Recruiting at USNA

My DS will be attending NASS this summer at USNA. He is strong in the math and sciences and has a good GPA and good SAT and ACT scores. He is thinking Navy might be a really good fit for him after high school. On his NASS application he filled out in January, he also filled out the recruiting questionnaire for swimming. Two weeks later he got a nice letter from indicating he is an outstanding prospect for the Naval Academy and the Navy swim and dive program. The letter spoke about bringing him up for an official visit later on. We are wondering if this is just normal procedure for all applicants that fill out the recruiting questionnaire as part of the NASS application or if this is real positive sign.

While it should be seen as a positive encouragement, I'd not yet read much into it. Probably a "chumming" strategy to keep the flock of fish swimming toward the USNA boat, while determining which they'd like to bait a hook for. Keep swimming!

Jupiter035 said:

We are wondering if this is just normal procedure for all applicants that fill out the recruiting questionnaire as part of the NASS application or if this is real positive sign.

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I don't know whether it is normal, but your DS's experience is tracking my DS's experience. My DS also applied to Summer Seminar, although at that time, he had already met the coaches the previous summer at one of the Naval Academy Sports Camps. In any event, he indicated that he had filled out the recruiting questionnaire as well, and he was also contacted by one of the coaches. We met with the coach on the last day of Summer Seminar (we set that up, not the coach), and he gave us lots of insight and good advice. My son was eventually invited on an official visit and we think (but don't really know) that the coach supported him during the admissions process.

I don't really know what support from a coach means, other than the fact that DS was marked as a recruited athlete. Whatever it means, the end result was gratifying to say the least -- BFE received in February, and he's ready to report and training like mad for his sport.

You can PM me if you want additional details. There are some things that I am not comfortable posting in an open forum.

Thanks for your reply. Appreciate the info.

It has been my casual observation that it never hurts to have a coach interested in you. I would recommend you have your son's coach make contact and for him to be prepared to put together a clip of son's performance and some stats. Best wishes.

Jupiter035 said:

My DS will be attending NASS this summer at USNA. He is strong in the math and sciences and has a good GPA and good SAT and ACT scores. He is thinking Navy might be a really good fit for him after high school. On his NASS application he filled out in January, he also filled out the recruiting questionnaire for swimming. Two weeks later he got a nice letter from indicating he is an outstanding prospect for the Naval Academy and the Navy swim and dive program. The letter spoke about bringing him up for an official visit later on. We are wondering if this is just normal procedure for all applicants that fill out the recruiting questionnaire as part of the NASS application or if this is real positive sign.

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That is definitely not standard -- I'm guessing your son has some good times in his events -- it is a sign of real interest from the coaching staff. (Those recruiting forms work best in generating interest from the USNA coaches in sports where there are objective stats to report -- e.g. swimming, track, cross-country, crew [erg results]). If your son likes NASS and remains interested in USNA he should stay in contact with the coaches and follow up about trying to schedule an official visit, as being a recruited athlete can have a significant impact on chances of admission.