Hello from Maryland

CronusMom

10-Year Member
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I'm so glad to have stumbled on this forum. Our family has so much to learn!!

I'm the mom of a rising senior who is applying to the USNA and also a NROTC scholarship. We are not a military family, but our son has been a NJROTC cadet through high school and knows in his heart this is the life for him. Of course, we are so proud of him and support his choice 100%.

Our son has just begun the application process, but it's so nice to have a forum to ask questions along the way. Any words of wisdom or advice will be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!
 
Welcome to the forum.

My best wishes for your son in getting his dream. One thing you should realize if you just found this site and not a lurker. MD is a very competitive state for MOCS. especially for the USNA. It is competitive because the Pentagon is right down the road and many military children opt to follow in their parents footsteps.

Just make the best package and trust your BGO and he will do great. WHen in doubt pose a question. There is no such thing as a dumb question, we all walked this road, and even as military members it was a new road for us too! If you don't ask, then we can't help, and you never want to have a neagging thought that because of XYZ he might not have gotten an appt.

Best of luck, buckle yourself up this is a rollercoaster ride of a lifetime. You will find yourself checking this site and the mailbox daily, especially when noms start coming out in Nov timeframe.

One quick not you will see apptmts starting in Oct., don't fear those are usually LOA's with Presidential, as a non-military family you do not qualify for a Presidential.
 
Thanks for the warm welcome, Pima.

We have been told about the issues with us living in MD (son was probably declined for summer seminar for the same reasons), and our son assures us he is willing to follow the course and hope for a miracle. We have gone over so may scenarios with him, and I think he has a solid plan with his other college options. If not USNA apointment, he is hopeful for an NROTC scholarship. We have one last college visit scheduled in the next few weeks, but we feel his short list of schools is good. I'll most definitely be asking more questions -- we have so much to learn.
 
there is a bright side, if he gets a nom, many candidates from the NOVA/MD area get in from the NWL because the schools are so competitive.

Do yourself a favor and realize the nom is only one part, the WCS is another. Make sure he has the highest SAT/ACTs he believes he can obtain...(1350+ out of 1600) Also practice the CFA daily and try to get the max points available. For the AFA, the max pts are 100 from bball, 85 sit-ups, 75 p-ups, 6 min run, 18 pull-ups, and @8 sec shuttle. The CFA is a small part, but it is a part that you have direct control over. There will always be that one candidate that lost the appt by a point, you don't want to be the one because you didn't get the most points where you had direct control. many kids rush the CFA so they can have a completed package, don't do that! You don't need your CFA for the noms, and can't get an appt without a nom, so use the entire time and train everyday. Most kids have problems with pull-ups. If this is the case for your son, by a pull-up bar and mount it in his doorway. Make the rule everytime you enter you must do 5, everytime you exit do 5. Than a few weeks later increase it. Our DS went from 6 to 14 in a few weeks time (about 6 weeks)
 
Welcome to the forums!! We are glad you've found us and hope that all your questions can be answered!! :biggrin:
 
Welcome! Wow, your post sounds much like my first post this time last year. I am also an MD mom. If you have questions, ask away! I am sure you will. This forum is amazing and has kept me reasonably sane through the admissions process. My son reports to USNA for induction in four days. What an amazing ride it has been so far!!
 
Pmlutton, that's fantastic. Good luck to your son!!! I really look forward to next summer when we are certain of our son's future, whatever that may be.

Pima, great thought to get a pull-up bar. My son is a varsity distance runner and, like many in that group, has less upper body strength. He gets twice-a-week weight training and PT with his NJROTC unit, but having that bar in his doorway is brilliant.

Son's BGO visit went well. I was glad that he talked to all of us and went over the entire app/nom process with us in detail. Son knows so much more than us, the parents, so having his BGO explain it will help us help our son, I hope. We are told he is on the right track with appropriate scores (SAT math 710, reading 650, writing 650, ACT 32), lots of service hours, varsity sport, and a variety of ECs. We wish his GPA was a bit higher (about 3.5) but he's taking the highest level classes available at his school (AP Calc-2, AP Physics-C, AP English this coming fall). As long as senioritis does not set in and he maintains what he's got, I'll be pleased. He plans to take the SAT once more for good measure.
 
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