Misc. Tips For Summer Seminar

[classof2022]

Hello!!

A lot of the summer seminar posts are posted for a specific question so I figure I would make this thread for any miscellaneous tips to experiences from people who have gone in the past! I am session 1 and I can't wait! Nervous, but excited.

 

[NPG23]

I was in session 1 last year and received my appointment to c/o 2021 a few months ago and you will see some things on the internet about how ss doesn't affect admissions. I can tell you pretty frankly that isn't entirely true. At the end of my week we had a meeting with our squad leader one-on-one and she took notes. It was about our experiences of the week, will we still be applying, what is our motivation for applying, and similar questions that you will hear a thousand times. But leading up to that throughout the week there were more subtle evaluations. How you handled mock I-day and the endurance course. Did you follow directions or where you constantly creating problems. Honestly, if you want to be there and you feel comfortable you won't have a problem. I went just to see how I liked the academy and had some fun and it worked out for me. Just be yourself, it's not high pressure or anything just relax and get the full experience. Talk to as many people as possible and participate in everything.

Also weird tip but you only have three sets of shorts while you are there. Use one for Pep and let them dry and wear a clean pair to classes, and I would think about wearing those same dirty shorts to damage control because they are going to get soaked. Juts be mindful because you don't have time to do laundry.

 

[Old Navy BGO]

I was in session 1 last year and received my appointment to c/o 2021 a few months ago and you will see some things on the internet about how ss doesn't affect admissions. I can tell you pretty frankly that isn't entirely true

To avoid confusion -- the message is that lack of acceptance to NASS is not an indicator of your competitiveness for Admission to USNA. If you didn't get selected, it does not hurt your chance of Admission. NASS is first, and foremost an outreach program, trying to promote awareness of the Academy. Yes, I am aware that some view it as an opportunity to test the waters, see if they like USNA, etc. and even people from right outside the Gates attend NASS, but the main objective, from USNA perspective is outreach and awareness. If you didn't get into NASS..don't dispair , you probably aren't the target audience.

As to NPG's comment -- yes, the Squad Leader is going to evaluate you. How much weight such an evaluation is going to carry is not clear. Purely speculation on my part, but I would not expect that a Squad Leader evaluation would provide any significant advantage to the application process. Like the BGO interview, it is probably most influential at the extremes, and even then, other factors have much greater weight. In other words, if you got to NASS, are a complete stick in the mud, can't get along with others, and generally have a bad attitude, the Squad Leader interview could harm you, but I really don't think that even an outstanding NASS evaluation would elevate you over a similar qualified applicant that didn't attend NASS.

 

[2020Vision]

To further illustrate Old Navy BGO's post, my son didn't attend NASS, and only 1 of his 6 roommates this year (his company likes to move people around) attended NASS. The evaluations from NASS are more likely a tool used to help train the detailers in the kind of writing/evaluations that will be required of them in the fleet. About 1800 people attend NASS, but only about 800 are direct admits from high school each year. If you do the math, it's pretty clear that NASS attendance has virtually no bearing on your chances of receiving an appointment. The only advantage is getting your CFA out of the way early. For those trying to decide if USNA is right for them, a CVW provides a much better opportunity to see what "real" life is like at USNA.

 

[pleber16]

The evaluations from NASS are more likely a tool used to help train the detailers in the kind of writing/evaluations that will be required of them in the fleet.

I would agree this is more likely the purpose than anything else. Your squad leader for NASS will have just become a "Plebe no more" 2-4 weeks before you meet them. NASS is as much a leadership training for them as it is an outreach opportunity for USNA. I would place my paycheck for this month on saying no admissions decision has ever come down to your squad leader eval at NASS.

 

[NPG23]

That is a good point about the evaluations in the fleet, I didn't think of that. I have only heard of one case of NASS seriously impacting admission. An old admissions counselor told my NASS roommate that a few years back a totally qualified candidate on paper was turned down because he was rude, racist, and couldn't work well in a team and this was discovered at NASS. Now I can't imagine that is an issue for most people going to NASS but it does show that is can have some effect.

 

[NavyHoops]

And I suspect some of his other evaluations alluded to things along these lines and therefore admissions began to dig into all his evaluations to see if it was a one off or consistent theme.