Getting a nomination?

[TheBubba]

do you guys know if a letter of recommendation from the governor would help?

For getting a nomination? Only do that if you've worked closely with the governor or he knows you extremely well.. and you need a personal reference.

Which leads me to my next question. How well does the governor know you, and if he does, in what capacity?

 

[bwp3ski]

As someone who currently works for a Congressman...The best way to go about a nomination request is to call your Congressman's district office..not by email. They will tell you what to send and where to send it. Most of the nomination stuff is run out of district offices....not the DC office.

Good Luck and don't rule out ROTC...you get four years of fun and freedom with a commission at the end of it all!


Side thought: Why is everyone using email for everything these days...since when did the thought of actually talking to a fellow human being become such a scary possibility?

 

[Cougar_62]

I agree with you bwp3ski, we use e-mail way too much. Just playing devils advocate though, sometimes, when something is really important its good to take your time and write it in an e-mail instead of get off the phone and wish you'd said something different.

For anyone working on a nomination, the best thing to do is know the staffer in each office who deals with nominations. You can usually find that out on the Congressman's website. I'd suggest trying to meet that person before you have to actually start turning in paperwork. My daughter has met the local reps at Academy Day presentations and College Fairs, so when she starts the official nomination process next Spring they won't be strangers. Don't alienate the staffers by using a lot of their time before your old enough to apply though.

Best thing my daughter ever did was purchase the book, The Naval Academy Candidate, How to Prepare, How to Get In, How to Survive. It's written by William Smallwood and available at Amazon.com. And as bwp3ski says, dont rule out ROTC. The Academies are very tough to get into and it's a good idea to have a backup plan also.

 

[akajjred]

I've recently talked with my Air Force ALO and she said that it is very difficult to get a nomination for two acadamies is this true? Also she said that if Air Force is my first choice then I should explicitly tell them that and say that if I can't get a nomination there then I would be happy with the Naval Academy. She said that sometimes, depeding on how many slots they have for each school, they will give a person their second choice if they feel that they will still be happy there. The Air Force Academy is my first choice hands down, so should I just not even apply to the Naval Academy if that is where I want to go? Which one is harder to get into?

 

[Circle K]

Absolutely untrue. When I applied to the academies I applied to all of the big 3. I wanted to go to Navy (bad eyes at the time, more options coming out), and everything worked out. I receieved acceptance to USNA in September of my senior year conditional on my nomination. Then when my representitive finally got around to doing nominations at the end of January my official appointment showed up within days. But that was closely followed by a package from USAFA and USMA. I could have chosen any of them at that point too.

 

[TheBubba]

Its not very difficult... Just look at all the people who've been accepted to multiple service academies. With few exceptions, the academies cannot offer an appointment without a nomination. I had a nominations to USAFA, USNA and USMA...

Most nomination apps will have you rank the academies you're applying to in order of preference. Make sure you do that. I has USNA as #1, and that was the first nomination I recieved a letter about. After that, it just comes down to applicants vs number of nomitations.

If you put USAFA as 1, and I put it as 2, and it comes down to one of us (all else being equal), you'll get the nom.

If you want to be an aviator, apply to USNA as well. As far as which one is harder to get into, the best way to find that out is to go to the Princeton Review website and look up the acceptance rates. But they are pretty close as far as difficulty.

Personally, I knew I wanted to go to USNA. There was no question about it. But I also applied to USAFA and USMA as well as to civilian schools with Navy and AF ROTC units.

If you really want to fly, apply to Navy and AF.

 

[The Chief]

Its not very difficult... If you really want to fly, apply to Navy and AF.

Good advice. Couple points.

P1. Do not forget Coast Guard Academy and USMMA, graduates from both Academies drive airplanes. Submit applications to these as well as USN - USAF.

P2. Follow instructions. There is clear guidance on how to obtain a nomination. If you go out on your own and invent, you run the risk of some burly Chief that reviews your application will stamp it in big red letters "DOES NOT FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS VERY WELL."

P3. As stated above, lots of applicants apply for more than one academy. And a certain percentage receive acceptance letters from more than one. Why this is important? At then end of the day there will be a candidate accepted that will decline because they are going to another Academy (or other road more often travelled), leaving an empty seat. That is when the Academy dips into their pool of highly qualified applicants that do not have a nomination. They may be given that slot, even though they do not have their own nomination.

P4. By all means, endear yourself to your nominating official (Do not forget that the Vice President can nominate 10 (think it is 10). Volunteer to work in their office, find out how the office works, when nominations are selected, who in the office runs the program. Let it be known, but do not make a pest of yourself, that you are very interested in the nomination.

Okay, so that was more than two!

 

[akajjred]

So do I have to like kiss their ass to get a nomination? The book I've read and from what I've heard from other people is that you just apply and they will interview you. I know it would look good to show your face there beforehand, but do I have to actually like volunteer there. What if you don't even support their politics. I obviously would never tell them that.

What do they base their nominations on? What if one person has really good credentials and does okay on the interview and another who will probably not get accepted in the Academy, does great in the interview. Who will they give the nomination to? Is it based similarly to the application for the Academies where 60% is your academics, 20% is based on your extracurricular activities, and the other 20% is based on your essay and interview?

Thanks again.

 

[The Chief]

So do I have to like kiss their ass to get a nomination? The book I've read and from what I've heard from other people is that you just apply and they will interview you. I know it would look good to show your face there beforehand, but do I have to actually like volunteer there. What if you don't even support their politics. I obviously would never tell them that. /QUOTE]

Of course not. That is not what I meant. Perhaps I did not say it too well. What I meant was that if you have the opportunity. it would obviously help if those selecting knew and liked you on a personal level.

Like any other process in life where people choose people there will be bias, political or otherwise. One example, my Congressman, Van Hollen (D) MD, apparently has a great dislike for the military. He recently announced in the local paper that he will attempt to introduce a bill that will prevent Military Recruiters from talking to High School students without prior and express permission from each parent. So, would agree that you should not talk politics in your interview. My own personal belief is that most Senators/Congressmen have enough integrity to select/nominate the best candidate possible.

Hope this helps, PM me if you have more questions but it does sound like you are on the right track.

Good Luck.

 

[akajjred]

Hey everybody,
I've been unable to contact my Blue and Gold officer. I've looked the Naval Academy Website, I've tried google searches, everything. Can someone help me out with finding my Blue and Gold Officer? I easily found my Air Force Admissions Liason Officer. She even came to my school. If anyone could direct me to the website that shows you how to find your Blue and Gold officer it would be greatly appreciated. I live in the San Francisco, Bay Area if you need to know that info to help me. Also, do Blue and Gold Officers also help you apply for NROTC?
Thanks again.

 

[The Chief]

Hey ... I've been unable ... .

Have you looked in your USNA Catalog? Should be on page 28?

 

[smittyrunr]

Your high school guidance counselor should be able to tell you.

 

[DanMa1156]

The problem with the listed B&G officers in the Catalog is that they are the "main" ones if you live in an area that has a lot of applicants (which was my case... live right by West Point - go figure)...

In my case, an active Captain was the B&G officer for my area, but he had several others who actually did his work and acted as B&G officers - in my case a retired LT. If you call admissions they should be able to tell you, or look on the Candidate Information System on the admissions part of the website they tell you about if you were put in the "official candidate" category.

Also, your B&G officer might not contact you or be willing to meet with you until it is clear that you will submit the application. In my case, my B&G officer came to interview me when I told him that my reccomendations were in the mail and the rest of my application was done.

Use your B&G officer wisely, mine was a huge help.

 

[akajjred]

All right, I'll try calling admissions, hopefully I'll find out there. Thanks everybody.

 

[American_Ace]

Heya, I haven't been here in a while, but I have a little bit of advice cause I went through the same thing a couple years ago. First of all, I wouldn't trust your high school guidance couselor; they notoriously suck. unless if your counselor has helped some other people apply to the academies, you prolly already know more about the process than they do.

Second, at the Air Force Academy you are pretty much guaranteed a pilot slot if you're medically qualified. We spent a lot of time with some USAFA guys (and girls) this summer and they told us that people who rank into the 900s (bottom 10%) usually get pilot slots. Also, they told us that a couple years ago if you were med qual for a pilot slot, but didn't want it, you had to go in a 2-star's office and tell him why you didn't want to be a pilot.

none-the-less, don't think your chances in rotc are that much worse. i go to asu and out of the 8 guys who submitted packets, 6 got pilot slots. at my g/f's det at uw, i think all 6 who requested pilot slots got them.