Can someone provide some clarity on the function of the BGO? My son needs to email his BGO several times to get a response. In general, he isn’t responsive, isn’t outgoing and offers no support. Is this common?
I am worried that this individual lacks the commitment to be a good BGO and this will hurt my son;s application
All BGOs are volunteers who do this role in addition to their other jobs. Most are very busy and especially at this time of year can be swamped with duties trying to help all of their candidates. Sometimes their time needs to be prioritized.
The question that I will ask you is does your son email the BGO for a legitimate question or concern on their application, or is he simply emailing for status updates or the often asked “Have they decided, yet?”.
Candidates are expected to follow the instructions and requirements through their own effort and should be able to take care of 99% of the process on their own. My best candidates are the ones who come to me with most of their application done, their MOC applications done, and their school officials informed and ready. BGOs are there to help when things get stuck. If a candidate gets stuck too often I have to wonder how much attention to the process that they are giving.
I am not saying that your son is not giving the effort, I just want to have you ask how much he really needs the BGO for help. I will also say that sometimes there are BGOs who fail in their roles. If you really think that your son’s BGO is not helping at all, then please have him contact the USNA admissions office his concerns.