After the BGO interview?

Something I was curious about after my own BGO interview--What kinds of things does a BGO report back to USNA after a candidate's interview? Like how much of the BGO's report is commenting about the candidate vs. checking boxes on a scale of 1-10 or yes/no? Or is that stuff supposed to be kept from candidates/parents?

Your BGO is interested in: Interest and motivation, leadership, responsibility, physical fitness, time organization, communication ability, and any adverse circumstances in your life and how you coped with it. He or she puts in their own personal opinions on the candidate and recommends or not their appointment. While not a requirement of the Navy per se, just about every BGO puts a note in how the candidate dressed for the interview. There is no one-to-ten box checking-----that surely is the Air Force you are thinking of----but a candidate is graded "average", "above average" and so on up a scale both in the individual categories and overall. The interview is privileged information and seen only by the Admissions Board. While the BGO gives an appointment recommendation, he/she has zero to do with whether an appointment is made or not as that is the sole job of Admissions.

It is a very important interview and I am continually amazed at how casual so many candidates treat it. It is the only face-to-face interview that the Admissions Board sees in which the candidate talks about themselves, the Navy, and the Academy. It is their one shot at getting their story in front of the Board with give and take with the Academy's "rep", so to speak. Conversely, everything regarding the MOC interviews goes into the office shredder and all the Academy gets from that process is simple list of names----important, yes, but no matter how much the MOC interview board loves a candidate, all it produces is a list of names. Yet even on this forum everybody is wrapped around the axel on the nomination interviews and the BGO meeting is treated a box to be checked more than anything else.

Just as @Spud pointed out, most people I know who are applying this year are/were far more concerned abut MOC interviews, and a few didn't prepare for/showed up far too under dressed for BGO meeting. Luckily I had my BGO interview before nomination interviews, and BGO gave me lots of useful tips on how to perform well at the MOC interview

My DD took her BGO interview very seriously. She scheduled a mock interview with the father of a classmate, and she found it hugely helpful to have practice fielding random questions (some of which actually surfaced at both her BGO and MOC interviews). She wore dress slacks and a tailored blouse, and her hair was in a bun - not a uniform, but representative of how she will dress as a naval officer. She practiced smiling, shaking hands, making good eye contact, not raising her voice at the end of a statement, and formulating answers in her head rather than saying, "Um..." She also developed a list of questions that showed she had done her research about the Navy and the application process. In the end, her BGO said, "I hope you have your MOC on Saturday, because I'm on the panel that day!" And sure enough, she did, and she knew her BGO had her back. And sure enough, she received her nomination.

So, of course, try to be relaxed and confident, but don't confuse that with casual and cocky...this is more than a hoop to jump through - it's an opportunity to gain a partner who may just make the difference as to whether or not you receive an appointment.

Next Generation said:

My DD took her BGO interview very seriously. She scheduled a mock interview with the father of a classmate, and she found it hugely helpful to have practice fielding random questions (some of which actually surfaced at both her BGO and MOC interviews). She wore dress slacks and a tailored blouse, and her hair was in a bun - not a uniform, but representative of how she will dress as a naval officer. She practiced smiling, shaking hands, making good eye contact, not raising her voice at the end of a statement, and formulating answers in her head rather than saying, "Um..." She also developed a list of questions that showed she had done her research about the Navy and the application process. In the end, her BGO said, "I hope you have your MOC on Saturday, because I'm on the panel that day!" And sure enough, she did, and she knew her BGO had her back. And sure enough, she received her nomination.

So, of course, try to be relaxed and confident, but don't confuse that with casual and cocky...this is more than a hoop to jump through - it's an opportunity to gain a partner who may just make the difference as to whether or not you receive an appointment.

Click to expand...

Excellent prep, especially the comment about being aware of "uptalking," a vocal tic common to some young women, when they raise their vocal tone at the end of a declarative statement, same as an interrogative, making them sound unsure and not confident in their reply. It's something I coach our USNA mid sponsor daughters on, as well as young women in the work place I have mentored. I also coach/mentor young men on succeeding as JOs, but there are some comms skills that women typically need fluency in.


A good read for young women:

http://www.more.com/news/personalities/how-to-command-a-room

In the end, her BGO said, "I hope you have your MOC on Saturday, because I'm on the panel that day!" And sure enough, she did, and she knew her BGO had her back. And sure enough, she received her nomination.

Click to expand...

I really hope this isn't true. I am quoting from USNA Admission's guidance for BGOs sitting on MOC panels: "A BGO should NOT participate on a panel where they have personally conducted the BGO interview portion of the USNA application on a candidate."

The reason makes perfect sense....if a MOC district contains more than one BGO (and it need not, it might only have one) and only one of the BGOs sits on a panel, then the candidates who interviewed with that one BGO MIGHT have an unfair advantage in the nomination decision, especially if that BGO had a "favorite" candidate or conversely, if the BGO didn't think highly of one. CLEARLY, if that was the quote said to NextGen's DD, then that already created favoritism leading into the MOC nomination process, which is UNFAIR, regardless of the qualifications of NextGen's DD. This is the Dean of Admission's concern...a perception of favoritism, whether it was true or not.

Not a callout on NextGen or NextGen's DD.

Didn't mean to side track the OP's question. I hope other candidate's do not hear that same verbiage during their interview or see their BGO at their MOC interview!

I'll add....most BGOs understand that this is the first interview for these young adults. So nervousness, limited fidgeting, "umms," etc. are all expected. I wouldn't really worry if there is a slip here or there. Most BGOs are concerned with the content of the interview, how the candidates dresses for the occasion, etc. However, as others above have stated, practice makes perfect and having an adult (other than own parents) to conduct a mock interview is definitely a great idea. The really good interviews (top rated) will likely have provided appropriate content and demonstrated great interviewing skills. Honestly, to receive an unfavorable recommendation, it has to be clear there is a lack of motivation, interest, serious flaws, etc. "Umms", fidgeting, etc. won't get an unfavorable recommendation unless that is the only common theme of the interview. Best recommendation is to practice well beforehand (works well for MOC interviews, too) and then just be yourself!

"uptalking" is getting worse for men and women IMHO. As a college prof. I try to nip it in the bud day 1. I play a recording of a particularly irritating presentation and tell them that they will be marked down a point if they don't reign it in. Most students don't realize how they sound because their peers sound exactly the same.

our son just had his BGO interview here in our home yesterday. It went very well and I am very proud of him. He wore a suit and tie. He always made eye contact and was clear and succinct in his answers. His Application is all compete in his portal except the interview write up. His BGO is wonderful and wants to get his application in asap Now we wait which is one of the hardest parts of the whole process.