Waiters ....this thread is for you

TomB said:

I'll be honest, I have no clue why or how I'm still CPR at this point in time because I don't consider myself an academic freak of nature. I'm expecting a TWE primarily only because of my medical DQ and low SAT/ACT scores (1180 and 24 respectively). My other stuff is pretty outstanding, but besides that, I don't understand how I'm still in the running. I figured USNA would have reviewed my application by now and given me a TWE honestly. I don't think because I'm still CPR that I'm super competitive at all for those who said anyone still CPR is competitive. Either way, I'll find out soon enough... tomorrow would be nice.

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Two of my Midshipmen had the same SAT scores and they both went to Naps. My DD is still CPR as well and is pretty competitive for the most part. She has higher scores than my two Napsters did. Hang in there!! Sending good vibes your way!! [emoji631][emoji631][emoji631]

SAMom said:

TomB said:

I'll be honest, I have no clue why or how I'm still CPR at this point in time because I don't consider myself an academic freak of nature. I'm expecting a TWE primarily only because of my medical DQ and low SAT/ACT scores (1180 and 24 respectively). My other stuff is pretty outstanding, but besides that, I don't understand how I'm still in the running. I figured USNA would have reviewed my application by now and given me a TWE honestly. I don't think because I'm still CPR that I'm super competitive at all for those who said anyone still CPR is competitive. Either way, I'll find out soon enough... tomorrow would be nice.

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Two of my Midshipmen had the same SAT scores and they both went to Naps. My DD is still CPR as well and is pretty competitive for the most part. She has higher scores than my two Napsters did. Hang in there!! Sending good vibes your way!! [emoji631][emoji631][emoji631]

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Same to you and your DD! Good luck!

Agreed about the equal parts luck and credentials. Sadly, the luck portion is the X factor. As far as credentials go, I have seen some pretty amazing kids get the dreaded TWE and I understand that we can guess at stats and WCSs all day long, but we will never know how the Admissions Board is weighing the letters of recommendation, the essay, the BGO interview, so those pieces might add a lot to the bigger picture. We all focus on board scores, CFA, sports teams, leadership roles, GPA, but I wonder if the part we are calling luck, might be the important pieces we never get a chance to see in actual comparative format.

All that said, if anyone who was put on the WL wants to share the "shareable" stats, the curious folks here would (I'm sure) be very interested to see how they stack up as they wait. As I said in an earlier post, one of our good friends received the email (and later the TWE) about 12 days ago and he was, " 1420+ on SATs, great grades - at one of the nation's top schools - literally has been ranked in the top 50 high schools in the US - leadership, sports, recommendations, NASS, CVW, DoDMERB clear and very solid CFA)" But again, what were the unknowables? I failed to mention college counselor recommendation. Also, this young man only maxed the push-ups (trying to remember, but his BB was 78', Pull-ups 9, Sit-ups 70, shuttle 9.0, Mile 6:40 - pretty good guesses) He is a stellar kid who got the 4-year NROTC scholarship and will be seeing my DS in the Fleet one way or another in 4 years... but I hope his story can help anyone out there to contextualize.

Best of luck to all!

It’s truly an unknown as to why some kids get in and others don’t. My oldest was very competitive and my middle two were slightly competitive grade wise but was high in athletics clubs, and JROTC. One key factor is demographics. Each state is represented, also diversity is a factory so it’s defiantly not cut and dry. It doesn’t matter if a kid had 2-3 nominations all they need is one. My middle two didn’t get nominations and they went to Naps. My DD now has an amazing resume as most of the kids do. Has gone to All girls stem in middle school, then summer stem, then Nass and CVW. Her SAT scores are a 1350 we come from a pretty competitive district as well. She has been CPR for quite a while and her medical is qualified. All of my kids knew by mid January. Both my Napster found out in December. This has been by the far the most stressful of them all. Plan B is in full swing and I may have a house divided soon. Lol Good luck to those still waiting. I am a firm believer that if it’s not meant to be then so be it!! [emoji631]

We are from an isolated area in Virginia, but grouped into a district where the largest naval station in the country is located, so the area is super competitive. I was told only 5 congressional nominations were given, he was one. My son is CPR. His BGO said it had been so long since someone applied to the academy from our surrounding area (35 mile radius)- they had to designate a BGO for him- because there wasn't one. My son attends a very small school where he is constantly creating momentum to get fellow students motivated and focused to move forward. He's in leadership positions because he gets things going and brings everyone together. I watch him do it over and over again. He's the one with a plan...taking his teams to districts, regionals, nationals... He's modest- full of humility. Hates it when I brag on him, cannot mention anything on Facebook... etc. Says he wants to be a servant leader- that the things he's doing aren't about him... this is why he want's to go the USNA. Before he decided to serve- he wanted to go to Georgia Tech - that's all I heard for 3 years. This is the stuff I hope comes across in the BGO interview and letters. When people who know him ask me what his plans are I tell them he's applied to the USNA- they say they'd be lucky to have him. We just have to trust that the academy knows what they are doing- what to look for. My son is fine with the wait, it's me who's anxious.

I was talking to my DS last night , he really has been calm this whole time ( his personality, that I sometimes wish I could be like ). I told him seems like some people where waitlisted yesterday, so he checked his email and portal and still CPR. His friend was notified in February he was denied and my DS was saying if I am going to be denied I wish I would have just received the email already. We’ve been visiting colleges so he can decide which he wants to attend but it’s so hard to get excited knowing the naval academy is where he wants to be. I also find that if you are not familiar with the SA application process , no one really understands what they go through and everyone keeps telling him , he’s definitely getting in, how could they not accept you? All his friends , teachers , family know how passionate he has been about the USNA for years and I also think it will hard ( if he doesn’t get appointed) to tell everyone especially because people ask everyday( I know they only mean well) I know you are in the same boat , hope you all get good news soon and end up where you are meant to be!!!

@stacella - I just read your post to my wife... she though I wrote it! Wow, you are not alone and we feel EVERYTHING you do. Our DS is being told the exact same things by everyone and it is just going to make the fall that much harder should it happen. Our fingers are crossed for all the kids still in this and I suppose CPR is better than virtually anything else (Save: Appointment Offered). So keep hanging in there - we will, too.

Yes, I think only if you are going through this or have gone through this you can understand. I unfortunately think that the TWE is coming, but am trying to remain optimistic. I don’t think at this time DS will apply again. I also read a few kids are applying for a 3rd time, which is absolutely amazing. Does you DS know what college he will attend if he doesn’t attend USNA ? Good luck and know you are not alone!! Sending positive vibes

@stacella Thanks for responding. Yes, we do understand all too well and I fear the TWE, but have to remain hopeful, because I want to believe. Otherwise, it looks like our DS will decide to go to Boston College, Villanova or George Washington. Thankfully he was awarded the NROTC Scholarship, so that will cushion the blow... but like your DS, ours has had his heart set on USNA for years and nothing else compares. How about your DS, where might he attend of not USNA (and I am touching wood as I type that!)?

Wow!! Those are awesome schools and grey choices to have( if you have to choose) He isn’t sure, he liked Binghamton, NYU, Georgetown & now he is thinking maybe Miami U , he didn’t apply for any NROTC scholarships. Everywhere we went so far he has compared to the naval academy. Did your DS attend a summer seminar ?

@stacella My DS was denied NASS, but that was after he was already invited to (and attended) a CVW, which he LOVED and where he did well (if you can say that). He was reluctant to apply for the NROTC, but now we are glad he did... it is a massive scholarship, so even if your DS doesn't have it the first year, he should apply for it afterward and would probably be a great candidate for what they call a "Side-loaded" scholarship ... of course he'd need to choose a school that has an NROTC program - which is why we applied only to those schools.

I still think that our (yours and mine) DSs have a shot. If schools like Georgetown, BC and Villanova are interested in them, they are good students and obviously have the drive and other necessary qualities to to do well at Navy... My prayer is that the Committee is sitting there and sorting kids into some good baskets (not just rejections and WLs) and that there is a nice basket for Appointments. We need to remember that it is a SUPER complex matrix by which these kids are offered appointments. The law is the law and they have to stay inside the lines. It is easy to offer a candidate an appointment from his own district and his own Congressman/woman, but it becomes very hard when they are trying to fill those with alternates (after declines) and to use the remaining slots to round out the class.

I envision a huge magnetic board with your DS's name (and mine) among others where they are sorting and shifting and trying to solve a huge jigsaw puzzle... like that puzzle, it is slow at the beginning and painful, but once you find the edges and match the colors it all comes together rather quickly... I just hope ours is not the puzzle piece we always find on the floor 3 days later... lol.

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Applying to college is [nearly] the most stressful time for applicant and parent …. I don't want to torque anyone here, however, we instructed our daughter Not to convey to anyone of her peers where she has applied, or even if she has been accepted, for the time being…. Only her immediate family knows and her pertinent instructors know. And she has advised them not to tell anyone else.

This makes falling much easier for everyone, not just our daughter. There is so much pent up emotion during this time for everyone, and folks need time for all the joys and sorrows to subside.

When the Senior awards and NJROTC awards events are held, then she will convey where she is going (NAPS) if there is a Bulletin or some other need to know. I know that during the NJROTC May awards, the Bulletin lists what the Seniors will be doing after graduation. This is when her immediate peers will know.
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my waitlisters stats if helpful (at a high level): 1560 SAT, 35 ACT (36 s/s), 4.7 GPA, National Merit Scholar winner, varsity basketball x4, quiz bowl captain (nationally ranked as in individual QBowler), pres of 3 clubs, valedictorian. 1 Nomination, NASS, applied for NROTC but haven't heard yet. plan B is GT nuclear eng. will reapply if it feels right once he has experienced college/NROTC life. WL letter basically said we want you but don't have a spot yet. please reapply as soon as the next app opens.

@mcfamilyof4 Wow, incredible stats for your wait-lister; holy cow! If a kid like that is being put on the WL, I'm not sure how much of a chance the mortals have. Seriously, though, you should be pretty darn proud of all his/her achievements. My guess is a kid like that will be a success no matter what. Still, it's cold comfort when USNA was the desire, so I truly hope you get good news and the WL becomes an Appointment.

Obviously your candidate was a tremendous academic, as shown by the outstanding Board scores and National Merit Award, so this is one way in which the Academy can deal with the incredible variety of schools and their academic/athletic profiles. This is why it is so hard on these forums to do apples to apples comparisons. The GPAs and the class rank can mean very little, along with Varsity sports, if the school is not one where there is a high level of competition.

As an example, our DS attends a school where (no exaggeration) 50% of the graduates will attend Ivy League schools or equivalents (in terms of acceptances, etc...) like MIT, Stamford, Vanderbilt, Georgetown, Duke, UVA (for out-of-staters), etc... School sports win national championships, local, state, etc... and the competition in all arenas is insane.

Not sure how the Academy takes that into account, but there is no way they get it right all the time.

PBWITH said:

@mcfamilyof4 Wow, incredible stats for your wait-lister; holy cow! If a kid like that is being put on the WL, I'm not sure how much of a chance the mortals have. Seriously, though, you should be pretty darn proud of all his/her achievements. My guess is a kid like that will be a success no matter what. Still, it's cold comfort when USNA was the desire, so I truly hope you get good news and the WL becomes an Appointment.

Obviously your candidate was a tremendous academic, as shown by the outstanding Board scores and National Merit Award, so this is one way in which the Academy can deal with the incredible variety of schools and their academic/athletic profiles. This is why it is so hard on these forums to do apples to apples comparisons. The GPAs and the class rank can mean very little, along with Varsity sports, if the school is not one where there is a high level of competition.

As an example, our DS attends a school where (no exaggeration) 50% of the graduates will attend Ivy League schools or equivalents (in terms of acceptances, etc...) like MIT, Stamford, Vanderbilt, Georgetown, Duke, UVA (for out-of-staters), etc... School sports win national championships, local, state, etc... and the competition in all arenas is insane.

Not sure how the Academy takes that into account, but there is no way they get it right all the time.

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Why does it feel like those that were wait listed yesterday were the lucky ones?

It's terrifying for those of us still CPR. I wonder if they know how maddening this is for those of us who wait... on second thought, I bet they do, but they don't care. If we are going to have kids in the Service, we need to be used to the "hurry up and wait" mentality.

They know. All those LTs who work admissions... most are grads. Many who are on the board or affiliated with admissions have served, attended SAs or worked at USNA for years... they know. They want to give every deserving kid a BFE and back in the fall if they could.

My son still CPR I don’t want keep asking did you get an email? This week his prom if TWE comes in I feel the prom will be an after thought

Could CPR be forgotten, I see waitlist names
It’s maddening

PBWITH said:

I wonder if they know how maddening this is for those of us who wait... on second thought, I bet they do, but they don't care. If we are going to have kids in the Service, we need to be used to the "hurry up and wait" mentality.

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This has nothing to do with a hurry up and wait "mentality," and the Admissions process really has nothing to do with the military. As one who is removed from the process, I recognize that most of the stress and agonizing is self induced, with parents and candidates reading way to much into everything that is reported here. USNA Admissons says most will know by April 15.

Still CPR. Good luck, bad luck. Who is to say?

Sāi Wēng lived on the border and he raised horses for a living. One day, he lost one of his prized horses. After hearing of the misfortune, his neighbor felt sorry for him and came to comfort him. But Sāi Wēng simply asked, “How could we know it is not a good thing for me?”
After a while, the lost horse returned and with another beautiful horse. The neighbor came over again and congratulated Sāi Wēng on his good fortune. But Sāi Wēng simply asked, “How could we know it is not a bad thing for me?”
One day, his son went out for a ride with the new horse. He was violently thrown from the horse and broke his leg. The neighbors once again expressed their condolences to Sāi Wēng, but Sāi Wēng simply said, “How could we know it is not a good thing for me?” One year later, the Emperor’s army arrived at the village to recruit all able-bodied men to fight in the war. Because of his injury, Sāi Wēng’s son could not go off to war, and was spared from certain death.