NAPS 2024 Waitlist

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blhenrywalpole said:
So as an alum, a classmate of CAPT Latta's, friends with the Supe and Dant, along with your AC, you never once reached out to these connections on behalf of a candidate? If you have no idea how you would do that, I would think picking up the phone would be the easiest way. But, given that you have all these contacts and connections and never once reached out to them personally on behalf of someone you thought needed to be there, that's quite unfortunate, especially for that kid who is going to NROTC this year instead of I-Day next week.

Perhaps you should leverage your contacts in the event another strong candidate comes your way.
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First of all, the unfortunate candidate I'm referring to is not one of "my" candidates, just one that I've met and gotten to know.
That said, I am all about doing it the right way and would not dream of trying to use my position in the way that you're suggesting.
For what its worth, when my own son applied, I never even looked at his paperwork, my non military experienced fiancee (now wife) worked with him where necessary. I didn't even do any interview prep with him as had been the case when I applied. My son's mother had passed and was not in the picture. To this day, I can't tell you who interviewed him for the Senators or the Congressman and only slightly knew his BGO interviewer. I had stepped away from doing Senatorial interviews for that year to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest.
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Yeah, I believe in a fair process and detest even the thought of tampering.
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The only thing even close was long after he had graduated from USNA and was applying for a very special program, I did introduce him to a couple of people that he got to spend time with and eventually they wrote recommendations for him but they were about what he had actually done in the fleet.
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So, nope, not calling in chits with friends in this way, that's not how I roll.
 
Maybe we can put this discussion to bed?? There are over 4K Midshipmen in the Brigade. Could a few have gotten in based upon xxx (insert ‘other than normal application process)? Probably. Does it happen a lot? No. There would be, after all these years, and posters on the forum, more than @blhenrywalpole ’s Mids story posted here. I’ve never seen one, let alone it being ‘common’.

That’s not dismissing @blhenrywalpole ’s experience. And perhaps someday they can explain more what they are meaning or experienced.

Readers should NOT assume that contacting BGO’s/alumni/BGO AC’s/CGO (I don’t know that acronym) weekly is the way to go. I think that’s probably evident by now.
 
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justdoit19 said:
Maybe we can put this discussion to bed?? There are over 4K Midshipmen in the Brigade. Could a few have gotten in based upon xxx (insert ‘other than normal application process)? Probably. Does it happen a lot? No. There would be, after all these years, and posters on the forum, more than @blhenrywalpole ’s Mids story posted here. I’ve never seen one, let alone it being ‘common’.

That’s not dismissing @blhenrywalpole ’s experience. And perhaps someday they can explain more what they are meaning or experienced.

Readers should NOT assume that contacting BGO’s/alumni/BGO AC’s/CGO (I don’t know that acronym) weekly is the way to go. I think that’s probably evident by now.
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Probability and reality would indicate that if more than a smattering of the 1,200 or so who get appointed each year were getting their appointments via the "backdoor" over the decades it would be a well-known secret in and out of this forum. Since this appears to be the first mention of it, I would tend to side with those with firsthand knowledge and experience and trust that the system is honest. With that said I do look forward to the after-commissioning report. Again, when will that be?
 
Alchemist said:
Probability and reality would indicate that if more than a smattering of the 1,200 or so who get appointed each year were getting their appointments via the "backdoor" over the decades it would be a well-known secret in and out of this forum. Since this appears to be the first mention of it, I would tend to side with those with firsthand knowledge and experience and trust that the system is honest. With that said I do look forward to the after-commissioning report. Again, when will that be?
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We have to wait 4 or 5 years for a reason. ;)

Was it the grit and tenacity of the applicant, or father?

It does bother me that this is advice given for future applicants.

I am going to assume the kid earned whatever he got and walk away.
 
“If your son never tried this approach, then you can't say it would have not had any bearing on the outcome. You are just assuming.
Again, I am speaking from experience. I was astonished at the outcome of my situation. The local alumni opened my eyes to the exclusivity, close-knit familial bonds, and networking that comes with being a grad” @blhenrywalpole


Maybe I am making an assumption. What I do know and won’t be assuming is that our son wanted to earn an appointment on his own merits. Period. End of sentence. He was adamant about it.

I don’t care who you know, who you ‘network with’, who you graduated with, if you aren’t ready for this or selected for this based on aptitude you are likely to fail. Nepotism has no place in these environs.

We can agree to disagree on all of this. We both think grit and tenacity are good traits. And they are.

Assuming networking or bulldogging your way through will equate to success long term is not a method I personally would feel comfortable recommending. And I would never recommend it to my candidates as a BGO.
 
Cross posted my reply with others. Sorry; see we are trying to put this to rest. But my ire was up.
 
blhenrywalpole said:
So that's quite unfortunate, especially for that kid who is going to NROTC this year instead of I-Day next week.

Perhaps you should leverage your contacts in the event another strong candidate comes your way.
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This is so insulting and condescending for those 💯 qualified NROTC recipients. There are many paths to commissioning as an officer in the US Navy and Marines.

None of those paths are viewed as ‘unfortunate’.
 
Heatherg21 said:
This is so insulting and condescending for those 💯 qualified NROTC recipients. There are many paths to commissioning as an officer in the US Navy and Marines.

None of those paths are viewed as ‘unfortunate’.
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Address your ire to @OldRetSWO, as my post was a reply to what he wrote...

"I have absolutely no idea how I would do what you seem to think I can do to "get someone in" or move
someone off of the waitlist. If I did have that ability, a certain applicant that I know would not be doing
NROTC this year but instead be going to I DAY as I think that USNA missed a super kid." - OldRetSWO

Source: "https://www.serviceacademyforums.com/index.php?threads/naps-2024-waitlist.90390/post-962547"
 
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Heatherg21 said:
“If your son never tried this approach, then you can't say it would have not had any bearing on the outcome. You are just assuming.
Again, I am speaking from experience. I was astonished at the outcome of my situation. The local alumni opened my eyes to the exclusivity, close-knit familial bonds, and networking that comes with being a grad” @blhenrywalpole


Maybe I am making an assumption. What I do know and won’t be assuming is that our son wanted to earn an appointment on his own merits. Period. End of sentence. He was adamant about it.

I don’t care who you know, who you ‘network with’, who you graduated with, if you aren’t ready for this or selected for this based on aptitude you are likely to fail. Nepotism has no place in these environs.

We can agree to disagree on all of this. We both think grit and tenacity are good traits. And they are.

Assuming networking or bulldogging your way through will equate to success long term is not a method I personally would feel comfortable recommending. And I would never recommend it to my candidates as a BGO.
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It sounds like you folks are upset that people would do everything in their power to help a kid they believe in obtain an appointment.

This is quite amusing given that the process itself involves seeking assistance from others, in the form of letters of recommendations, BGO interview and report, etc. That going a step beyond that is somehow seen as something aghast is quite paradoxical.

Maybe it's just sour grapes...
 
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blhenrywalpole said:
It sounds like you folks are upset that people would do everything in their power to help a kid they believe in obtain an appointment.

This is quite amusing given that the process itself involves seeking assistance from others, in the form of letters of recommendations, BGO interview and report, etc. That going a step beyond that is somehow seen as something aghast is quite paradoxical.

Maybe it's just sour grapes...
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I appreciate everyone’s perspective, and at my core I know I am as big of an a-hole as there is. My son has what is to me a college schedule from hell, and he is under the peer pressure of his university’s ROTC unit. I can truly see him focusing and not looking back.

If he gets called up great! If he doesn’t, then like in so many other cases, it’s the Naval Academy’s loss.
 
Heatherg21 said:
This is so insulting and condescending for those 💯 qualified NROTC recipients. There are many paths to commissioning as an officer in the US Navy and Marines.

None of those paths are viewed as ‘unfortunate’.
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Amen to that!!!! MY DS received his NROTC scholarship in the fall, I was told they call those recipients “Water Walkers”. After being turned down off the waitlist. ….( Regardless of whom we know). my DS will be off to his other Plan A .. full ride leading to his dream ~ hardly ‘unfortunate’! Actually extremely BLESSED!!!
I’m still here rooting for @Kentucky9 !!
 
A1Janitor said:
So if everyone shows “tenacity and grit” during the process, and hounds the BGO and alumni … everyone will get an appointment or naps?
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From our USNA '26 journey, we've never heard, seen, met a BGO Area Coordinator. DS did communicate with the "temporary" BGO.
 
Kentucky9 said:
Maybe just maybe. Sarcastically speaking, he’s probably just signing up for a student loan away from being pulled up.
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I think we are plowing new ground with a NAPS waitlist thread. I’d have to go look. Essentially you are waiting for someone to break or bail, and hope the slot that opens up fits your particular puzzle piece’s edges. Or it could be you are waiting on a med waiver, I apologize for not being current with your son’s specifics.
 
Capt MJ said:
I think we are plowing new ground with a NAPS waitlist thread. I’d have to go look. Essentially you are waiting for someone to break or bail, and hope the slot that opens up fits your particular puzzle piece’s edges. Or it could be you are waiting on a med waiver, I apologize for not being current with your son’s specifics.
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Received his medical waiver the same day as waitlisted. So ultimately he is waiting on cold feet, quitter, and of course whomever is left on the waitlist. Powerball odds probably better.

A little communication of their part wouldn’t hurt a bit.
 
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