<p>Uh… Huh? 
</p>
<p>USxA is NEVER left “out of the admissions game” by a congresscritter. They simply do their jobs for once and pick the people to nominate, and USxA does the rest.</p>
<p>That said, unless USMA has different criteria, some congresscritters send in a list of names in order, and others simply send in a bunch of names and let the Academies pick from them. It would seem logical to me that (barring a requested difference from one SA as opposed to another) they would submit their nominees for each Academy the same way.</p>
<p>So, if you got ranked 5th this year for your choice (USMA), then your options seem to be to get yourself into USMAPS (if offered) or go to a regular college for a year and WORK YOUR BUTT OFF. Make sure your congresscritter knows exactly what your goals are, and pesker them with examples of your dedication to going. Get as many references as you can (like professors, EMPLOYERS, military officers, etc.) to write on your behalf.</p>
<p>Don’t lose faith. If the SA’s were easy to get into, they wouldn’t be worth a damn. Keep trying.</p>