una pregunta, senores.
- Thread starter bigcox
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2011's Mom
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yes, it is possible, if the nom is already in place (pres nom or your MOC submitted the slate to AFA already). The MOC has until 1/31 to submit the slate. I have heard of several appointments already this year for 2013 (presidential noms).
Christcorp
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Yes, what mom said is correct. Remember, to get an APPOINTMENT, you have to have everything 100%. That includes your nomination. So, if your member of congress has already given you a nomination, then it's possible. My son, and many others, received presidential nominees. These are limited, and pretty much for applicants who's dad/mom are/were in the military. There's also a few other cases to get early nominations. Such as ROTC and prior enlisted. But, because most senators and reps give their residents until 1 November to apply for their nomination, they don't start interviewing and selecting until after that.
Anyway, that's the way it is. For this year's class, obviously things are already in motion, and you can't really change how you are applying. For the future applicants, if any are reading this, I suggest getting everything done as soon as possible. Have your application available so it can be reviewed at the earliest possible time. (The board starts reviewing in September). Apply to the Summer Seminar prior to the March cutoff. If you get selected, then your initial application to the academy is already started. If you are serious about applying, then line up your teachers PRIOR to summer vacation. Find out what a GOOD email address is for them in the summer. They will need to get an email from the academy asking for them to basically fill out a reference for you. If you give just the school's email address for them, they might not see it until September. Also, when you apply to the summer seminar; whether you're selected or not; get to know your ALO immediately and often. Line up the CFA immediately. Line up the medical. As soon as summer seminar is complete, or that week if you weren't selected, you will be able to go online and start your application.
For what it's worth; my son applied to the summer seminar in February of 2007. Received acceptance to it in April-May. (Can't remember). Went to summer seminar of June 14th 2007. A week after returning, was able to start the online process. Teachers were already lined up and the first thing on the application he did was give the teacher's email addresses. They had their info done and back emailed to the academy in less than a week. My son had been talking with the ALO since his february application to summer seminar; so he was comfortable calling her. As soon as he started the application in the middle of June, he arranged for his physical and CFA. In a week, he did his writing samples and had all the online stuff done. He went to the school and had them send his transcripts to the academy. He sent our nomination requests to the senators and house rep as well as for the presidential and VP. Within a week after, he did his CFA. He had to do it twice, because the person giving it didn't read the instruction properly and screwed up. But he took it again a day or two later. Got his physical scheduled a couple weeks later. In the end, he had his application 100% complete; all teacher recommendations received; all transcripts received; had a presidential nomination; did the CFA; had his medical physical complete; and was 100% finished on July 19th 2007. Then it was hurry up and wait time. He received an appointment the first week of November.
The key to all this for those thinking about applying this coming year for the class of 2014; is to not procrastinate at all. Be well organized. Even the information from the academy that tells you about the online application says that if you can have it completed in 45 days, you can be considered early. Without the nomination but all other things 100% complete, you can possibly get the LOA. With everything 100% complete, you can possibly get the appointment early. Even some reps and senators, if you contact them early enough, and you get ALL OF THEIR REQUIREMENTS done early; and you obviously appear to be above the majority of those who have applied in the past, will sometimes even give you their nomination early. I.e. if you have EVERYTHING done with them in July/August; and you get an LOA in October; and you contact them that you got an LOA; many will interview you immediately and give you a nomination. They can make you #10 on their list. It doesn't matter. You got the nomination. Then, in theory, you can get an appointment in November/December. Good luck.
Anyway, that's the way it is. For this year's class, obviously things are already in motion, and you can't really change how you are applying. For the future applicants, if any are reading this, I suggest getting everything done as soon as possible. Have your application available so it can be reviewed at the earliest possible time. (The board starts reviewing in September). Apply to the Summer Seminar prior to the March cutoff. If you get selected, then your initial application to the academy is already started. If you are serious about applying, then line up your teachers PRIOR to summer vacation. Find out what a GOOD email address is for them in the summer. They will need to get an email from the academy asking for them to basically fill out a reference for you. If you give just the school's email address for them, they might not see it until September. Also, when you apply to the summer seminar; whether you're selected or not; get to know your ALO immediately and often. Line up the CFA immediately. Line up the medical. As soon as summer seminar is complete, or that week if you weren't selected, you will be able to go online and start your application.
For what it's worth; my son applied to the summer seminar in February of 2007. Received acceptance to it in April-May. (Can't remember). Went to summer seminar of June 14th 2007. A week after returning, was able to start the online process. Teachers were already lined up and the first thing on the application he did was give the teacher's email addresses. They had their info done and back emailed to the academy in less than a week. My son had been talking with the ALO since his february application to summer seminar; so he was comfortable calling her. As soon as he started the application in the middle of June, he arranged for his physical and CFA. In a week, he did his writing samples and had all the online stuff done. He went to the school and had them send his transcripts to the academy. He sent our nomination requests to the senators and house rep as well as for the presidential and VP. Within a week after, he did his CFA. He had to do it twice, because the person giving it didn't read the instruction properly and screwed up. But he took it again a day or two later. Got his physical scheduled a couple weeks later. In the end, he had his application 100% complete; all teacher recommendations received; all transcripts received; had a presidential nomination; did the CFA; had his medical physical complete; and was 100% finished on July 19th 2007. Then it was hurry up and wait time. He received an appointment the first week of November.
The key to all this for those thinking about applying this coming year for the class of 2014; is to not procrastinate at all. Be well organized. Even the information from the academy that tells you about the online application says that if you can have it completed in 45 days, you can be considered early. Without the nomination but all other things 100% complete, you can possibly get the LOA. With everything 100% complete, you can possibly get the appointment early. Even some reps and senators, if you contact them early enough, and you get ALL OF THEIR REQUIREMENTS done early; and you obviously appear to be above the majority of those who have applied in the past, will sometimes even give you their nomination early. I.e. if you have EVERYTHING done with them in July/August; and you get an LOA in October; and you contact them that you got an LOA; many will interview you immediately and give you a nomination. They can make you #10 on their list. It doesn't matter. You got the nomination. Then, in theory, you can get an appointment in November/December. Good luck.
2011's Mom
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Christcorp - not so sure I have ever heard of a MOC giving an individual nom early. There are many reasons they would not do so. I deal with multiple MOC offices regularly and can not think of any that would do that. The vast majority of MOCs use a panel to select the slate. The panel will meet at one time and many MOC offices will not even open the submissions until after their deadline date (some MOCs make you submit all items in one envelope at one time or you will be disqualified - others will take it one document at a time ...). the MOC's are very careful to ensure the process is totally void of any possible sign of favoritism or "politics" (hence not opening any info until the deadline date and the use of panels to make the nomination decision). The MOC will not piecemeal the slate ... they must submit the slate by 1/31 and it is not a piecemeal slate (some SA's now also have online nominations for the MOC's staffers to submit the noms but a signed paper nomination must also be submitted. Also - until the MOC panel has reviewed all candidates and made their recommendations (many via interviews) the MOC cannot know that a particular candidate will be their "top" candidate. The MOC can submit a slate three ways. 1) a list of 10 names in order, which requires the SA to appoint from that list in the order the list is given, assuming the candidates meet admissions requirements including medical/academic/physical. 2) the MOC can submit a list of ten with only the top candidate identified and the rest in any order for which the SA can select who to appoint if the principal does not meet qualifications or turns down the appointment 3) submit a list of names in any order, perhaps alphabetical, and allow the SA to select the appointment based on the SA's assessment of the WCS of each candidate on the list.
It becomes very complicated but the bottom line is that for a MOC to give a nom now, the MOC will do so only if they have already completed their full assessment of all candidates and submitted their full slate to the SA in whatever their selected means (options 1,2,3 above). For the SA to then have already given an appointment on a MOC nomination the appointee must be either the principal nomination or all other nominees have already completed their files at the SA. The vast majority of MOCs give the slate in alpha order and allow the SA to appoint based on the WCS. The SA cannot sort the slate by WCS until all candidates have completed their file and final SAT/ACT dates have passed... (or the file completion date has passed). This is because the SA will give every candidate on the slate the opportunity to increase their WCS (via better test scores etc). If the MOC has only one opening, the SA will be very careful - they want to admit the best possible class so they want to give all candidates the chance to present their best possible packet. Again, it can be complicated and I am sure that I have left out some of the nuances. Hopefully this has made some sense out of a complicated process.
It becomes very complicated but the bottom line is that for a MOC to give a nom now, the MOC will do so only if they have already completed their full assessment of all candidates and submitted their full slate to the SA in whatever their selected means (options 1,2,3 above). For the SA to then have already given an appointment on a MOC nomination the appointee must be either the principal nomination or all other nominees have already completed their files at the SA. The vast majority of MOCs give the slate in alpha order and allow the SA to appoint based on the WCS. The SA cannot sort the slate by WCS until all candidates have completed their file and final SAT/ACT dates have passed... (or the file completion date has passed). This is because the SA will give every candidate on the slate the opportunity to increase their WCS (via better test scores etc). If the MOC has only one opening, the SA will be very careful - they want to admit the best possible class so they want to give all candidates the chance to present their best possible packet. Again, it can be complicated and I am sure that I have left out some of the nuances. Hopefully this has made some sense out of a complicated process.
Christcorp
15-Year Member
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Mom, I shouldn't have said give the NOMINATION early; but rather the INTERVIEW early. It depends on the state. Where I live, we only have 1 rep and the 2 senators. We had a TOTAL of academy applicants of about 18 people. Yes, only 18 people. So, it's not like if ALL the applicants WALKED ON WATER, that they ALL COULDN'T GET A NOMINATION. In our state, they could.
However, the practical side to this is; only so many can get the appointments. So, even with a candidate being on the list of ten from a particular MOC, that doesn't mean they get an appointment.
The question was about getting an appointment early without a LOA. I evolved that into how to prepare to be one of those early possibilities. And IF the Air Force sees fit to offer someone an LOA; you can bet that if that person applied for a nomination, that they can pretty much believe they will get it. The MOC will not 2nd guess the academies. As for it being early, our rep and senator contacted my son in the september/october time frame to set up his interview time. Yes, they allow applications usually until November, but that doesn't mean that can't interview them as soon as they get the application. My son scheduled his interview, but received his appointment a week or two later. He called the MOC's and graciously thanked them for their offer, but that they should use their slots for other applicants. (My son got the appointment using a presidential nomination).
So, the point is, every state is different. They may all have deadlines out til November for applications, but that doesn't mean they can't interview those as they come in. Ours starts scheduling them as they receive them. And if you are sitting there with an LOA, and your MOC knows that; and you come from a state where your representative might only have 10 or so applicants, there's no reason they can't put you in with a nomination. They'll be smart and make you the LAST one on their list, but they can do it. Our state can easily have all of their applicants interviewed and listed by the 2nd week of November. That's because they schedule the interviews after receiving their application. So, with only 18 or so applicants, the 2 senators and 1 rep can be done in no time.
I am not saying that it's easy or the norm. Especially from a populated state where the MOC could have to go through hundreds of applications. But not all states have this problem. And in my response, I mentioned if you had an LOA, that you could get your appointment in Novemeber/December. But again, I should have said you can get the MOC interview early, not the actual nomination. Again, small states without a lot of applicants is easy. The ALO's know exactly how many are applying. In turn, our MOCs know exactly how many are applying.
However, the practical side to this is; only so many can get the appointments. So, even with a candidate being on the list of ten from a particular MOC, that doesn't mean they get an appointment.
The question was about getting an appointment early without a LOA. I evolved that into how to prepare to be one of those early possibilities. And IF the Air Force sees fit to offer someone an LOA; you can bet that if that person applied for a nomination, that they can pretty much believe they will get it. The MOC will not 2nd guess the academies. As for it being early, our rep and senator contacted my son in the september/october time frame to set up his interview time. Yes, they allow applications usually until November, but that doesn't mean that can't interview them as soon as they get the application. My son scheduled his interview, but received his appointment a week or two later. He called the MOC's and graciously thanked them for their offer, but that they should use their slots for other applicants. (My son got the appointment using a presidential nomination).
So, the point is, every state is different. They may all have deadlines out til November for applications, but that doesn't mean they can't interview those as they come in. Ours starts scheduling them as they receive them. And if you are sitting there with an LOA, and your MOC knows that; and you come from a state where your representative might only have 10 or so applicants, there's no reason they can't put you in with a nomination. They'll be smart and make you the LAST one on their list, but they can do it. Our state can easily have all of their applicants interviewed and listed by the 2nd week of November. That's because they schedule the interviews after receiving their application. So, with only 18 or so applicants, the 2 senators and 1 rep can be done in no time.
I am not saying that it's easy or the norm. Especially from a populated state where the MOC could have to go through hundreds of applications. But not all states have this problem. And in my response, I mentioned if you had an LOA, that you could get your appointment in Novemeber/December. But again, I should have said you can get the MOC interview early, not the actual nomination. Again, small states without a lot of applicants is easy. The ALO's know exactly how many are applying. In turn, our MOCs know exactly how many are applying.