA wasn't your first choice against another candidate could be just enough to get you rejected. The admissions process is as subjective as it is objective when comparing candidates side by side with equal qualifications. Agree with Humey, only answer the question, don't give any additional info that could be used against you.
 
People seem to have a habit of giving up too much info when no one asked them for it. Provide all the info asked, no more and no less. While it seem like it would kind to give them heads up that they arent your first choice, its doesnt get you anywhere and could hurt you in th end. Every institution and organization work on rules and deadlines, most of the time they will not give you the time of day if you blow it. There are always exceptions. They should follow their own rules and you should enforce it. If they say May 1 is the deadline than that is the deadline. You dont need to inform them March 1 that they arent your top choice or that you arent going to accept it.
I'm applying for c/o 2023, so I'm reaching out to my FFR for USMA now. West point is my second choice behind USAFA, so my question was should I make my FFR aware of this when I reach out to him. Sorry if my original wording was confusing.

Advice I will give you when ranking the MOC nomination is to put USAFA first for one nom request and maybe USMA first for another nom. My DS put USMA first on all of his and didn't get the Senate nomination because he had already won his slate for his congressional nomination. The MOC reps in Florida collaborate on this process and do not select the same candidate for their primary nomination if they put the same SA first (which makes sense). If he had put USMA first for one and USAFA for another, then he could have gotten the senatorial nom for USAFA and the congressional for USMA.
 
Another reality is that while right now you do feel that you know what your preference is....your decision date is over a year away. A lot can change in a year. When DS started his journey this time last year, he had a particular path in mind. However after a year of growth, research, thinking, visiting, recruiting....his path changed. He has a different outlook today than a year ago.

My point is to not close any doors until you are ready. Which, IMO, is when you are hitting that accept button. You are perhaps too early in this journey to have all the facts and knowledge to make your final decision (or perhaps you are...but what if you aren’t?). Telling your recruiter you “aren’t interested...you are my 2nd choice” eventually closes that door at least more than if your recruiter thinks you are their 1st choice. IMO it’s too early to do that. You will grow and change more than you could know your senior year.

How exciting. Reading about people starting this process brings back soooooo many memories. DS is USNA’22. Hard to believe he was In your shoes, in what seems like only yesterday and forever all at once!! Very exciting times!! Good luck to you!!
 
"Gaming" the NOM process isn't recommended and can back-fire on you if asked to explain your logic. Many older threads on that topic.
 
There's a saying about ALO's that might also apply to FFR's: "I can't get you in but, I can keep you out."
 
I'm establishing contact with my USMA FFR, but it's my 2nd choice, USAFA is first. Should I tell my FFR so he knows not to expect me to put USMA first?
There is smart honest and dumb honest. Stick to smart honest. Your FFR may ask what other SA's or ROTC you are considering, but probably won't ask you to put them in order of preference. So don't offer that information. You may change your mind as you learn more about other opportunities.

If an SA rep does ask about preference:

Dumb Honest: USAFA is my clear first choice and I would only consider USMA if USAFA were no longer an option.

Smart Honest: Either would be fantastic. Right now a slight edge to USAFA because I am more familiar with it, but I am increasingly interested in USMA as I learn more about the opportunities it offers.
 
Smart honest replies to preferences is great advice!
But never burn bridges or close doors of opportunity. Leave all options on the table, because you just never know.....
 
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