Unhelpful "help"?

I suggest that your kid know the mission of the Naval Academy. My DD repeated it chapter and verse with passion and understanding. BGO said it was the first time in his 18 years that anyone had done that.
 
nodiva said:
I suggest that your kid know the mission of the Naval Academy. My DD repeated it chapter and verse with passion and understanding. BGO said it was the first time in his 18 years that anyone had done that.
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Memorizing it? I would think it would be downright weird if a candidate spouted off the mission of the Naval Academy, verbatim, as if he were being grilled on his rates by a Firstie. The candidate should have a working knowledge of the mission but to quote it word-for-word is blatant showboating and a$$-kissing.

I think it's fair for a BGO to ask a candidate if they have ever read the mission of the Naval Academy and if they were familiar with it. But, to expect a verbatim answer is unreasonable and to volunteer a verbatim answer is downright weird. I would actually think less of a candidate for rattling it off, unsolicited.

Passion is good. Understanding is good. Grandstanding is bad.

Plebes will learn the perils of this soon enough.
 
One man's "passion and understanding" is another man's "grandstanding".

My DD learned it at NASS. Her BGO LOVED it--she's in the class of 2020--and NOT an a$$-kisser or showboater but thanks for the insinuation.

Appropriate named thread here--unhelpful-help.
 
DD and DS had the same BGO. One made it and one did not. Interview process was the same each time. We left the room and he conversed with them alone for a long time and didn't take a long time with parents as I was prior. Don't go overboard, flags and music are a bit much. He did shout out "OORAH" at State meeting of new Plebes when DD spoke in her new Marine Uniform.
 
A candidate does not need to memorize and repeat the USNA mission, verbatim; I strongly recommend against doing it. It is far more important for a candidate to understand the mission and its purpose.
 
nodiva said:
My DD learned it at NASS. Her BGO LOVED it
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What else could a BGO say when confronted with such a recitation? I'm thinking that it must have been both a surprising and awkward situation.

The fact that the BGO said that it was the first time they've heard that ever done in 18 years gives you some insight as to how "important" it is to have the mission memorized and showcase it before the BGO. It's bad advice to suggest to other candidates that a verbatim recitation of the Mission of the Naval Academy would be helpful during a BGO interview. In fact, it's colossally unhelpful and somebody needs to tell this to the impressionable candidates who use this forum for useful information.

I realize that I'm coming off harsh. I do not post much in this forum. But I couldn't allow this to pass as good advice.
 
nodiva,

I didn't miss it and my reply was to the general audience, not directly to your DD. The point of emphasis (for all candidates) should be on understanding the mission, not trying to commit it to memory...at least until the PTR packet arrives. Candidates should not spend time trying to memorize the mission.

Edit: FWIW, it is good that your DD knows the mission, verbatim...just shouldn't be the point of emphasis or focus during the admissions process. On a separate, but similar note, candidates should listen to the question being asked and answer the question being asked. Far too many times during an interview, the candidate's answer does not address the question being asked.
 
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NoDiva - Most SA grads would find having the USNA mission statement quoted verbatim during the initial BGO interview odd. It may or may not have helped your DD, but minimally it is a risky strategy as I would wonder if the candidate is wound a little too tight.

You should consider the 2 folks that replied. Both are graduates and are either a BGO or closely associated with BGO's. You may not like it - but they are in the know.
 
^^^I agree. As tends to happen a LOT on here, this thread has gone off in another direction. Some of the remarks on pg 1 were intended to be more tongue-in-cheek comments about what NOT to do during the BGO interview (i.e. decorate your house with USNA banners, red/white/blue balloons or play patriotic music).

Suggesting that other candidates memorize a vision/mission statement is terrible advice, regardless of how you think it worked for your child. I know during MOC interviews, one of the 'red flags' they look for are candidates who have been excessively coached or memorize replies they think will somehow impress the panel. That is part of the reason you hear so many mention that some 'off the wall' questions were part of the interview.

I would suspect any BGO who has their candidate state something they memorized will probably be asked to EXPLAIN what this means to them.
 
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Again for the general readership, not a criticism of any one individual's approach, this process is like a job interview.

I recently interviewed at Under Armour. They have a mission (yes, it is Protect This House, but also more), but when asked what I knew of their mission, I didn't recite it back to them. They already know the mission. I knew they wanted my answer to express understanding of the mission, so I used elements of the mission to draw connections to my own experience. That demonstrated I had done my homework, had thought about what it meant, and related it to my potential and competencies. It's an essay question, a thought piece, not a test question with one answer.

Learning the mission at NASS is designed to give a taste of some of the rote memorization drills required in military life. Yes, it does create awareness of the mission, but the candidate has to do some thinking about what that means and how they are cut out to deliver on their end.

An interview during the EAs application process is a very grown-up conversation, exploring motivation, potential fit, skills, aptitude, understanding. It is, in every sense, a job interview.

My .02!
 
time2 said:
would suspect any BGO who has their candidate state something they memorized will probably be asked to EXPLAIN what this means to them.
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This is exactly what happened--a terrific exchange between the two. My DH and I had no idea our DD a.) knew the mission and b.) was prepared to discuss it at length. It was very cool having a front row seat for this (BGO asked us to stay in the room for the interview), and we talked later that it made us realize how 100% commited our DD was to attending USNA and becoming a Naval Officer. I don't think any part of it was "prepared" or "rehearsed".

. . . now the red, white and blue balloon rainbow in the front yard might've been over the top ;)
 
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Totally understood why/what others have said commiting to recite the mission is not necessary and could be counterproductive, but I think it worked out for your DD and impressed the BGO. Obviously it is not something candidates have been advised to do on the forum. I'd be impressed if I were the BGO and a candidate could do that and discuss what that means.

I am very happy for you, and more so for your DD!
 
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