Area Coordinator?

[Dino10]

My Son emailed his AC in March. No reply. He emailed him again in May. Still no reply. He will begin his Junior year in August and is wanting to get in touch w his BGO as soon as possible. Make sure he is taking the right courses, on track in general for when application time comes. What's the next best step? Email Admissions is my guess. ??

 

[Old Navy BGO]

Try again, or reach out to Admissions. Does the AC use a work email address, or one of the USNA emails ? If work address, it is quite possible that he/she has an aggressive spam filter. All in the BGO program are volunteers and have other jobs, but the AC's are usually (or at least supposed to be) pretty dedicated and responsive.

 

[momofmod]

My son contacted his BGO via email a few times beginning the start of Junior year before he finally responded. He did his interview with my son in July and we never heard from him again. I know many people have had wonderful experiences and received great support from their BGO. As Old Navy BGO said, these people are volunteers and have full lives. Don't forget also, they're dealing with the current applicants which could be a pretty decent size group. I wouldn't rely on any one person to guide you. Pull from all resources....this forum, the USNA website, possibly a current or past mid if you have access. My son's admission liaison was quick to answer emails but wouldn't answer phone calls or voice mails.

 

[NavyHoops]

It's also important to know the role of the BGO. If the application is complete and in there isn't much a BGO can do for a candidate accept answer questions about USNA. You can do that here or search the Internet for most of them. They don't control when admissions reviews things or nominations occur. Also depending on the area and number of BGOs can be a factor. I know in my area we have a lot and we handle a handful each. I know our sister area in the state has 1 BGO and handles dozens. They have to prioritize and knock the requirements.

 

[Cerberi]

Your BGO is going to tell your DS/DD they need to take a heavy course load of STEM courses and should take the most challenging courses available. They will also tell you that to be competitive you should be involved in sports (ideally in a leadership role) and to be involved in organizations in a leadership role.

My daughter met with her BGO once prior to the I Day for a 30 minute 'interview'. The process is pretty clear and unless you completely blow the interview the BGO is not likely to make or break your pursuit of an appointment.

You don't need a relationship with your BGO to be successful in this process. (And DD's BGO is an incredibly nice person who would have been happy to take DD's calls if DD felt the need to call her)

 

[Old Navy BGO]

Alot of good gouge here... the BGO is here to help, provide guidance and answer questions. Other than a brief introductory email or phone call offfering assistance, you should not expect the BGO to try to maintain contact or coach you through the Admissions process. THIS IS YOUR APPLICATION , NOT MINE. Personally, I place a lot of emphasis on personal responsibility and initiative. While I am happy to answer parent's questions about USNA, and while I recognize every parent wants their children to achieve their goals (I have two daughters myself), I expect my candidates to speak for themselves.

As NavyHoops says, there is little we can do after the Application is submitted. I don't know what it was, but this past year it seems I fielded alot of inquiries from parents asking for their kids status. While BGO's have access to information and can tell whether the Board has reviewed the application and determined the Candidate to be 3Q, we are not supposed to and I do not, provide this information to the Candidate. Keep in mind, there are alot of 3Q candidates that do not get an Appointment, as Admissions usually has to decide which qualified candidate among a MOC slate is admitted.

The process is pretty clear and unless you completely blow the interview the BGO is not likely to make or break your pursuit of an appointment.

I have often wondered about what impact the BGO interview has. I have written some strong interviews for candidates that don't get in, and similary have done lukewarm interviews for people that did get in. My conclusion is that Admissions relies more on the objective criteria than our interviews, but I still believe that the interview is important in a handful of situations, including when the Candidate has something in their background that isn't adequately covered by the normal application, and at extremes --either an extremely good interview or a very poor interview.

 

[time2]

You don't need a relationship with your BGO to be successful in this process.

^^ I agree. If you read the sticky below about interacting with your BGO, many want the applicant to have completed 50% of their application before meeting to insure the best use of everyone's time. If someone is just completing their sophomore yr of h.s., you would be better off to visit the USNA website that has lots of good general applicant information. The isn't a whole lot your BGO can do for you this early.


https://www.serviceacademyforums.com/index.php?threads/the-role-of-blue-and-gold-officers.54544/

 

[Dino10]

Thank you all for the info. He has been studying this since the 5th Grade. We frequent the USNA website often (I do as I want to know what he is planning to do with his life.... obviously why I am on this forum), have read books.... multiple resources. I think he is just excited to get the ball rolling so to speak and was hoping to hit that next stage. Perhaps a bit early. Again, I appreciate all the comments. Thank You!

 

[Old Navy BGO]

^^ I agree. If you read the sticky below about interacting with your BGO, many want the applicant to have completed 50% of their application before meeting to insure the best use of everyone's time. If someone is just completing their sophomore yr of h.s., you would be better off to visit the USNA website that has lots of good general applicant information. The isn't a whole lot your BGO can do for you this early.

We shouldn't discourage Candidates from contacting a BGO early. I feel that it is beneficial to talk to candidates as early as 8th grade or Freshman year, so you can talk about developing their record when they have time to do something about it. This is a lot more effective than meeting someone for the first time halfway through Senior Year. It also weighs in heavily on my evaluation of interest and motivation. The 50% comment applies to completing the interview , I would hope that all BGO's are willing to talk and even meet with motivated young candidates at any time.

Can you get in without a "relationship" with your BGO ? Of course. I have had plenty of candidates earn an Appointment, and the only contact that I had with them was the interview. BGO's are just one of many resources that are available, and I will be the first to acknowledge that some BGO's are more knowledgable and more responsive than others.

 

[usna1985]

I have often wondered about what impact the BGO interview has. I have written some strong interviews for candidates that don't get in, and similary have done lukewarm interviews for people that did get in.

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Teacher recs are the most critical. Teachers (typically) have known a candidate for at least a full year. Teachers see the candidate in class every day, see the candidate in ECAs and maybe in sports. Sees the candidate as a leader . . . or a follower. As a dedicated student or . . . not. A BGO meets with a candidate for ~1 hour. Our views count but we are obviously less knowledge about many aspects of a candidate's life than someone who has daily contact for a lengthy period.

As others have said, your BGO is not here to be your BFF. We are not here to walk you through step by step of your application. We're not here to nag you to get stuff in. We're not here to be your booster, your advocate, or your sounding board. Some BGOs may do some of the above, but it's not the norm and not expected.

We ARE here as a resource if you have questions about USNA or the application process. There are questions to which answers aren't readily found and we can often help with these. We conduct the interviews required as part of the application. We will (if available) present your appointment certificate at your school awards ceremony.

There is a full range of BGOs and your experience may vary based on personality of the BGO, time the BGO has, and even just whether you "hit it off." However, the fact that you and your BGO aren't in constant communication -- or don't even like each other (it happens) -- has no material impact on your application or likelihood of an appointment.