BGO changed status from recommended to not recommended...?

AcademyHopeful97

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Does anyone know how/why the status from your BGO interview might be changed? My BGO said he changed the overall position of my interview from recommended to not recommended, but it's somewhat ambiguous as to how that affects my application. Has this happened to anyone before, and what were its implications?
 
when did it change and what has happened between the interview and now?
 
I called my BGO earlier this week because I was curious about my application and if he had any information on it's status to date. He told me that he changed his recommendation, originally submitted in early October with (I think) a good impression, to not recommended in early January because he thought that, because I had not submitted all my paperwork yet, I was showing a lack of initiative and leadership that USNA is looking for in candidates. However, all the paperwork was submitted before the deadline...
 
You may have answered your own question with his expressed concerns.
As has been posted before by other posters, a BGO's recommendation can't get you an appointment, but their recommendations are taken into consideration by admissions.
 
I cannot help but think there is more to this story as that is a very bizarre reason for the BGO to take that action. While he can change his recommendation, he cannot change his first interview write up and will have to come up with a reason for his withdrawal. Between the two, the Admissions Board will decide which to lend any weight to. The Academy has no requirement for any submissions to be in early and the Jan 31 deadline is exactly what it is.
 
I cannot help but think there is more to this story as that is a very bizarre reason for the BGO to take that action. While he can change his recommendation, he cannot change his first interview write up and will have to come up with a reason for his withdrawal. Between the two, the Admissions Board will decide which to lend any weight to. The Academy has no requirement for any submissions to be in early and the Jan 31 deadline is exactly what it is.

Well, that certainly is somewhat of a relief, though I'm still apprehensive as to how much weight the admissions board will choose to give his second submission.
 
Sounds like your BGO was expecting you to finish your online application much earlier than January. And when you didn't, he found your dedication and initiative lacking.

Honestly, I would make the same evaluation lacking extenuating circumstances. You took all that time to fill out your personal information, mail a transcript, write a short essay, and get two teacher recommendations. I hope you recognize that is pretty ridiculous.

Forget the deadline, your BGO was waiting on you for half a year. Looks like he got tired of waiting.
 
Changed without getting with you first? What if there were extenuating circumstances why you waited 'til the end? Did s/he tell you that would be part of the evaluation? Is there more to the story here? That would be a tough pill to swallow if not.
 
BGOs can amend their interviews. Assuming the facts as the OP stated, I would assume the BGO stated in his amendment his reasons for the change in recommendation -- i.e., turning in one or more items close to the deadline. USNA can draw its own conclusions about the OP's "timeliness" in that they well know when things were submitted. Thus, I don't think the mere change in BGO rec, assuming it is for the reasons stated, will make any difference in the overall picture.
 
DD is a reapplicant, and only turned in her essay on Jan 30. She couldn't find a mutually available time for her and her first BGO. She received a second BGO, and through availability problems, only had her interview with him on Jan. 30 about 6:00pm! (He must have written his report very quickly.) She has received her BFE and we are making plans for I-Day. So, "too close to deadline" sounds like a personal opinion. (Just my opinion:D. )
 
Thank you for all your comments. I understand that the Admissions Board evaluates applicants with a holistic approach, and yet it is still unnerving to see that a small part of my application has been changed to a status that may "deduct points", so to speak. In response to the question of extenuating circumstances: my BGO interview was completed in early October, and the majority of my paperwork was submitted/mailed well before the end of 2014, but I held off on my CFA for a few reasons. First, I was on several rounds of antibiotics for multiple weeks after catching something from the CVW; I felt that over that time period I had lost some strength necessary to perform well on the CFA. However, after I had recovered and was "ready to go", I found it extremely difficult to pin down a date that would work for me and my gym teacher. He is the only gym teacher at our school and primarily focuses on the lower school, as the high school does not have gym classes. At least once he was a no show on the designated day, and we had to push back the date even further. If this perfect storm had been avoided, I likely would have had the CFA submitted in the first week of January, if not sooner.
 
Did you communicate this to your BGO? I've found, in many life situations, communication is key to keeping expectations "real."
 
DD is a reapplicant, and only turned in her essay on Jan 30. She couldn't find a mutually available time for her and her first BGO. She received a second BGO, and through availability problems, only had her interview with him on Jan. 30 about 6:00pm! (He must have written his report very quickly.) She has received her BFE and we are making plans for I-Day. So, "too close to deadline" sounds like a personal opinion. (Just my opinion:D. )

Hi Cat, I'm sure you meant well, but your post is braggy and annoying. Your DD was lucky--
 
Did you communicate this to your BGO? I've found, in many life situations, communication is key to keeping expectations "real."

In hindsight, I should have kept my BGO more involved in my overall application process. At the time, however, I chose to reach out to the Admissions Office for advice on the parts of my application that didn't appear to directly involve my BGO, for example: the CFA. The only reason I know my BGO didn't think highly of the way I was handling my application is because I called him a few days ago just to "check up". When he told me he had changed his recommendation in early January, I was so surprised that I thought it best not to point the influencing circumstances that might be viewed as excuses.
 
I know a BGO who did not recommend somebody simply because they did not apply for a nomination by any of the deadlines established by their MOCs. Not surprisingly, the candidate had no nomination. The candidate tried to impress upon the BGO that he (the candidate) was confident that he could convince the MOCs to reconsider. Really? Absolutely irresponsible and deserving of a "not recommended" in my opinion.
 
Thank you for all your comments. I understand that the Admissions Board evaluates applicants with a holistic approach, and yet it is still unnerving to see that a small part of my application has been changed to a status that may "deduct points", so to speak. In response to the question of extenuating circumstances: my BGO interview was completed in early October, and the majority of my paperwork was submitted/mailed well before the end of 2014, but I held off on my CFA for a few reasons. First, I was on several rounds of antibiotics for multiple weeks after catching something from the CVW; I felt that over that time period I had lost some strength necessary to perform well on the CFA. However, after I had recovered and was "ready to go", I found it extremely difficult to pin down a date that would work for me and my gym teacher. He is the only gym teacher at our school and primarily focuses on the lower school, as the high school does not have gym classes. At least once he was a no show on the designated day, and we had to push back the date even further. If this perfect storm had been avoided, I likely would have had the CFA submitted in the first week of January, if not sooner.
I was in a very similar situation and as far as I know my BGO did not change his recommendation. This may be because I was constantly updating him about my situation.
What you did, talking to your AC, makes sense and I wouldn't fault you for that. Sorry this happened to you!
 
Some things to consider....did you remind the PE coach as early as one day before the agreed upon date, as a courtesy reminder? Sometimes people forget, but giving them that reminder relies less upon them remembering or forgetting.
PE coaches are not the only ones who can administer the CFA. It sounds like this coach might not have been reliable or schedules didn't work out more than once. BGOs and officers can administer the CFA, this could have been a good alternative. Reaching out to the BGO would have, at a minimum, let him know it was being worked on.
Some of the above is hindsight, unfortunately. If you are a future candidate, it might be worthwhile to not find yourself in a similar position. I think taking the CFA (non summer seminar attendees) during or right after the summer, just to have it on record is not a bad thing, even if you think you can do better later on (Admissions can always reset your scores). As you can see, sometimes getting the CFA scheduled and executed takes some time! Also I think USNA1985 made a great point that USNA would look at the comments and see if they are justifiable. I once did not recommend a candidate (for other reasons more pressing than this) and that candidate ended up with an offer of appointment. I don't think he accepted, though (which validated my recommendation).
 
My DD was a college reapplicant as well. She had to fly home to do her BGO interview the weekend of martin luther king day (2 jan 19 weekend). She was notified of her appointment 2 feb 15 and received BFE 25 feb 15. It appears they were ready with offer just waiting BGO interview to be checked off the list with no obvious red flags. All else was in and her BGO was not available during Xmas break.
 
Seems weird to me. I don't know if BGOs monitor social media for their candidates, but can you think back if there was anything posted on social media by you that might have changed his opinion of you? My kids are D1 level athletes and their club coaches hammer into them to keep their social media clean because potential coaches monitor them on players they are interested in.
 
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