Should I contact my Blue and Gold Officer

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mseltz2004

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I am going to be a Sophomore this year in High School and really want to attend the Naval Academy. Should I contact my Blue and Gold Officer now or wait later?
 
I don't believe that you get assigned to a Blue and Gold Officer until after you start the application process. I believe that the earliest you can start the application process is January 1st of your Junior year when you can apply to NASS. So you are WAY early to be thinking of contacting a Blue and Gold Officer. You need to focus on making grades, ECA's and next summer start preparing to take the SAT in the fall of Junior year. If you have questions about the admissions process, contact the USNA admissions office and ask for their guidance. If I am incorrect, the BGO's on this forum will chime in.
 
It won't hurt and you may get on their email list for Information Sessions or Military nights at the local high school. AS NJROTC-CC stated, the guidance office will help with most of the preliminary questions a student may have.
 
NJROTC-CC said:
I don't believe that you get assigned to a Blue and Gold Officer until after you start the application process. I believe that the earliest you can start the application process is January 1st of your Junior year when you can apply to NASS. So you are WAY early to be thinking of contacting a Blue and Gold Officer. You need to focus on making grades, ECA's and next summer start preparing to take the SAT in the fall of Junior year. If you have questions about the admissions process, contact the USNA admissions office and ask for their guidance. If I am incorrect, the BGO's on this forum will chime in.
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BGOs are usually assigned by specific high schools so the BGO for this potential candidate can be identified. Generally,the guidance dept of the High School will now who the BGO is but if they don't, contact the Area Coordinator (contact info at USNA's website) and they will put the candidate in touch with the proper BGO.

As a BGO, I have counseled Sophomores in the past and it is a good chance to get things moving in the proper direction. For instance, I like my candidates to take an initial shot at the PSAT as a Sophomore which is not the norm at many high schools (so counselors will not recommend it). Once the PSAT is taken as a Sophomore, look at where improvement is needed and then take it again in the fall of Junior Year. I advise my candidates to take their first full up SAT in the fall of Junior Year. Yes, they are also taking the PSAT but taking it again is a good thing for many test takers and more importantly, provides an SAT score prior to applying for NASS right after new years of Junior Year.

Meeting with a candidate as a sophomore also give a chance to discuss leadership and sports activities. The saddest thing I encounter as a BGO is the candidate who starts Senior Year having taken the SAT one time (or zero times) and little or no activities. There is almost no time to correct any shortfalls and that is not a good thing for the candidate.

I have met with and counseled 8th graders a couple of times - I don't mind getting a kid started on the correct path. In my experience as a parent and as a BGO, the average school guidance counselor is generally working to put average kids into average state universities. They are rarely thinking toward elite institutions like the Academies or the Ivies/Equivalents.
 
Also, ensure to have thoroughly reviewed the USNA admissions website. It provides a timeline for high school that can help guide you too. A good tool to help map out your plan.
 
It’s a very good idea to get on the BGO’s radar screen early. DD did so in spring semester of 10th grade and it began a string of regular encounters over the next couple years, culminating in appointment. The relationship continues today, in youngster year, in the form of sounding board and mentorship.

DD asked BGO to meet over coffee. BGO suggested a parent attend also. So I did, but let DD lead the way.

Very important that you make a good first impression. Dress neatly. Make eye contact. Offer firm hand shake. Above all, ask thoughtful questions. What’s a thoughtful question? One that cannot be answered by simply reading every page, tab, link and pulldown on the USNA website (hat tip to the SAF long-timers from whom I borrow that timeless last phrase).
 
Our DS is in process of applying and waiting for his BGO to request interview. Medical and CFA are all he has left to submit. I really like the reply by OldRetSwo, having a mentor early in this process would be a huge benefit. We were lucky, my dad and Grandfather graduated from USNA so we were more familiar with the process and new what SA's were all about. We also got lucky and had a guidance counselor who sat down with him summer after 8th grade to build a 4 year schedule to maximize what he could put in his core schedule. I work in the school and I can attest to how few people including teachers and other counselors are intimately familiar with what needs to be on a candidate's resume. It is awesome that a BGO would work with and mentor both before the official process begins, during and after decisions are made regarding appointments.
 
Do allow for differences in “BGO Engagement Style.” These folks are volunteers, with families, jobs, activities, etc. Some may respond to early outreach and emails, some may not. They are not wrong, just different, in their approach to their role.

I’ve picked up a lot of insight from BGO posters here over the years, and I am always impressed by their dedication to this program.

I haven’t said this before, but one of my USNA sponsor family “alumni elders” is a BGO. This person is often gone on extended dets to other countries , and tends to work in “spurts” when back in CONUS. Pet peeve: candidates who email him to ask questions they could easily find answers for by - you guessed it - thoroughly reading every USNA.edu page, dropdown and link.
 
Part of my job as a BGO is finding potential candidates early enough in high school to help them set themselves up for success when they are able to apply. So yes, absolutely you should contact your BGO. Current candidates applying from your school will have their contact info, guidance counselors might, or as was mentioned before find the BGO Area Coordinator on the USNA website and they will connect you.
 
+1 OldRetSWO -- great post.

Only thing I would add is to do a little homework first. As noted, first impressions count , and making contact without doing your own due diligence and having a basic understanding of the Naval Academy and Admissions process doesn't advance your cause.
 
I read in this book that some BGOs really like to meet potential candidates early on in their high school career and some BGOs like to guide students from 8th grade onwards to help them decide which courses they should take to be the best candidate possible.

My BGO was not one of them and when I reached out to him midway through my junior year, we talked a couple of times and I got the feeling that he wanted to wait until I had started the application before discussing much else with me. This could have just been weird timing: too late to advise me on the courses I should take and too early to guide me through the application.

Another factor might have been that he was concerned with NCAA rules and he said he wasn't allowed to talk to me until my junior year was complete because I was being recruited..
 
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The amount of interaction with your BGO will vary based on how that BGO operates. Lots of older threads on that topic. You don't accumulate 'points' by making frequent contacts with your BGO. Those who have been through the process many times can tell who is serious about their intention vs. someone just trying to impress their BGO for the wrong reasons. Should plan to visit any college you are serious about applying to (along with your parents) and see it first-hand and get a feel for what it is like. USNA is only one of the SA's, so make sure you know what your interests are and why. Talking to current mids can also help you decide if the joining the military is for you, this is about far more then where you plan to go to college. Also consider your plan B schools, since far more apply to SA's then get appointments.
 
I recently wrote to the Area Coordinator for our area to inquire about whether my DS, a rising sophomore, could meet a BGO "to get some general advice about preparing to be a candidate for appointment." He gave me the name, but then added : "Typically we don't meet specifically with folks until after their junior year . . ." and then referred me to a college fair at another high school where our BGO would be appearing. Not a real "warm and fuzzy." But then, I don't really need, or expect, a "warm and fuzzy" from the military. Given this response, I do not feel comfortable reaching out to this particular BGO at this particular time.

I believe that if a candidate - - early on (before it is too late to do anything about it) - - does his or her own due diligence by, reading the USNA's admission's page and reading this forum to learn about what makes a strong application, he or she will be o.k. It's not rocket science: Grades in challenging courses, SAT Scores, ECA's with leadership, sports, fitness, community service, learn about Navy and what and officer does, etc. he or she will have all the knowledge he or she needs to build a strong application.

P.S. - Our BGO is over 80 years old based on his USNA graduation date
 
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@mseltz2004 , you are are getting a lot of advice here. I recommend that you go with what the BGOs and established members are saying... it's not too early.

If my own son's experience matters, he contacted his BGO his freshman year. While they did not communicate much the first few years, his BGO did occasionally send an update about an upcoming event. I think the nicest thing for my son is that they already knew of each other when the time did come to finally meet. My son is now at Plebe Summer.
 
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All BGOs get the same training. Like everything in life... there are good and bad. ACs for an area might have a way of doing business too. BGOs are also trained specifically on how to handle recruited athletes. Every BGO has their own style. It depends on so many factors already mentioned. In my area we have plenty of BGOs so most of us are fairly involved. Our sister city has 1 BGO for a medium sized city and obviously can’t give a ton of attention just based upon time. 40+ candidates a year is a lot. We try and send folks over there to help with congressional days and larger college nights. Also remember the BGO you might get sent to in 10th grade night not be your BGO by the time you apply. As mentioned, the USNA website provides lots of counsel on what classes, activities and testing a candidate should be doing each year. Introducing yourself is one thing. It won’t get you bonus points. If you have specific questions, then ask them, but don’t ask things that are on the admissions page. In fact if a candidate said ‘I am entering my sophomore year and on the USNA website it says to take X, my school offers Y, is that okay or is should I do Z?’ I would be more than happy to help. I would also recommend the student or candidate do the contacting. This process needs to be owned by the candidate or future candidate from start to finish. A BGO wants to know the interest and desire is that if the candidates/future candidates... not anyone else’s.
 
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