What Are the Best Ways to Prepare for the BGO and Nomination Interviews?

i_like_planes

i_like_planes

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Like the title asks, what do you think is the best way to prepare for BGO and nomination interviews? I have both coming up in the next few weeks and would like to be as prepared as possible.
 
Hi! I recently had my BGO Interview and I think the main thing that really stuck out when I was practicing was being able to know what area I wanted to specialize in (i.e major, minor, semester abroad, etc.). What also helped was just knowing strengths and weaknesses and being able to articulate my desire to serve.

As for nomination interviews, take it as it comes. Have people ask you questions that will be specific to what academy you're interviewing for. Be ready for those wild questions that everyone always talks about. Hopefully this helps!
 
I would give the same advice I gave my son.

Dress appropriately (he wore a suit). Process questions before you say the first thing that comes to your mind. Practice making and keeping eye contact. Be yourself. Be prepared to answer questions about your weaknesses without being disagreeable or argumentative. Highlight your strengths whenever you can. Develop relevant questions beforehand to ask. Know your interests in academics and your goals in the SA you are interested in. Have familiarity with your interests.
 
i_like_planes said:
Like the title asks, what do you think is the best way to prepare for BGO and nomination interviews? I have both coming up in the next few weeks and would like to be as prepared as possible.
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Witnessed DS during BGO interview last November:

1. Dress for Success.
{Prepare to discuss and provide details if necessary for the following:}
2. Academics. Course Load (STEM). Explain why you made a “C” in Calculus.
3. Fitness. Discuss daily workouts and athletics.
4. Schedule. Daily & Weekly. Prepare to provide hourly-daily breakdowns.
5. Leadership. Prepare to answer, “Give me example (s) that you’ve done which shows your leadership qualities.”
6. Major. “What is your major and why are applying to the Academy?”
 
Don't prepare to be word-for-word ready for any specific question. Instead, think things through in advance so that when a question is asked you sound like you've already considered it and you're merely putting your thoughts in order. That means have examples in mind for the bullet points above, have a grasp of your Whys, but do not drop into a rote recitation of a scripted answer. If they ask something a bit off-center from your brilliant pre-written text it'll sound more wrong than right, so take the time to listen carefully and answer the question asked.
 
Banzaipipeline said:
Witnessed DS during BGO interview last November:

1. Dress for Success.
{Prepare to discuss and provide details if necessary for the following:}
2. Academics. Course Load (STEM). Explain why you made a “C” in Calculus.
3. Fitness. Discuss daily workouts and athletics.
4. Schedule. Daily & Weekly. Prepare to provide hourly-daily breakdowns.
5. Leadership. Prepare to answer, “Give me example (s) that you’ve done which shows your leadership qualities.”
6. Major. “What is your major and why are applying to the Academy?”
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Did you sit in on the entire interview or watch it with a remote camera or similar set-up?
 
i_like_planes said:
Like the title asks, what do you think is the best way to prepare for BGO and nomination interviews? I have both coming up in the next few weeks and would like to be as prepared as possible.
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Have people you know fire questions at you when you least expect...can be any questions. Makes you stop and think on your feet.
 
Best advice I can give is to be knowledgeable about the academy and know what programs and opportunities are offered here. Just knowing the little details about the benefit of attending an academy will put you over so many other candidates. Also, dress professionally and come to the interview with a clean shave and nice haircut. That first impression makes all the difference. Finally, prepare for a conversation rather than an interview. You do not want to talk as if you are reading off a page word for word. Be free in your answers and ask questions to your BGO officer about their experiences because it shows that you care.
 
fullspeedahead said:
Best advice I can give is to be knowledgeable about the academy and know what programs and opportunities are offered here. Just knowing the little details about the benefit of attending an academy will put you over so many other candidates. Also, dress professionally and come to the interview with a clean shave and nice haircut. That first impression makes all the difference. Finally, prepare for a conversation rather than an interview. You do not want to talk as if you are reading off a page word for word. Be free in your answers and ask questions to your BGO officer about their experiences because it shows that you care.
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Ok, I'll definitely do some more research on the kinds of programs they offer. I've talked to my BGO a bunch of times already so hopefully it will be more of a conversation.
 
StPaulDad said:
Don't prepare to be word-for-word ready for any specific question. Instead, think things through in advance so that when a question is asked you sound like you've already considered it and you're merely putting your thoughts in order. That means have examples in mind for the bullet points above, have a grasp of your Whys, but do not drop into a rote recitation of a scripted answer. If they ask something a bit off-center from your brilliant pre-written text it'll sound more wrong than right, so take the time to listen carefully and answer the question asked.
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I'm going to be writing down a bunch of answers to common question I can find online just so that I can get an idea of what I'm going to say.
 
Times may have changed a bit from just four (4) years ago when my son had his BGO interview. He didn't prepare at all, and never got the idea that if was going to be like a job interview (and it wasn't).

His was more like "I get that you are motivated and that you don't have any questions about the application or getting a nomination, so what are your questions about USNA?"
 
Last year DD prepared for interview by going through a list of questions and having an idea of what to say. Her interview for USAFA was much more formal and more like a job interview. It had the basic questions, but also more specific situational kinda questions where the interviewer wanted examples from her past of how she would/or did handle situations. She asked an adult mentor to do a practice interview over zoom (since that was going to be the format) to get the idea of what it was going to be like and the little intricacies of getting the computer level so it looked like you were looking at the person and not down, etc... It was also helpful for her to do a practice interview to get feedback since she had a habitat of adding "ums", when she was thinking. She was able to practice to take a pause when asked a more thoughtful/challenging question. She found the best way to respond to those type of questions was to say something like, "that's a good questions, let me think about that" and as she was saying that, it gave her a minute to think of the response, form a clear/concise answer , say the response in a few descriptive sentences and then not to continue adding on. (She also had a habit of running on when she was thinking.) Doing a few practice interviews definitely helped her and I would recommend.
 
2025 hopeful said:
"that's a good questions, let me think about that"
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The person being interviewed can also come across in a condescending way if they do that a lot. Obviously, the BGO & NOM panels are only going to ask 'good' questions so there is no need to congratulate them on the content of the question. Saying that often would make the candidate look nervous and ill-prepared for the interview. If you haven't thought ahead of time why you are applying to USNA (as an example) or other topics likely to be covered, they you obviously haven't sufficiently prepared for the interview. It would be better to say nothing a FEW seconds before starting the real answer. The MOC NOM interviews are usually with a panel and the candidate should be focused on what is being asked and try to begin their answer once the question is asked. A LONG pause before answering isn't likely to result in a better reply and could also make the candidate appear to not be paying attention.

BGO meeting is less formal of an interview then the MOC NOM process. MANY older threads talk about those, what to expect and how to prepare. With any of these be yourself and don't pretend to be someone you THINK they are looking for. If you don't know the answer to something avoid long/rambly replies that just tend to highlight the fact you really don't know the answer. Talking around a question isn't going to fool anyone on the panel. Don't try to be witty or funny in any of these interviews. These are intended to be serious meetings and coming across as a comedian could turn the interview into a complete disaster. What to wear has also been discussed in other threads. For the less formal BGO interview at home good casual clothes is fine as I would assume hardly anyone typically wears a suit/tie at home. There are also regional difference on how to dress for such meetings. The MOC NOM interview IS the place to dress appropriately, but it is still not necessary to buy an expensive suit (guys), dress (girls) to wear just one time. Some families can't afford that expense and shouldn't feel disadvantaged if they don't. If a guy hasn't worn many suits, it can be a big interview distraction wearing clothes you aren't comfortable with.

Writing down replies might be OK for preparing, but never try to memorize an answer and certainly NEVER take something you wrote down ahead of time into the interview to use as a script.

I also don't get the person in another room who sounded like they were providing prompts/answers during the BGO meeting. Perhaps I missed something, but I would NEVER be fooling around with your laptop/Ipad during an in person BGO interview. That would be a dreadful way to plan for replies. Do your prep BEFORE the meeting.
 
time2 said:
Don't try to be witty or funny in any of these interviews. These are intended to be serious meetings and coming across as a comedian could turn the interview into a complete disaster.
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LOL one of the military guys busted on my son during the interview. Made him laugh.

That was the first thing my son told me about when he got into the car.
 
time2 said:
The person being interviewed can also come across in a condescending way if they do that a lot. Obviously, the BGO & NOM panels are only going to ask 'good' questions so there is no need to congratulate them on the content of the question. Saying that often would make the candidate look nervous and ill-prepared for the interview. If you haven't thought ahead of time why you are applying to USNA (as an example) or other topics likely to be covered, they you obviously haven't sufficiently prepared for the interview. It would be better to say nothing a FEW seconds before starting the real answer. The MOC NOM interviews are usually with a panel and the candidate should be focused on what is being asked and try to begin their answer once the question is asked. A LONG pause before answering isn't likely to result in a better reply and could also make the candidate appear to not be paying attention.

BGO meeting is less formal of an interview then the MOC NOM process. MANY older threads talk about those, what to expect and how to prepare. With any of these be yourself and don't pretend to be someone you THINK they are looking for. If you don't know the answer to something avoid long/rambly replies that just tend to highlight the fact you really don't know the answer. Talking around a question isn't going to fool anyone on the panel. Don't try to be witty or funny in any of these interviews. These are intended to be serious meetings and coming across as a comedian could turn the interview into a complete disaster. What to wear has also been discussed in other threads. For the less formal BGO interview at home good casual clothes is fine as I would assume hardly anyone typically wears a suit/tie at home. There are also regional difference on how to dress for such meetings. The MOC NOM interview IS the place to dress appropriately, but it is still not necessary to buy an expensive suit (guys), dress (girls) to wear just one time. Some families can't afford that expense and shouldn't feel disadvantaged if they don't. If a guy hasn't worn many suits, it can be a big interview distraction wearing clothes you aren't comfortable with.

Writing down replies might be OK for preparing, but never try to memorize an answer and certainly NEVER take something you wrote down ahead of time into the interview to use as a script.

I also don't get the person in another room who sounded like they were providing prompts/answers during the BGO meeting. Perhaps I missed something, but I would NEVER be fooling around with your laptop/Ipad during an in person BGO interview. That would be a dreadful way to plan for replies. Do your prep BEFORE the meeting.
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I totally agree that you should have the basic easy questions like "Why you want to attend, Tell me about your leadership experience, etc..." that should be a no brainer. For clarification, there are sometimes a question that requires a little more thought. One my DD had was "Tell me about a time when you strongly disagreed with a classmate or teacher and how you handled the situation". It was a perfect time to say that's a good question, let me think about that. In the amount of time she said that, it gave her enough time to think of a situation and formulate an answer. I agree, certainly you should probably use it seldom during an interview, but it did help for the more challenging questions.

Also, of course a good introduction in the beginning and having a question or 2 for your interviewer for the conclusion (if time allows).

Certainly the answers should be from you and your experiences and something that you feel comfortable discussing in detail if asked. I agree not to memorize or read a script or to be "coached" (I'm hoping that person was joking about the whiteboard, otherwise that's ridiculous).
 
Don't over think it...... no need to rehearse (yes, I can tell).
Be yourself, tell me about you ...not what you think I want to hear (again, I can tell).
You don't have to have the right answer to every question, in fact some questions don't have a right or wrong answer.

Several people commented that you should be able to answer what your major will be ... I really don't expect an 18 year old to declare their major at the BGO interview, instead talk about what you are interested in. Similarly, with Service Selection - give some thought to preferences, but if your goal is to be a Naval Officer (or Marine Officer), there are many different ways to serve.

Finally, don't look at the BGO interview as a make or break thing -- the best BGO interview in the world isn't going to get a weak candidate in, and a bad interview isn't going to keep a great candidate out . Again , be yourself, tell us something about you, and have some good questions (yes, there is such thing as a bad question -- don't ask something that is on the Admissions website !)
 
I want to emphasize the point about doing ones homework about the Naval Academy. Not knowing very common knowledge about USNA implies one did not take the time to do research and fully understand what the Academy is about. Where you have a lot of qualified candidates applying, motivation is pretty important. I’d take a slightly less scholastically qualified candidate with a burning desire, than an overly scholastically qualified candidates with little desire. Motivation is an intrinsic quality that really can’t be taught…most academics can be. When it comes to getting the mission done…if there is a will, there is a way.
I also agree that general knowledge about majors and service selection is a part of the background research and the interview isn’t a time to make a binding decision.
All of the other common interview rules apply…look in the eye, don’t fidget, answer the question being asked, if something isn’t clear ask for clarification, dress appropriately, be truthful (if you don’t know an answer to a question, then state so…don’t try to dance around the tree), etc.
 
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