<p>More questions........son's app is in, Dodmerb done, Congressional apps on the way within the week. He and I visited USNA last fall during Homecoming. He attended NASS and spent a few days afterward with his Dad looking things over some more. Is there any reason for us to travel up for one of the Candidate Visit Weekends? Are candidates invited to those? Seems like someone told us those were for varsity athletes that USNA is recruiting? Would it strengthen his chances at appt.? </p>
<p>We are in the Texas Panhandle so we'd have to saddle up and get moving on a plan if we want to do one of those weekends. However, we are glad to if it helps at all.....</p>
<p>CVW, unlike NASS, is the real deal. Prospective candidates can see the Brigade and Bancroft Hall in all their ugly reality. Since the SA experience is like no other, I highly recommend it.</p>
<p>Your son has been at USNA three seperate times. How he performed at NASS has already been written into a report by his detailer. That will carry significantly more weight than any future visits. In short your sons cards are on the table and now the hard waiting part comes into play. I would wait to see what responses you get from the Academy over the next few months. </p>
<p>Everyone has a different sorty to tell. Some kids do not hear much until spring and others have full appointments by Christmas. You do not know until you hear something one way or the other.</p>
<p>I'd wait for the winter/spring candidate visits. If your son hears good news it's the final reality check. If he does not hear positive news then you have saved a trip and the emotional baggage your son would have of seeing something he can't obtain.</p>
<p>CVWs are primarily intended to benefit candidates. Although there may be some form of evaluation associated with the weekend, this is unlikely to help/hurt the candidate except in very rare circumstances. </p>
<p>In my opinion, the more exposure to USNA you can get, the more informed your decision will be. Even, if you've done NASS, you'll still learn a lot about USNA from CVW. Thus, I strongly encourage anyone invited to attend, unless cost is a major obstacle (which, for some, it will be). Primarily for this reason (cost), not attending CVW won't hurt you from an admissions standpoint.</p>
<p>I have never been asked to evaluate a drag. </p>
<p>NASS is not the Academy. Known here as Summer Scaminar - it truly is not representative of life here. I received my invite to CVW after my appointment. I used it to help make my final decision on attending. Even though I had given my parents the impression that all I wanted was Navy, and I really did think it was. When the appointment arrived other emotions quickly emerged. I needed to go to CVW to really make sure it was what I thought it to be and what I wanted. Even then I did not return my acceptance papers until I had all of my other acceptances. It really was at that point that I was able to make an informed decision.</p>
<p>My son was told he was evaluated, in writing, by his "dragger." :confused: It seems it's not a constant, pervasive requirement/expectation, but does happen, if sporadically among the CVWs.</p>
<p>Asked my Mid about this last year. Apparently only the Mid that is actually assigned the drag writes anything up on a simple one page form. The "drag" can be handed off to several different mids over the course of the visit and they do not have to do any paperwork.</p>
<p>There are a lot of opinions on NASS but it does serve a purpose. The detailers do have to write an evaluation on each kid in the squad. Some take this responsiblity more seriously than others. A detailer that has written something very positive or very negative can have an impact on an applicants chance of admission.</p>
<p>I would add that a NASS detailer eval that is supported by other aspects of the candidate's package (teacher recs, BGO eval, CFA performance, etc.) will carry weight. USNA realizes that the NASS detailers are generally 3/C, 19-yr-old mids, and the future of a candidate generally won't hang on that detailer's comments absent anything else to support it.</p>
<p>I did NASS as a detailer, yes we write things up but it is not for the purpose you seem to think it is, it is about us as detailers and our first leadership opportunity. Now maybe they went onto admissions but the story we got after NASS was finished was they did not really count one way or another in the candidates file. The one thing that does count is the results of the CFA.</p>
<p>I have been assigned to drags and never once wrote anything up about any of them. The purpose of the weekend is a visit to help a qualified applicant make a decision about accepting the appointment should one be offered. It is not intended as an evaluation of an applicant. </p>
<p>If either program were intended to be another way for admissions to evaluate a potential applicant, you are automatically putting those who can not afford to attend at a disadvantage. </p>
<p>19+ year old Midshipmen are not in the business to impact an application.</p>
<p>My midn attended a CVW last April.....over his HS Spring Break.....(he also made a similar visit to UVa that same week, staying in a dorm with freshmen hosts and attending classes for 2 days)......the CVW helped him realize the hard facts that USNA was a very tough program and would take a tremendous amount of personal, physical, mental and emotional commitment . CVW was a good tool in the school (final)selection process. USNA also offered parents a very good academic briefing and outstanding Q&A session with the leadership team during the CVW (candidates were not in attendance). Overall, CVW was very informative and appreciated by the candidate as well as his parents.
I highly recommend attending a CVW if the opportunity is offered.
G5</p>
<p>I'm just a NAPSter but it helped me realize what I'll be getting into next year. If you don't get an invitation, you can always request one, I did and my CGO was real friendly about it. Its an eye opener, some of the NAPSters here already have decided they don't want to go the academy next year because they feel its not for them or not what they expected. CVW will definately help you make that final decision whether you want to be there or not. </p>
<p>I should add that everyone should think real hard and do some research of what it'll be like at USNA and if you can handle it. If you get an appointment and then DOR because you didn't like it or it's not for you, remember there was about 9,000 others out there that would fill your shoes in a heartbeat and would've probably finished the program, but he/she got a rejection letter. They say here at NAPS that we have "a golden opportunity," that's exactly what it is.</p>