USNA 2025 Waiting and....Waiting

Well, my son is out. The Director of Nominations and Appointments responded personally to my earlier emails and apologized, but they could not find him a nomination, which is why his LOA was withdrawn. They are sending the official TWE soon.

I know he is disappointed, having made it this far, but it is still an honor to have been in the mix and he has a great opportunity with the state school that he is accepting.

He may try again next round for a SA, but for now I think he just wants to take a break and recoup.

Good luck everyone. Keep hard charging and don't give up on a dream. Beat Army!
 
IronmanDaremo said:
Well, my son is out. The Director of Nominations and Appointments responded personally to my earlier emails and apologized, but they could not find him a nomination, which is why his LOA was withdrawn. They are sending the official TWE soon.

I know he is disappointed, having made it this far, but it is still an honor to have been in the mix and he has a great opportunity with the state school that he is accepting.

He may try again next round for a SA, but for now I think he just wants to take a break and recoup.

Good luck everyone. Keep hard charging and don't give up on a dream. Beat Army!
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Sorry to hear this. Know that we feel your pain. Miracles do happen when we least expect them. Keep the FAITH! Fly NAVY!
 
teamluke said:
01@teamlukeSelfNo LOADoDMERBMI-01MOC1 time
02@TallboysmomDSNo LOADoDMERBVAPRES1 time
03@ZigAndBoonSelfNo LOAUnder Waiver ReviewPA-09MOC1 time
04@BennyhanaSelfNo LOADoDMERBWVMOC,SEN,AFJROTC1 time
05@PrayerwarriorDSNo LOADoDMERBPASENx2,AF1 time
06@MSMom2025DSLOAUnder Waiver ReviewMSMOC,SEN1 time
07@gespinozaDSNo LOADoDMERBTXMOC1 time
08@Commited1204SelfNo LOAUnder Waiver ReviewMN-03MOC2 times
09@CL-RedSelfNo LOAUnder Waiver ReviewWA-05MOC1 time
10@IronmanDaremoDSLOA(gone)Waiver ReceivedMD-03None1 time
11@anonymous2025SelfNo LOADoDMERBCAMOC1 time
12@Navydoc2000SelfNo LOADoDMERBCAMOC,SECNAV3 times
enlisted
13@ngoogenSelfNo LOAUnder Waiver ReviewFL-12MOC1 time
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IronmanDaremo said:
Well, my son is out. The Director of Nominations and Appointments responded personally to my earlier emails and apologized, but they could not find him a nomination, which is why his LOA was withdrawn. They are sending the official TWE soon.

I know he is disappointed, having made it this far, but it is still an honor to have been in the mix and he has a great opportunity with the state school that he is accepting.

He may try again next round for a SA, but for now I think he just wants to take a break and recoup.

Good luck everyone. Keep hard charging and don't give up on a dream. Beat Army!
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Tough, tough news.
Rest assured if he applies again next year, USNA will know he had an LOA for this cycle and it was only the lack of a nom which kept him out, that they kept him in play as long as they could. If he decides to re-attack, and is in NROTC, that’s a good nom source right there. He might have better luck with elected officials too, if they are fans of grit and determination.

He’ll figure this out, one way or another. Taking a bit of time to heal is a healthy thing.

This is also an object lesson in “sometimes there are just no more noms to be had,” and the Supe’s discretionary noms only go so far. This situation tells us they are within a few pieces of snapping in the last Lego blocks of 2025.

Best wishes to your son for his next steps to be strong and purposeful.
 
IronmanDaremo said:
Well, my son is out. The Director of Nominations and Appointments responded personally to my earlier emails and apologized, but they could not find him a nomination, which is why his LOA was withdrawn. They are sending the official TWE soon.

I know he is disappointed, having made it this far, but it is still an honor to have been in the mix and he has a great opportunity with the state school that he is accepting.

He may try again next round for a SA, but for now I think he just wants to take a break and recoup.

Good luck everyone. Keep hard charging and don't give up on a dream. Beat Army!
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Shoot. I don’t know you, but sure was rooting for you. That your son made it to the Very last moment he could, says a lot about his competitiveness. Quite impressive, imo, that the director himself responded. I’m sure it’s also heartbreaking to them.

My guess, is that he would be a strong consideration next year, should he apply. Will be watching to see how that plays out for him.

Beat wishes, and hope to see you around the forums!
 
^^^^^^
There are “director herself” positions in USNA Admissions, USNA grads. Noms and Appts is one. The people promoted into these positions usually have deep and broad experience in other parts of the Admissions process.
 
@IronmanDaremo So sorry to hear this. So many are going to jump on my back for saying this and call me a big cry baby but I think the whole nomination system needs a total overhaul. (Yes, it is what it is, but it stinks.) Too many good candidates fall through the cracks. I am sure your son is going to go big places anyway. Good luck to him!
 
IronmanDaremo said:
Well, my son is out. The Director of Nominations and Appointments responded personally to my earlier emails and apologized, but they could not find him a nomination, which is why his LOA was withdrawn. They are sending the official TWE soon.

I know he is disappointed, having made it this far, but it is still an honor to have been in the mix and he has a great opportunity with the state school that he is accepting.

He may try again next round for a SA, but for now I think he just wants to take a break and recoup.

Good luck everyone. Keep hard charging and don't give up on a dream. Beat Army!
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So sorry to hear this! Even though our DS is out, I still check back here hoping for good news for the rest of the folks. Your DS is off to amazing things! I come back to this powerful quote as I feel like even if these kids didn’t make the cut this round, their growth through this process has set them up for success wherever they land. Good luck 🍀 to your DS!
 

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FØB Zero said:
If We commit to a school, do we have to let ALL colleges know (including service academies)?
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No. If you commit to a civilian college — by paying a deposit — no one else needs to know. Unless this school is unusual, you have until at least May 1 to pay that deposit. Don’t rush unless you have to.
 
MidCakePa said:
No. If you commit to a civilian college — by paying a deposit — no one else needs to know. Unless this school is unusual, you have until at least May 1 to pay that deposit. Don’t rush unless you have to.
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I contacted my school, explained I was still waiting for a notification for my USNA application. They gave me a May 15 extension deadline. I do have a NROTC Scholarship for that school, which I would be committing to for my plan A-. That may have helped me receiving the extension. In any case, it doesn't hurt to ask.
 
FrauTeufelshund said:
@IronmanDaremo So sorry to hear this. So many are going to jump on my back for saying this and call me a big cry baby but I think the whole nomination system needs a total overhaul. (Yes, it is what it is, but it stinks.) Too many good candidates fall through the cracks. I am sure your son is going to go big places anyway. Good luck to him!
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I'm not here to defend or attack the current nomination process, only to say that no matter what process is used, there will always be qualified, dedicated men/women who are not given an appointment. I will note it's striking how different each MOC approaches this, some requiring endless paperwork, others just a Google form. With USNA and other top universities the number of qualified applicants to available spots will always be a point of discussion. Good luck to your DS/DD no matter what path they take be it USNA or otherwise.
 
FrauTeufelshund said:
So sorry to hear this. So many are going to jump on my back for saying this and call me a big cry baby but I think the whole nomination system needs a total overhaul. (Yes, it is what it is, but it stinks.) Too many good candidates fall through the cracks. I am sure your son is going to go big places anyway. Good luck to him!
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I am curious , what "stinks" about the Nomination process ? How would you fix it, yet still maintain the geographic diversity (all States are represented). I've been watching the process closely for almost 20 years now, and frankly haven't seen so much of a hint that our MOC's use the nominations for political gain (except perhaps that by using the competitive process, they are able to give nominations to more people...ie.. more goodwill). I'm sure it happens ...but we are a far cry from the times when political connections were necessary to get in.

This is a competitive process --- yes , some very good candidates don't get accepted, but there are only 1000ish seats in every Class, By definition, Admissions has to make some tough calls and prioritize candidates.
 
FrauTeufelshund said:
Too many good candidates fall through the cracks.
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I have to disagree here. “Falling through the cracks” implies that worthy candidates are somehow being lost, forgotten or carelessly omitted. Having been through this with two kids and multiple SAs, I just don’t see that being the case.

MOCs “own” the nominations, but the actual vetting, selecting and ranking is done by committees comprised of SA alum, military veterans, civic officials and MOC staffers. I’ve seen no indication — or heard of any — that these committees perform their duties with anything less than complete professionalism.

Also, for those who live in so-called competitive districts, those districts receive a disproportionate number of appointments each year as acknowledgement of this phenomenon.

Two things I know: SAs have discretion, once past MOC principals and slate winners, to generally build the class they want. And that there’s some room to “find” noms for those who don’t have one. And that each year, many highly qualified candidates are turned down despite having similar credentials to those who received offer of appointment. That’s true at every highly competitive school in America. I understand the disappointment. But to say someone “fell through the cracks” is needlessly dismissive of the others who earned their places in the class.
 
01@teamlukeSelfNo LOADoDMERBMI-01MOC1 time
02@TallboysmomDSNo LOADoDMERBVAPRES1 time
03@ZigAndBoonSelfNo LOAUnder Waiver ReviewPA-09MOC1 time
04@BennyhanaSelfNo LOADoDMERBWVMOC,SEN,AFJROTC1 time
05@PrayerwarriorDSNo LOADoDMERBPASENx2,AF1 time
06@MSMom2025DSLOAUnder Waiver ReviewMSMOC,SEN1 time
07@gespinozaDSNo LOADoDMERBTXMOC1 time
08@Commited1204SelfNo LOAUnder Waiver ReviewMN-03MOC2 times
09@CL-RedSelfNo LOAUnder Waiver ReviewWA-05MOC1 time
10@IronmanDaremoDSLOA(gone)Waiver ReceivedMD-03None1 time
11@anonymous2025SelfNo LOADoDMERBCAMOC1 time
12@Navydoc2000SelfNo LOADoDMERBCAMOC,SECNAV3 times
enlisted
13@navy11SelfNo LOAUnder Waiver ReviewPAMOC,SEN,PRES.1 time
 
To all the waiting candidates, congratulations on making it this far! For perspective, read @Devil Doc 's post (Article - Minorities Underrepresented in Nominations) and realize you have all the upside in the world with Plan B choices and the option to reapply if it's not an appointment this year. There is nothing but upside in any direction you chose. For some it will be a momentary, temporary disappointment which will happen to thousands of candidates. Let those posts be an inspiration and motivation.

+1,000 to @MidCakePa and @Old Navy BGO ! IMO the nomination process is unambigious and fair. 50% that got as far as 3Q+nom won't get an appointment. For some, it will be simply a matter of space. But also have the humility to admit that those with seemingly lesser hard stats were spectacularly more qualified -essay, rec, interview, unique and necessary qualities/skills. You may be a superstar, but remember there are thousands of superstars. At some point stats alone mean nothing, you just passed another gate. My older DD is applying for a Fulbright. And she knows darn well she has a 3% chance. But I guarantee you she and I are not going to be complaining about a lack of clarity, Fulbright process needing an overhaul, or that too many Fulbright nominees are excluded.

And now back to candidates, please continue to post and i'm very excited for both those with last minute appointments and to hear what the awesome Plan B's are. You all give me hopefulness for our country's future.
 
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