It paid off not only in an offer of appointment, but also an active mentorship that continues now that she’s at Annapolis. We’re very grateful for the genuine relationship they’ve built.
You will end up with a great BGO recommendation if DS starts reaching out and connecting with the BGO now.
Don't want to burst anyone's bubble, but being in frequent contact with your BGO has absolutely nothing to do with getting a good recommendation and certainly not with getting an appointment.
Every year, I have 15-20 candidates from whom come 1-5 appointees. Most of the time, the ONLY contact I have with them is the BGO interview. I have given my highest recommendation to many, many candidates over the years whom I meet under these limited circumstances (and have given lower recommendations to some who contact me all the time -- though not for this reason
). Frequent contact from a candidate has absolutely no bearing on how I perceive them.
The fact is that most BGOs are busy. We are here to assist candidates but most of us don't have time (or even desire) to be the BFF of our candidates. Sorry for being blunt, but it's true. With multiple appointees every year, we certainly can't follow every one for four years at USNA and beyond.
I realize there are some BGOs and candidates who "click" and stay in touch -- or BGOs who have a lot of time on their hands to talk, mentor, etc.
But for candidates out there, this is not the norm. A
nd, it won't make any difference in whether you are appointed (at least if the BGO is doing his/her job properly)
.
As an underclassman, you should contact the BGO for your school/area if you have questions about USNA (especially if you aren't from a military family or live in an area where USNA may not be well known). However, if you don't have questions and/or are very familiar with USNA, there is no need to contact the BGO before the spring of your junior year -- and certainly not to inform him of every step of your journey.