Sponsor Family

brewmeist

5-Year Member
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Mar 2, 2018
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My brother moved to MD over 30 years ago, and I am very close to many of his MD friends. A few of them live close enough to qualify as a sponsor family. Should my P2B consider any of them as a sponsor family? Is he better off going to an unknown family? I'm not even sure if it's too late for these friends to apply as a sponsor. I'm curious what other people have done in this situation.
 
My brother moved to MD over 30 years ago, and I am very close to many of his MD friends. A few of them live close enough to qualify as a sponsor family. Should my P2B consider any of them as a sponsor family? Is he better off going to an unknown family? I'm not even sure if it's too late for these friends to apply as a sponsor. I'm curious what other people have done in this situation.

It’s not too late. They can apply and attend one of the training sessions held in spring and summer. See link below.

They would have to request him by name in the online application. He would have to do the same on the form in his PTR package.

It depends on what he wants. Sometimes these work out, sometimes not. If he goes with an unknown sponsor, and it doesn’t click, he can request another. “Adoptions” often occur when he goes with a friend or roomie to another sponsor’s home. We have gained and lost many like that over the years. Mutual fit is key.

The sponsor program is only official during Plebe year. After that, it’s by mutual desire.

One factor could be where in MD your brother’s friends live. If it’s too far, it may not be approved. More importantly, if it cuts too much into liberty time to allow for DC area traffic, that can be a negative. We have had several adoptees over the years who got “set up” with family friends who lived near Bethesda or over the Bay Bridge, and they preferred not to spend as much time in the car. We are 6 miles from Gate 8 and know exactly when to leave if the Plebe wants to maximize time off the Yard.

The crazy hours, especially on Saturdays, can really be a scheduling challenge for the sponsor family, especially if their own kids are heavily scheduled that day. Early on, it’s sometimes hard to predict when they’ll be cut loose on a Saturday, and if they don’t want to go back to the Yard until 2330 that night, or they want to be dropped off for a movie at the Mall and picked up there later to come to your house then go back late.

Check the hamburger menu, upper left.

https://www.usna.edu/Sponsor/index.php
 
Consider making them the unofficial sponsor, while also having an official sponsor. That provides the best of both worlds, two escape valves instead of one, and two different perspectives. And if one doesn’t work out, there’s the other one to turn to, hopefully.

DD has taken this approach and it’s worked well. Official sponsor is nearby and is closely affiliated with USNA. Unofficial sponsor is farther away and has no USNA affiliation. Both are wonderful, if rather different, experiences.
 
It’s also cool for the sponsor family to BE a sponsor family, I’m told. Especially if there are kids. They ‘get a mid’. And the sponsor family can attend some things in their honor (sponsor appreciation week), get on the yard as a sponsor family. They belong to ‘that club’. Can get a ‘sponsor mom’ shirt.

I’m generally from the camp of keeping family/friends and business separate, for the reason that if it isnt a good fit (for EITHER one), a relationship doesn’t come into play. I would probably choose to have an official assigned, and also an unofficial one. Then there is the best of both worlds.

Of course, if they are asking and inquiring to do it for your plebe to be, that is a different decision. Wouldn’t want to hurt feelings or offend maybe. But there again is that relationship part that I personally prefer to keep separate.

DS’s sponsor is awesome. So are the other ones he has met unofficially crashing at other houses with friends. Side note: this is so our jam. Our family would do this in a heartbeat. We host exchange students and it brings a lot of
joy into our home. I would LOVE to sponsor Mids!!
 
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Where do Mids go online to apply for a Sponsor family? I have found the application form the Sponsor to request the Mid but I need to know where the Mid requests a particular Sponsor. I didn't see it on Admissions home page. What am I missing? Thanks for any help!
 
Where do Mids go online to apply for a Sponsor family? I have found the application form the Sponsor to request the Mid but I need to know where the Mid requests a particular Sponsor. I didn't see it on Admissions home page. What am I missing? Thanks for any help!

For the incoming plebe, it’s in the PTR. The P2B must specify a particular sponsor. The desired sponsor must have completed the application that you found at USNA.edu or already be a registered sponsor, current on the required training. It has to be a mutual request for the match to be made.

It’s ok if the desired family is not yet officially on the sponsor list. As long as they have the application in and training completed by I would guess right after I-Day, they should be fine. The serious matching starts after PS gets going.

The sponsor program is only official plebe year. After that, the relationship continues by mutual agreement.

Looks like it’s in Section II of 2023’s PTR.

https://www.usna.edu/Admissions/Per...uGaA3dnBzHVloS2zAv_-qoCNRP5RfNTSyQFc45C1MRXus
 
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Only thing in my sons PTR was a sheet that said to sign up online but I can’t find link to sign up. Found where sponsor signs up online but not mids. Anyone know?
 
Didn’t see a link on his application portal. Where exactly is it?
 
Only thing in my sons PTR was a sheet that said to sign up online but I can’t find link to sign up. Found where sponsor signs up online but not mids. Anyone know?

Ah - the PTR says it’s in the Candidate Information System. If you can’t find it, call Admissions. Many parts of the Yard are involved in the PTR, and things may get updated for 2023 or built out at different times.

I didn’t realize they had finally shifted away from paper apps for mids.
 
Ok, thank you! I’ll have my son call Admissions. Just thought I’d check here first.
 
Some of his future classmates may well have the answer, as PTRs hit mailboxes starting last week. The focus is probably on the higher priority “mando” or longer-lead time items first. The sponsor app is not a Pri I. Give it a few days, and you might get the “bazinga” post.
 
I read somewhere else that some of the links for ‘23 aren’t ‘active’ for ‘23 yet.
 
The Sponsor Questionnaire hasn't been posted on CIS yet. I'm sure it will be soon, it isn't one of the high priority items due in May.
 
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