Candidate Visit Weekend?

<p>I am traveling to Annapolis Nov 13-15 with my son while he attends CVW. I used hotwire and got reservations at the Loews. So, what's a mom to do while S is at the Academy? I have a friend coming along. Thought I'd go to the parent thing, then spend Friday exploring the area. Any suggestions? S and I were up last fall for Homecoming to give the place a look see. He has been to summer seminar, but we took USNA69's advice and jumped on the chance for CVW as well.</p>

<p>With DC right there? You have dozens upon dozens of options...the hard part would be narrowing it down to what you have time to see!</p>

<p>I got an invitation and am attending that weekend, too. I'm excited to see what the Naval Academy is like with the whole Brigade there! I'd bet your son is, too. NASS was awesome fun, but not really representative of real life at the Academy, and they told us so. haha</p>

<p>I live about 20 minutes south of Annapolis and like mom3boys said, there is a ton to do in Baltimore and D.C. You could visit the National Mall, visit the bunches of museums in D.C., visit the Inner Harbour in Baltimore... take your pick. You and your friend have many choices.</p>

<p>my suggestion is to spend the day on the yard, and in annapolis itself, but on the yard preferably. Take a tour if you have not already done so. Sit on Stribling and observe- watch lunch formation on Friday- watch the short video at the Visitor center if you have not already done so-visit the small exhibit upstairs in the visitor center as well ( I would add to that Preble Hall, but it is currently closed for renovations)</p>

<p>google USNA sports and see what matches are on for the weekend- and go and watch them. </p>

<p>This is a unique experience, and my advice would be to look at this visit as a learning and fact-finding opportunity for you as well as your candidate. THe admissions office will hold a parents brief- you will be given that schedule ahead of time- take advantage of it and attend. Listen, take notes if you have to. </p>

<p>If you have the opportunity to speak to current Mids, take full advantage- there is no better insight than that of those who are there "doing it." Ask away- listen attentively- ask how best a parent can support a new plebe. </p>

<p>Enjoy-
there will be lots of time to visit DC and the inner harbor at Baltimore-
this is your opportunity to get a good feel for the yard! </p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

<p>Agree with Navy2010..see the Yard. November 15 is the Notre Dame game in Baltimore. Most of the brigade will probably be going to the game. It should be a fun week to be around Bancroft.</p>

<p>Go Navy!</p>

<p>Thanks. My thoughts were to stay in Annapolis. I have been all over the yard a year ago. Have spent no time in Annapolis proper however. Any favorite restaurants? Has anyone gone on the bay on the "Wedding Crashers" sailboat? I see that advertised on the web. Or any other bay trips? I "hope" I will need the information about being a parent of a plebe! We are in the midst of the long wait, actually more like probably the beginning of the long wait to find out!</p>

<p>again- lots of time to get on the "wedding crasher" boat.....</p>

<p>would suggest keeping that for a later visit and- if in port- take advantage of any navy ships that are there- most offer shuttle visits, and not only are they informative, they are free!</p>

<p>Eating- lots of great places right in town- can't really go wrong. All depends on what you want to eat and how much you want to spend. All of them have menus posted outside, so you can check them out as you are checking out all the shops! Personally, I enjoyed eating right in Drydock on the yard- I had a chance to meet some of the other parents there for CVW, and from there, even got to speak to a few mids- again, I viewed this as a fact-finding opportunity for me as well as our then-candidate. A few of us attended a basketball game the evening we arrived, and the football game the day following, and it was nice to see some of the same "parent faces" on I-Day!</p>

<p>To this day, each visit to the yard brings more information, more insight, more understanding of USNA and the service that awaits beyond that. </p>

<p>Enjoy your visit, no matter what you end up doing!</p>

<p>how do you get a candidate visit??</p>

<p>You have to be invited...although sometimes you can ask to be invited. This won't happen til your senior year.</p>

<p>once you open a peliminary application and meet the minimum requirements for admission, you become an official candidate- which allows you to continue to compete for an appointment. When your application is filed, you may be offered a CVW- not all applicants will be offered this (usually falls to under-represented areas and candidates most competetive for appointment)- if you do get offered one, jump on the opportunity. If not, and if you feel it is critical to your decision of whether this is right for you or not, speak to your BGO. In any event, the CVW is "secondary, optional and conditional", meaning it is not necessary for an appointment, you are free to decline or attend, and it is by invitation only. </p>

<p>If a CVW is not offered, make it a point to visit USNA on your own. Attend an information session at the admissons office, take a tour, speak to Mids on the yard. Mom3boys is correct in that CVW's are offered during senior year.... if you are in junior year, make sure to apply to NASS (Naval Academy Summer Seminar) which gives you a short stay during the summer to visit- you can apply for that by filling out a peliminary applicaiton, which will be available on-line on Feb 1st - so apply for that in your Junior year.</p>

<p>What are the duties of the Admissions Counselors. Do they make recommendations? Do they take part in the Admissions Board?</p>

<p>I am not sure I am reading your question correctly- </p>

<p>Blue and Gold Officers (BGO's) act as admission counselors in their assigned areas/schools/candidates. They contact applicants to provide information on the application process, offer guidance as needed, and interview those that are designated official candidates. That interview goes before the admissions board as part of your admission package, and is strongly considered in that process. Asides from a coach, the BGO is usually the only face-to-face contact a candidate will have with members of the admission board.</p>

<p>Basically, the responsibilities include providing cadid counsel to candidates throughout the admission process, including academic, physical and medical requirements. Most importantly, the BGO will provide information about the naval academy as needed, so that there is a good understanding of what the standards and expectations are.</p>

<p>They alsom must submit a fair, comprehensive, and timely interview of each candidate assigned to them. The interview is a mandatory requirement of the admissions process. </p>

<p>In addition to working with official candidates, BGOs also work with applicants that do not qualify for admission, offering guidance as to where they can improve in order to qualify as an official candidate for the next application cycle, as well as other alternatives, including NROTC and OCS. </p>

<p>While the BGO does not sit at the admission board sessions themselves, their evaluation in terms of the interview with the candidate will be reviewed at the board and will factor into the admission decision. Your BGO will, following your interview, "Rank" you in terms of, for example, "top 5%", "top 25%", etc, in the various aspects they are addressing (leadership, motivation, etc). Again, the recommendations from the BGO's definately factor into the admission decision, and a candidates package will not go before the board if that interview write up is not complete.</p>

<p>In addition to the above, the BGO has other responsibilites as well, incuding attending college fairs, assisting in Op-Info (arranging for Midshipmen to visit local schools), finding qualified students and exposing them to the Naval Academy, and some even sit on the nominating committees for MOC's.</p>

<p>Do the admissions counselor sit/or have a vote on the admissions board? Who sits on the admission board?
Also our son will be attending the CVW on 13-15Nov.08 and has received his tentative schedule. Register/Check-In 1700-1730 then Welcome remarks, video, briefing, etc. There is no mention of dinner, so feed your Candidate prior to 5:00 p.m.
The visit ends on Sat. at 0800hrs. instead of 1100hrs probably due to Navy/Notre Dame game in Baltimore.</p>

<p>If you are referring to the BGO as the "admission counselor," then the answer is no- they do not sit on the admission board.</p>

<p>Do they have a vote?
Harder to answer.
Technically, no. They do not sit at the table, nor do they have a vote at it.
HOWEVER-
the BGO does submit a detailed evaluation from the interview, and recommendation- which is presented at the table, and is given considerable weight in the decision. Do candidates get admitted with a "top 5%" recommendation from their BGO? Yes- all the time. Do candidates get admitted with a "not recommended for appointment" rating from their BGO? Have heard that happens, but not often, and usually for other compelling reasons- </p>

<p>Bottom line: make a good impression on your BGO- it can, and does, help.</p>

<p>The letter my son received for CVW this coming weekend said visit would end 1100 ......I wondered about the football game.....</p>

<p>For the game, you're on your own. I've never heard of tix being provided, but they're always available for purchase, legally or otherwise.</p>

<p>I suspect "admissions officer" means the USN officer handling the candidate's file. Ours was enormously helpful along the way, and othes in the office as well, when he was unavailble and information was needed. </p>

<p>And I'd interpret your question to be does that officer sit on the Board. Or does he play any role ...presenting candidate's portfolio or file vs. having a vote (my guess is "no" here, but only a guess) vs. providing recommendation to the Board, i.e. "I believe you should/should not consider this candidate and you should especially note ...." (I'd suspect this is not the reality either.) From all I've personally observed, heard, the Admissions Officer is a disseminator/gatherer of information. </p>

<p>Who can respond with more than "I'd guess ..."?</p>

<p>No, I am not referring to the BGO as a admission couselor. Maybe I have it wrong could it be the regional director. They send most of the communications from the usna.</p>

<p>I wondered about the football game in the context of CVW lasting until 1100 hours and mids wanting to go to game at 1200. S and I visited USNA last fall, his jr year and attended a game, got tickets on stubhub, sat with the class of 62 and had a blast. </p>

<p>Does the Naval Academy bus the mids to a game like Notre Dame in Baltimore? Just curious.</p>

<p>Yes, they'll be bussed up to Baltimore. Lemme know via PM if you're interested in tix. Many are being sold @ face on parents site.</p>

<p>How much are the tickets? I saw $60.00 per, however they were single tickets.</p>