Candidate Visit Weekend

Z

Zaweinbaum

5-Year Member
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Jan 4, 2010
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I just received a letter offering me to go up to the academy for Candidate Visit Weekend. Anyone else get this? What does it mean for my chances of getting in?
 
I got one back in October but could not attend either of those sessions so I received one for January and February and will be attending the February 10-12 session. Anyone else going to this one? I am so excited, can't wait!
 
A CVW, from what I understand, is offered to candidates whom the Naval Academy is interested in. It is not a guarantee of an appointment, but it is a good sign.

Again, this is what we were told when I went for my CVW a few months back.

Good luck with your process:thumb:
 
I really enjoyed my CVW.

When you first get there, they gather all of the parents and candidates in an auditorium where they hold an admissions brief. Then all parents are asked to leave and they announce the companies in order, along with the names of the candidates whose midshipmen sponsors are in that company. You are then escorted to your midshipman's room. I attended class with her, ate with her and her company in King Hall and basically did everything she did. I ate at Drydocks and witnessed a parade. I dodged stadium janitors and stormed the field at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium at 2 am.:thumb: The pace of Academy life is fast but interesting...unless of course you're writing a paper, then..not so much.:biggrin:

Anyways, that was my experience. YMMV. I would recommend spending some time with midshipmen other then the one assigned to you, so you can get a greater variety of life on the Yard. I ran with a mid who runs cross country and talked to another who plays rugby. I also went on a spirit mission with bunch of other mids from my sponsor's company and they all offered a different picture of what life was like for them.
 
Got the same letter on saturday. I'm going january 27-29.
I had an interview for a nomination yesterday and i brought up that i got the letter during it, and i think it made a positive impact.
 
Ya I got mine on Tuesday, and I think I am going to do the January one if my regional director gives me the thumbs up. Sounds cool and I hope it's worth it. If i go this far and don't get an appointment, I hope I at least get NAPS.
 
It is cool and it is worth it. This weekend offers a very close glimpse at what academy life is like and going to it will help with the decision of whether USNA is right for you.
 
We are hoping our son gets that CVW opportunity also.

He currently has two nominations and should be fairly competitive acedemic wise. I believe his BGO liked him pretty well in the interviews also.

I think the CVW is an excellent opportunity and we will certainly take advantage if offered.

His application was just finally completed three or four days ago due to his CFA numbers finally being submitted by his HS coach!
 
if you don't get a CVW offer right away ask your BGO to ask for one. My daughter did not get one initially but we requested and got one. It was February and really cold:biggrin:
 
Did it help her get an appointment? Because I hope it increases my chances of getting by a significant portion..
 
I don't completely understand the CVW process. Is it an invitation only event or do I request it?
 
CVWs are generally considered a good sign but the fact you get one does not necessarily mean you'll receive an appointment.

You can ask for a CVW (asking your RD is better than asking your BGO) and your BGO can also ask for one. That doesn't mean you'll get one. As you might well expect, there are MANY more qualified candidates than slots. If you've been to NASS, it is less likely (but not impossible) for you to get a CVW.

Note that, UNLIKE NASS, CVWs are not recruiting tools. Thus, they are offered only to competitive candidates, which is why getting one is a good sign.

No (before someone asks), I've never seen any correlation b/t getting a CVW and the odds of getting an appointment or how the numbers shake out. I'm sure USNA has that info but it's not something they share, even with BGOs.

If you go, do take note that WATCHING is very different than DOING. Chow calls, parades, etc. are fun to watch. Not so fun to do. Be sure you think about how you will feel doing the activity for those in which you won't participate. And, for those of you going late into 2nd semester, understand that the lives of plebes tend to be somewhat different than they were in Sept. and Oct. Not saying CVWs later aren't worthwhile, just that things tend to get more relaxed the closer you get to the end of Ac Year.
 
thefewtheproud said:
I don't completely understand the CVW process. Is it an invitation only event or do I request it?
Click to expand...

The simple, concise answer is yes.

1. Yes, it is by invitation only.

2. Yes, as others have noted, you may request consideration to receive an invitation from your admissions officer. Sometimes USNA honors those, probably dependent upon 3 things ...timing, strength of candidacy, space available.

As has been noted, CVW invites are NOT like being invited to the NHS or your school pal's birthday party, where one's initially NOT being invited was likely purposefully NOT INVITING the candidate. It's probably simply a ranking issue, i.e. where is the candidate in the current appointment pecking order from the POV of USNA. But not being invited does NOT (necessarily) mean one is currently either out of the running or not yet in the running for appointment consideration.

1985's observation that one's CVW invitation chances are diminished in the event the candidate attended NASS is new news to me. I've known MANY who've been to both. Good to know, if it's accurate.
 
DD attended NASS and CVW. She feels that they were both very valuable experiences and very different from the other. I would definitely recommend that a candidate ask RD for a spot and if one is offered to accept right away. At CVW, admissions said that they turned away some candidates that were invited once the target number of acceptances was reached (I believe the number was 150).
 
CVW

I received a CVW waay back in the beginning of teh year, and went to the first one available, which was October. I don't know how much of an impact it made on my file, but i know for sure that one month later, i got an LOA from USNA.
 
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