Nitpicking, I know, but important for candidate. Plan B has significant deposit and (more importantly) personal commitment that have to be made no later than Sunday April 18. Mail delivery here is slow. Is the April 15 deadline for "letters mailed" (in which case candidate might not know by the 18th)?
Candidate Guidance Officer has been very tough to reach and slow to get response from throughout this process, but very understandably so given the number of applications -- so candidate does not want to try calling the office and being a nuisance. BGO has been more helpful, but all I read here says that BGOs will not have that information.
Any thoughts from the BGOs on alternative ways of getting news?
First, everyone should know something BY April 15th, although slow mail could affect that date. However, some candidates will be told that they're waitlisted (or traditionally have been) meaning they still don't know their final status.
I suppose your BGO could call the RD but, I honestly don't know if they'll give out that info to your BGO if he/she did call and, if they do, would probably request that he/she not share it with the candidate. If they told your BGO your child's status, every BGO would be calling (or being pressured to call) and things would soon get out of hand. And, it's possible that USNA hasn't made a decision on your child's application. It is only March 29 -- still a lot of decisions to be made.
Also, while I understand and appreciate your situation, if CGO made an exception for you, there would be a long line with "sob stories." I realize this sounds harsh -- don't mean it to be -- but CGO is dealing with hundreds of kids and families who still don't have an answer and it's really best for everyone if they treat everyone the same way.
If, for some reason, April 18th comes and you've heard nothing or are waitlisted, I would make the financial commitment and proceed w/Plan B. If an appointment comes, the money spent pales in comparison to a full college tuition. And, from a psychological perspective, if your child commits fully to Plan B, then he/she can always turn down the appointment. But, I don't know you or your child, so your gut instint on this is probably better than my advice.
