Importance of Summer Seminar

Cpa1

5-Year Member
Joined
May 1, 2012
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My daughter is very eager to attend USNA:
4 out of 590 class rank at highly competitive high school.
4.37 GPA all IB courses.
ACT- 33. 35 English , 31 math.
7 varsity sports letter, captain soccer and track.
National Honor Society
Part time job
Clubs, volunteering
Certified scuba

Is attending Navy women's soccer coach Gabarra recruit camp in late June and has been in contact with the staff or 6 months.

We didn't have the $ to do the summer seminar in addition to the soccer camp.

Was that a bad decision?
Will she become an official candidate? If so, when?
What are her overall chances to get in the academy?
 
That was not a bad decision. NASS is just a recruitment tool to show an example of the Academy to prospective candidates. If she already knows that that's where she wants to go, then it's no problem at all that she couldn't go. It's good that she went to the soccer camp because it will show them that she likes an extracurricular activity that she spends extra time on.

She can apply any time she likes at www.usna.edu/Admissions

It looks like she has good chances so far, but it all depends on how well the other candidates rank. She needs to just keep up the hard work, stay active in all of the activities that she can, stay physically fit, and enjoy her senior year!

This is just my opinion. Anybody please feel free to share your opinion or correct me.
 
I agree with Caleb. I would add that she should begin prepping for the fitness test. I'm sure she's fit and will do well but its just like prepping for any event.
 
The OP is a prime example of why there is no stigma in not attending NASS. USNA understands that some people can't afford it financially. Some people have other commitments during that 3-week timeframe (including finishing up school). Some are injured. Some have family emergencies. And on and on.

NASS has two purposes: encourage the attendees to apply to USNA and -- more importantly -- encourage them to go back to their schools and communities and "talk up" USNA so others who might not know much about the school might be interested in applying.
 
how important is NASS?
not very; considering how a majority of appointees did not attend NASS. Nass is for you to experience USNA- not much of a bearing on whether you will get in or not.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X95fcpRq-hg&feature=youtu.be

Thanks so much for the information. My daughter's high school classmate was letting everyone know that she was automatically in the USNA because of her acceptance in NASS.

BTW, my daughter can currently max out on all the CFA events, is there anything else she can do as we wait for the official candidate info to arrive in the mail?
 
That was not a bad decision. NASS is just a recruitment tool to show an example of the Academy to prospective candidates. If she already knows that that's where she wants to go, then it's no problem at all that she couldn't go. It's good that she went to the soccer camp because it will show them that she likes an extracurricular activity that she spends extra time on.

She can apply any time she likes at www.usna.edu/Admissions

It looks like she has good chances so far, but it all depends on how well the other candidates rank. She needs to just keep up the hard work, stay active in all of the activities that she can, stay physically fit, and enjoy her senior year!

This is just my opinion. Anybody please feel free to share your opinion or correct me.

Thanks for your response. She has completed the preliminary app, we are just waiting for the official candidate info. Does that usually appear in May?
She was invited to the camp by the soccer staff. Would her performance at the camp increase her chances for admittance based on the fact she is a soccer recruit?
 
Personally I expect she'll benefit greater from the soccer camp than from NASS. The most important thing is that she'll get to see the inside of NAVY - the buildings, facilities, coaches, potential teammates, so on. There are some features in NASS that make it attractive, but your daughter's visit has greater potential for moving her closer to an offer of appointment. She should hold out for a CVW during academic year to round out her picture.
 
Personally I expect she'll benefit greater from the soccer camp than from NASS. The most important thing is that she'll get to see the inside of NAVY - the buildings, facilities, coaches, potential teammates, so on. There are some features in NASS that make it attractive, but your daughter's visit has greater potential for moving her closer to an offer of appointment. She should hold out for a CVW during academic year to round out her picture.

I'm sorry, CVW?
 
Candidate Visit Weekend

I'm sorry, CVW?

CVW=Candidate Visit Weekend, a three day visit to USNA during the academic year beginning on a Thursaday afternoon and ending Saturday morning. The candidate will get to witness life at USNA by following a Mid around for many activities including the classroom. They will also bunk in Bancroft and dine in King Hall with all the other midshipman. It is an excellent opportunity to witness a day in the life a Mid that one would not get to see in the NASS program.
Cheers...
 
My daughter's high school classmate was letting everyone know that she was automatically in the USNA because of her acceptance in NASS.

Oh, boy is she wrong. I had seven candidates in my NASS squad. More were rejected than appointed.

In fact, to my knowledge, there was 1 USNA appointment, 1 USMA appointment, and 1 USNA waitlist.
 
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DS turned down for NASS, invited to a CVW, ultimately received LOA to USNA and now a MIDN 4/C (seeing how many acronyms I could get in one sentence :rolleyes:)
 
DS turned down for NASS, invited to a CVW, ultimately received LOA to USNA and now a MIDN 4/C (seeing how many acronyms I could get in one sentence :rolleyes:)

Thanks, I actually almost understand what you are saying!
 
NASS Attendance Matters!

The theme of several previous posts claims that NASS is “just a recruiting tool”, and that there is “no stigma” attached to those who were not invited to attend. I believe that there is substantial evidence available in the public domain to prove that attendance at NASS is far more important than you might believe.
To support my position and narrative, I recommend that reviewers pull up, download and read the following documents that are packed with information:

Ref. 1: Naval Postgraduate School Thesis “The Impact of the Summer Seminar Program on Midshipman Performance: Does Summer Seminar Participation Influence Success at the Naval Academy?” by Michael A. Norton.

Ref. 2: Naval Postgraduate School Thesis “The Performance of Preparatory School Candidates at the United States Naval Academy” by Brian S. FitzPatrick.
Let’s begin by reaffirming the SAT test score threshold used by the USNA and most Members of Congress (MOCs) to indicate a minimum level of academic competency. For both the math and verbal sections of the SAT, that minimum standard is 600, and yet a full one quarter of each incoming class fails to meet this minimum standard.

Consider the most recent class profile testing range released by the USNA. The 25-75% SAT Math Score range is 610 – 730, and the 25-75% SAT Verbal Score range is 590 – 720. So who makes up this bottom quartile? In all probability, this bottom quartile is made up of those who have “…a deficient academic record…” (Ref. 2) – candidates supplied from NAPS & Foundation programs – students that don’t have to endure the congressional nomination process.

Class of 2012: 1261 admits, 282 (22%) NAPS + Foundation
Class of 2013: 1251 admits, 306 (24%) NAPS + Foundation
Class of 2014: 1245 admits, 320 (26%) NAPS + Foundation
Class of 2015: 1229 admits, 293 (24%) NAPS + Foundation

One quarter of each incoming class cannot satisfy the minimum required SAT section threshold of 600. One quarter of each income class is supplied via NAPS + Foundation. This is not a coincidence.

OK, so highly qualified Triple-Q types are fighting for 900 slots right? Nope. The statistics indicate that 30% of each incoming class attended NASS (Ref. 1 and the book “Building a Midshipman”). 30% of 1200 admits = 360 slots filled by Triple-Q NASS attendees, which leaves approximately 900 – 360 = 540 annual slots available for Triple-Q Non-NASS candidates.

Let there be no doubt – NASS is not just another summer camp. Had I made the cut, I planned to treat the experience like a week-long job interview. The Cadre will write up a detailed report on every NASS attendee, and that report will become a permanent part of your application, so stay sharp!

The USNA Admissions Board really likes NASS attendees. Quoting from Ref. 1: “Summer Seminar program (participants) had better graduation rates and higher academic cumulative quality point ratings than non-participants. Summer Seminar midshipmen had higher military cumulative quality point ratings than their counterparts who did not attend the Summer Seminar program. Summer Seminar participants are 1.26 times more likely to graduate than non-participants.”

Wow. Sounds like NASS attendees have that something special the USNA is looking for – something that merits some type of formal recognition in the evaluation process, and indeed it does.

Quoting from Ref. 2: “Board members can add Recommendations of the Admissions Board (RAB’s) points if special circumstances warrant. Examples of special circumstances include difficulty of high school educational program, legacy, attendance at the Naval Academy Summer Seminar, a strong Blue and Gold Officer interview, Advanced Placement courses, special ECAs, the personal statement, and significant character traits.”

So there you have it in black and white. The Admissions Board awards Bonus Points (RABs) for NASS participation, points that will be added to your Candidate Multiple to determine your final Whole Person Score. NASS participation does indeed matter, and not just to the Admissions Board.

I’m currently working on my nomination package for Senator Marco Rubio (FL). Aside from some challenging essays, Senator Rubio wants to know if you were invited to and attended a summer seminar at any service academy. Clearly, Senator Rubio considers NASS attendance to be a very positive indicator. Clearly, we must conclude that not being invited to NASS puts you at a competitive disadvantage in your state or district. Again, NASS participation does indeed matter.

I mentioned earlier that I was not offered a chance to attend NASS. Indeed, I’ve knocked three (3) times on the USNA’s door and have been turned down three (3) times (STEM, NASS and CWV). While I consider myself to be a pretty viable candidate, thus far, the USNA does not. You tell me…

4.86 weighted GPA in a nationally ranked IB program, ranked 14 of 409 (top 3.4%), 100% Honors, AP and IB Classes(with the exception of Naval Science), ACT Composite of 33, SAT Math 770, SAT Verbal 700, National Honor Society. Two sport varsity athlete – cross country and track, four letters, all county, team captain. NJROTC Officer, Academic Team Captain, Rifle Team, unit Ironman, unit Honor Cadet (highest GPA) three consecutive years, recipient of an NJROTC USNA Nomination, Founding member/officer of our Robotics team, Nationally ranked chess player & scholastic coach, 300+ hours of community service.

I’m going to knock on the USNA’s door one more time. My country and the USNA have the first right of refusal to my mind, body and soul, but if I fail to get an appointment, I’ll simply have to move on to Plan B: Accept my likely scholarship to Cornell, study Financial Engineering (Quantitative Analysis), and console myself with an obscene salary from some London based hedge fund.
 
I’ll simply have to move on to Plan B: Accept my likely scholarship to Cornell, study Financial Engineering (Quantitative Analysis), and console myself with an obscene salary from some London based hedge fund.

I'm not trying to burst any bubbles, but don't count the chickens before they hatch! Also, if you're this enthralled with the Academy, why not try NROTC? It gets you to the same place, but only takes a different route.:thumb:
 
Here is another factor about NASS: the early motivated candidates are the ones that apply and possibly get in. NASS app close before all other colleges ever open their apps. Therefore, the NASS interest base is probably more qualified as a whole than the entire academy interest base.
 
I’m going to knock on the USNA’s door one more time. My country and the USNA have the first right of refusal to my mind, body and soul, but if I fail to get an appointment, I’ll simply have to move on to Plan B: Accept my likely scholarship to Cornell, study Financial Engineering (Quantitative Analysis), and console myself with an obscene salary from some London based hedge fund.

I was quite interested in your well argued counterpoint until I saw your last paragraphs when you started into your overinflated self worth. Hopefully your plan B is sarcasm, otherwise plan C will be to graduate with a degree that can't land you a job and you'll live with your parents until you finally get an entry level job making an obscenely LOW salary. Your whole plan B directly contrasts any reasons why you would want to go to USNA or be a Naval Officer. Maybe you should reconsider while there's still time.

So back to the discussion - I think NASS is great, but it's not a make or break. The biggest advantage is you can get an early application offer if they still do that. I went and got an offer to apply early. By September, about a week into the school year I got accepted to USNA. It was pretty nice having that acceptance letter when all your friends are still putting together applications.
 
So back to the discussion - I think NASS is great, but it's not a make or break. The biggest advantage is you can get an early application offer if they still do that. I went and got an offer to apply early. By September, about a week into the school year I got accepted to USNA. It was pretty nice having that acceptance letter when all your friends are still putting together applications.

How did you get an appointment so early? Just curious cause I'm hoping to apply as early as possible.
 
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