CVW Issue

Jarhead1775

5-Year Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2012
Messages
147
Hey everyone,
I'm a varsity high school football player and just got my Candidate Visit Weekend Invitation in my email yesterday. I play on Friday Nights and have film on Saturday mornings every weekend they have listed for the Fall 2013 schedule. Serving as a Marine Officer and attending USNA means everything to me but I can't just abandon my team for a week. I'm a captain and needless to say it would be problematic for our morale. Any advice anyone on here can give me? Are there CVW's in the Winter or Spring? Thanks in advance.
 
I can only relay my DS's experience with CVW and his team. He did have to miss a critical meet in order to attend his CVW .. but when he explained to the coach and his teammates the importance of attending the Naval Academy they completely understood.... in fact , they encouraged and supported him in his decision.

I would call the admissions office and ask if there are dates in the winter for you to attend. If there are not you will have to discuss the issue with your coach. For my DS, attending the CVW was very informative as to daily life in the academy

Hope this helps. .
 
Hey everyone,
I'm a varsity high school football player and just got my Candidate Visit Weekend Invitation in my email yesterday. I play on Friday Nights and have film on Saturday mornings every weekend they have listed for the Fall 2013 schedule. Serving as a Marine Officer and attending USNA means everything to me but I can't just abandon my team for a week. I'm a captain and needless to say it would be problematic for our morale. Any advice anyone on here can give me? Are there CVW's in the Winter or Spring? Thanks in advance.

Can't answer about CVW's in Winter or Spring. Certainly Certainly Thanksgiving to mid-Jan would be out of the question due to finals etc.

What I really wanted to say is that no one is so critical to a team that they can't miss a week. This is the next 8+ years you're talking about. I think that's worth missing a week of high school football. Also, I would think it might increase team morale! "Hey, one of our captains is at USNA and is being considered for an appointment. Awesome! We must be one hell of a team!". I would think you could present this to the team in such a way that it's not a problem.
 
I am also a Captain on the football team this fall. Luckily, we had an off week that coincided with the CVW schedule.

That said, I would not have taken the CVW if I had had to miss a game. I would have just told my regional admissions counselor that I could not attend due to the football schedule and my position as captain and starter. Certainly, the same situation has come up before. I would think they would respect that. Maybe not, but, if I was you, Jarhead, I'd just contact them and tell them the situation.
 
I am also a Captain on the football team this fall. Luckily, we had an off week that coincided with the CVW schedule.

That said, I would not have taken the CVW if I had had to miss a game. I would have just told my regional admissions counselor that I could not attend due to the football schedule and my position as captain and starter. Certainly, the same situation has come up before. I would think they would respect that. Maybe not, but, if I was you, Jarhead, I'd just contact them and tell them the situation.

I think that this may be the right decision as much as I hate to say it. I mean, I did attend NASS this June and the CVW doesn't give me any sort of leg up as far as the admission process goes. I'll still talk it over with my coach and my parents so I can make the right decision here.
 
I think that this may be the right decision as much as I hate to say it. I mean, I did attend NASS this June and the CVW doesn't give me any sort of leg up as far as the admission process goes. I'll still talk it over with my coach and my parents so I can make the right decision here.

I went to NASS also. It's not the same experience, but you've seen the academy. For them, you did your CFA there so they know what you're made of physically and that you are interested. Like you said, it's not a check mark for admission. It's more for you than for USNA. Less candidates receive CVW than NASS, I'm guessing, but it's not a LOA or anything.

If you're squared away and have good stats, I can't imagine that missing CVW because of an important commitment would be the tipping point for a TWE.
 
Are there CVW's in the Winter or Spring?

Last year there were two in February, one in March and one in April. The February ones were nice for two reasons: 1. they were right after the semester end for my son so he did not miss much in school, and 2. this was during the time of year referred to as the "Dark Ages." In fact, a storm came in that weekend and my son had to stay an extra day because all the flights home were cancelled. Coming from California, this was a good introduction to travel to the East Coast [and potential pitfalls].

Good luck!
 
The decision to join the military is a life-changing event. While you may enjoy football in h.s. or even in college, it most likely won't be how you spend the rest of your life. Leadership can be shown in many ways. The fact that you may have to miss one football game due to your interest in attending a CVW shouldn't be the end of the world for your football team. Regardless of what position you play, I am sure there are others on the team who can fill in.

As others have mentioned, CVW is offered at various times and some dates may work better with your schedule. Attending NASS is a LOT different from CVW and I wouldn't miss that opportunity to participate which can help you make the right decision about your future.
 
I do not qualify under low income; however, neither myself nor my parents can afford for me to attend CVW at this time, what are my options?
 
Before everyone gets wrapped around whether a candidate should miss a prior commitment over CVW (or vice versa), call Admissions on Monday and ask about a winter/spring CVW. I'm sure Admissions would be more than willing to work with you to accommodate both. I think we are debating an issue that doesn't even exist yet for this OP.
 
CVW

For whatever it's worth, my DS received an invitation to attend a CVW at USNA last year. He decided against attending. Not because of any conflict. He just felt that he had visited the campus 3 other times (initial visit with family, STEM, & NASS). He just did not want to make us pay for another trip to Annapolis since his heart was already set on attending USNA. There is much talk that the CVW is more important than NASS...and that may be true...I can certainly see the value to attend CVW if you are on the fence. But my DS has never commented that he was unprepared for what he has experienced as a Plebe (Class of 2017). You either want to attend or you don't. There are enough videos and dialog out there to give you a general idea about what to expect. After that no one can explain this great adventure until you actually live it day in and day out. I wish all the applicants my best as they pursue their dreams.
 
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Even those who THINK they know what USNA involves and are 110% convinced this is right for them are in a big eyeopener on I-day and all during plebe summer. Some eventually leave the academy deciding this is not for them. Don't assume you will know it will be like by looking at online brochures or surfing the internet.

Talking live with current mids and/or attending CVW is highly recommended.
 
I do not qualify under low income; however, neither myself nor my parents can afford for me to attend CVW at this time, what are my options?

Not sure what you mean by "not qualify under low income." Have you spoken with USNA about your situation? I believe (could be wrong) there are some limited funds to assist those who cannot afford to attend CVW. If you've already exhausted that possibility with USNA, there are really two options. You find a way to raise funds (maybe working WEs) and try to go in the spring once you've had time to raise the money -- obviously, this depends on how expensive it is for you. Or, you don't go.

CVW isn't a requirement. It's a great opportunity to learn more about USNA but not attending won't hurt you from an admissions standpoint and most plebes have not attended CVWs. IOW, while attending can help you make your decision, not being able to attend isn't the end of the world.
 
Call admissions

You have attended NASS and you still have an interest in USNA so call admissions and ask about a winter CVW. My son attended NASS received a CVW invite and requested it be moved to the winter. In the interim he received an LOA and accepted his nomination. I recognize that you may still have questions about USNA and may not be in that position but I tell you this because asking to have the CVW moved did not impact his appointment. We are only three hours from USNA so even though he had made his decision about attending USNA he decided to use CVW to gain insight from the plebes on daily life and preparing for both plebe summer and the academic year. I think that USNA would respect your position of not wanting to let down your team just like they did in my sons case.
 
Jarhead1775,

Congrats on receiving a CVW invite.
However, if your heart is set for USNA and you already attended NASS, you do not need to attend CVW to increase your chance of receiving an appointment.

My DS was a captain and a starting RB of the HS football team. DS applied for both USNA and USAFA. He received a LOA from USNA in the end of Sept and asked for the CVW as he was not accepted to attend NASS. He attended USAFASS and he needed to know the difference between USNA and USAFA.

When DS emailed USNA, they gave him several CVW dates in October. Winter and Spring CVW was not an option for DS as he needed to let MOC know which academy he wanted the most as they could only give one nomination to one academy. He needed to decide by the end of October.

Then DS shared the CVW dates with his Football Head Coach and the coach selected the date which was the game against the opponent that we had a good chance of winning using the second and third string. The Head Football coach was first very understanding, but later not so nice as the day of the game approached that my DS was going to miss.

CVW changed my DS's heart completely. The Mid(at that time Plebe) who my DS dragged was so honest about his Plebe year experience. Upperclass explained my DS the difference between the Naval aviation and Air Force aviation. USNA became the place where my DS wanted to attend the most.

In conclusion, if your heart is set for USNA and already attended NASS, you don't need to go to CVW. But if you are still not sure about which academy/college you want to attend and you never attended NASS, it is very important that you attend CVW.

Oh BTW, DS's football team won the game without my DS so everything worked out!
 
As a head high school football coach and someone who currently has a Plebe at USNA, I totally understand you not wanting to miss a game. You have a commitment to your team and what makes you a viable candidate for USNA is this "team first" attitude. Unless this was my only chance to visit USNA I would not miss the "Friday Night Lights" for anything!! My son could not go to CVW in the fall or winter due to football and wrestling. He did go in the spring. He already had an appointment in hand. If you have already visited the campus and know what the USNA is about. Do not worry about it.
 
CVW

My son is also captain of the football team, a two way starter for the past 3 seasons on a AAAA team in a very tough conference and he has elected to attend a fall weekend and miss a game. His absence won't be problematic for morale as someone will step up and fill the void. That's what team is all about, knowing that one player doesn't make or break a team regardless of what they might think. When one player can't play for whatever reason it's " Next man up"
 
I totally understand you not wanting to miss a game.

Understand it but don't necessarily agree with it. Right now, h.s. is THE most important thing in a high schooler's life. A year from now, it will be a pleasant, but distant memory. What WILL be important a year from now, is where you are going to college.

Unless this was my only chance to visit USNA I would not miss the "Friday Night Lights" for anything!!

Again, I respectfully disagree. First, the OP needs to consider how much he has visited USNA and whether another visit while the brigade is there would be useful. As posters above have said, this is a persona decision -- some may want/need a CVW; others may not. Second, he needs to consider where he stands in his decision-making process and whether a CVW would help with that decision. Third, he needs to consider his schedule and determine whether alternative CVW dates later in the year that don't impact football would work for him. Fourth -- and it is fourth -- if he does decide he needs to go to CVW during the football season, he needs to figure out how he can minimize the impact on his team.

While "team first" is indeed important, it's not going to help anyone if the OP puts the h.s. football team first now and makes the "wrong" decision about attending a SA, or attends the "wrong" SA (for him), etc. That is a decision that will impact the rest of his life. Missing a h.s. football game will not.
 
My passion for HS football may have been misunderstood. I am just saying that if other options are available to explore USNA then take them. If this one CVW is the only option and could swing you either way, obviously that is more important than a football game in the "big picture". I think originally the question was would it hurt his appointment chances if he turned down CVW in the fall.
 
There are plenty of CVW dates available after football season. Just plan on going then and then you don't have to miss a game. There really is no conflict here. You can do both.
 
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