CVW

osdad said:
She should dress comfortably. No need to "dress up". When my Plebe walked in for her CVW last Feb she wore khakis and a sweater top. When she walked out she was in NA sweats.
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I agree that visitors should be comfortable, but remember that during the day on Friday during classes, all the Mids will be in working uniforms - slacks and button down shirts. So, if "comfortable" means slacks/khakis in good repair and a polo shirt or equivalent, I agree. However, IMO "comfortable" doesn't include any clothing that has tattered or frayed edges - even store-bought ones. There is no need for a female visitor to wear a skirt or dress unless she wants to - slacks are fine. Do wear comfortable shoes - there are 122 steps to the top deck of Bancroft, if that's the deck where your candidate ends up!
 
DS definately had a wonderful time this weekend. He was in 30th company and actually did have to go up and down all 122 steps everytime.:thumb:
 
Hey Spanky - my son was in 30th company as well! Just leaving the game after a tailgate afterwards and had a blast. Said it was much more fun than even NASS, which he also loved. Did you (and sbbond) stay for the the game? Sounds like it was a great one! (I'm stuck here at home watching it and now the AF game on ESPN gamecast which is just computer graphics - not the actual game).
 
Guessing you must live closer than us then since they couldn't get a flight out until tomorrow morning! Glad you had a great time!
 
We did not stay for the game. Had to head back to NC. We made a short turn around the yard after he got dropped off. Took his Mom through the museum and snapped a few pics. Truly a great weekend. The brief for the parents was very informative. The tour and STEM brief was awesome. DS is totally pumped.:jump1:
 
Homemade cookies

We will go to CVW right after visiting WP. So, I will need to pick up some goodies to share in Annapolis. Can anyone recommend a local bakery in the downtown area where I can pick up some cupcakes or homemade cookies? I've never been there and can't find anything on the chamber of commerce webpage. Thanks.
 
Lee2015 said:
We will go to CVW right after visiting WP.
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One thing to be prepared for is that CVW is a very different event than a USMA overnight. We were not aware of the difference, so were a bit surprised at CVW. I don't want to sound negative, but our recent side by side comparison may be worth sharing.

The main difference is that there were 200'ish candidates at CVW who were at various stages of their application & interest level.

At a USMA overnight you will only find appointees & LOA holders with complete files who are trying to make a decision on "is it right for me". For DS's USMA overnight, that meant two candidates, plus a handful of visitors there for the morning briefing.

So the briefings & Q&A are held at a very different level. Likewise, the seriousness of the candidates from dress to how they want to spend their time is significantly more focused. At checkin for CVW less than 10% were in any form of slacks & collared shirt. Gym shorts, t-shirts, crocs, flip flops, and 2/3 of them had on hoodies. (you get to watch all the candidates in the auditoriums as they check in). This carried through to the next day, lot's of T--shirts & hoodies on the drags. The girls were not any better than the boys, with tank tops & sports bra's, etc being quite common. All of the above would be OK for hanging out with friends, but not for a college visit!

At USMA overnights, candidates have face time with an admissions rep, easily 30 minutes to an hour, with a focus on how your file is looking and what happens next. And if you are there on an overnight they offer separate time 1:1 with the parents to address any questions. There really was no opportunity for 1:1 time with admissions at CVW. With 200+ kids there, it's just not practical, nor does the schedule allow for it as an exception. The admissions team is there for an auditorium Q&A, with most of the questions being fairly basic around completing files, etc.

The tone of the event is also very different. Our CVW was tied to a football game, which changes the schedule and brings 2-3x more visitors onto the yard than a normal weekend. (There were multiple ship reunions, class reunions, and special ceremonies being held).

At CVW Classes are attended by drags on on Friday morning, which also happens to be a heavy quiz/test time. So of 3 classes attended by DS, all were quizzes/tests and there was no opportunity to see teaching style. This is somewhat luck of the draw, but Fridays are not the best time for class visits. At USMA, 4 classes attended, with one having a quiz.

Because of the pre-football activities many normal Fri aft activities were set aside for a parade. And Sat AM company workout was not held due to PRT, which plebes do not take. So Fri night schedule was changed, normal pizza night cancelled, plebes pretty much had to stay in their room Fri night and Sat AM. Depending on the company, the firsties allowed some of the plebes with drags to use "media" (movies, music, etc). Otherwise, they just hung out & talked.

All of this is better than no exposure at all, but in retrospect, after almost 48 hours onsite, there was no exposure to teaching style, no workouts, no time with admissions, and really not much time outside of bancroft except to walk to/from classes, dining, etc. And many mid's crashed early.

Put another way, DS did not feel like he received a good view into "normal" mid life like he did at USMA. Just too many variances to the schedule due to the game. D

The STEM tour was excellent, an extended version of the one given parents on normal weekend & SLS visits. The yard tour was nice, but many buildings were closed due to the many reunions that occur on football weekends. (Chapel, Memorial hall, etc). All the staff & mids were nice, no problems there.

DS really enjoyed chatting with his mid & room-mates. Exposure to upperclassmen was limited. At USMA the Company CO made time for 1:1 with DS, spending about 20 minutes asking his background, and answering questions. At CVW, the CO stuck his head in Fri night and asked "having fun?", then ducked out to the next room.

If we had it to do over again, we would try to do CVW on a weekend without a football game in the hopes it would be a more normal schedule. And for sure try to avoid a weekend with both a football game & the Annapolis boat show in town!

We all had high hopes for DS to get the same level of exposure as he saw at USMA. And in that regard, I think USNA missed an opportunity for the amount of resources & investment both the school & the parents put into the trip. My read is that CVW is more focused on getting interested kids to finish their files as opposed to really reflect life as a mid. What our DS hoped for was full exposure to really make an informed decision as he's already completed his file. Again, I don't want to sound negative as it was great to be able to attend, just a different form of event.
 
At CVW Classes are attended by drags on on Friday morning, which also happens to be a heavy quiz/test time. So of 3 classes attended by DS, all were quizzes/tests and there was no opportunity to see teaching style. This is somewhat luck of the draw, but Fridays are not the best time for class visits.
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Disappointing indeed--I was hoping my daughter would be able to take the quality of teaching instruction into consideration before making a final decision.
 
That may just be luck of the draw though - my son went to three classes Friday and only had a quiz in one (which he took with the class and got 100 on! :wink: ) and that was only a small portion of the class. If you're really concerned about the effect that the football weekend might have (we thought it was great that my son had that experience!), you could also try to wait for one of the winter CVW's. My older son went last January and they did get more of a normal life feel, but I also felt that by then it was watered down quite a bit. I intentionally wanted son #2 to go as early as he could so he could see life when it was a bit more "harsh". Of course he ended up in a very relaxed company so it didn't exactly turn out that way, but again, a lot of it is just luck of the draw. I do agree that WP offers a great visit program, but still think Navy's is way better than the way AF does it (with orientation being after recognition and around 300-400 kids there a weekend). But I'm also glad that my son had the chance to go now and help get his decision more firmly planted in his mind - even without an LOA or appointment - rather than having to wait until March or whatever like he would likely have to do with WP (if he were applying there). So I think it'll still be a great experience for your daughter and seeing the parade & excitement of a football weekend will be just one more aspect of mid life that she'll get to see!
 
So I think it'll still be a great experience for your daughter and seeing the parade & excitement of a football weekend will be just one more aspect of mid life that she'll get to see!
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Yes! We are very excited about experiencing a Navy football game--bought tickets--great seats.
 
And please don't take me wrong, it's worth going to, and it's the candidate's best shot at learning more about USNA life. We probably had unrealistic expectations given the size of the CVW pool.

Regarding tests, my son wanted to take the tests, but only one teacher offered. And that one was not graded. At USMA, the professor insisted.

My wife & myself had made our own observations about CVW, but let DS draw his own conclusions about the visit. What was interesting is he was pretty much 100% aligned in his observations.

The STEM tour really underscores USNA's technical focus- I've not seen undergrad labs like this in any of the top tier schools we've visited. If the candidate is looking to 5 & dive then move into a technical field, it will be very hard to beat USNA due to this fact alone. Not that USMA & USAFA engineering programs are not also good, just that USNA seems to have an edge.

My read is that if the candidate is either still tire kicking or already 100% sold on USNA no questions asked, they will reach different conclusions. And enjoy the visit not matter what, especially if they like football.

But our need/hope was a bit different. DS is having to make some hard choices, and hoped to gain additional insight beyond the inter-academy rivalries. (Which he did on the USMA visit, and to our surprise, so did my wife & I from a parent view)

No matter what, when you spend time on campus like USNA & USMA, then tour a civvy campus (Johns Hopkins, etc) you realize how any of the service academies are premier institutions that would be great choices.
 
True Story - Question from drag to host plebes.

"Do you guys smoke any weed around here?"

Huh????? Needless to say, the drag received a less than sterling write up from his hosts.
 
My son was surprised as well at how many "drags" he spoke to who were NOT serious candidates - who hadn't completed much of their application or who weren't close to passing the CFA, etc. Just seemed strange since I thought being chosen for a CVW was fairly selective!

hawk - please don't feel I was criticizing your (or your son's) perspective as well. I was just trying to point out that even during the same weekend, different candidates would get different views - of companies, classes, activities, etc. Although a year from now, if they all end up as mids, they'll all also be in different companies, classes and activities as well so I guess that's just how it goes! Great if it works out for them to see what they want to in order to meet their interests, and it sounds like WP does a better job of matching them up and attempting to do that on a 1 to 1 basis, but as you said, with 200 candidates (was it that many? My son and husband both said around 150), it's nearly impossible.
 
It was around 150. 13th company is consitently one of the hardest in the brigade and they were still rather relaxed. Or so i thought.:rolleyes:
 
marciemi said:
My son was surprised as well at how many "drags" he spoke to who were NOT serious candidates - who hadn't completed much of their application or who weren't close to passing the CFA, etc. Just seemed strange since I thought being chosen for a CVW was fairly selective!
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Two of my teammates attended CVW and I was concerned because I was not offered one. Makes me wonder who exactly they are targeting with it.
 
Hi Marciemi! I met your husband on Thursday at Mitscher Hall after I dropped off my DD for CVW. It was a pleasure talking to him. I got your card and will pass it on to a set of twin USMA candidates from our local HS. Thank you to your husband for offering to answer any questions they might have!
All the best to your DS during the USNA admissions process, our DD loved her CVW. She got to stay accross the p-way from her brother's room! It was a successful weekend as far as further cementing her decision to go to USNA if offered an appointment (the big IF)
Regards,
 
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My husband mentioned enjoying talking to you as well and getting some of the inside story! Guessing your daughter probably didn't even need the CVW, but it sounds like she, like my son, really enjoyed their time during it. DS feels the same way about the appointment - he's been getting tons of emails from his #1 NROTC school, all trying to convince him he has a big decision to make between there and USNA. He'd feel a whole lot better if he had 1. An acceptance to school #1 (definitely a reach school for him), 2. A NROTC scholarship and 3. An appointment to USNA. All the emails sound like HE's the one making the decision while at this point he's just hoping to have a decision to make! Good luck to your daughter!
 
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