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.