USNA SS Evaluation

S

SAhopeful1

Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2022
Messages
12
My firstie platoon leader told me yesterday that the evaluation given to everyone that attends SS has a “huge impact.” He made it sound like it was a vital part of one’s application. To what extent is this true?
 
I was told it was a very small percentage of your whole candidate score when I went last year. It would be hard for it to have that much of an impact considering many people do not go to NASS.
 
From someone who just went through the process, I believe it does play a role. I do not think any one thing is vital but I liken it to a list of items. Each one becomes a check mark that you have accomplished it. My DS applied to four of the service academies. His number one choice was the Naval Academy, so he attended SS. His application was the same for all the academies with the exception of SS and he received letters of support from two other academy coaches but he did not receive a letter from the Navy Coach. Through the process, the other coaches referred to their summer program (they all have different names, ex. USCGA- AIM). We were under the impression that as long as you attended one of them, it would look favorable. Looking back, you need to attend all that you wish to receive a conditional appointment too. My DS received waitlist status at 2 other academy's and a LOA conditional appointment at the Naval Academy which was his first choice. I truly believe that his attendance at SS and the impression he made that week with his commanders was the difference for his LOA. Go luck and definitely attend SS if possible. It's not the end if you don't but it can add to your resume.
 
Summer sessions are first and foremost a marketing tool. Keep that in mind. Don't overthink things. If any sort of write-up is considered at all, it would be very minor at best in the big picture (unless you were a total screw up and a jackass and/or pissed people off). The firstie might have just been trying to motivate people to do their best. They are NOT in the admissions office, so really don't know the inner workings of it.

Your grades, test scores, teacher evaluations, CFA, and BGO interview have way more weight and importance.

I would hazard that a write up from NASS has little to no bearing on your overall application (unless it is really negative).
 
I would imagine if you are a total screw up, you would be "black listed". Where I think it may have helped DD was with recruiting with XC and Track. She wasn't sure if she wanted to run in college, so she only had a couple of conversations with the USNA coaches. During the CFA at SS, she ran a season best mile time, and finished ahead of all the males in her group. She beat the female max score time by a lot, and was close to the male max score time. One of the coaches was watching and introduced himself after her CFA and she was invited to try out for the team and started talking with the coaches. Her BGO noted during her interview that she was a recruited athlete.
 
SAhopeful1 said:
My firstie platoon leader told me yesterday that the evaluation given to everyone that attends SS has a “huge impact.” He made it sound like it was a vital part of one’s application. To what extent is this true?
Click to expand...
Everything is riding on this evaluation.

(Sarcasm)

if you only knew how far away from the finish line you are right now, you would see the humor in this.
 
blhenrywalpole said:
Everything is riding on this evaluation.

(Sarcasm)

if you only knew how far away from the finish line you are right now, you would see the humor in this.
Click to expand...
Thanks for this post. I was getting nervous hoping DS had a sterling report coming out of Session I. Lol.
 
So if a poor family can’t afford to send their candidate to a marketing event across the country, but that candidate has a slightly higher WPS than the next best candidate on their slate, the less qualified candidate that went to NASS would gain the appointment?

I wouldn’t listen to anecdotal discussion that isn’t from an official source. I wouldn’t count detailers as official sources.
 
First, it is my understanding that the "eval" is done by the squad leader, which is either a new youngster or new second class. It is as much a learning tool for them, in many cases writing their first (of many ) evaluation, as it is a true evaluation of a candidate.

Second, I truly doubt that any Midshipman has the inside knowledge of the Admission process to make a statement like "huge impact."

Third, it is very clear that this is a marketing program, and it has limited capacity. There are many very strong candidates that don't get to go to NASS and thus will not have a NASS eval...so how huge is that impact ?

Finally, and most important --like the BGO interview (and I am not saying the BGO and NASS eval are of comparable impact..I don't know how big either are), the impact is going to be greatest at the extremes, either very good or very bad. If you go to NASS and are a complete dirtbag,/non team player, etc. it will be noted and may have an impact. Similarly, if you represent all that USNA is looking for --that would be likely be noted. ON the other hand, neither the BGO eval or the NASS eval stands alone --there is a very detailed teacher evaluation-- done by teacher who presumably have worked with you closely over a period of time.. I would expect that a consistently great eval from teachers /BGO and NASS is more meaningful than a mixed review.
 
Sounds like a great motivating speech with a bit of poetic license from a savvy detailer who knows just how to get competitive juices and energy level to full boil in a group like this.

Excellent comments above, especially WRT training and development of the midshipmen assigned to work with NASS attendees. It is indeed a marketing program, and though evaluations are done, I doubt they have huge impact - unless the NASS attendee is truly awful in every way.

We had a sponsor daughter who was a NASS detailer. She had a male NASS attendee, whenever he had a chance to say anything to her unheard by others, or slip a note to her, made overtly sexual, graphic and pure nasty comments and suggestions to her. Definitely power plays, and you’d have to assume he was a product of his upbringing. After the first couple of occasions where she simply ignored the behavior, she called me, repulsed, furious and a bit at a loss, I told her to keep a running log, document all facts, inform her chain of command and figure out how to handle it, not let her male peers step in to protect her. She was a standout varsity athlete and PT stud (who eventually went EOD), and she figured out how to make him speechless. Her group was by far the best PT’ed group, for some reason. I suspect that candidate’s evaluation had a “huge impact.”
 
I can only hope the squad leader was either (1) joking or (2) speaking tongue-in-cheek. If you really think that USNA Admissions is going to give great weight to an evaluation done by someone who was a plebe a week ago based on one week of observation . . . I've got some great land for you!

A relative served as a squad leader for NASS several years ago and she had no illusions about the importance of her evaluations. I think the most important reason for doing them is to benefit the squad leaders. They've spent the last year being evaluated and now it's their turn to do the evals.

I've heard that, if you spend the entire week complaining, not taking part, saying you don't want to be there, not being a team player in any way . . . that could hurt you a bit. Being the outstanding NASS participant (there is, or used to be, someone named as this) would be a plus. But for 95% of NASS attendees, it's about showing YOU what USNA is about. Your application to USNA shows USNA what you're about.

Edited to add that, in special circumstances such as those cited by CAPT MJ above, the detailer's comments could well have an impact.
 
I am not sure in Capt MJ’s case, a bad review that prohibits entry into USNA is enough.

Would other SAs be privy to this for instance?
 
A1Janitor said:
I am not sure in Capt MJ’s case, a bad review that prohibits entry into USNA is enough.

Would other SAs be privy to this for instance?
Click to expand...
Not officially, I expect, unless actual assault occurred. This was a young man, not yet in the military, exercising his freedom of speech, but not too smartly. You never know how information travels though.
 
Mid2027dad said:
From someone who just went through the process, I believe it does play a role. I do not think any one thing is vital but I liken it to a list of items. Each one becomes a check mark that you have accomplished it. My DS applied to four of the service academies. His number one choice was the Naval Academy, so he attended SS. His application was the same for all the academies with the exception of SS and he received letters of support from two other academy coaches but he did not receive a letter from the Navy Coach. Through the process, the other coaches referred to their summer program (they all have different names, ex. USCGA- AIM). We were under the impression that as long as you attended one of them, it would look favorable. Looking back, you need to attend all that you wish to receive a conditional appointment too. My DS received waitlist status at 2 other academy's and a LOA conditional appointment at the Naval Academy which was his first choice. I truly believe that his attendance at SS and the impression he made that week with his commanders was the difference for his LOA. Go luck and definitely attend SS if possible. It's not the end if you don't but it can add to your resume.
Click to expand...
Can I ask how long after SS did he receive the LOA?
 
Plaskonfl68 said:
Can I ask how long after SS did he receive the LOA?
Click to expand...
Place any anecdotal reports/speculative correlation of LOAs and NASS attendance in perspective and context. There are dozens of threads about LOAs across the SA forums.

- Most midshipmen do not receive an LOA.
- On the appointment lists posted here on SAF every year, you might see more LOAs than you would expect. It’s a very small data slice; roughly 10-15% of the appointees in a class at a DoD SA find their way to SAF to post. That group is likely skewed toward appointees and parents who lean far forward searching the internet for information that might provide an edge in the application process.
- USNA can give an LOA at anytime they wish in the cycle, to anyone, for any reason. It is a class-building tool.
- LOAs given early in the cycle often have a condition(s) to fulfill - nom, DoDMERB clearance, nom, etc. Late in the cycle, one might be given to urge the candidate to be patient and continue to check the portal.
- It is quite possible to receive an LOA and no offer of appointment, if a condition(s) is not fulfilled.
- The goal is an offer of appointment, not LOA.
- Resist the urge to look left or right at other applicants. Someone with a “lesser stat” than you may receive an LOA. You cannot see the totality of their application and all its graded elements, nor do you know how or why USNA is using the LOA.
- And finally, I can’t resist my usual practice of describing the LOA as a unicorn. If one wanders into your portal, rejoice. But don’t spend any time on thinking about how to attract or capture one.
 
SAhopeful1 said:
My firstie platoon leader told me yesterday that the evaluation given to everyone that attends SS has a “huge impact.” He made it sound like it was a vital part of one’s application. To what extent is this true?
Click to expand...
SS and Summer STEM are Admissions tools. I was rejected from both and still made it. I was told by Admissions that SS and STEM are based on a variety of factors on who they let in: the application but also intangibles like geography and outreach in that area. I'm from the biggest naval base in the world so they maybe did not feel like my area was the most important to bring to these outreach events in comparison to someone with similar qualifications from Wisconsin.
 
I will say that my DD did NASS and must have had an exceptional performance as she did receive an LOA with handwritten note from I believe dean of admissions 8 years ago "I heard you did a bang up job at SS" were the exact words scrawled on her letter (it was an actual letter then), that was October after a June NASS. 4 years later my DS who was a stronger candidate (DD would agree) had what he described as an aloof detailer, never received LOA and heard in January about an appointment. He never knew how he was "graded" during NASS. So my DS expected the unicorn!
Both my kids knew a year before NASS that CFA would happen there and were at the virtual max for everything and I believe that helps.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top