BGO protocol- help, please

truenorth

Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2015
Messages
139
Well, here he goes. DS has his BGO interview tomorrow evening in our home. I have two questions that I would appreciate advice/guidance on:

(1) The interview is during the dinner hour. We (parents) only plan on staying in the house the first few minutes and will scram when DS gives us the cue. Should we offer the BGO any food, water, etc. We want to be polite.

(2) When the interview wraps up, is it appropriate for DS to ask the BGO how he assesses DS' candidacy?
 
I would not offer dinner, but I would put out the sort of hospitality you would offer a drop-in visitor - something (non-alcoholic) to drink, and something to nibble on - e.g., cheese and crackers or sliced fruit. Gives your son a chance to show his manners.
Your idea about leaving is right on target - leave it up to your son. Although BGOs should chime in - are there rules (as with the scouts) about having another adult present?
Absolutely appropriate for your son to ask what his chances are , and what he can do to improve them.
 
Agree on offering a snack and drink. Most BGOs will chat with parents and give a chance to ask questions. I would excuse myself after that.

I think asking the BGO where he can improve his application, how competitive has the district been in years past are very good questions and more in depth than what are the chances. Chances are very complex answers with Noms factored in. Asking how he stands out compared to others can help build the full picture. I think it's also telling what questions a candidate asks... So things like those who have been apppointed, what made them successful at USNA show that he is looking at more than the application but succeeding.
 
NavyHoops hit most of it. I would stay away from how competitive your candidate is or how competitive they are, compared to others. Frankly, BGOs don't even have the full picture for any candidate...so it is hard for us to even say. Ask for areas to improve on...though, realize it is late in the game at this point.

Light snacks and appropriate beverages...completely acceptable, but optional. I would suggest at least providing water...some interviews can go very long...2+ hours. At some point the meeting will transition to an interview and the BGO will kindly ask to continue this way. No need to excuse yourself on your own.
 
I would avoid asking BGO for feedback...DS is the one selling himself, not you...DS has to stand or fall on his own merit...would you ask for feedback from HR if DS was applying for a Fortune 500 job? You gotta let them fly on their own at some point...
 
Thanks, all.

Grilled: pls re-read my post. I quite clearly wrote that DS was doing the asking, not us.
 
No worries, no foul...

This is a great opportunity for your son to shine!

Be proud that you have a son who's the caliber we need...shows that you as parents have raised him to be a fine young man!

Grilled Cheese
 
To add to what others have said, there are two types of "assessments." The first is how strong the candidate is -- i.e., are there any major weaknesses. Realize that the BGO sees VERY VERY LITTLE of a candidate's file. We do NOT see: grades, classes taken, teacher recs, essay, activities record, CFA scores, etc. The candidate might provide some of those things to us either on paper or during the interview but USNA does not. Thus, even here, it's hard to say a whole lot. Someone can look great on paper and have crappy rec letters. Someone can have a great GPA but is taking the lowest level courses the school offers. Someone could have passed the CFA, but barely.

The second assessment is the candidate against the rest of the world. The BGO only sees his/her universe of candidates. We have no access to any information on any candidate other than our own. Thus, we live in a microcosm. We CAN assess how candidate A compares to candidates WE have seen in the past and know whether candidates we've worked with who are GENERALLY like Candidate A have fared in the admissions process. What we don't know is how Candidate A will stack up against others in his/her district, let alone others across the nation.

Some BGOs with a lot of experience with many candidates over the years may be able to provide a BIT better assessment. But the admissions world today is much more competitive than it was even 5 years ago, such that candidates who look terrific across the board may still receive turndowns.

So, IF the BGO offers an opinion, realize it is what it is (and worth what you paid for it). Just saying' . . .
 
I would add to be prepared to stay if asked. My husband & I had every intention of leaving the kitchen after a few minutes and some chit - chat; but my DD's BGO asked us to stay. We, of course, did but were very careful to allow DD to do all of the talking from then on unless we were specifically asked a question.
My DD's interview was also during the dinner hour and we offered water, soft drinks & coffee.
When the interview was wrapping up the BGO, on his own, offered some tips to my DD but did not assess her chances and she did not ask.
Good Luck to your DS !
 
Wrapping up: Beverage and food offered, water taken. We chatted for a bit then left so that the BGO and DS could talk privately.

According to DS, the BGO interview itself was not as in-depth as what he had envisioned or prepared. No forced errors on DS' part. No warm and fuzzies from the DS, either. All very neutral. Kind of "is that it?"

On a very positive note, DS just discovered his DODmerb status is "Qualified." So, all is done and now we wait and pray. Moving on to nomination interviews in a few weeks.

Thanks to all for the valued advice - on short notice! This forum is terrific.
 
I meant no warm fuzzies from the BGO either - all very neutral. (Apologies, big thumbs on this little device.)
 
Glad the BGO interview is behind him and he is Qualified on the DoDMERB. The waiting is definitely doing to be the hard part for him!
 
I think the no "warm fuzzies" can be attributed to the fact that BGOs across the country have recently seen very highly qualified candidates receive turndowns. Just like happens at Stanford and Yale and [name your top school]. We don't want to give false hope. At best, we can tell a candidate he/she is very well qualified (but so are many others).

Keep in mind, not only do BGOs not make the appointment decision, on the vast scheme of things, we have minimal input.
 
The waiting is definitely doing to be the hard part for him!

It will be tough to wait, but he needs to prepare for a potential long wait. My DD was accepted to USNA in Jan/Feb timeframe 2 years ago, but my DS did not hear until the very last day last year (I think it was April 15) when he received the TWE.

Not too long from now you will start to see people receive their appointments, and that makes the waiting even harder if your DS isn't one of those early appointments. All he (and you) can really do is be patient, make sure plans B, C, D are in place and try to enjoy his senior year. Believe me, when you look back it seems like a blur.
 
Back
Top