<p>And candidatemom ... really I've no cynicism about this. It's just the way it is. And recognizing we must play this game if we want to play. </p>
<p>I understand your point on being an encourager, and that is really terrific. We all benefit from encouragement. </p>
<p>But your implication that a lesser ADMISSION candidate showed 'em how wrong they mighta been by becoming stellar USNA mids is comparing apples to oranges. They do not equate.</p>
<p>Once a candidate becomes a mid, the field is leveled and becomes a function of work, commitment, other forms of intelligence, practice, motivation, etc. The Academy has said ... "this candidate is smart enough."</p>
<p>The real encouragement is knowing with absolute certainty that our future is NOT a function of whether we or our children got 550 or 750 on the SAT math exam. That is merely the qualifying heat.</p>
<p>Hope this edifies my earlier thought.</p>