How long BGO interviews "typically" last?

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auk

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Hello all, I have a question about how long BGO interviews "typically" last. How long did your/your child/etc's BGO interview last?

Mine lasted barely fifteen minutes. It was conducted virtually and I was only asked why I wanted to come to USNA. I am feeling a little apprehensive as I was not asked other questions and was not offered to ask questions (I asked my question after the interview was over but did not ask as many as I wanted to as the interviewer seemed in a hurry), which was quite different from the research I did on the BGO interview and what I heard from midshipmen!

Any BGO interview stories or experiences? Thanks!
 
Current BGO… 15 minutes seems very short. But can’t speak about your BGO and their load of applicants. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to your BGO. Give them a few weeks to respond. If they don’t, contact the AC.
 
Mine take 1 to 2 hrs. depending on the individual and if parents are there for the first 10 minutes. There are mandatory questions and topics to cover, those alone would take me 15 minutes. Before people ask, BGOs are not authorized to disclose mandatory questions. Your interview was very fast.
 
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Agree ..very fast, but maybe depends on how much information he /she already had on you. Did you have prior communications ? For example, I have an interview scheduled later this month, and I have had prior phone calls so already know a bit about the Candidate, so the interview may go quicker than normal. Mine are usually 1-2 hours
 
Mine are usually 1-2 hours. I usually allow parents at my intro and give them a roiling 15 minutes to ask questions. I had one that ran closer to 3 hours once, but they were a home school candidate who had lots of non-traditional things in their app and I wanted to ensure I captured it all to help fill in some gaps.
 
Old Navy BGO said:
Agree ..very fast, but maybe depends on how much information he /she already had on you. Did you have prior communications ? For example, I have an interview scheduled later this month, and I have had prior phone calls so already know a bit about the Candidate, so the interview may go quicker than normal. Mine are usually 1-2 hours
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We only had digital communications about scheduling the interview. I sent them my resume and high school transcript but that was the extent of it.


Don't Give Up the Ship said:
Mine take 1 to 2 hrs. depending on the individual and if parents are there for the first 10 minutes. There are mandatory questions and topics to cover, those alone would take me 15 minutes. Before people ask, BGOs are not authorized to disclose mandatory questions. Your interview was very fast.
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My BGO said they were going to ask me the "required question" which was why I wanted to come to the academy and that was all. Would this be something to be concerned about/contact admissions over?
 
If you're uncomfortable with the 15 minute interview, your next step is to contact the Area Coordinator (AC). AC's names and their contact info. is listed on the USNA website. Other BGO's agree?
 
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Along the same lines, how long should is too long before the BGO decides to conduct the interview? Our DS's BGO has yet to even schedule an interview, and communications have been minimal at best. Is this not a big deal?
 
an654 said:
Along the same lines, how long should is too long before the BGO decides to conduct the interview? Our DS's BGO has yet to even schedule an interview, and communications have been minimal at best. Is this not a big deal?
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Probably not a big deal. He/She will make it so. AC's monitor completion of interviews. Hang tight...some BGOs have many to do ... some not.
 
I agree that an hour+ is the norm. If the candidate is monosyllabic and has zero questions, I've finished in less than 40 minutes. But I also look at the interview as an opportunity for me to inform the candidate about USNA. At the end, I always ask my candidates if there is anything we haven't discussed that they want to ask or to tell me.

The real question for the OP is whether you had the opportunity to discuss anything you wanted to raise, such as to explain a weak point in your application or to highlight something that may not be in your application package. If there was something you wanted to say and couldn't, then I might consider first contacting the BGO and indicating you had a couple of additional items you'd like to discuss. If that doesn't prove fruitful, then go to the AC.

Unfortunately, not all BGOs get 5 stars. :(
 
Great advice above, from our real-world BGOs. A perspective from the corporate world, where I did countless interviews:

An unusually short interview meant one of two things: (1) You’re a great fit and I’ve heard enough. (2) You’re a poor fit and I’ve heard enough.

Don’t discount the possibility that the BGO was thinking the former. That’s the glass-half-full perspective. Of course, YMMV.
 
MidCakePa said:
Great advice above, from our real-world BGOs. A perspective from the corporate world, where I did countless interviews:

An unusually short interview meant one of two things: (1) You’re a great fit and I’ve heard enough. (2) You’re a poor fit and I’ve heard enough.

Don’t discount the possibility that the BGO was thinking the former. That’s the glass-half-full perspective. Of course, YMMV.
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I am worried the BGO was thinking the latter. When I told them I was interested in the med corps after the academy, they said it was not a "good reason" to choose the academy. I think my intentions may have gotten lost along the way (serving is my final goal, not being a doctor.)

Thank you for the response, this is a perspective I did not think about.
 
auk said:
I am worried the BGO was thinking the latter. When I told them I was interested in the med corps after the academy, they said it was not a "good reason" to choose the academy. I think my intentions may have gotten lost along the way (serving is my final goal, not being a doctor.)

Thank you for the response, this is a perspective I did not think about.
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1-2 hrs for me, as well. Usually closer to 1 hr of actual interview.

15 mins is short. Lots of opinions already provided. Obviously we cannot read minds here, so really cannot offer a reason for the brevity of the interview.
 
Mine typically go 2-3 hours…all inclusive of time with the parents, fielding questions, etc. The point of a BGO interview is few fold: to answer questions, have a discussion on why you want to attend USNA, and extract information that is hidden behind the online application. I deep dive into almost all of the candidate’s activities in order to help the admissions board get an idea of what leadership and accomplishments occurred.

15 mins seems way too fast for me.
 
During BGO training this summer we were advised more than once not to judge an applicant. Just be the mentor and contact and interview. Do not look at a portion of the application and make a personal judgement.

Our job is to be the in person contact that the academy cannot possibly have for 7500 applicants.

Have a conversation. Ask the required questions, feel free to expound on them.

Be the eyes and ears the academy needs.

TBH, and I’m new as a BGO and haven’t conducted an interview yet, but 15 mins sounds way off.

I spent an hour with a candidate in person that had questions about the process. Outside of the interview.

Just my 2 cents.
 
One of the key objectives of the BGO during the interview is to find out information about the candidate that Admissions doesn't know or see. So BGO reports are not intended to focus on SAT/ACT scores, grades, ECAs, etc- Admissions sees all that. What I have learned, is that it's common for Candidates to have some qualities / experience(s) that will help tell the applicants story.

Often the applicant may be involved with something, have a family hardship or other aspect that does not show up in the application package This is key. I'm not able to discover this information quickly and items often come out when discussing his/her daily life schedule, ECAs, routines, likes and dislikes (it's a conversational interview). The volunteer BGO job is important and each candidate has a unique story that needs to be told.
 
For the OP . . . the brevity may have had something to do with your answer re med school. That should NOT have been the case. I've had more than a dozen candidates over the years tell me they wanted to attend medical school. The BGO should have explained to you what those of us in your other thread have said. Part of the BGO's role is to educate candidates about the process, including the likelihood of their desired service assignment and what could happen to derail that (why being open-minded is important) as well as all of the other options open to USNA grads.

No one on this forum can for certain answer your question because we weren't at the interview. If you truly believe it was truncated because you said you wanted to attend medical school and if you are sincere in your willingness / desire to serve in another field, you might reach out to the BGO and ask if you could clarify your prior statement.

But it has to come from the heart. If your heart is really set on being a doctor, then that is the path you should pursue 100%. Don't compromise your goals -- adults can spot insincerity and equivocation pretty quickly. If being a doctor is one option but you could really see yourself as a warfighter [pick your service] and would be very happy in that career path, then correcting your prior statement might be helpful.
 
an654 said:
Along the same lines, how long should is too long before the BGO decides to conduct the interview? Our DS's BGO has yet to even schedule an interview, and communications have been minimal at best. Is this not a big deal?
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Lot's of threads on SAF about timing of interview.... again, often depends upon the BGO, workload, etc. When I first started, I usually looked for substantial completion, now I look for substantial progress. Interpretation varies ! The guidance is that it is late if the application is otherwise complete.

MidCakePa said:
An unusually short interview meant one of two things: (1) You’re a great fit and I’ve heard enough. (2) You’re a poor fit and I’ve heard enough.
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I used to do campus interviews for my firm, and along with BGO interviews, and one common theme is that the really good interviews used to fly by, and the bad interviews are kind of painful. Interviews are a two way street -- come in prepared to engage and ask good questions back. It's a alot more fun for both sides.

For OP...if you don't think you got a fair shake from the BGO, I would suggest you reach out to the BGO again, before reaching out to the AC; tell him/her that you thought the interview flew by quickly and that you really don't think you had the opportunity to represent yourself completely and would like the opportunity to visit again. If you get a negative response or cold shoulder, then going to your AC or Admissions counselor may be warranted.


Heatherg21 said:
During BGO training this summer we were advised more than once not to judge an applicant. J
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^ Glad this message is getting out to the new BGO's. It is not the BGO's job to serve as a gatekeeper , and as I have said here before, the BGO is not going to get you in or keep you out unless it is on the extremes of very good or very bad...and I would say that most are in the middle somewhere. Giving a Candidate a top or bottom rating is somewhat discouraged to avoid the inevitable "grade inflation: , and without going into details of BGO guidance, requires additional steps ensure the the write up adequately supports the rating. (The vast majority of Candidates fall into the higher-middle rating).

For the OP, it
 
OP... You might try calling the BGO and explain that you thought he might have gotten a misunderstanding of your medical corps answer. It could clear that part up and if done soon might lead to a more informal interview. You could at least use it at an opportunity to ask any questions you have.

BTW, and I'm not saying this is the case, but look inside yourself to examine whether you should have been more assertive in asking your questions the first time, rather than wait for the BGO to ask.
 
Don't Give Up the Ship said:
One of the key objectives of the BGO during the interview is to find out information about the candidate that Admissions doesn't know or see. So BGO reports are not intended to focus on SAT/ACT scores, grades, ECAs, etc- Admissions sees all that. What I have learned, is that it's common for Candidates to have some qualities / experience(s) that will help tell the applicants story.

Often the applicant may be involved with something, have a family hardship or other aspect that does not show up in the application package This is key. I'm not able to discover this information quickly and items often come out when discussing his/her daily life schedule, ECAs, routines, likes and dislikes (it's a conversational interview). The volunteer BGO job is important and each candidate has a unique story that needs to be told.
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My DS went in to his BGO interview well prepared. He was very surprised to find that the BGO asked questions about SAT scores, GPA, extra curriculars, etc. He literally went through everything the academy already has in his application and nothing more. DS just went with it and answered the questions, but it definitely wasn't what he expected. It lasted about 30 minutes after we left to let them talk.
 
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