I recently received a LOA but I have not been invited to a candidate visitation weekend.. I have spoken to other candidates who were invited for a CVW but have not received an LOA. Is it strange that I have not received an invitation?
Our read is that USNA and USMA apparently have different objectives around overnight visits.
DS's experience was that most CVW participants were largely undecided around USNA, probably still had more interest in civvy schools, etc.
And thus CVW was more "marketing" focused around the school, what it offered. But less focused on what is life as a cadet like. Exposure focused on getting candidates to complete their app.
There was not any structure that would allow LOA holders, Appointees, or even those with "qualified" status to help make that final go/no go decision, etc. In fact, from observation, it appears more were there that had not completed apps, much less reached qualified status.
This is a sweeping generalization, but we were struck by how casually most candidates and families approached CVW.
DS had previously attended overnight at USMA, so the contrast was very strong. At USMA he met with company commanders & platoon leaders 1:1. Same for admissions. Reviewed his package with the admissions rep on duty.
At CVW the only interaction with any cadet other than the drag & his roomates was the squad leader poking his head in the door and asking "Having fun? Great!". 30 seconds. No admissions interaction other than 15 minutes from the stage with a hundred other candidates. And in that, there was more branch rivalry boasting (jets vs subs vs marines) than any time spent in admissions Q&A.
Candidates & drags were confined to barracks rooms when not in an organized event or at class. At USMA, the drag introduced DS to pretty much the whole company, toured him all over campus. Cooks tour so to speak.
What I don't know is if USNA offers separate overnights for LOA holder/appointees like USMA does. If not, they should. I understand the need for CVW, but our experience was it's a totally different focus. And at a completely different level of professionalism.
To be clear, any visit would be better than none, but as an LOA holder you would probably not get your final questions answered nor a real view of life as a mid if that's your intent.