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hdhouse3rd

10-Year Member
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Jun 8, 2006
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Well my son will be heading to AIM in a month, with hopes of a possible appointment this fall. Here to all that follow.
 
Does USCGA have any way of finding alumni? I have a number of NAPS classmates I'd love to hunt down.
 
hdhouse3rd, are you the dad from hagerstown? What week is your son going to AIM?
 
Guilty, dad from Hagerstown.

He was fortunate to get into week 2 of AIM. Are you going to AIM and what week?

Be nice to hear of others headed up to AIM.
 
Doting dad from Newville Pa.. Alot (most) of my family is from your area, Clearspring, Hagerstown, Smithburg Md.. My boy is going to AIM session II also.
Surfing to see if I can get any inside tips on admission.
 
There is no magic bullet. But here are some thoughts from a father of a current 3/c at the Academy.

1.Your son or daughter has to want this; really want it. They have to do it for themselves, not for you or their family or friends. They are out there on the island by themselves. It's a tough go and many kids leave during swab summer because they don't have the "fire in the belly."

2.That said, AIM is a good opportunity for them to find out if the CGA is for them. It will give them a taste of what swab summer is like and what the school has to offer.

3.If they're still interested after AIM, they should go to work right away on their application, which is done on line. Application for early action is a good idea if your son is a strong candidate, i.e. good academics, athletics, leadership. But even if he isn't taken in the early round, he still has a decent chance to get in. That's what happened with my son.

4.If he is a good enough athlete to play on the collegiate varsity level, he should contact the coach in his sport. Send stats, coaches endorsement, clippings and tape if available. The coach can put in a good word with admissions.

5.He should continually update his file as awards and achievements are attained in his senior year. This can help his chances of admission as it comes down to the wire.

6.He should keep in shape throughout the summer into next school year. Take the CFA sometime in the fall.

7.He should stay out of any legal trouble and keep up his senior year grades.

Good luck to him. If you or he should have questions, feel free to post or pm me.
 
This academy quest was his idea, I'm just helping out by being his agent per se as are alot of parents surfing these service academy web sites. I just advise and pass along the information. He's just not into forums. I told him if you cut through the bS, he'll find a lot of good inside tips on some of the threads.
You mentioned something about sending info to the coaches. You see he recieved letters from Coach George and Coach Rose with attached player questionaires asking for info. On the football questionare it asked something about game tapes. He could probably jump thru some hoops to get some from last year's games from his HS Football coach, but this late in the school year its tough. Do you think it would be wise to go ahead and suggest that he finishes what he can of the questionare and then send tapes and any other missing info at a later date.
Any help what be appreciated Boss.
 
We actually started last fall, had a sit down with the coach after taking the tour of CGA. The soccer coach, Coach Parsons, is what sold my son on CGA. Convinced his mom also he could fit in.

Things to consider, is you son a Div I caliber. No offense but not too many are. Assessing my son, I knew he was not Div I material and if he made a Div I team he would probably sit for most of his college years. Div III he could contribute, possibly as early as his 4th class year but more than likely as a 3rd class.

I would advise talking to his coaches if you can to get game films. With a little assistance you probably could copy them onto a DVD or video tape for a highlight reel. HS coaches are normally pretty accomodating for this request.

Regarding the questionare have him answer what he can. Even have him place a call to the coach or email. Let him know he is interested and will be up for week 2. At this point it is his chance to promote himself to the coaches.

I hear you regarding my kid not having much interest in forums. I read and relay, he benefits I hope. Bottom line is we can not be there for AIM nor Plebe Summer so somewhere along the line they need to make the investment in the process.
 
No,no hdhouse you misunderstood my last post. I was just responding to Bossf51 saying that my boy doesn't do forums and I'm only my kids service academy forum info source.
Anyway thanks for the info it sounds like you know what your talking about. Didn't I see somewhere that you were a coach at HJC or something?
 
Same thing for my son. He doesn't realize that the forums are a great resource. Of course I guess it is our job to advise them still until they decide where they are going to school.

I coached at HJC several years ago, left when they changed the AD.
 
hdhouse, you're lucky to have found these resources for sure. The year my kid was applying, we were soooo alone out there & the kid just flew by the seat of his pants filling out things & figuring out stuff on his own. We would have died to have had some questions answered by those who had gone before us. Trying to get your kid to sit down & read what you know as great information is probably a little hard. They are so busy! Its good for both you & them to just pass along the info & hope it sinks in. Besides, it helps us keep our roles as parents & teachers by staying involved with the process. I found that the worries seemed less the more I found out on the application gaunlet. Good luck you guys! Stay with it & BE EXCITED! You have great kids!
 
repIII said:
Do you think it would be wise to go ahead and suggest that he finishes what he can of the questionare and then send tapes and any other missing info at a later date.
Any help what be appreciated Boss.
Click to expand...

You should send a tape in of his games from this coming fall. Say about three games into the season(late Sept.-early October). This is not too late. They are most interested in senior film anyway. Good luck.
 
My son just got into USCGA. He is very excited. He is still, however, awaiting word on USNA. Everything I read about the USCGA and the people I talk with makes me think it would be a better fit for him. The USCGA has been very personalized in its approach, which has really impressed me. The USNA, not so much. I have had to prod him on occasion about the concept of contingency plans (NROTC scholarship and the numerous colleges with NROTC programs he has applied to), as the value of a "plan B" should not be underestimated.

Also, my son is a second time applicant, and was turned down by USCGA, USNA, and NROTC last year. I have to give him a lot of credit, because he shunned traditional universities offering excellent scholarships last year and decided to go to prep school to make his dream of an SA come true. He worked hard and reached his goals--a 33 on the ACT (from a 28), a 4.0 at his prep school, and outstanding fitness scores. He has also matured so much, which will no doubt help him as a swab or plebe. I suppose my point overall is to let him own it, as the journey can take him to some special places of character and determination, which I have witnessed through my son.

While I have to admit that I am proud of him, I am even more happy FOR him. Enjoy the ride!
 
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