What is the benefit of USNA "Rolling Admissions" Process?

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TechFlier7

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Hello everyone,

I have heard and read that the Naval Academy uses a Rolling Admissions process, and that somehow this is better than the normal process. I do get that the Rolling Admissions means that there are more than one Admissions Board that each process groups of applications.

I do not really get the benefit of this Rolling Admissions process. Is it better to submit early for rolling admissions process? or does time not really matter? Is it true that if the board isn't sure of your placement, they can send your application to the next board. What's the benefit of that? What if every board afterwards comes to the same conclusion?

I really do not know how this whole process works, so thank you in advance for any explanation of it. Thank you!
 
TechFlier7 said:
Hello everyone,

I have heard and read that the Naval Academy uses a Rolling Admissions process, and that somehow this is better than the normal process. I do get that the Rolling Admissions means that there are more than one Admissions Board that each process groups of applications.

I do not really get the benefit of this Rolling Admissions process. Is it better to submit early for rolling admissions process? or does time not really matter? Is it true that if the board isn't sure of your placement, they can send your application to the next board. What's the benefit of that? What if every board afterwards comes to the same conclusion?

I really do not know how this whole process works, so thank you in advance for any explanation of it. Thank you!
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My DS ( USNA class of 2018) had his entire packet finished by July 31 , including medical . He was seen by the first board in August and received an LOA by August 14th. ....I think that is the advantage of rolling admissions.
 
My DS ( USNA class of 2018) had his entire packet finished by July 31 , including medical . He was seen by the first board in August and received an LOA by August 14th. ....I think that is the advantage of rolling admissions.
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Wow, that is very great. I'm starting medical on Monday. Also, what is a "DS"? I've heard that a lot, along with "DD". What do those stand for?

Thank you!
 
The rolling admission's process is to help with the nomination process. Federal law dictates how they fill the class and this is different from a regular college. The academy cannot just take 1200 kids in October and be done with the class. There is a huge shell game that goes along with candidates and how they are charged. The candidate cannot be qualified until he has been boarded by the academy, passed all medical and received a nomination, hence 3Q. Congressional nominations are typically done by the end of the year and nothing can really go on till that piece is complete. The have to have a spot to place you in a nomination source. There will be many stories of who gets an offer and who does not and a big piece of the equation is your nomination source. There will also be a few exceptions but most of the class is filled in January and February.

The board basically gives you a score and you compete against others who have the same nomination. After the initial slates are resolved, they will fill the next 150 or so in rank order from those not selected and then they can pick as they wish to finish the class to meet any other goals.

It is a good idea to complete everything you can as soon as possible, but you do not have to lose sleep over it. The congressional nomination packets take just as long or maybe longer than your application at the academy. Having most of your academy application done will allow you more time to complete these and other college applications.
 
Rolling admissions means appointments are given out over a period of time as opposed to 'all at once'. This is how USNA chooses to issue appointments and none of us work in admissions or have any ability to change how they operate. Certainly there are advantages to submitting early since you might need time to get a medical waiver from DODMERB or perhaps you don't pass the CFA the first time. If you wait until too late in the process, you may run out of time to get those things done which aren't part of the application process at the typical civilian college.
 
And though it is probably a good thing to complete your application early, the vast majority of people won't hear anything until Jan - Mar. As a general rule, those with early LOA's tend to be the 'no brainer' decisions. And you can get an LOA without having your physical and CFA completed. The LOA identifies outstanding requirements that must be met to turn it into an appointment including: obtain a nomination, pass DoDMERB, pass the CFA, etc. There isn't a lot of rhyme or reason as to who does and who does not get an LOA.

However, some senators (Texas) complete the nomination process in November and USNA will offer appointments soon thereafter. In TN, most congressmen wait until later in January so USNA doesn't review that slate.

Get the application completed. You can add to it if something needs updated later.
 
Okay, I see what you all mean. I have a quick question though about what USMA 1994 said. You said:
The board basically gives you a score and you compete against others who have the same nomination. After the initial slates are resolved, they will fill the next 150 or so in rank order from those not selected and then they can pick as they wish to finish the class to meet any other goals.
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So you're ordered first if you have a nomination or not? And then ordered by what other requirements you have?

So in my case, I am getting a JROTC Nomination, and I have applied for Congressional and Senator Nomination. First off, would that mean that I'd have more of a chance based on what nomination I get? If 200 people get Congressional Nominations, and 100 get Senator Nominations, and only 50 get JROTC nominations, would that mean that I have more of a chance of being ranked higher if my JROTC nomination is used?

Second, I know none of you work in Admissions so you can't fully explain it, but how do these "points" work? I do understand that everything counts for points, and some people come really close based on these points. How do these work?

Thank you for all the replies!
 
I can only speak generally about the benefits of rolling admissions, as I'm on the admissions board of a small selective college much like USNA (but without the Title X mandates for the SAs). Rolling admissions are largely for our (college's) benefit, as we can select the truly outstanding applicants - those who we believe will also "fit" our campus culture - very early in the process. We can then focus on assembling a cohort, which at my college we consider truly a community. But it can also serve as reassurance for the applicants who are well-qualified and are sure they want to attend our college, so they can focus on having a great senior year in high school.

For the record: yes, we are interested in diversity - but far far beyond the superficial demographics like ethnicity, religion, geographic region and so forth. We want for there to be people in each class about which their classmates think "I had no idea other people like this existed." For example (and chosen because I am positive this happens at USNA too) suppose my colleague reviews an applicant package for an applicant who, on paper, may be "meh," but my colleague finds out it's because the applicant works 30 hours per week to support his family. Or the applicant arrived in the U.S. as an eighth-grader and despite still learning English as a second language, earned a "C" in English in 9th grade and is now earning a "B+" - and got a 5 on the AP calc BC exam. Or the applicant was homeschooled because the nearest high school was 78 miles from her family's ranch, where she was trusted to bring the cattle in pretty much alone. Those families want (and deserve!) to have a real human being consider what can otherwise be an "average above-average kid." We can do that with rolling admissions.

From a practical standpoint, my committee reviews about 1,800 completed applications every year, give or take. Like the SAs, we get many more applications from people who aren't qualified, and a lot of that preliminary work is done by administrators who review for basic qualifications, just as happens at USNA. Once through the basic-qualifications vetting, four of the six of us then have to meet to make decisions about the applicants who are eligible for admission. USNA would call that pool "qualified" - those are the so-called 3Qs with nominations who satisfy the statutory, scholastic, medical, physical, and nominated requirements. USNA hasn't published that number, but USMA's report for 2020 has that "qualified" number at ~2500. You WANT real human beings reviewing those files, and it takes time. So rolling admissions it is!
 
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LongAgoPlebe said:
I can only speak generally about the benefits of rolling admissions, as I'm on the admissions board of a small selective college much like USNA (but without the Title X mandates for the SAs). Rolling admissions are largely for our (college's) benefit, as we can select the truly outstanding applicants - those who we believe will also "fit" our campus culture - very early in the process. We can then focus on assembling a cohort, which at my college we consider truly a community. But it can also serve as reassurance for the applicants who are well-qualified and are sure they want to attend our college, so they can focus on having a great senior year in high school.

For the record: yes, we are interested in diversity - but far far beyond the superficial demographics like ethnicity, religion, geographic region and so forth. We want for there to be people in each class about which their classmates think "I had no idea other people like this existed." For example (and chosen because I am positive this happens at USNA too) suppose my colleague reviews an applicant package for an applicant who, on paper, may be "meh," but my colleague finds out it's because the applicant works 30 hours per week to support his family. Or the applicant arrived in the U.S. as an eighth-grader and despite still learning English as a second language, earned a "C" in English in 9th grade and is now earning a "B+" - and got a 5 on the AP calc BC exam. Or the applicant was homeschooled because the nearest high school was 78 miles from her family's ranch, where she was trusted to bring the cattle in pretty much alone. Those families want (and deserve!) to have a real human being consider what can otherwise be an "average above-average kid." We can do that with rolling admissions.

From a practical standpoint, my committee reviews about 1,800 completed applications every year, give or take. Like the SAs, we get many more applications from people who aren't qualified, and a lot of that preliminary work is done by administrators who review for basic qualifications, just as happens at USNA. Once through the basic-qualifications vetting, four of the six of us then have to meet to make decisions about the applicants who are eligible for admission. USNA would call that pool "qualified" - those are the so-called 3Qs with nominations who satisfy the statutory, scholastic, medical, physical, and nominated requirements. USNA hasn't published that number, but USMA's report for 2020 has that "qualified" number at ~2500. You WANT real human beings reviewing those files, and it takes time. So rolling admissions it is!
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Now I understand, so the point of rolling admissions is to ensure that those who are fully qualified, know that they are, and then the rest of the applications are focused on so that those who have special conditions as to why they weren't "fully qualified" can be understood and given a chance at being accepted to the university. That makes sense.

Thank you for the answers!
 
First, there is not really a "rolling admissions" process for most candidates (that is those without Presidential noms or "special noms" like their father was a Medal of Honor recipient). Folks needing MOC noms MUST wait until the congressional slates are submitted to USNA, which is typically in January. After that, appointments tend to "roll out" as congressional slates are reviewed, but the timing for that is completely unrelated to when you submitted your package, because it all occurs after the final deadline of Jan. 31.

Getting your packet in early means the Admissions Board will decide your scholastic qualification earlier. Scholastic qualification is one of the three Qs (also medical and CFA) that -- along with a nom -- are required to compete for an appointment. Yes, you could receive an LOA earlier if your packet is turned in earlier but I've seen LOAs come out very late in the process as well. IOW, you aren't more likely to receive an LOA if you submit earlier, but you may get the good news earlier. And for those with certain types of noms (e.g., Pres), an LOA early in the process means an early appointment -- to be clear, the odds aren't better, but the timing is. Remember that USNA typically does not send out any rejection letters until after Feb. 1, so even if your packet is initially non-competitive, you won't be rejected as you have time to add to it before the deadline.

There is no evidence of which I'm aware that USNA views a packet submitted early more favorably than a packet submitted later, provided it is complete before the Jan. 31 deadline.

So what are the benefits of submitting early? First, you have your stuff in and done, allowing you to focus on other things and enjoy your senior year. Second, it goes toward motivation -- both with the BGO and, more importantly, with MOC nominating committees. When I interview someone in late Nov. and their packet is still only 50% complete (without a good reason), I wonder how excited they really are about USNA. Also, it helps USNA because they can spread out review of many, many applications over the entire fall rather than having a huge crush at the end.
 
usna1985 said:
First, there is not really a "rolling admissions" process for most candidates (that is those without Presidential noms or "special noms" like their father was a Medal of Honor recipient). Folks needing MOC noms MUST wait until the congressional slates are submitted to USNA, which is typically in January. After that, appointments tend to "roll out" as congressional slates are reviewed, but the timing for that is completely unrelated to when you submitted your package, because it all occurs after the final deadline of Jan. 31.

Getting your packet in early means the Admissions Board will decide your scholastic qualification earlier. Scholastic qualification is one of the three Qs (also medical and CFA) that -- along with a nom -- are required to compete for an appointment. Yes, you could receive an LOA earlier if your packet is turned in earlier but I've seen LOAs come out very late in the process as well. IOW, you aren't more likely to receive an LOA if you submit earlier, but you may get the good news earlier. And for those with certain types of noms (e.g., Pres), an LOA early in the process means an early appointment -- to be clear, the odds aren't better, but the timing is. Remember that USNA typically does not send out any rejection letters until after Feb. 1, so even if your packet is initially non-competitive, you won't be rejected as you have time to add to it before the deadline.

There is no evidence of which I'm aware that USNA views a packet submitted early more favorably than a packet submitted later, provided it is complete before the Jan. 31 deadline.

So what are the benefits of submitting early? First, you have your stuff in and done, allowing you to focus on other things and enjoy your senior year. Second, it goes toward motivation -- both with the BGO and, more importantly, with MOC nominating committees. When I interview someone in late Nov. and their packet is still only 50% complete (without a good reason), I wonder how excited they really are about USNA. Also, it helps USNA because they can spread out review of many, many applications over the entire fall rather than having a huge crush at the end.
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I see what you mean, earlier is great, but don't lose sleep over it, like another member said. I understand the process as well and how submitting early benefits you in some ways.
 
One other quick question. Currently I have about everything done with my application except for BGO interview (which will be on Sunday) and Nominations. That means that by September when the board begins reviewing applications, mine will be reviewed, but I'm planning on taking the SAT in August, hence meaning my scores will not come back until late September, likely after the board has already seen my application. What happens if stuff like that happens? You change a part of your application after it has been reviewed. Will your application be reviewed again by a different board?
 
TechFlier7 said:
One other quick question. Currently I have about everything done with my application except for BGO interview (which will be on Sunday) and Nominations. That means that by September when the board begins reviewing applications, mine will be reviewed, but I'm planning on taking the SAT in August, hence meaning my scores will not come back until late September, likely after the board has already seen my application. What happens if stuff like that happens? You change a part of your application after it has been reviewed. Will your application be reviewed again by a different board?
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You mentioned you have everything done..... but you are taking the SAT in August? Have you already submitted scores ? They will not review your application until your SAT scores are sent.
 
If your record is deemed qualified with your current scores, the new scores will still go into your record to be considered when looking at the MOC slates in early 2018. If your record was not deemed qualified, USNA will reconsider its decision in light of the new scores -- of course, the decision may or may not change because scores are only one factor in the decision.
 
TechFlier7 said:
Okay, I see what you all mean. I have a quick question though about what USMA 1994 said. You said:


So you're ordered first if you have a nomination or not? And then ordered by what other requirements you have?

So in my case, I am getting a JROTC Nomination, and I have applied for Congressional and Senator Nomination. First off, would that mean that I'd have more of a chance based on what nomination I get? If 200 people get Congressional Nominations, and 100 get Senator Nominations, and only 50 get JROTC nominations, would that mean that I have more of a chance of being ranked higher if my JROTC nomination is used?

Second, I know none of you work in Admissions so you can't fully explain it, but how do these "points" work? I do understand that everything counts for points, and some people come really close based on these points. How do these work?

Thank you for all the replies!
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You compete against the individuals with the same nomination source. Your congressman can nominate up to ten for each slot. You compete against the 9 others from the same congressman. The Senators and JROTC nominations work the same way.

There is an old document floating around called the Rand report from West Point. You can use it for reference to give you an idea of how the scoring works but no one knows the exact recipe of scoring. A good hypothetical example would be class president is 10 points, Vice President 7 points, other class officer is 5 points. I have no idea the actual scoring but it shows that each activity is graded some way.
 
You compete against the individuals with the same nomination source. Your congressman can nominate up to ten for each slot. You compete against the 9 others from the same congressman. The Senators and JROTC nominations work the same way.

There is an old document floating around called the Rand report from West Point. You can use it for reference to give you an idea of how the scoring works but no one knows the exact recipe of scoring. A good hypothetical example would be class president is 10 points, Vice President 7 points, other class officer is 5 points. I have no idea the actual scoring but it shows that each activity is graded some way.
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That makes sense, so in that sense you are guaranteed to have someone from at least each congressional district? And i see the way that the break down goes for nominations of different sources. Speaking of which, how does one even apply for a presidential nomination this year? I've tried looking for a place to do it, and I haven't found anything. I'm eligible for it, by the way.

usna1985 said:
If your record is deemed qualified with your current scores, the new scores will still go into your record to be considered when looking at the MOC slates in early 2018. If your record was not deemed qualified, USNA will reconsider its decision in light of the new scores -- of course, the decision may or may not change because scores are only one factor in the decision.
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Okay so that makes sense, thank you.

mjm said:
You mentioned you have everything done..... but you are taking the SAT in August? Have you already submitted scores ? They will not review your application until your SAT scores are sent.
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My mistake I didn't mention before, yes I took my SAT in May, and those scores have already been sent to the Academy.

Thank you all for your replies, I really appreciate the help
 
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TechFlier7 said:
You are very right. Will do. I saw that, didn't know that was how one applied for the nomination. But how else would one do it? Thank you for this. Do I print it out and fill it out with pen? And is that all it asks for? Does anyone know what the process includes?

Thank you!
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Yes, just fill it out with a pen and then attach a copy of whatever form is needed to prove eligibility(at the bottom of the page). After that, just put it in an envelope and send it to USNA. Don't forget to make a copy for your records.

Good luck!
 
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