CVW is school?

FØB Zero

Enthusiastically American
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Jul 30, 2019
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I was offered a CVW but I am drowning with my senior year academics. Is it wise that I declined so I could focus on school? Will this appear that I am uninterested to admissions?
 
Look at this a bit differently. It’s not that USNA wants to know how interested you are (they have other ways of figuring that out). It’s that CVW can help you determine how interested you really are in attending.

Many people have visited USNA — via Summer STEM or Summer Seminar or CVW — and decided that the experience reinforced their desire to attend. Others decided it wasn’t for them after all. For the former group, many incorporated the experience into their application essays and interviews — both for appointment and for nomination — to show that they really understood the nature of what they were pursuing.

So look at it not as something that will make you look good. Look at it as something that will help you understand better. (Another consideration: If your BGO in the interview asks why you didn’t attend CVW and you say it’s because you were swamped with school, how will the BGO perceive your ability to juggle the many competing demands of mid life?)
 
Good thoughts above.

No it will not adversely affect your chances at an offer of appointment, if you turn down an invite to a CVW (Candidate Visit Weekend).
 
What is the difference between CVW and Admissions Candidate Tour? I got invited to the FTF Tour. Is that something that we all get invited to? I am really excited to go out and see it in person. I had no idea that there were different types of visits.
 
normally, the CVW is an onsite visit, Thu-Sat. you would be paired up with a mid (usually a plebe), and stay in their room, go to classes, go to meals and go to extracurricular activities together. you get a very good sense of what it is like on the inside, and spend a lot of time with mids, and have a lot of opportunity to ask questions and generally experience the culture.

this year, the onsite tours are very different. they are a few hours long , will give you access to many areas on the yard, including classrooms (Hopper Hall), King Hall, Brown Fieldhouse and others, but the tour will be led by a new Ensign or 2nd Lt, and you will not have any access to or interaction with any Mids.

this is all due to COVID restrictions. the space if very limited, and the onsite tours are by invitation only
 
What is the difference between CVW and Admissions Candidate Tour?

To be clear , the traditional CVW where you stay in the Hall and get to interact with Midshipmen is not being offered this fall. The Candidate Tour is being offered as an exception to the rule that the Yard is closed to visitors. The Campus Tour sounds a lot like the orientation tours that other colleges put on. Frankly, unless you live within an easy drive of Annapolis or are already on the East Coast touring other colleges, the tour is probably not worthwhile.

I don't think USNA Admissions really cares whether you attend NASS, a CVW, or the Admissions Tour. All of these programs are awareness and promotional programs, intended to attract the best candidates that we can get. If you are one of those candidates that has "wanted to attend USNA all of our life", you really aren't the target audience. The target audience is the candidate who is on the fence, trying to decide if he/she wants to commit to a Service Academy instead of taking that Ivy scholarship.
 
this is all due to COVID restrictions. the space if very limited, and the onsite tours are by invitation only
Who decides whether an invitation is made?

The target audience is the candidate who is on the fence, trying to decide if he/she wants to commit to a Service Academy instead of taking that Ivy scholarship.
Is it worth trying to get an invitation? Is there even a way to increase the chance to get an invitation? Does this mean that only the Candidate who seems like his or her Ivy stats may result in his or her being on the fence is going to get an invite? If that is the case, is an invitation an indication a candidate may not be viewed as serious?

Appreciate all of the BGO input.
 
My opinion: GO.

If you are offered an IN PERSON CVW, however modified it is, then I would GO.

This is a rare opportunity and much more limited than in the past. Keep an open mind and really "see" what it is like in a Covid environment. Unlike civilian college, you can't just leave any time you feel like it. It is a good way to experience what it is like, and ask questions. If you are open to USNA as well as other SAs, GO. You may not get to visit other SAs in person.
 
Is it worth trying to get an invitation? Is there even a way to increase the chance to get an invitation? Does this mean that only the Candidate who seems like his or her Ivy stats may result in his or her being on the fence is going to get an invite? If that is the case, is an invitation an indication a candidate may not be viewed as serious?

> You are over thinking it here. First, USNA really doesn't know where else you are applying for schools. The formula for who is qualified for an Ivy and a Service Academy is pretty close, so we are targeting the same kids. To be honest, nobody really knows what triggers USNA Admissions to offer a CVW sua sponte. That said, if you want to do a CVW -- ask your BGO, and he/she can recommend it.

If you are offered an IN PERSON CVW, however modified it is, then I would GO.
> Easy decision if you live within an easy drive of Annapolis, in which case the Candidate has already been through the Yard and this visit really doesn't add much to the decision making process. It is a bit harder decision if you live in the Midwest, or even harder in the West -- do you really want to fly out for a couple hour tour ? There is very little that you can see or do that you can't do online now.
 
@Old Navy BGO , upon further reflection, I DO agree with you! It is not just my opinion, but perhaps an extreme prejudice to taking any in-person opportunities that while a priority for the HCopter, our situation, etc... may not be realistic, practical, or financial sound for other candidates. So I will partially backtrack and add that caveat - that any CVW attendance decision should also be weighted against the RPFS criteria.

CVW of my DD isn't CVW today. But this is what you get - a few hours vs. overnights in the past. This is the "Current market price", or at least for now. When it comes to my DDs, the answer is almost always yes, as long as they are doing the most with what is available. Likewise for parents is the same -so far I have made the usual pilgrimages to COS but with no guarantees of seeing my DD until the last minute.
 
> You are over thinking it here. First, USNA really doesn't know where else you are applying for schools. The formula for who is qualified for an Ivy and a Service Academy is pretty close, so we are targeting the same kids. To be honest, nobody really knows what triggers USNA Admissions to offer a CVW sua sponte. That said, if you want to do a CVW -- ask your BGO, and he/she can recommend it.


> Easy decision if you live within an easy drive of Annapolis, in which case the Candidate has already been through the Yard and this visit really doesn't add much to the decision making process. It is a bit harder decision if you live in the Midwest, or even harder in the West -- do you really want to fly out for a couple hour tour ? There is very little that you can see or do that you can't do online now.
Thank you.
 
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