Does a Candidate's Parent's status matter?

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AMac

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So does the status of your parents or their backgrounds hold any weight when it comes to consideration for candidacy? If you are from a single parent home, if you have never spoken to one of your parents, if one of your parents have been or are in jail. maybe you have a parent that has a drug problem.

This may be a stupid and undesirable question, but I am curious as to how that affects a candidate. I don't mean to offend either. I was told that they treat each candidate as an adult and don't care about anything but the candidate.
 
AMac said:
So does the status of your parents or their backgrounds hold any weight when it comes to consideration for candidacy? If you are from a single parent home, if you have never spoken to one of your parents, if one of your parents have been or are in jail. maybe you have a parent that has a drug problem.

This may be a stupid and undesirable question, but I am curious as to how that affects a candidate. I don't mean to offend either. I was told that they treat each candidate as an adult and don't care about anything but the candidate.
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I don’t know if there are points awarded for parental status’, but this would be fantastic essay material to show grit. Determination. Forward thinking. That they LOVE to see in a candidate. It’s an opportunity to show the skills and characteristics you possess that make you who you are. Combined with everything else this will add to a profile, imo!
 
I asked this question because I know some really good young men and women who are smart, athletic and have a lot of potential. They would not apply because they don't want to have to answer questions about their parents or lack thereof.
 
AMac said:
I asked this question because I know some really good young men and women who are smart, athletic and have a lot of potential. They would not apply because they don't want to have to answer questions about their parents or lack thereof.
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Not every military officer grows up with silver spoons, generals for dads, and driving BMWs to school. I agree with @justdoit19 in that the kid’s circumstances growing up makes for a great essay. Climbing from a difficult situation to a service academy or other route to a commission speaks to a strength not found in everybody.
 
AMac said:
I asked this question because I know some really good young men and women who are smart, athletic and have a lot of potential. They would not apply because they don't want to have to answer questions about their parents or lack thereof.
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I actually feel pretty strongly that we NEED leaders that can empathize with the struggles that many have!! And overcoming struggle and things that may inhibit a person from maybe doing their best (maybe academically) actually shows grit and determination. They want leaders of all in their charge. How fantastic to be able to connect on a deeper level to people who have been through “stuff”.

Keep in mind they are looking for leaders. Not just smart. Not just athletic. Not just great kids. But leaders. Demonstrated leadership despite their barriers (parents) will go far. There are always NAPS offers, too.

Don’t know if ‘ya don’t try!! I think honestly this is one of the pitfalls of the forums. From reading, it would be hard to think a person competitive
with the super-duper resumes posted here. But they look at the WHOLE PERSON. Leadership despite the barriers you discussed would be something that makes a candidate stand out, for sure.
 
Admissions looks to assemble a diverse class. In addition to diversity's usual meaning, SA's also consider candidates from other family situations as being from a diverse background; single-parent households, 1st family member to go to college, someone raising siblings, working in store/farm so can't have a stellar community service/athletic resume as single/both parents work, homeschooled, etc.
If you read some of the essays describing the family situations from which candidates have succeeded in overcoming (truly heartbreaking), you would sign them up right away because they not only display leadership, but apply it personally & successfully when they can overcame their challenges.
 
If memory serves, I think the only specific question about parents is “any attend a SA?” Or could be if they graduated college...maybe it’s if you are a ‘first to go to college’ question. But something along those lines. They will be their own adult selves. Parents don’t matter anymore!

Not sure if any of that stuff you wondered about comes up on the security questionnaire or not.
 
I don't know if parental status adds points or is taken into consideration for class diversity. I can tell you that, as an interviewer for new officer accessions in the Navy, I use family status to add context to the review process if needed. I don't think an admissions committee would dive too deeply into family history unless the candidate raised the particular issue in an essay. It is YOUR performance that the committee considers, not your parents'. Although sometimes true, one cannot automatically assume that growing up with one parent was harder than growing up with 2, or that never knowing one parent was a disadvantage. Therefore, giving points for parental status, without further elaboration by the candidate, seems speculative and is not consistent with assigning a WCS. Be careful writing about family members. You have a word limit to convince the committee that YOU are ready to lead.
 
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It shouldn't be a factor in the Admissions process, unless the Applicant makes it one ...there is an opportunity to explain how you overcame adversity et. Once of greatest things about USNA is the diversity of the class...sure, there are kids who grew up with a silver spoon, best schools , etc., but there are plenty who just came from the farm in rural Timbuktu or grew up in single family homes. As someone pointed out, one of the goals of Admissions (and Navy Officer accessions programs in general)., is to make the officer corps reflect the sailors we lead. It's not perfect, largely because that sharp young kid from a troubled background doesn't think he/she can get admitted... As I have often said here, 100% of those who don't try won't get admitted.

JustDoIt did mention the impact on a security clearance., As a general rule, I would not expect that a young officer would be held back by the sins of their Parents, particularly if they are open and honest about it if asked. Background investigations for Security Clearances can be very probing (depending upon the level of clearance required for your position) The objective is not to make the officer uncomfortable, but rather to identify any issues that an adversary could exploit in order to cause a compromise of confidential information. For example, is there a deep dark family secret that would cause the officer to choose to compromise information in order to keep the matter secret. Like other aspects of life, honesty is the best policy, and if you are upfront with the investigator, a parent's background shouldn't impact security clearances.
 
AMac said:
I asked this question because I know some really good young men and women who are smart, athletic and have a lot of potential. They would not apply because they don't want to have to answer questions about their parents or lack thereof.
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I only recall 3 times my son had to mention parents:

1. When seeking a Presidential Nomination based on my service.

2. When checking the block yes or no...whether parent(s) had attended an Academy.

3. The local Navy BGO sat down with my wife for about 15 minutes prior to an interview.

I don't think # 3 was mandatory, but cannot recall.

So, exposure to family is almost completely up to the applicant...and in those cases, seems very administrative in nature.
 
There was a FB post made by a mother on a SA parents group page just 2 days ago. Her son, an ENS and USNA grad, escorted his sister at her HS ceremony because their father abandoned the family years ago. Over 1,000 'likes' in 24 hours. Never seen so many 'likes' in that short amount of time. I've read about USNA grads and career military whose children have not been accepted to SAs. Two real examples that show that parents' status does not matter.
 
Several years ago this was brought up in a thread on SAF. To paraphrase the answer, "We don't care if your father is a general or if he is in jail. Who are YOU?" I showed this to DD (USMMA) "We've got both."
 
Soldiergriz said:
3. The local Navy BGO sat down with my wife for about 15 minutes prior to an interview.

I don't think # 3 was mandatory, but cannot recall.

So, exposure to family is almost completely up to the applicant...and in those cases, seems very administrative in nature.
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Number 3 is NOT mandatory, I often invite parents to be there for part of the interview but if they are not there or do not want to stay in the room then that is not a problem.

It is common for BGO interviews to include parental occupations and any service experience in the family but those are not mandatory either.

Situations where one or both parents are not present, are disabled, and/or other challenges SHOULD be included in the interview writeup
whenever possible as they can illustrate important strengths of the candidate. I have seen this both as a BGO and as a MOC interviewer
 
I believe that they want make sure that the candidate has a stable and supportive home environment. My guess is that is the limited extent of parents role in the application.
 
The questions about parents are as indicated in one of the posts above. It helps USNA to get a feel for any familiarity with a SA or military life.

We have had many sponsor mids who most definitely did not come from stable or supportive environments. USNA was a path out of a bad environment that allowed them to get their education, have benefits, gain skills and go to a career on graduation, along with serving their country.

Some times a tough situation at home is worth mentioning because of lessons learned, or it helps explain lower levels of participation in ECAs or sports, but demonstrates maturity and responsibility in other areas.
 
I did alumni interviews for my alma mater. I had a student that didn’t appear to have many ECs at all, much less leadership. But we were talking about that…and it turned out that he watched his little brother after school, so he couldn't do traditional after school activities. It turns out his parents were getting divorced and he started to notice his brother falling through the cracks. So he started making sure he did his homework, and also signed him up for a baseball league. He took him to practices and games.

So not only did he babysit his brother, he showed leadership in making sure his brother had opportunities and support.

I would imagine this situation (or a situation where you had to work to help support the family instead of being able to do ECs) makes it clear why you may not have the traditional ECs that others may have.
 
To my knowledge, USNA will not inquire about your family situation in the terms the OP is asking. However, if your family situation has created hardships or challenges OR it has affected your situation (i.e., you have to be the man/woman of the house due to an absent parent), YOU can raise that to USNA. The best ways are through your essay or through discussions with your BGO. But that's your option.

As a BGO, the only time I raise the subject of parents is the following: (1) If I see the person has a Pres nom (thus knowing a parent served), I sometimes will ask what branch or what the parent did (i.e., subs/SWO, Army infantry). It's more curiosity than anything. (2) Sometimes I ask if the candidate's parent or parents is/are supportive of the application. There is no "bad" answer -- if the candidate says "no," I will suggest checking in with the local parents' group or attending the CVW briefing, etc. I also indicate I'm available to answer questions.

There are mids whose parents are multi-millionaires+ and mids whose parents live in a shelter or car. There are mids whose parent(s) are high level public officials or CEOs of Fortune 500 companies and those whose parent(s) who work low-income jobs or are unemployed. And some whose parent(s) are in rehab or jail.

The military is the great equalizer.
 
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