We will go to CVW right after visiting WP.
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.