Naval Academy Admissions Forum

nooshoos

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My DS received an invitation to a Naval Academy Admissions Forum. I did some research and it appears that it is hosted by the local alumni association. Has any one attended one of these events? The invite says that there will be Naval Academy leaders, alumni and midshipmen. The event is about 6 hours from our home, so I was hoping to get some feedback from others who have attended. DS is a junior in HS and has his heart set on going to a Service Academy and the
Naval Academy is his first choice.
I have been a lurker on this forum for about a year, with a couple of posts. Thanks to everyone for the awesome information that you share! It's getting to be the time that we'll get to start utilizing all the great info we've learned here.:smile:
 
I went to one for West Point when I was a junior; the USNA one was a bit far from my house.
It's very informative, and you do get to ask the Regional Director specific questions about your file, but, other than that, pretty much all the information they presented to us was given on the USMA website.
However, from a parent's point of view, my dad was surprised with most of the stuff shown in the presentation. If your son knows what he's doing and is really ahead of the ball game, I'd suggest not driving the 6 hours and look up information from usna.edu, because that's pretty much what the presentation/forum is.
And this forum helped me way more with the Service Academies than each respective academy's website.
 
IMO, you should make every effort to attend. There will be plenty of info for you to digest and a good place to ask questions. When we attended ours it was one of the first affirmative steps taken on the path to USNA. BTW, make sure your prospective Mid keeps eyes open for Summer Seminar application dates as they are very soon to be upon you.
 
One abberant thought relative to admissions programs/events ...that MAY be applicable, especially for the calibre of students who most often become viable candidates for USNA or one of the other SAs. And my thought will be likely, a bit overstated.

Do not anticipate either USNA admissions staff or alumni/parent volunteers to do much fawning over your great student. Possibly unlike Siwash College or even Ivy U might have at the local college night/fair. My own observation is that these tend to be less relational, more informational than many of these types of programs.

This might seem like a silly point ...and I'm ok that it might well be. But my point is that should students and/or parents find themselves reacting as such, it's nothing personal. Literally. USNA, especially until recently and mostly with "priority" groups, has no great need nor history of "recruiting." In fact, there can be and often is exactly the inverse ..."Hey, Junior (or Juniorette) had better be dying to do this, or we don't want 'em or need 'em, and we sure as heck ain't gonna try and persuade 'em we do."

And the tangents to this can be, dare I say so, parental pride and alumni arrogance. We all know the "ring-knocker" rap, right? You know, like being in the lodge ..."We NEVER ask anyone. They must ask us!" Or Pappy Prideful pondering, "Jeez, Hahvod showed more interest in my li'l Lord Fauntleroi than that dumb sailor."

So, don't wanna beat this ...because in doing so, I'm beating the guy in the mirror. :eek: But just so's USNA's next Roger Staubach, astronaut, Medal of Honor recipient, or Rhodes Scholar doesn't misread and/or misinterpret these tea leaves. Let's be honest ...there can be a whole bunch of ego engaging in this process. I speak from personal experience and prior conviction(s)!

USNA Parent #BR549
:cool:
 
My DS received an invitation to a Naval Academy Admissions Forum. I did some research and it appears that it is hosted by the local alumni association. Has any one attended one of these events? The invite says that there will be Naval Academy leaders, alumni and midshipmen. The event is about 6 hours from our home, so I was hoping to get some feedback from others who have attended. DS is a junior in HS and has his heart set on going to a Service Academy and the
Naval Academy is his first choice.
I have been a lurker on this forum for about a year, with a couple of posts. Thanks to everyone for the awesome information that you share! It's getting to be the time that we'll get to start utilizing all the great info we've learned here.:smile:

6 hours is a long way to go but..... As a high school junior your son needs to understand what is required of him to get started in the application process and how the process works. That is the purpose of the seminar. You and you son will learn a lot by attending.

As a previous poster has mentioned. Summer Seminar sign-up opens in about 2 weeks. It's a valuable experience from multiple perspectives.
 
As a previous poster has mentioned. Summer Seminar sign-up opens in about 2 weeks. It's a valuable experience from multiple perspectives.

I would definately agree. Don't forget about summer seminar applications. This program is only for rising seniors so you only get one chance to go.
 
My DS received an invitation to a Naval Academy Admissions Forum. I did some research and it appears that it is hosted by the local alumni association. Has any one attended one of these events? The invite says that there will be Naval Academy leaders, alumni and midshipmen. The event is about 6 hours from our home, so I was hoping to get some feedback from others who have attended. DS is a junior in HS and has his heart set on going to a Service Academy and the
Naval Academy is his first choice.
I have been a lurker on this forum for about a year, with a couple of posts. Thanks to everyone for the awesome information that you share! It's getting to be the time that we'll get to start utilizing all the great info we've learned here.:smile:

IMO, 6 hours each way is an awful long way to go. Does your MOC offer a "Service Academy Day?" If so, there are usually local Midshipmen and BGOs present to answer questions.

Again, this is only my opinion, but my personal priority rank would be:
1. Go to USNA to visit. You and your parents can go whenever it's convenient to you. You can take a tour of the Yard and get information directly from the Candidate Guidance Office.
2. If you are offered a CVW (Candidate Visit Weekend), GO. This is your opportunity to live with a current Plebe from Thursday to Saturday. Unlike NASS, this is a brief view of "the real thing." These are usually offered to promising candidates during senior year of HS. If you are NOT offered one, ASK to attend (once you earn a nomination and/or receive a letter stating that you are fully qualified).
3. Apply for Summer Seminar (NASS). The application should be on-line in the next two weeks (1 Feb) for this coming summer. NASS is definitely a recruiting tool for USNA, not a "real life" view of life as a Plebe, but if you attend and you DON"T like it, it's probably a sign that USNA is not for you.
4. Find out who your BGO is, and ask him/her whatever questions you might have. You can ask him/her if there are current local Mids who would be willing to answer questions. Remember that BGOs are volunteers, so use but don't abuse this resource.
 
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