Candidate Visitation Weekend

Hello,

New here. I am a current HS Junior hoping to attend USNA or USMA. This morning I received an offer for a CVW at USNA. What does this mean? Is the CVW offered in lieu of NASS? Just looking for more information.

Thanks.

No the CVW is not offered in lieu of NASS. The CVW is an opportunity for you to shadow a current plebe for a day and see what life is like as a Plebe/Midshipman at the Academy. It is a great opportunity and I highly recommend attending if you can. I attended NASS and a CVW in the fall of my Senior year and the CVW was very insightful.

Great, thank you.

Basically, you get there Thursday and check in around 5PM. There is an orientation and then you are paired up with the Plebe assigned to take you around as a guest (AKA: "drag") to their classes, extracurriculars, etc. You will have the opportunity to dine in King Hall (where 5,000 MIDNS enjoy three meals a day), sit in on classes, and generally get a snapshot of what it's like to be a Midshipman. You leave Saturday morning, so it's a fairly short exposure.

Getting an invite to a CVW in no way means that you have a better chance of receiving an Offer of Appointment. Whether or not you go to this will not impact your chances as a candidate. If you are on the fence however, it may either cement your desire to attend or make you decide that it's not for you. It's a good thing to do if you can afford the travel and you haven't been to the USNA before.

The reason they send these invites is to give you the chance to see what it's like there, precisely if you are "on the fence" about which SA is right for you (RE: candidates like you, applying to multiple SAs).

usmaybe said:

Hello,

New here. I am a current HS Junior hoping to attend USNA or USMA. This morning I received an offer for a CVW at USNA. What does this mean? Is the CVW offered in lieu of NASS? Just looking for more information.

Thanks.

Click to expand...

CVW and NASS are not connected.

If you can afford it financially, I highly recommend a parent or both attend. While getting an invite for CVW like a LOA, doesn't mean or equate to an appointment. It is a great opportunity to spend time seeing what life is like on the Yard. You will checkin on Yard at about 6pm Thursday, After a welcome briefing, you'll be assigned to a MID to room with and shadow. On Friday you go with a MID to classes and eat with them and stay overnight Friday. It is great opportunity to ask questions and get a feel if you see yourself there. As for the parents, on Friday there is an incredible briefing and Q&A with leadership and MIDS and a tour of the yard. This went a long way in answering questions and concerns DW and I had about the class room load that the mids have and the amount of educational assistance that they have available to them. DS on his CVW saw the reality that Plebe Mids must study on Friday nights for PRO-KNOW exams/class on Sat am. He saw that there is a lot of work but lots of camaraderie as well. We then picked up our DS at about 11am Saturday at Allumni hall.
I believe DS brought a sleeping bag to his CVW. They usually get a cot to sleep on. All the details (WHAT TO BRING... REQUIRED FORMS TO PARTICIPATE) & specifics are here in this link: Candidate Visit Weekend

...and you get to spend a couple of nights in the world's largest single dormitory, so you can cross that off your bucket list.

NASS is a ‘spread the awareness’ admissions tool. You may or may not even receive a NASS acceptance. Ie: kids who are local and can visit USNA, and are aware of its existence are not the target market of NASS. A student from rural Midwest is a better target. Not saying there aren’t exceptions, But it’s the programs mission. For CERTAIN it’s not a recruiting tool for selecting candidates. So don’t make an assumptions about receiving or not receiving an invitation to NASS.

In that vein, I would accept an offered CVW if I wanted to experience USNA.

I also received an invitation to CVW this morning. I registered already and am super excited to attend! I was wondering if anyone knows how they choose which midshipmen you will pair up with. If you're interested in engineering, will they take this into account and pair you with someone who is majoring in one of the engineering disciplines? Thanks!

My son attended CVW and there wasn't any input as to who the midshipmen you are assigned to. The experience was fantastic and my son really got a lot from it. When you are there and the lines look long, don't worry about them. The lines move really fast. Parents.... we get a small talk and then told its time to go. The participants are already gone off starting the overnight. I would like to share they do the CFA test while you are there, be prepared. If you are not ready and don't do as well as you like it ok, you get to do it back home too if you like.

TheFoxHound07 said:

I also received an invitation to CVW this morning. I registered already and am super excited to attend! I was wondering if anyone knows how they choose which midshipmen you will pair up with. If you're interested in engineering, will they take this into account and pair you with someone who is majoring in one of the engineering disciplines? Thanks!

Click to expand...

No, you are just assigned. Plebes can volunteer for a CVW drag (as you will be called) or they are voluntold. It depends a lot on schedules. Plebes are busy 24/7, 7 days a week.

Make the most of your time. Take it all on, be open to new experiences, ask questions, and speak up. If you are interested in a specific major, sport, or club- tell your plebe and they can connect you with a mid to talk to, attend a practice, etc. Drags are often grouped and shared during your weekend as plebes have to attend to other commitments, so you will interact with much of the squad, most likely.

And if your parents are attending, tell them to attend all parent sessions. They are extremely informative and a chance to hear directly from the supe, admissions, provost, mids, etc. and having a chance to ask questions.

TheFoxHound07 said:

If you're interested in engineering, will they take this into account and pair you with someone who is majoring in one of the engineering disciplines? Thanks!

Click to expand...

Plebes take a generalized curriculum* and will have not started their majors thus far.

* A small number MIGHT have started taking courses beyond the plebe curriculum but do not expect to be with one.

It is an incredible opportunity and I highly recommend going if you can! DS said seeing what real life is like as a midshipman was so valuable. He was paired with a very nice plebe and went to classes, sports practice (crew), and everything. At the end of the weekend he knew could see himself doing well there and it was the service for him. They did do a CFA on the last morning however many of their scores were not recorded correctly (computer) so it ended up not counting in the end and DS had to redo it at home. Parents… go to the sessions! We are a military family but with no navy experience… it was so well done and valuable. Also talk to other parents and do lunch together… it was encouraging for parents too!