CVW x 2

O

Overwhelmed

5-Year Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2018
Messages
354
If a candidate recieves an appointment but still is undecided are there any other admissions programs besides CVW? For instance, can a candidate make another visit and speak to department heads? Does USNA have a list of contacts in different branches that candidates can contact to ask questions?
 
I’ll answer obliquely. Plebes and every class get multiple briefs about majors, career paths, types of jobs, duty stations, opportunity for Master’s (many!), school pipelines, required commitments, etc. They will interact with Navy and Marine officers in the classroom, on the Commandant’s staff, in PE classes, on athletic teams, in ECAs. All sports teams and ECAs have an officer or senior enlisted rep assigned. There are hundreds of opportunities to ask questions of all kinds. Helping mids find their path to Service selection is one of the most enjoyable aspects of being assigned to USNA for duty as an officer or senior enlisted. Summer training is designed to expose mids to career paths and additional serving officers to help inform mids about career paths, warfare platforms, lifestyle.

Don’t forget a mid can attend the first two years and walk away with no obligation at any point, with a nice handful of transferable credits if they have done well.

I would venture to say most mids attend with an idea that something about the immersion military environment appeals to them, they could see themselves down the road in a ship or in a plane, and they know they are jumping into a leadership lab that is a hard, hard path.
And not much more than that!

Military officers have to learn how to make decisions without 100% of the info they would like to have, while performing operational risk analysis. They learn to work through the discomfort, adjust on the fly, acknowledge incorrect choices, adjust their decisions, deal with uncertainty, listen to their gut and their head, be accountable.

It is indeed a huge decision to attend USNA or any SA or other program. It is not irreversible, and the time will not be wasted. The system is designed to take in 1100-1200 mids a year; attrition, both voluntary and involuntary, is built in. Will your son or daughter always regret not at least giving it a try? Has anything changed from those heartfelt essays and earnest responses in interviews? Time to try those wings, know there is a A LOT of help out there, and if it truly is not a good fit, other paths are still open.

There will be plenty of What The Heck Have I Done moments, but then the sweet feel of achievement and exciting paths ahead.

Feel free to send along any burning questions, no question too “stupid,” and the many kind grads and others on here will do their best to help.

There is plenty of information online about career paths as well.
 
Now that I have said all that, let me shine a light on the elephant in the room.

Every year, there are appointees who got caught up in the thrill of the chase - acing interviews, racking up a great CFA, scoring noms, etc. Familial pressure increases - parents are proudly sharing the news and rejoicing in elimination of tuition payouts, Old Grad Grandpa is beaming and telling sea stories, Old Grad Aunt Sal is already planning her visits and has volunteered to do a private oath-taking. There are newspaper articles and photo ops with MOCs. School officials are excited. Everyone is treating this is a done deal.

Inside the appointee, though, is a growing feeling of uh-oh, but they can’t see a way off the rollercoaster and facing all the disappointed and questioning faces.

Sometimes asking more and more questions at this point, or stalling, or being stuck, can be an indication of something more than the normal apprehension about the unknown that is now quite real and only a few months away.

Every year, there are appointees who don’t show, who walk into Alumni Hall and walk out on I-Day, who leave during Plebe Summer. Many could not find the words in the previous months to say “mom, dad, I know this is crazy, and we’ve been on this journey for years, but I just don’t think I want this now.”

Really listen to your appointee, show the love, open the door for consequence-free deep discussion.
 
Overwhelmed said:
If a candidate recieves an appointment but still is undecided are there any other admissions programs besides CVW? For instance, can a candidate make another visit and speak to department heads? Does USNA have a list of contacts in different branches that candidates can contact to ask questions?
Click to expand...
I think your candidate should contact Admissions and ask them for other opportunities to visit and meet with people prior to making a commitment. It is way better to make a decision early on than to make a mistake. There are many other candidates who will not get an appointment, but wish they had. If your candidate is on the fence, then he/she should confirm their feelings one way or the other before taking the leap -- and taking a spot from someone else.
 
DS is doing his due diligence in this process. He earned it.
Initially, attending a service academy was his plan A and ROTC was his plan B like most of candidates on this forum.
That was until he was accepted to a top Ivy with a 4 year ROTC scholarship. He completely understands how fortunate he is to have two great opportunities. He has till May 1st to decide. He just wants to gather as much information as possible to make the best informed decision as any future officer should. Nobody is pushing him into this. If anything it is the opposite.
 
swrakow said:
taking a spot from someone else
Click to expand...

Please do not let taking a spot from someone else factor into your decision. The USNA knows there will be come appointees that will decline their offers -- they know their historic yield of offers vs. acceptances and makes adjustments through the process. It is your spot! Take the time necessary (within established deadlines) to determine if the USNA is the best fit for you.

Good luck.
 
FMHS-79 said:
swrakow said:
taking a spot from someone else
Click to expand...

Please do not let taking a spot from someone else factor into your decision. The USNA knows there will be come appointees that will decline their offers -- they know their historic yield of offers vs. acceptances and makes adjustments through the process. It is your spot! Take the time necessary (within established deadlines) to determine if the USNA is the best fit for you.

Good luck.
Click to expand...
I think you misunderstood my point. The candidate can and should take all the time needed to decide - even up to May 1st. It's the candidate that accepts and then drops out on I-Day or shortly thereafter that takes a spot from someone else. I hope that clears up my position.
 
@swrakow That's not the issue here.
This is about academics and leadership. One route emphasizes leadership and the other emphasizes academics.
This forum has gotten us this far. I am just looking for everyone's 2 cents because I value everyone's opinion. If we would of listened to the recruiters 18 months ago we would of given up. They told my DS he didn't have a chance for a medical waiver.
 
Honestly might be worth visiting both (again it sounds like) and one will speak to him more than likely. Also, his BGO might be able to give him some current Mids from your area that he can reach out to for info. I have a great candidate this year who has more options than he knows what to do with. He was USNA all the way, but his appointment came last out of the 6 or so offers he has. I put him in touch (with permission) with a Mid who grew up a few miles from him that I was the BGO for last year. It helped seal the deal for him.
 
He met his BGO once and never heard back again. I don't know if that is normal or not.
 
@Overwhelmed, it is indeed an overwhelming decision for some. In the end, I do believe it comes down to a feeling. A feeling of belonging — or not belonging — that can be hard to describe. A feeling that one is among “his/her people” and that one can see himself/herself with these people for the struggles and triumphs ahead. Yes, one can visit with countless people and ask endless questions. But at some point, the brain can no longer compute and decision criteria have been, ahem, overwhelmed. So it’s back to that feeling. And as @Capt MJ said, all future officers must learn to make decisions with imperfect information. That practice can start now.
 
It’s not unheard of for them to never hear from his BGO. Lots of threads on BGO involvement and different views. If he has questions then by all means reach out to them or the Area Coordinator. If he has specific questions about being a Mid or a certain warfare community the BGO or AC could help to use the network to make that connection.
 
swrakow said:
It's the candidate that accepts and then drops out on I-Day or shortly thereafter that takes a spot from someone else.
Click to expand...

This is often stated here, but its not really true..and really no different than the person who gets an Offer of Appointment and then declines. USNA makes offers knowing they aren't going to get 100% acceptance , and even initial class size is set based upon projection of Navy/Marine Corps O-1 needs 4 years later, knowing that there will be some attrition. (As a side note, attrition these days is very low--much lower in than in my day, and there is always a lot of discussion among old grads whether we are doing a better job selecting or have things gotten softer; I suspect a little of both).

I get the sentiment...and remember thinking what a waste is was when someone dropped out when I was a Midshipman. However, the only person who is taking a slot from someone is the kid that is applying to the Naval Academy and really has no intention of attending or serving, but is merely applying to collect a notch on his/her belt.
 
LOL applying to get a notch on their belts?!?

What idiot would go through what my DS and I went thought the past number of months for a notch?

That was nerve wracking!
 
Ramgoat18 said:
A1Janitor said:
LOL applying to get a notch on their belts?!?

What idiot would go through what my DS and I went thought the past number of months for a notch?

That was nerve wracking!
Click to expand...

Lol. The same kids that apply to every service academy
Click to expand...

LOL I thought those were candidates not sure if they would get in to their preferred choice so they hedged their bets!

If we had to do it again ... we would have gone for Army and AF if we knew what the waiver wait would be like!
 
If you have a potential medical issue it makes sense to apply to as many programs as possible. It is a ton of work but it's worth it if you receive one waiver.
 
A1Janitor said:
LOL applying to get a notch on their belts?!?

What idiot would go through what my DS and I went thought the past number of months for a notch?

That was nerve wracking!
Click to expand...
If a kid is doing it just for the notch on their belt, then the process isn't nerve wracking at all. I think they have a whole lot of wasted free time on their hands, however...
 
Mom of a 2022 Mid. Our family has no military background so you know where we are coming from. My DS had both - an appointment and a NROTC scholarship to his top school which is also one of the top engineering schools in the country. Ultimately he knew he wanted to be an Navy officer and serve his country. Some of the biggest factors for him: 1)the fact it IS the USNA, 2) that every other person in the class with him was going through the same military training and experience as him (as compared to ROTC where many of your classmates won’t have the same pressures in what is a competitive environment already), 2) small class size and a tremendous amount of academic resources (our DS has told us how incredibly accessible the professors are), 3) leadership/training opportunities during the academic year (panels of Medal of Honor recipients, the CO of the USS Cole when it was attacked, witness to a ship Commissioning, just to name a few), 4) camaraderie with your squad and company, 5) the traditions and history (Army-Navy), etc. There is a prestige attending USNA coupled with your five years of service that puts USNA grads on par (and some would say more employable and highly attractive to employers) when they decide to come out the fleet. For my DS, he is doing great, knows he is where he was meant to be and less than 100 days to Herndon!!
 
Last edited:
Proudmama1103 said:
Mom of a 2022 Mid. Our family has no military background so you know where we are coming from. My DS had both - an appointment and a NROTC scholarship to his top school which is also one of the top engineering schools in the country. Ultimately he knew he wanted to be an Navy officer and serve his country. Some of the biggest factors for him: 1)the fact it IS the USNA, 2) that every other person in the class with him was going through the same military training and experience as him (as compared to ROTC where many of your classmates won’t have the same pressures in what is a competitive environment already), 2) small class size and a tremendous amount of academic resources (our DS has told us how incredibly accessible the professors are), 3) leadership/training opportunities during the academic year (panels of Medal of Honor recipients, the CO of the USS Cole when it was attacked, witness to a ship Commissioning, just to name a few), 4) camaraderie with your squad and company, 5) the traditions and history (Army-Navy), etc. There is a prestige attending USNA coupled with your five years of service that puts USNA grads on par (and some would say more employable and highly attractive to employers) when they decide to come out the fleet. For my DS, he is doing great, knows he is where he was meant to be and less than 100 days to Herndon!!
Click to expand...

Absolutely spot on here. It’s hard to put into perspective these things that occur at USNA outside the ‘educational’ part. In my own plebes first couple of months he was part of Senator McCains funeral. Attended speeches from medal of honor recipients. Spoke with WW vets as part of their Honor Flight experience. Visited the Holocaust museum with his company. Met (and got a coveted picture with) THE GOAT Roger Staubach. Marched through the streets of Annapolis, celebrated by the community. Part of the first ever commissioning of a Naval vessel at USNA.

All of the above were things we (he) had no idea he would be a part of. And all of it has already had an impact on who he is. So while it’s pretty cool stuff on its own, it all has an effect on who he is becoming.

I also think the academies at USNA are top notch. I would challenge the thought that they are not.

DS was in the same position, with multiple amazing opportunities of ROTC and USNA. He was all ROTC at first, uNtil he spoke with his military Retired Colonel USAF Uncle (ROTC). Who pointed out the leadership focus and training is the best in the world at a SA. DS made the best choice for him, he is certain.

My point in posting is that there is more to USNA than one can know. Hopefully he has a gut feeling. Such a hard decision! Good luck!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top