What to do now?

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mintyfresh

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Oct 26, 2018
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8
Hi all,

I completed applying for a nomination from several places a couple weeks ago.

I have a USMA application account open, but I am not sure if I need to do anything now.

Do I wait to hear back from a nomination? Because I assume I need a nomination to apply for the academy?

Because if I don't get a nomination there is no point in getting started on the USMA online application correct?

How long is expected to wait for a response from the nomination offices?

Thanks!
 
You can apply to the academy without a nomination. Most people do that. You cannot receive an appointment to the academy without a nomination. Usually there is not really enough time between receiving a nomination and the application deadline to successfully complete it on time. Start your application yesterday.... there are a lot of things that need to happen as part of the application.
 
Please do not wait until you hear back on the nomination to complete your USMA application. Forge ahead with West Point and make sure you have the applications in place for Plan B, Plan C, etc.

Application to SAs (and college) should not be viewed as a serial process, you will need to multi-task to make sure applications and other related tasks are completed on a timely basis.
 
Uh, you better get on that application quickly! Normally, you start the application before the nomination process. Nomination slates can be announced as late as 1/31 and you definitely don’t want to wait until then to get going on the application. It’s a long process, with CFA and DODMERB and LORs involved. So again, get going!

Oh, and read every page, link and dropdown on the USMA website. With all due respect, you need to better inform yourself of the process. Best wishes to you.
 
Wow thanks so much for the information. Excuse my ignorance, but what is a appointment to an academy is? Like I apply directly to USMA and if they accept me they will let a congressman know that they want me and give me a nomination? Or how do the two processes link together?

Thanks
 
@mintyfresh, as advised above, go onto USMA website and read every page, link and dropdown — starting with Admissions section. That’s where you should be reading, not here.
 
May I suggest you go to the USMA.edu website and read every page, dropdown and link there. Most answers are there at the primary source.
Then, go to your elected officials’ websites, the pages that relate to Service Academy nominations and read everything there, to ensure you have applied for all noms for which you are eligible, depending how your officials coordinate or not coordinate their processes.

An offer of appointment is an invitation to join the incoming class at USMA. That is the goal.

To reach that goal, you have to buckle down, do the research, build your plan, identify due dates and requirements and make every gate.

Along with many other things that go into making you a fully qualified candidate, you need a nomination.

Getting one of those is a separate process. The elected officials will send their slate of nominations directly to the SA. You should apply for every category of nom for which you are eligible. You only need one, but having more than one gives an SA more flexibility. There are dozens of threads on this, so I won’t elaborate here.

Meanwhile, you have A LOT to do. Get cracking on your USMA application. Research USMA.edu like it’s an AP class project, take notes, build timelines, execute.

The application process to an SA is a test in and of itself - your attention to detail, your ability to research primary resources, your timeliness, your organizational skills, your perseverance, your diligence, your skill at managing a complex process. These are all highly desirable traits in a junior military officer. There is no substitute for doing the work.

If your goal is to serve as an Army officer, I believe most SA applicants also pursue ROTC options in parallel.

If you haven’t visited The Acronym List over in the Community Information forum here on SAF, I strongly recommend it. You are about to navigate an acronym-rich battle space.
 
WOW.. Starting app now?? Many MOC application deadlines have already passed. Having gone through this process twice now I am skeptical about the chances of this application being completed, it should have begun 6 months (or more) ago. Good Luck and have a strong Plan B in place. If you have your heart set on attending USMA class of 2024 is a more realistic goal at this point in time.
 
I think MintyFresh stated that he/she had completed the nomination packets--but not started the application to USMA. I think it is within someone's grasp to complete the application between now and 28 February. The deadline is the deadline--and Minty will know about the nom during this process. Also, Minty should be applying to other schools and Army ROTC, so easy enough to send those materials (Transcript, SAT Scores, School profile, names of three teachers/references, to USMA). With effort Minty could finish during November without any trouble and in plenty of time. The essays and the CFT are the most intensive-and then waiting for the DODMERB. I am sure Minty is not alone--and while CAPT Am was finished with everything but DODMERB by 1 September, I know that #3 was not finished at this time when he was applying--he struggled with getting USMA to communicate with one of his referees--it was a computer program thing for the letter of reference. So NOT TOO LATE. However, also it is time to do that Army ROTC application, just saying. If you want to Go Army...go all the way.
 
DrMom said:
I think MintyFresh stated that he/she had completed the nomination packets--but not started the application to USMA. I think it is within someone's grasp to complete the application between now and 28 February. The deadline is the deadline--and Minty will know about the nom during this process. Also, Minty should be applying to other schools and Army ROTC, so easy enough to send those materials (Transcript, SAT Scores, School profile, names of three teachers/references, to USMA). With effort Minty could finish during November without any trouble and in plenty of time. The essays and the CFT are the most intensive-and then waiting for the DODMERB. I am sure Minty is not alone--and while CAPT Am was finished with everything but DODMERB by 1 September, I know that #3 was not finished at this time when he was applying--he struggled with getting USMA to communicate with one of his referees--it was a computer program thing for the letter of reference. So NOT TOO LATE. However, also it is time to do that Army ROTC application, just saying. If you want to Go Army...go all the way.
Click to expand...

I have seen a candidate finish her application, minus DoDMERB, in two weeks after being told what to do. So OP can start working on the application now, but still complete it. Two concerns are CFT and DoDMERB. If you can’t do a pull up now or run a mile under say 8 minutes, going to need several months of training. I think with luck, a candidate might get his or he DoDMERB done in a month, assuming he or she can get appointments close by quickly. If the OP needs, additional testing or a waiver more time. Keep in mind getting the application done in a short time requires everything happening as planned.
 
Part of me thinks that we may have been played--and that Minty is not an actual high school senior approaching this task with a great deal of naivete, but rather a troll feeding into our good nature and bottomless desire to give copious advice. Maybe not...
However @MemberLG you are right: if the nomination paper work is in, there are FOUR MONTHS to finish the application. Plenty of time.
Wishing Minty and others in the same situation the best of luck. It is a marathon not a sprint.
 
Yes, the application CAN be completed quickly but one is relying on others to do their part in order for that to happen. I prefer not to require the moon and the stars to align when I develop a timeline/plan for something. If the timeline/PERT chart says "miracle occurs here" then there is usually trouble completing the plan.

I can understand where some kid, who hasn't done their research (of which there are many) might decide it's not worth doing the application until one has a nomination. As mentioned here, some people actually do that successfully.
 
Hi,

first off, i am not a troll however I am also not a highschool senior. I am in my freshman year of a college that has a great ROTC that I will 100% be transferring in if I do not get into USMA.

To clear things up, i have finished applying to my congressman, and two senators.

I just looked over the USMA application and don't think it will take too much time- I have already written two of the three essays for the nomination applications that are also required for USMA. For LOR, I can just ask the individuals who wrote my nomination recs to send a copy of it to USMA. I maintain myself physically (ive done several ironmans) so that is no problem.

The only trouble I am running into is for the SOE. I took chemistry in my freshman year of HS and that teacher retired. I took physics my sophomore year which was quite a while ago. The teacher most likely does not remember me from then so I am not sure how I will approach him. Does anyone here have an idea of what exactly is on this SOE form? Do they have to write a letter? Or is it more simplistic?

Also, for the CAR (candidate activities record), what exactly is this? It is asking me to put in an email address for this so who do I put?


thank you all for your concern and also for your information.
 
Appreciate your candor. You should get some fairly specific and helpful insights from the many experienced posters and those who have just gone through this.
Very helpful to know you are a college applicant. I couldn’t find it on the USMA website, because that’s not my usual stomping ground, but the advice for college applicants is usually to take courses very similar to what a USMA plebe would take - calculus, chemistry, English, etc. USMA needs to see how you perform at the college level, adding to what they see in your HS record.

Results for college applicants usually falls in the New Year, because USMA wants to see first semester grades. So deliver some good results there!
 
Minty, thanks for chiming back in. Those very specific questions--as a college re-applicant or college applicant...I would copy and paste that set of questions/paragraph into a new thread and title it: Questions on the Application from a College Applicant. Like moths to a flame, those of us who know something about that will chime in--and quickly.

Otherwise, call your admissions counselor at USMA--not bad for him or her to know who you are and what you are trying to do--and get him or her vested in your process. However, try the new thread first.
Best wishes, DrMom
 
mintyfresh said:
The only trouble I am running into is for the SOE. I took chemistry in my freshman year of HS and that teacher retired. I took physics my sophomore year which was quite a while ago. The teacher most likely does not remember me from then so I am not sure how I will approach him. Does anyone here have an idea of what exactly is on this SOE form? Do they have to write a letter? Or is it more simplistic?

Also, for the CAR (candidate activities record), what exactly is this? It is asking me to put in an email address for this so who do I put?.
Click to expand...

Contact your regional commander for specific guidance on SOE. Typically for college students, SOEs can be done by college professors but better to get your regional commander’s guidance than assume. SOE is an internet based questionnaire of 7 or 8 questions where the official rates you.

CAR is your high school official verifying you activities at high school, so contact your high school guidance office and get a POC.

Theses are good example of why getting your application done is important- have to wait for answers and have to find folks. All doable if you have time, but not if you don’t have time.
 
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