When ALOs/Nomination Boards ask about family support...

shoots1994

5-Year Member
Joined
Nov 28, 2011
Messages
24
what do they want to hear? I told my congressional nomination board that I have zero family support as I go through the application process--because it's true--but I'm afraid I may have been too blunt? What are they hoping to find out about the applicant when they ask this question??
 
Honestly, I think they just want to know about you. Telling them that you have zero family support may have been blunt but it also shows that you are determined to follow your dreams. If you explained to them why you have no family support and countered it with your own reasons for wanting to go to the academy, you made a strong case for yourself and I think it works just as well (or even better) as a person telling them that they have 100% family support.
 
My son was asked variations of this question during his interview with his ALO and during congressional nomination board interviews. Afterwards, in a discussion with his ALO, the ALO mentioned that he asks all his candidates because he wants to find out if its truly the candidate's desire to attend an academy and then serve, or if its the parents who want that and push their son/daughter to attend (even though the candidate isn't sure of the fit). If so, he felt there was an increased chance the person would drop out. Conversely, the ALO felt that if the candidate really wanted to attend/serve but the parents were not supportive or were deadset against it, that also increased the chance that he/she would drop out of the academy when things got tough and couldn't turn to their parents for support. So to me, it really sounded like it was a way for the ALO to find out the sincerity of the candidate's interest in going to an academy. I don't know how much this affected the ALO's ranking of his candidates when he turned in his scores to the Academy.
 
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