WAITING !

My DS got a strange phone call. It was from a MOC, notifying him that he received a nomination from said MOC.
The "problem" is that my DS had already received his Offer of Appointment in the mail (after having accepted it online) weeks earlier.
He received the offer just days after receiving his first nomination (from another MOC), and this more recent phone call was the notice of his second nomination.

Now (days later) he's starting to think that if this second MOC put him on a slate of 10, then some poor soul in that 11th position just narrowly missed getting on the slate.
During the phone call he graciously thanked the MOC for the nomination and just didn't feel like volunteering the fact that he had already received an appointment.
It's a conundrum. He knows that there are applicants out there biting their nails hoping for a nomination, so he wants to do the right thing and step aside from this 2nd one.
It would make his year if in doing this, he could be the guy who helped pave the way for another applicant to receive an Offer of Appointment.

Is this a common occurrence?
 
THParent said:
It's a conundrum. He knows that there are applicants out there biting their nails hoping for a nomination, so he wants to do the right thing and step aside from this 2nd one.
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Except for the MOC's that coordinate their nominations (which can hurt candidates), I would expect this to be a common occurence. I see Candidates with 1, 2 an 3 nominations all the time, and except for the MOC who's nomination the Offer of Appointment is charged too, I don't think there is any way for other MOC to know what Appointments are offered.

There is nothing to be gained by your DS muddling the waters by "declining" the nomination. As a practical matter, the candidate that would hypothetically be added would be, by definition, #11 on that MOC slate. While MOC may have a different criteria for evaluating their nominees than Admissions, my experience is that the MOC have a pretty eye for nominating the best candidates, so the #11 guy /gal is probably a long shot for Appiintment anyway. Finally, it was suggested here the other day that the what nomination a particular candidate is allocated is never really finalized until I Day , I don't know if that is true or not, but if Noms and Appointments has that flexibility, I would suspect they are better suited to slide DS to the second MOC nomination to give the first nomination to someone else than DS self selecting out of the second nomination.

USNA recommends that all candidates pursue all available nominations -that gives Admissions more flexibility to fill the class with the most qualified candidates they can seat. Bottom line, I applaud DS concern for his future classmates, but this is a situation where a "I got mine" attitude is appropriate. Leave the job of filling the class to Admissions --they are pretty good at it.
 
Outstanding. Thanks.
 
Old Navy BGO said:
Except for the MOC's that coordinate their nominations (which can hurt candidates), I would expect this to be a common occurrence.
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How does it hurt the candidates? The academy coordinator for one of my senators said that every MOC in Virginia (save one) coordinates on who gets appointments. Wouldn't this help by getting more people nominations? I am wondering now who it is best to get a nomination from given the fact that I can only receive one.
 
MichaelW22 said:
Old Navy BGO said:
Except for the MOC's that coordinate their nominations (which can hurt candidates), I would expect this to be a common occurrence.
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How does it hurt the candidates? The academy coordinator for one of my senators said that every MOC in Virginia (save one) coordinates on who gets appointments. Wouldn't this help by getting more people nominations? I am wondering now who it is best to get a nomination from given the fact that I can only receive one.
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MichaelW22, it can hurt candidates (comparatively) because, in districts where MOCs double and triple nominate candidates to one or more service academies, those candidates have a greater chance of appointment because they have more slates to be selected from. I've seen some candidates who have 3 nominations or more, and to multiple service academies!
 
MichaelW22 said:
I am wondering now who it is best to get a nomination from given the fact that I can only receive one.
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Don't overthink this ....apply to all possible nomination sources.. WHat happens if you apply to only one and don't get the Nomination.

Here's some good advice to all entering the military (and life in general).. Worry about what you can control . It took me way to long to figure this out, but we all burn up way to much brainpower overthinking things beyond our control. In this instance, we don't control how MOC nominate candidates. Instead , you can control the record that you put in front of them. Present the best application that you can, and your chances increase.
 
THParent said:
I just thought I would mention a few things about WAITING, based on what I have seen as a new user on the forum. This is a list of my opinions and observations, and I am trying my best to inject a little dry humor as I go. Unless you're an astronaut, you're not getting off this planet alive, so you should have fun and laugh about as many things as you can whilst you're here.

1. Be patient.

2. If you're planning on doing anything in the military, you are going to have to get used to waiting.

3. If you joined this forum because you wanted to post about the fact that you have checked the Candidate Information Portal - and the status hasn't changed - let's just say that you're not a special snowflake. There are (conservatively) thousands of people in that line in front of you. If it were an actual line of people, you may very well find yourself standing in a different zip code.

4. DoDMERB manages a LOT of data on a LOT of people. Just be patient and wait. I know you answered that remedial question with the allergy form you downloaded, filled out, scanned, and emailed back within 6 minutes, but it may take a week before you hear from them. When you see an update, you may only see that they acknowledged receiving it. Look, it's months until January. Be patient. They really do know what they're doing. Go outside and enjoy the fresh air. You're going to stroke out. Do something relaxing that decreases your blood pressure.

5. Blue & Gold Officers have a lot on their plate and they are volunteers. Some of them have a LOT of candidates to visit, and even more emails to slog through. Don't get too excited if you don't hear from them for a week or two. They may be on a family vacation. I know, they didn't clear that vacation with YOU, but they went anyway! Many of them are retired, but being retired doesn't mean that they're waiting by the computer for your email to come through. See item 1.

6. If you joined the forum due to "going crazy" because you like to be in control and you've been checking the status of your DS's or DD's application and they haven't gotten an LOA yet (because you actually expect an LOA and oh my gosh they are the perfect candidate, how come they aren't in already?) then I can almost guarantee that your DS or DD is getting stressed because YOU are stressed. Is that what you want to do? Do you want to add to their stress? See items 1 and 2.

7. Wait to post. Since you aren't a special snowflake after all, there are probably a LOT of threads already written that describe exactly what you're going through (Especially the ones about your "CFA scores" and "am I competitive"?). Take some time to read them and the responses. If you've never been in a "forum" setting before, you may want to give more weight to the responses from actual Midshipmen, Admins or Moderators, or members with thousands of posts. More than likely, they know what they're talking about (or have talked to people who do) and their input will be more consistent and accurate. Reading is helpful, and it keeps you from checking the Candidate Information Portal every 2 minutes.

It's not the beat-all, end-all of existence. Always have a readily executable plan "B".
That's my two cents.

Feel free to post more for the list, smile, and laugh at yourself once in a while.
I woke up today. It's going to be a good day!
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Very insightful post; I just joined the forum and read this— described me to a T. So, I’ll take the advice right off the bat and start combing through all the threads. Thanks!
 
Just curious, how many days until "undecideds" on the appointment list have to make a decision?
 
01 May 2018 is the date that everything needs to be received (whether you decline or accept).
There are three (3) forms that you get right away (Police Record Check, Body Alterations Form, and Proof of Citizenship) which need to be returned, then at some point in the coming months, you will receive your Permit to Report package (with a litany of other forms).
 
But for this incoming class, the # of initial applicants had indeed tripled so far!
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This is simply not true. The number of initial applicants has remained relatively steady over the past five years or so. Also, keep in mind that the category of "initial" applicants includes a large number of folks who make some initial contact with USNA but will never make ANY progress on their application. This includes anyone who applies to NASS, anyone who submits a pre-candidate questionnaire, anyone who sends scores to USNA, etc. This number is largely meaningless to applicants because you're not competing against someone who never finished his/her application.
 
"I got mine" attitude is appropriate. Leave the job of filling the class to Admissions --they are pretty good at it. 100% AGREED! :rockon:
 
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