Triple Qualified Acceptance Rate?
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So, in essence, this is the way I understand the process. You start with you MOC slate and depends which method the MOC uses with his/her nominations. For example, they say that 70% of the MOC's use the competitive method which means that MOC nominates 10 candidates to the SA's and lets them make the choice based on the WCS. In this case, you can be 3Q'd and it would be entirely up to the SA to select the best one out of the 10. Rest of the non-selectees then may go to the NWL where top150 names will get appointments; this is top150 names gathered nationwide. If you score too low on the WCS, I heard you will get the TWE right away. The second method is principal nominee with competitive alternates, meaning, if the principal nominee is not 3q'd, rest of the names will be given to the SA to make the determination based on the WCS. In our case, our MOC uses the principal nominee with ranked alternate nominees. In this case, if you're designated as the principal nominee and 3q'd, WP has to honor it. If the principal nominee fails to get 3q'd, then the offer will go to the number 2. If number 2 is 3q'd, then number 2 will get the appt. If the principal or number 2 happens to win the slate, rest of the names will go to the NWL to fight for appts. So bottom line is that 3Q is good but there are many variables and really depends on your WCS/competitiveness of your file when compared to all of the candidates nationwide. Hope this makes sense.....
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Fairly recent data, covering the last few years, indicate that 40%-45% of candidates who are 3Q with a nomination receive offers of appointment. The exact number fluctuates year to year, of course, but this is generally true for the three DOD SAs.
Do not, however, read this to mean a candidate who is 3Q with a nom has a 40%-45% chance of admission. That would not be correct.
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Numbers I am familiar with in my role: well over 4k nominations of various kinds, high 2ks get 3Qd (cannot be 3Qd without a nomination), offers to about 1,300 to fill class of 1,250 (due to declines). In my state over past 4 years that I have tracked, only about 50% of nominated candidates (about 5% with more than one nomination) actually pass through to become 3Q. Reasons = don't finish file, ~25% cannot pass CFA, up to 15% or so fail Medical. All 3Qs have great backgrounds with extracurriculars, leadership, sports, and high school standing. With very few exceptions, MAJOR differences between Offers and 3Qs are super-scored SATs / ACTs in the 94+ percentiles...
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In my medium sized state, 100% of our MOCs use the competitive method...
Do u think 1390 sat is competitive? (720 eng/670 math)
3Q could be misleading for individuals as it doesn’t account for individual competitiveness with their nomination category. A competitive Congressional district can have several 3Q candidates but only one appointment and other 3Q will have to compete in other nomination categories or in the national waiting list.
There seems to be an unusual amount of confusion about the appointment process this year, especially the NWL. Perhaps the pandemic has given candidates more time to read about the process, because the more you try to understand it, the more confusing it becomes.
The following is simplified to avoid too much confusion. The process is complex, with numerous caveats.
For a candidate whose only nomination sources are Representative, 2 Senators, and VP, the candidate can be appointed in one of three appointment categories:
Key Points:
1. Congressional slates may be:
3. The process is not sequential - i.e. they do not settle all Congressional vacancies, then appoint all Qualified Alternates, then decide on Additional Appointees. Everything happens simultaneously, otherwise final appointments would take much longer than time available.
The following is simplified to avoid too much confusion. The process is complex, with numerous caveats.
For a candidate whose only nomination sources are Representative, 2 Senators, and VP, the candidate can be appointed in one of three appointment categories:
- Congressional Appointment (Representative, 2 Senators and VP). Nomination comes from the Rep/Senator/VP
- Qualified Alternate (next 150 in Order of Merit by WCS score). Must have a nomination from any source
- Additional Appointee (may be out of order of merit). Must have a nomination from any source
Key Points:
1. Congressional slates may be:
- Unranked (10 nominees unranked, then ranked by USMA by WCS score)
- Ranked slate (Principal plus 9 other nominees ranked in order)
- Principal + Unranked (1 Principal nominee and 9 others unranked, then ranked by USMA by WCS score)
- VP slate administered entirely by USMA once online application completed on VP website
3. The process is not sequential - i.e. they do not settle all Congressional vacancies, then appoint all Qualified Alternates, then decide on Additional Appointees. Everything happens simultaneously, otherwise final appointments would take much longer than time available.
- Admissions tracks all files and has a good idea of who might be appointed
- Some slates can be resolved quickly because one candidate is clearly the winner and there are no other unfinished candidate files in the system with the potential to unseat that candidate
- Some slates cannot be resolved until late in the process because the competition between two or more candidates is very close and may change as new data is added to the files - waiting for medical waivers is a common reason
- Some candidates have a WCS score high enough, or fall into a specific status, that admissions knows they will be appointed in some category whether or not they win a slate
- Some candidates are qualified, but admissions determines they have little chance of appointment given their status among those they are competing with, and will issue a TWE
- A candidate might be able to be appointed in more than category and admissions may juggle how appointments are charged in order to get the desired class composition
- The appointment process is highly segmented; broad statistics are meaningless to any specific individual. Some qualified candidates get denied, but would have won an appointment in another state/district. The attached gives a more detailed overview, but again, can't be applied to any individual candidate
emcconnell
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My DS was in that boat.. 33 ACT, 4.6 GPA, made an A in AP Calculus, Eagle scout, Boy's State, XC, etc... was just disqualified from USMA. The reason stated as "due to a review of your academic record". So, I don't know that there is really an exact way to go about getting in. Just do your best and hope for the best and let the cards fall where they may. Good luck!
Did he get 3Q?
KP4
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Look at the SAT range of admitted classes.
JCSDVM1
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Definitely in the ballpark. Higher is better.
shock-n-awe
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Not directly SA related, but some recruiting data I saw somewhere stated that only 30% of the recruiting pool meets eligibility standards to serve in the Military. Seems awful low to me, but considering only the physical/medical standards, the majority of kids aren’t what they used to be (sadly).
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That number was given out at a service academy forum I attended, by Army. He was speaking to the fact that not everyone is qualified to enter the military.
That sounds consistent with what I believe I heard at a USMA admissions brief a few years ago as far as about 10,000 open applications and about 3,000 end up qualified with a nomination.