USMA Nomination Recieved!

[FCH76]

DS received a nomination for USNA and USMA over the last few days! He never even got an email about it. It just showed up in the portal. Not very climactic, but we'll take it! Just waiting on the medical waiver for eczema that is the size of a nickel on the inside of his arm and that only flares up during wrestling season. The kid may have some big decisions to make.

 

[MrFiggs]

thats fantastic! im going for my nomination interview on the 18th...super anxious, any advice?

 

[2024cc]

thats fantastic! im going for my nomination interview on the 18th...super anxious, any advice?

I received one nomination from my representative and one from my senator. My best advice for you is to be yourself and do not over prepare for questions they may ask. Be honest and thorough with your answers, but don’t make them be forced. I chose a humorous approach with some of my answers and walked out of my interviews with them and myself laughing! It’s all about confidence so even if you mess up, continue to show confidence and try not to get nervous! They’re very supportive and understand that interviews can be nerve wracking for most!

 

[FCH76]

thats fantastic! im going for my nomination interview on the 18th...super anxious, any advice?

Make sure to avoid cliche answers. "Everyone wants to serve their country and be a part of something bigger than themselves." One of the main objectives is retention, so make sure you don't go in saying that you want to get out as soon as you pay your time back and get a job on Wall Street.

Know why you want to be an officer, why a SA, how the SA can help you reach your goals, and how you would be an asset to the SA. If you are asked if you think ROTC is as good as a SA (which is a very common question they ask), make sure to give ROTC the respect it deserves, but you want the SA experience ( insert reason here).
You want to set yourself apart from other candidates. Find a way to make yourself memorable (2024cc above used humor). My DS, who is a wrestler, wound up with an interviewer who was a wrestler in college. DS's passion for the sport came through and the rest of the interview was about all about wrestling which he could talk about forever. That is what made him memorable to the panel.

Be humble. Don't brag. Talk about your accomplishments, but how (insert person's name here) helped you get to where you are now (teacher, coach, parent, Sunday School teacher, etc.) Give credit to the person that gave you confidence, or advice, etc. to get where you are. My DS talked about his older brother paving the way for him and how he was lucky to have a brother who was such a great role model (brother is a USMA cadet).

Make sure to know what your strengths and weakness are and what you are doing to work on your weaknesses. Make sure that you don't report a weakness as being something like a cleptomaniac and you are really working on it by no going into stores. Disguise your weakness as a strength. My son talked about how his need for perfection can sometimes cause him to spend too much time on something that does not add value to what he is doing. Be ready to explain any low grades that you may have ever gotten and why. Hope this helps!