To be considered for LOA

When is the average time a BGO completes their interviews? I'm essentially finished with my application. Just have to do my CFA (doing this Aug 21) and waiting for my counselor to sumbit Candidate Academic Information (waiting for counselor to get back to her office, Aug 2). I was qualified by DoDMERB 3 weeks ago, so I'm past the 50% mark.
 
goldfarb1 said:
When is the average time a BGO completes their interviews? I'm essentially finished with my application. Just have to do my CFA (doing this Aug 21) and waiting for my counselor to sumbit Candidate Academic Information (waiting for counselor to get back to her office, Aug 2). I was qualified by DoDMERB 3 weeks ago, so I'm past the 50% mark.
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CGO wants it complete by the time the remainder of the package, less CFA, is complete. They start sending out reminders I think at about the 50% point.
It is early in the season. The class was not sorted out in the on-line system until the first of this month. Some BGOs don't check their computers all that often. He may just becoming aware of you.

With that said, every BGO has their preferred time to do the interview. Personally, I like to wait as long as possible (hence the awareness for all the reminders) because I find that to do an early one it often turns out to be a lesson on how to apply. Since this is all available to the candidate on-line, I use their success in doing so as a gauge of commitment. So if I do it late in the process, the discussion is more relavent to what I am actually looking for.
 
Mongo said:
Personally, I like to wait as long as possible (hence the awareness for all the reminders) because I find that to do an early one it often turns out to be a lesson on how to apply. Since this is all available to the candidate on-line, I use their success in doing so as a gauge of commitment. So if I do it late in the process, the discussion is more relavent to what I am actually looking for.
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That seems very smart to me.

You're exactly right. I'm no BGO, but I do get a lot of questions from high school students who are interested in applying to the academy. They always seem to ask, "What do I have to do?"

I kind of give them the Reader's Digest version of what is necessary but I always emphasize that they have to actually do the research on what it takes. The admissions catalog is excellent and answers 90% of these questions.

"But how do I get a nomination? What do I have to do?"

Again, I tell them that their senators and congressman all have websites. On each of those websites is a link to the "Service Academy Coordinator". Everything that they have to do to earn a nomination is outlined. Go there ... read it ... do it. There is no one answer. Each is bit different.

As a BGO, doesn't it tell you something about a candidate when they ask super basic questions that are easily available through the normal application process?

Didn't somebody in this forum (a BGO) once ask a candidate what they think they might want to major in - and they answered "Civil Engineering"?

The Naval Academy doesn't even offer that major! West Point does, however. The kid obviously hasn't take any time to review the Naval Academy's academic curriculum.

"What about the Naval Academy interests you the most?"

"I want to be a lawyer, like that JAG guy on TV. Didn't he go to the Naval Academy?" :rolleyes:
 
When I interviewed job applicants one thing I always asked is "Do you have any questions for me?" If they asked one that showed that they clearly did no research into my company I considered that a negative. Likewise, if I were a BGO and I conducted an interview with a candidate who didn't have a thorough understanding of the application/nomination process I would see that as a negative.
 
My son had his BGO interview on Tuesday night. BGO came to our house and we had a good conversation with him. The BGO interview was the last step in his application. He is 100% DONE!!! Now the waiting game begins.
 
Gilmancoach said:
My son had his BGO interview on Tuesday night. BGO came to our house and we had a good conversation with him. The BGO interview was the last step in his application. He is 100% DONE!!! Now the waiting game begins.
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Woo hoo! My son had his BGO interview this morning and is also 100% done!! :thumb: He's considering retaking the CFA at the end of the summer since he's been training hard since NASS (although he passed it there) and might even try to take the ACT one more time in October (can't hurt!). But otherwise, I guess it's time to start thinking about the MOC applications next, but nice to take a minute to enjoy having accomplished one thing on the list! :wink:
 
Gilmancoach said:
My son had his BGO interview on Tuesday night. BGO came to our house and we had a good conversation with him. The BGO interview was the last step in his application. He is 100% DONE!!! Now the waiting game begins.
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When the BGO (who we knew) showed up at our house to interview my twins, my wife and I left the house. We told her to take as long as she needed and to show herself out when she was done.

We did not want to be in the house while the interview was being conducted. Being a grad myself, I think the BGOs are always concerned that the candidate is being FORCED to apply but really doesn't want to attend the school. If the grad is in the room, or even in the house, it might create the impression that the candidate is under external pressure when answering. I wanted my sons to speak freely without me being able to hear a word they were saying.

And, to this day, I don't know any of the details of that interview. I guess it went OK - they got appointments. :smile:
 
BGOs vary greatly in their approaches. There is a sticky above that explains a bit about the process, the types of questions you can anticipate, etc. Some BGOs are very proactive with candidates; others wait until the candidate has progressed in his/her application. Honestly, it can depend on how many candidates the BGO has (some have 1; some have 25+), and how busy the BGO is in her/her work and personal life.

Some BGOs want to get all the interviews done during the summer; others wait into the Ac Year. No one is panicking b/c USNA doesn't start evaluating applications until mid-to-late August. Also, you can receive an LOA w/o a BGO interview.
 
Last year, my son received LOA's to West Point on July 4th weekend and to the Naval Academy on Labor Day weekend. The only thing he was missing at that point was the nomination. My advise is to complete your file as early as possible and continue to excell your senior year, updating your file as necessary. Son ended up receiving appointments to West Point, Naval Academy and Air Force and is currently a plebe in class of 2014.
 
candidsmom said:
Last year, my son received LOA's to West Point on July 4th weekend and to the Naval Academy on Labor Day weekend.
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USMA is usually quicker with their LOAs than USNA -- and typically offers more of them. I've never seen a USNA LOA go out before late August, but it's probably happened.

And the above poster is correct re updating your files if you obtain new honors, positions, awards, scholarships, etc. You don't need to send something in every week just to do it -- but, if you have something of significance to add, add it. This is also true of MOC files, IF they permit it. Most do but it pays to check and to follow their instructions to the letter.
 
This might be a crazy question, but when you talk of updating your file, You are sending it to them via snail mail? Right? Just checking.Want to make sure.
 
My son updated his file via email to his assigned counselor referencing his candidate number, copied to his BGO and would followup with snail mail. He updated athletic awards or accomlishments throughout the year as well as academic or leadership opportunities.
 
Yes, do continue to update information about your candidate and cc it to BGO. We started sending these via e-mail to the admissions counselor he was working with at USNA through out the year. In some cases, they asked that these be written and e-mailed more formally from teachers and coaches. We always complied and followed up with my son's high school staff to ask if things had been sent off that were asked for throughout that long process. I also made sure that my son copied everything that was sent off and he kept it in a folder so that we knew what we had already submitted. Believe me, it was a community effort from a lot of great people that contributed to helping him realize his dream.
 
Amen! And the work doesn't stop there, because then you need to start on those thank you notes to all those that helped you along the way!
 
Yes, DS always followed up any request for a letter, e-mail, etc. with a big thank you. One thing that I would also suggest is when you send letters of recommendations, always make sure that these people really know your candidate. The people that you choose as references should be people who know the whole person your candidate is, as much as possible and can speak to more than just one class that they had him/her in during the last couple of high school years. These people that you choose will have a real feeling of investing in your candidate's future. They will be the ones who will stop to ask you in the grocery store how DS's Plebe summer is going. Don't underestimate how important every step is to getting an appointment to the Academy. Treat each step in the process as important as the one before. There will be months when you will hear NOTHING. You might want to give up. You will think that you have waited by the mailbox all your life, but it is worth it. Keep submitting and updating and thinking positive.
 
And one piece of advise we actually received from an Air Force Academy couselor, ask those that write letters of recommendations on your behalf for nominations to make copies for you to send to the Academies that you apply to. Since these are often sealed, it is the only way for you to obtain a copy to forward to the Academies.
 
usna1985 said:
USMA is usually quicker with their LOAs than USNA -- and typically offers more of them. I've never seen a USNA LOA go out before late August, but it's probably happened.
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My son was notified that he would get an LOA by his RD on July 21 last year. He did know another candidate who also heard in July. Neither of them received the actual LOA in the mail until the first week of Sept - don't remember the exact date on the letter. His congressman's office, however, was aware of it when he talked to them in August.
 
I can't remember the exact dates, but my son was notified of his LoAs to USMA in early July, to USNA late August, and to USAFA in October.

USMA called and asked that he request his transcripts be faxed from his high school. As soon as they received that he was notified of his LoA. The application hadn't even opened up yet online, so I'm assuming they were basing it on him having gone to SLS, his SAT scores and his grades through middle of junior year). His LoA was contingent on finishing the application, nomination, etc.

The RD from USNA asked my son to get his info sent from his school regarding his Candidate Activities and Academics Records (he had trouble with getting the school to do this in a timely manner because of guidance counselor summer vacation schedules, but he finally got his Assistant Principal to do it). Once they received that info they notified him of his LoA. He had already had his BGO interview, SAT scores, DoDMERB qualified status, completed application, etc. His LoA was contingent on a nomination. My son did not go to NASS (didn't get invited :rolleyes:)

USAFA does thing on a later schedule. He got his LoA contingent on nomination also.

Now he is day 19 into plebe summer at USNA :thumb:
 
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