Frayed Nerves and Urinary Incontenance

[SubSquid]

I have been looking for a quality forum for applicants and parents for over a year now and have just found you all!

Like many of you parents and applicants, we are "patiently" waiting for the positive envelope from Admissions. My son is like your children, dedicated and commited to attending the Naval Academy. Other schools making offers and holding out carrots but his only desire is Canoe U.

Look forward to hearing all of your success stories and pray that my son can add his name to the class of 2011

 

[RetNavyHM]

Whew.. there for a second I was worried for whatever applicant had these issues..

Here's hoping the envelope of good tidings is on its way!

 

[WAMom68]

Subsquid - I'm a future USMA parent but your header caught my eye...thanks for the laugh, I needed it today. I have the frayed nerves but not the urinary incontenance (yet). Welcome to the forum!

 

[Zaphod]

For a moment I thought the spammers were back...

 

[SubSquid]

Never had Spam

Zaphod

Sorry for the start! We're down to the last minute and Mom and Dad really want to get out of the Depends! Candidate is doing relatively well, all considered.
He did a CVW two weeks ago. Meet in person the Sprint Football Coach with whom he's had an ongoing conversation. Very excited about the challenge and opportunity. The MIDN that he was hooked up with is a superstar. Lettered with The Sprint team as a 4/c, taking Calc 4, and totally squared away.
As alway in a long distance race like this, the final stretch is the hardest. Thanks for your support

 

[jamzmom]

SubSquid, its in the service academy parent's manual (pg. 14) that you continue to wear them for the next four years. The days & nights are tough while waiting. Hang in there. If drinking isn't your thing, then eat chocolate by the five lb. bag. I recall I did both while we waited until the 27th with our kid. I plan sitting right here until the day when you'll give us the good news. FINGERS CROSSED!

Awesome thread title by the way.

 

[SubSquid]

Hey Jamz!

Great! If sonny boy does get the appointment, I'll be there on "I" Day weighing 300 pounds, chocolate on my face, a "Jack" hangover, and soggy britches.

Still no thin #10 envelope. Guess that's a positive. Reading other threads that indicate that NAPS/Foundation are not offered to the candidates who are 3Q'ed with Nom and waiting in the National Pool. That is understandable but unfortunate. It was part of the decision tree that we put together about two weeks ago to plan out alternate strategies.

Just wondering if anyone has a statistic on second attempts?

 

[jamzmom]

If sonny boy does get the appointment, I'll be there on "I" Day weighing 300 pounds, chocolate on my face, a "Jack" hangover, and soggy britches.

Atta way to hang tough! You've got the basic concept down to a science. You bring back such fond memories!

Will let the "officials" give you the stats on 2nd try applicants but know that the chances do go up after doing that first year of college.

 

[SubSquid]

Unfortunatly this will be our last post. Received the thin #10 envelope this afternoon. Needless to say the lad is pretty crushed. He had received a lot of positive feedback from the Sprint Coach and CGO while he was in Annapolis for the CVW. Thought he was going to make the cut.

Good luck to all of the Midshipmen, parents, and, moderators who have been so supportive. Sure wish we had found this forum in the begining!

Fair winds and following seas!

 

[RetNavyHM]

Sorry to hear about that SubSquid. I'm sure he did everything in his power to get the appointment, and I'm sure he's learned a ton, not that thats any comfort to him at this point. Just remember there is next year if he wishes to try again!

 

[jamzmom]

Unfortunatly this will be our last post.

You have great sympathy here that the thin envelope came. You know where to find us when your son recovers & decides he wants to try it again. Never say never!

 

[Whistle Pig]

Trite and true, his oyster world still holds many pearls awaiting his discovery. He'll be searching for them soon, I'm betting. Good luck. Keep us posted about his plans wherever they lead. We're betting on him.

 

[Just_A_Mom]

Sorry to hear the heartbreaking news. If your son's dream is to attend USNA he should indeed be encouraged to try again.
A year can seem like a lifetime in the life of a young adult. This is where our perspective as adults and parents comes in. Sure he could go NROTC and be commissioned a year earlier - but he would have missed out on reaching his goal. Along this bumpy road I keep reminding myself that I would feel badly if my daughter said in 15 or 20 years that she wished someone had encouraged her to keep reaching for her goal.
Best wishes and don't be afraid to try again!

 

[USNA69]

SubSquid,

Enquiring (pun intended) minds want to know, were you a substandard sailor or were you a bubble head? Or perhaps even a substandard bubble head? I have a Woop friend who, while on vacation, stole a menu from a restaurant named 'Squids' and mailed it to me. Some people will take huge risks and go to great lengths to be obnoxious.

Don't give up on us here. If your son truly wants to go to USNA, his second look is brighter. To the best of my knowledge, statistics on second attempts are one of admissions "closely guarded secrets", but, trust me, they are better than the first time around. Almost a third of each class has a year or more of post-high school education.

First off, when the dust settles from this years admissions cycle, call the CGO and get a good debrief. Check in with your BGO, however the CGO is best prepared to give you 'official' data. There are many reasons other than academics to cause one to rank low in scholastic qualifications.

Secondly, attend a good university and take a minimum of 15 hours per semester to include calculus, chemistry, and English composition, maintaining at least a grade of 'B'.

Discuss the necessity of SAT/ACT retakes with the CGO.

Stay active in leadership and extracurricular activities.

If the school has a ROTC unit, attempt to enroll. I think it is probably too late but the GWOT is causing some rules and regs to be bent a little.

Good luck. Stick around.

 

[SubSquid]

USNA69:

Take a look at the avatar. That is the USS Sam Rayburn SSB(N) 635. She is now razor blades! She was my second Boomer. The port side hatches are open but you can't read what's written on them.
B-E-A-T-A-R-M-Y. Starboard read G-O-O-N-A-V-Y-! I was a nuc MM and "resigned" my enlistment as an E-7 selectee in '78 after six years of Drills, WSRT's, ORSE boards and qualifications to EOOW on one boat.

The candidate is one to keep his emotions well contained. We believe that he may have kept his white hot desire to become a midshipman too much to himself. He is also competing in a very competitive area, New Jersey. On Thursday when he got the thin #10 was not a day of reflection and reconsideration. I took a look at the "2nd try" stats fron the Class of 2010 Profile and if, you peel back the onion, they don't support the premise that a second try, unless the candidate is NAPS or Foundation, is any better than first try.

• 66 additional students have completed at least six months
of study at a college or university (60) or a private preparatory
school (6). (Class of 2010 Profile)

Compared to the number admitted from the NAPS/Foundation Programs:

• 233 from Navy Academy Preparatory School (NAPS) in
Newport, R.I.;
• 61 from the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation Program
(57 from preparatory schools and 4 from colleges under
Foundation sponsorship) (Class of 2010 Profile)

It's hard to determine a probability because all of the "pool" numbers are not known. What the front number shows is that only 5% of the class comes from an outside College/University source and that number only assumes that these candidates are "second time" applicants. I don't know that I can, with good conscience, recomend a second dip at the trough. I don't think I could handle my son having his heart ripped out a second time.

In addition, he was being recruited to a number of top flite universities for athletics. He is a lad of very high integerty. He informed all of the admissions staff and coaching staff that Navy was his first choice. He would not "spin" the truth to secure slots at any of his university choices. The consequence was that three of the best schools pulled their offers and he was denied admission to those schools. He has an offer from another school in central PA and is persuing that avenue.

I know that when all of the chicken feathers clear the air, he will probably persue a second opportunity at the Academy. However, I fear that he will not have the fever on the second try that he had on the first. Matter of fact, I just peeked at his mail box and it looks like he did the PreApp.

Again, thanks to every one for the kind words and support.

I will continue to be an "observer" and, as necessary, update everyone on the progress. I do have one question. Since the Foundation was not specifically noted on the appointment denial, is that an opportunity that is still in play?

Thanks to all! Remember: There are only two types of ships in the world-Targets and Submarines!

 

[USNA69]

Take a look at the avatar. That is the USS Sam Rayburn SSB(N) 635.

Sorry, I will have to get my glasses checked. I thought it was some type of outdoor portapotty system with the lids all lined up for some sort of inspection.

To the best of my knowledge, statistics on second attempts are one of admissions "closely guarded secrets", but, trust me, they are better than the first time around.

I took a look at the "2nd try" stats fron the Class of 2010 Profile and if, you peel back the onion, they don't support the premise that a second try..........is any better than first try

Okkkkkkkkkkkaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy, don't trust me. You were correct in your follow-on analysis. There is no statistical data at all to support your premise. How many of these 60 were first attempts? Second attempts? You have no clue. How large was the pool of post-secondary college or university applicants? Again, you have no idea. So, theoretically, from the Class of 2010 profile, odds could be anywhere from slightly over 0% to 100%. So, based on absolutely no valid information, you are probably going to advise your candidate to not try again. Is this being a responsible parent? I don't think so. Somewhere down the road, if your candidate truly wants to reapply, and is seeking your advice, I trust that you will find a way to trust someone.

Candidates who go before the admissions board and are deemed scholastically qualified are not eligible for NAPS or Foundation.

 

[SubSquid]

USNA69;

I apologize if I offended you. Just spelling out that with the information given, there is no way of making a quantitative assumption. I have no reason not to trust your intuition and knowledge gained from your status as an Alumni and BGO. Indeed I respect that and will incorporate your wisdom into the decision tree.

Thank you for the bottom line on the Foundation.

 

[USNA69]

You did not offend me at all. Just wanted to make sure you, as a parent, were not giving your candidate unsubstantiated advice. I don't think there are any numbers out there from which you can deduce probabilities of second-time applications. All packages are different. However, with that stated, a candidate who is at the lower rung of the triple qualified group due to barely adequate academics with an average package elsewhere, demonstrates desire, perserverance, and academic competency by successfully completing a year of college and reapplying.

 

[usna1985]

I would echo all that USNA69 said and reiterate only that your son, should he decide to reapply, should make every effort to figure out the perceived weakness of his package. It doesn't make a lot of sense to send in essentially the same package a second time in the hopes that something will magically change.

Generally, problems relate to (1) SAT/ACTs, (2) grades, especially in science/math, (3) leadership, and/or (4) athletics. There could be other factors, such as poor recs from teachers. However, it's generally one of the first four. By determining which one(s), your son can spend the next 6 months working on it/them and, therefore, be prepared with a much stronger package next year.

As USNA69 noted, the BGO can make some educated guesses based on his/her experience. But only CGO knows for certain; thus contacting them when things settle down a bit (don't call now) is important.

 

[SubSquid]

Thanks USNA1985 & USNA69 for all of your straight talk.

Candidate was off today due to Nor'Easter in Jersey. Handed me four envelopes to Nomination sources. Guess the decision is made. We want to contact CGO asap but a post by USNA1985 indicated that a wait until July, when the Class of 2011 is done, would be more appropriate. We were going to make contact next week to do a post mortum and realize the weaknesses and begin the strengthening program.

As it stands, he is lock for Franklin and Marshall in Lancaster, PA but is holding a possibility to VATECH. (Yeah, I know, bad timing). Difference is that at F & M he can play D-3 football and continue to keep his Sprint Football aspirations alive while at V-T, he has the ROTC opportunity but not the D-1 football opportunity.

Question: How soon is appropriate in contacting the CGO for a debrief since their determination of his strengths and weaknesses will be very important in making a final collegiate decision.

Hey 69! Those Port-A-Potties can make glass outta the Middle East. The launchers are razor blades but the eggs those birds carried are still floatin' (literally) around!