Who do I send my letters to for nominations?

Jonathan Barton

Jonathan Barton

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I've been searching around the AFA website, and it says to send letters for nomination to your senators, the vice president, and your represntative. Now, though, I came on to this site and noticed that people were sending them to congressmen and other place. Where can i send them to have the most chances to get a nomination. Please and Thank you!
 
Go to the web sites of your congressman and your two senators.

Look for a section called "Constituent Services" or "Academy Nominations" or something like that.

They will have complete instructions as to when they want it, what they want sent, (essays, school transcripts, SAT scores, etc), as well as when they conduct interviews.
 
I also had a question along these lines. I had also seen information online saying to send letters to your senators, congressmen, ect.. However, online my senators don't ask for a letter, instead they want an essay. Would it be a good idea to send in a personal letter, briefly introducing myself, along with my nomination application packet?
 
Each senator/congressman has their own system of determining who they are going to nominate, which could be totally different from another MOC (member of congress). I suggest you follow each senator/congressman's instructions as closely as possible.

Everything you do during the application and nomination process will reflect on you. If you deviate from the instructions given, to make yourself look like a better candidate, it could be good or bad for you. It could show that you took initiative, or conversely show that you can't follow directions.

Jonathan: You asked where to send your letter so you will have more of a chance of getting a nomination. The only place to send your nomination application is to your 2 senators, your representative and the Vice President. What happens after that depends on which academy you apply to, how many openings the MOC has to fill, how many other applications each MOC gets for each academy, your test scores, GPA, ECs, recommendations (if required), etc.

It's a tough process.

Good Luck
 
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Thanks for the help! I believe I'll be sticking to their requirements only then.
 
If one of your parents were career military, or if you were in JROTC, you can alos send a letter to the Commandant of the academy rewusting a PResidential nomination. See vatious categories for Presidential below:

1. Son or daughter of career military - active, reserve, retired or deceased
2. Son or daughter of deceased and disabled armed forces veterans
3. Son or daughter of a person awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor ( furnish a statement of the date and circumstances of the award of the Medal of Honor)
4. A member of Junior ROTC (high school) or ROTC (college)


Hope this helps.
 
^^^^^^^^^^^^

Not quite -
Presidential nominations are available for son/daughters of active duty and retired military.
the rest are in different categories - as service connected nominations.

The academies are allowed to appoint 100 cadets under the "Presidential" category,
65 cadets of deceased/disabled veterans, unlimited # children whose parent won the MOH.
Candidates who are in ROTC, active duty or reserves also qualify for service connected nominations in their own right.

The admissions websites do a pretty good job of explaining the different types of nominations - one should always apply for all the nominations for which one is qualified.
 
I suggest you find out when/if your MOC holds local/regional Academy Open House events. These are usually at the beginning of the school year and there will be a representative there from each academy to answer questions and give out informational materials. The MOC usually has a representative/assistant there to answer questions regarding the MOC's own nomination process.

This is a great opportunity to make a good impression. Don't ask questions that can be found on the MOC's webpage, but do ask a few questions to let rep. know you are very serious about an academy. Make sure you introduce yourself, shake their hand, use "sir" or "ma'am". Be pleasant, show some personality, but don't go overboard. Keep in mind that you'll be dealing mostly with MOC's staff and you'll probably never meet the MOC.

Dress for success: Ladies - dress, dress slacks or skirt, non-revealing top. Gentlemen - dress slacks, nice shirt (tie isn't necessary). No flip-flops, gum chewing, etc.

My daughter went to one of these as a junior (not realizing she was a year early), but the assistant remembered her when she went back as a senior. Of course, she didn't really need to go back as a senior, as she had all the information, but it was an opportunity to have "face time" and become more memorable to the MOC's staff.
 
Thanks for all the information, everybody. While both of my parents were in the Air Force, neither of them were in long enough for me to qualify for the Presidential nomination. I do fully intend to apply for all the nominations for which I am eligible.

Wpmom, your suggestion of attending a MOC Academy Open House is a great idea. My representative had one back in April, about 2-3 weeks after I had begun looking into the AFA, and all the information from the staff and representatives was very helpful. I was able to meet and talk to my local ALO, as well as at least one person who is apart of the Nomination Interview panel committee. Actually, I even had the fortune of meeting and talking to the Congressman for a short time. However, I had not looked at getting a nomination from my Senators yet, so I didn't have any questions prepared about that from the representatives.

Again, thank you all for your help. While the process is a bit daunting, it's nice to know I have the option to come here for help with it.
 
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Vice Presidential Nominations

Good Evening,
I am asssiting my son with this process.
He already has a Presidential Nomination based on my service but I'm not sure where to mail the Vice Presidentail nomination request.
The letter on the USMA website gives the VP's address but then says mail the requests directly to the academies.
Help please......

wpmom2011 said:
Each senator/congressman has their own system of determining who they are going to nominate, which could be totally different from another MOC (member of congress). I suggest you follow each senator/congressman's instructions as closely as possible.

Everything you do during the application and nomination process will reflect on you. If you deviate from the instructions given, to make yourself look like a better candidate, it could be good or bad for you. It could show that you took initiative, or conversely show that you can't follow directions.

Jonathan: You asked where to send your letter so you will have more of a chance of getting a nomination. The only place to send your nomination application is to your 2 senators, your representative and the Vice President. What happens after that depends on which academy you apply to, how many openings the MOC has to fill, how many other applications each MOC gets for each academy, your test scores, GPA, ECs, recommendations (if required), etc.

It's a tough process.

Good Luck
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