Service Academy Information
As
a Congressman another of my responsibilities is nominating young men and women
from the 5th district for admission to our nation's service academies. The following
summary is a brief overview of the academy nomination process.
Admission
to one of the service academies is a two-tiered process. First, the candidate
must meet the minimum standards for admission set by the academy itself. These
standards include, among others, medical and scholastic qualifications. The second
tier is the nomination process.
An individual
must achieve both - meet the admissions requirements of the academy, as well as
receive a nomination - in order to gain admission to the academy.
Once
materials are returned to the Tiffin office, my staff will send confirmation of
what was received as well as a list of those items still needed to complete the
file.
The
President, the Vice President, U.S. Senators, and Members of the House of Representatives
have the authority to nominate persons for admission to the Air Force Academy,
West Point, and Annapolis.
As a Member of
Congress, I am entitled to fill five vacancies at each academy. These vacancies
are "charged" to the 5th district. Nominations can only take place when
a vacancy occurs in one of these charged slots, either by reason of graduation
or withdrawal.
When a vacancy occurs, I
may nominate up to ten candidates for admission to the academy. When I submit
the 5th district's ten nominees, the academy's admissions board will rank them
according to objective standards (i.e., scholastic achievement, athletic achievement,
etc.), and will then offer admission to the nominee who ranks highest among the
ten that he has submitted.
The other nine
nominees, assuming that each meets the minimum requirements for admission to the
academy, are then placed in a qualified candidate pool. After every district's
charged slots are filled, the academy will then look to those nominees in the
qualified pool to fill the remaining slots.
Depending
on the quality of nominees submitted, several more 5th district residents could
receive appointments in the same year. In the past, our district's nominees have
done very well. Although we are only entitled to five slots at each academy, the
5th District has consistently been represented by more than double our number
of charged slots.
It is my goal to have
as many young men and women from our district admitted as possible. The only way
to accomplish that is to nominate high quality, committed candidates to each academy.
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy
Unlike
the other academies, the U.S.
Merchant Marine Academy uses state quotas rather than district quotas.
The State of Ohio is entitled to eight slots in
each admissions class. Each Member of Congress may submit up to ten names per
year. These nominees then compete against all other nominees from Ohio for the
eight slots.
After Ohio's eight slots are
filled, those remaining Ohio candidates, who meet the minimum admissions standards
for the academy, are placed in a national pool of candidates. Several states rarely
fill their allotments, so Ohio usually has additional candidates admitted beyond
our allotment of eight.
U.S. Coast
Guard Academy
Congressional
nominations are not incorporated into the admissions process for the United
States Coast Guard Academy. Further information regarding admission to the
Academy may be obtained directly by calling the Academy's Admissions Office at
860/444-8500.
CONGRESSIONAL NOMINATION
SELECTION PROCESS
Applicants
should keep the following points in mind as they proceed through the service academy
application process:
1. A Congressional
nomination is only half of the process. Applicants are required to notify the
academy of their interest, and to work within the academy's admissions system.
An applicant must make significant progress to
fulfill the application requirements of the academy itself, before a candidate
will be given full consideration for a congressional nomination.
2.
Each time materials are forwarded to the Tiffin office for the applicant's file,
the applicant will receive confirmation of what was received as well as a list
of those items still needed to complete the file.
3.
Questions regarding the admissions process for the academy should be directed
to the Northwest Ohio liaison officer for the academy of interest.
4.
Applicants should be mindful of two deadlines: applications should be postmarked
no later than September 29, additional materials (references, high school transcript,
applicant's statement, ACT/SAT scores) should be postmarked no later than October
16.
5. All correspondence regarding
a service academy appointment should be addressed to:
The Honorable Paul Gillmor
ATTN: Service Academy
Program
96 South Washington Street
Suite
400
Tiffin, Ohio 44883
If
you anticipate a problem meeting these deadlines, please write to the address
listed above.
CONGRESSIONAL NOMINATION
PROCESS TIMETABLE
The following
materials are needed to complete your file and will be used in the selections
process. These additional materials should be postmarked no later than October
16.
(1) THREE (3) REFERENCES.
The applicant should submit three references attesting
to the applicant's qualifications and motivation to attend a military academy.
Those used as references should not be relatives of the applicant. High school
guidance counselors, high school instructors, and former employers are preferred.
(2) APPLICANT'S STATEMENT.
The
applicant should submit an essay of 500-750 words, typed, double-spaced, stating
what motivates him or her to attend a military academy.
(3)
HIGH SCHOOL TRANSCRIPT.
The applicant should
submit a certified high school transcript which includes class rank.
(4)
SAT/ACT SCORES.
The applicant should request
that ACT and/or SAT examination results be forwarded to Congressman Gillmor's
Tiffin office.
Middle
of November
Interviews
with Mr. Gillmor's Fifth District Academy Advisory Board begin for qualified candidates
with completed files.
First week of December
Notification
mailed to nominees by Congressman Gillmor.
Third week of December
Meeting
of District Academy Advisory Board with introduction of nominees.
Downloadable Academy Application (PDF)