United States Senator Richard Shelby, Alabama

1. GENERAL INFORMATION
   Because of the extremely keen competition for nominations, you are urged to apply to every nominating authority which your eligibility allows, (i.e., Senator Sessions, your Congressman, Presidential, Vice-Presidential, Children of Deceased or Disabled Veterans, etc.). However, if you receive a nomination from another source, I will not be able to duplicate that nomination. While you are encouraged to apply to a number of sources if eligible, you should not specify a different academy with each one. In order that more Alabama applicants will have an opportunity to be reviewed by the academies, please let me know immediately if you are nominated by another authority. Additionally, should you change your career goals, please notify me. This will offer the opportunity to another student.

   Each Congressional Office uses a selection process that is designed to meet its own needs and standards. The different procedures are often confusing to applicants who apply to more than one source. Last-minute misunderstandings can be avoided by carefully studying and following the instructions of each office.

   Please complete the enclosed application as instructed - following the specific requirements indicated. Limit the number of recommendation letters to three (3) -- make sure the letter is from the proper individual from your school (see inside for details) and the recommendations from two others that are the most beneficial to you. Have any additional recommendations sent to the Service Academy of your choice where you have opened a pre-candidate file.

   Certain information is required as outlined below for you to be considered as an applicant. It is your responsibility to submit and update the required information. All applications must be postmarked no later than Friday, November 16, 2012. Any additional or updated information may be submitted until December 7, 2012. You will be notified at the end of January 2013 regarding the outcome of your service academy application.

   Careful thought should be given to your first choice of an academy. Second choices can be considered only in the event that there are not a sufficient number of qualified candidates in an academy category to fill a slate of nominations. (First-choice designations may be changed at any time before nominations are made.)

2. REQUIREMENTS

   1. Residency - Applicant must be a legal resident of Alabama.

   2. Application Form - The enclosed application must be completed and returned promptly. Formal candidacy is established in my office upon receipt of the application. It is not necessary that you send all the required information at once. If your application is not received within a reasonable time after your initial inquiry, it will be presumed that you are no longer interested in pursuing a nomination. The manner in which an application is treated and how it is handled by the young student making application indicates the seriousness of the individual. All the Service Academies place an increasing amount of importance on how the application process is viewed and processed.

   3. Recommendation Form - The enclosed recommendation form must be completed by your school Guidance Counselor or Principal and returned to my office. In addition to the form, only three letters of recommendation are needed. Often, students are under the impression that the quantity of recommendation letters is most helpful. On the contrary, three recommendations of quality are more meaningful, especially if the author has firsthand knowledge of the candidate.

   4. Transcript - An official transcript of your high school and class rank must show your final junior grades and numerical class rank (percentile ranks are not acceptable). If you apply before this information is available, it is your responsibility to request your Guidance Counselor to send an up-to-date transcript and to keep your records current.

   5. College Boards - The SAT and ACT are required entrance examinations by the Service Academies for candidates who are ultimately admitted. Applicants are responsible for taking these tests and for requesting scores to be sent to the academy/academies and to my office. You must be tested before December 7, 2012 for purposes of my office. Therefore, the SAT test administered on Saturday, November 3, 2012, is the last test which you may take if the results are to be received in my office before the deadline. Please direct SAT scores to my office by indicating 1745 as the code and Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama as the score recipient on the CEEB form. If you are unable to include my office in your original choices for test reports, send me a copy of the report you receive in order to save time and the additional report fee. If you submit more than one set of scores, the higher scores will be counted. For your convenience, I have enclosed the dates of the SAT/ACT tests for this year as well as the addresses of the SAT and ACT admissions Boards which are as follows:

      Registration Department (ACT) College Entrance Examination
      American College Testing Program Box 52
      Post Office Box 414 Princeton, New Jersey
      Iowa City, Iowa 52243 08540-6201

   6. Qualifying Medical Examination - The individual academies will recommend a schedule of medical examinations to the Department of Defense Medical Examination Review Board (DODMERB) after receipt of the pre-candidate questionnaire, which is used to open a pre-admission file at the academy. There is no cost to the candidate for the examination. Be sure to mail the appropriate yellow, blue, green or white cards as soon as possible to the corresponding academy/academies.

   7. Leadership - Leadership and physical fitness are judged from the information provided on your application form. This information should be kept up-to-date. Unlike civilian colleges, the Service Academies place strong emphasis on physical training. In addition, the academies place a high premium on leadership and extracurricular activities. Therefore, consideration must be given to each candidate's proven ability in these areas. It must be noted, however, that leadership can also be evident in areas other than athletics.

3. TYPE OF NOMINATION - COMPETITIVE

   Ten candidates will be selected as nominees for each vacancy at each of the academies. At the Merchant Marine Academy, ten candidates will be selected as nominees each year. However, the Merchant Marine Academy does consider qualified alternates from different states. This makes the chances of selection appear more within one's grasp. The Merchant Marine Academy also requires an admittance age of 17, however, unlike the other Service Academies, the maximum age is 25. Attendees at the King's Point Academy are also allowed to be married with the provision that they are not domiciled together on or off the campus.

4. BASIS FOR SELECTION

   Selections are made competitively on the basis of a composite of academic factors (60%) and leadership potential, extracurricular activities, physical fitness, and recommendations (40%). The following are included:

   1. School records, class rank, and grade point average.

   2. College Board Scores - Normally a competitive candidate will have SAT scores above 500 in verbal and 550 in math, or ACT scores above 22 in English and 26 in math and will stand in the upper 20% of his or her class. The higher your scores and class standing, the greater will be your chance for a nomination, assuming qualification in the remaining areas of consideration.

   3. Motivation - One of the most important considerations in the selection of a nominee is motivation - the candidate's desire to attend an academy. It is also the most difficult to measure. To an extent, motivation can be judged by the candidate's diligence in completing his or her file, which is one reason an applicant with an incomplete file is not considered for a nomination.

ALL CORRESPONDENCE REGARDING THE SERVICE ACADEMIES SHOULD BE SENT TO:

U.S. Sen. Richard C. Shelby
2005 University Blvd. Room #2100
Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35401
Attention: Melissia Davis
(205) 759-5047
FAX: (205) 759-5067

Note: Right-Click on the Academy Form link and select "Save Target As..." to download the Academy Application Form to your computer

Service Academies Information

United States Military Academy at West Point	United States Naval Academy
Director of Admissions 600 Thayer Road West Point, NY 10996-9902	Candidate Guidance Office 117 Decatur Road Annapolis, MD 21402-5018
United States Air Force Academy	United States Merchant Marine Academy
Admissions Office HQ USAFA/RRS 2304 Cadet Drive Suite 200 USAF Academy, CO 80840-5025 1-800-443-9266	Admissions Office U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Kings Point, NY 11024-9997
US Coast Guard Academy
U.S. Coast Guard Academy 31 Mohegan Avenue New London, CT 06320-8103 1.800.883.USCG (8724)

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