Admissions Forums

blueplate99

USNA 21
Joined
Jan 6, 2015
Messages
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I'm a candidate for class of 2021, and already finished everything and am CPR. My dad is really pushing me to attend the Admissions Forum in my area, but the problem is that I am taking the ACT at the same time. Is it important enough to reschedule my ACT? I don't really know how beneficial these are, I haven't heard much about them.

I also heard that during the Forum they pull aside highly qualified candidates and meet with them privately. Is that true?
 
We attended forums put on by the USNA as well as our Congressman and Senators. The information was generally the same, but with different perspectives. The USNA forum was more detailed because it was just the USNA and not the other SAs. My DS had to miss a Congressional forum in our district because of the ACT, so he found another in a neighboring district and went to that one. I went to the one in our district in his place.

I do know about pulling anyone aside for any private meetings, by my DS and I got to meet with everyone from USNA at a local USNA forum and had all our questions answered. We also got to meet other BGOs and get their perspectives too. I found the information to be helpful, but nothing earth shattering that we had not heard at other Congressional forums. DS wanted to go because he really liked the USNA and wanted to be wherever they were too. There are also not many opportunities to face-to-face interaction, so he did not miss an opportunity.
 
I'm a candidate for class of 2021, and already finished everything and am CPR. My dad is really pushing me to attend the Admissions Forum in my area, but the problem is that I am taking the ACT at the same time. Is it important enough to reschedule my ACT? I don't really know how beneficial these are, I haven't heard much about them.

I also heard that during the Forum they pull aside highly qualified candidates and meet with them privately. Is that true?
We attended the All Academies Night last year. It was very crowded and really nothing was accomplished during this in my opinion. It was just a bunch of kids crowding around listening to presenters. I think the websites are much more informative and the Blue and Gold officer will answer all your questions personally. At the meeting we attended there were no "private meetings", not sure what the point of those would be.
 
We drove 2 hours to get to our closest one, and it was not worth it. I would say your ACT is more important. This was a congressional one and the congressman did not even come. The most useful thing gleaned from it was a tip about the Blue and Gold interview.- Take your suit/dress or whatever and change before your interview so you will be wrinkle free. That's all we learned new.
 
USNA Admission Forums are completely optional -- they are held to inform candidates and their families. Not going to one has absolutely NO impact on your application....there are many legitimate reasons candidates cannot attend. I would agree that taking an SAT/ACT exam should be a higher precedence than going to the forum (your scores, potentially, could have more of an impact). Sometimes there are other events held in conjunction with these forums where the Admissions team and/or midshipman are present (if you really want to put a face and name together) -- you certainly can inquire from your BGO or Admissions counselor, as the time approaches. Again, forums are completely optional.

On a side note, not all MOCs attend their own Service Academy night (I really wouldn't expect it or be disappointed). In some cases, it probably isn't realistic for them to be present depending on the time if the year...your MOC might be in D.C. (presuming we aren't talking about the mid-Atlantic states).
 
. The most useful thing gleaned from it was a tip about the Blue and Gold interview.- Take your suit/dress or whatever and change before your interview so you will be wrinkle free. That's all we learned new.

1) Concur -- Strong ACT's much more important than Admissions Forum.
2) For Mom -- the BGO interview is not a uniform inspection. I have been interviewing for almost 15 years, and not once I have given a second thought to someone having wrinkles in his trousers or dress, and I have candidates driving 2-3 hours at times. (I am from a rural state). There is absolutely no need to add the stress of finding a place to change for the interview. The candidate should look professional and comfortable, not uptight about a wrinkle.
 
I also heard........

One of the things you will find about applying to any of the SA's is that well-meaning friends/relatives/neighbors or even the postman will offer all sorts of ill-advised 'advice' which is probably wrong. I agree as posted above that attending an Admissions Forum is not going to improve your chances and it isn't some kind of lottery where a chosen few get special treatment simply because they attend.

For the BGO interview, which often takes place at the applicant's house, you will look overdressed in a suit/tie if that isn't what you typically wear at home.
 
For my DS the admissions forum came early in the process, before he really decided to go for it. It helped him solidify that a S.A. was something he really really wanted. If you have already crossed that bridge and you are vigorously pursuing it then the ACT is much more important. Attending a forum won't really help you get in, but improving your ACT will.
 
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