<p>Really, no question ‘has to be asked’.The coach suggested retaking the SATs. It’s a no-brainer. The candidate should retake them. Should he have asked her to rob a bank, perhaps some discussion would be appropriate.</p>
<p>First off, we know absolutely nothing about any conversations that transpired between the coach and Admissions. To assume none and to advise accordingly is irresponsible.</p>
<p>Secondly, the coach can provide several levels of assistance to a candidate going before the board. For the candidate to ignore the coaches single request does not present and attitude and/or an effort commensurate to whose who very strongly desire admission and could possibly affect his desire to help her.</p>
<p>You’re right - we don’t know the conversation. I can spectulate it went something like: “To bad she didn’t score just a little higher, then an LOA would be a shoe-in.” It was interpreted and relayed, then heard to mean “I need to retake it and get a perfect score.” </p>
<p>Here another conversation (speculation of course): “Coach, I retook and got a 800. When can I expect the LOA to arrive?” “Well, you know there’s only a few LOA’s sent out every year…”</p>
<p>Its just an awful lot of pressure placed on the candidate (to achieve perfection) when it might be a case of miss-speaking or miss-hearing. </p>
<p>But, you’re also right that if the coach did advise a retake then there’s no question about doing so.</p>
<p>Even if the request is not a resonable one?? One should be able to ask questions without the worry of it jeopardizing her chances of entering the Academy. Give me a break - the coach is not God and his word should not be the be all to end all. The OP has the right to ask questions - It’s not against the rules and one should stop making it sound like a crime if she so chooses to go down the path of inquiry.</p>
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<p>I, as a student, would never suggest to anyone to “ignore” a coach’s request. My problem with this scenario is that it was ever suggested to begin with - to request “perfection” upon a student is absolutely unrealistic. That is the point that I am trying to make. There is something not right with this picture when a score of 740 on a math SAT is not deemed acceptable and calls for improvement. The OP should look further into it - It shouldn’t be considered a matter of disrespect if she decides to question this request because there is no guarantee of her receiving an LOA if she achieves a perfect score. It has nothing to do with her strong desire to attend the acadedmy - One just shouldn’t have to “jump through ridiculous hoops” to do so.</p>
leoti, if you have a strong aversion to either jumping through ‘ridiculous’ hoops yourself or watching others do the same, perhaps you should reconsider your choice of schools.</p>
<p>Wow! Apparently, if someone has a different opinion than you then you feel the need to “attack” them. My mom has always told us to challenge things when we disagree or think it’s unfair - Not to disrespect authority but not to do anything because one tells you to without a good explanation. Of course I understand that the Academy environment is the COMPLETE OPPOSITE of this but that is what I find very appealing and I am really looking forward to the challenge if I am given the chance. </p>
<p>Regardless of what happens once you are in the Academy, there is absolutely NO need to “jump through these hoops” to get there. But then again, MOMBEE, you seem to think that you are THE #1 source of anything Navy related and that you know all, so really, I guess who am I to challenge anything that you say?? RIGHT?!</p>
<p>And what happens if the OP retakes the SAT test and recieves a 790 Math score?? I mean, the coach REQUESTED that she achieve a perfect score - an 800 - so is she not doing what she was told by failing to achieve perfection?? Will she still not receive an LOA because she was ASKED to retake the test to get an 800 score but only received a 790?</p>
<p>MOMBEE - Do you really not see how unrealistic this situation is??</p>
<p>I was just stating in my earlier posts that the OP should look into this situation before retaking the SAT tests because it sounds like there is a misunderstanding between the two of them. It seems that there is undo pressure being placed on this student to achieve perfection and it just appears that the coach made a misguided request. She would not be wrong to call the Admissions Office or communicate with her Regional Officer to verify this request before retaking the test.</p>
<p>leoti, you are not hijacking a thread but simply stating your opinion. An opinion I strongly disagree with but, nevertheless, an opinion.</p>
<p>My reasons in a nutshell:</p>
<p>SATs are relatively easy to retake. Anyone who can get a 760 on math can get an 800. It is within the standard deviation.</p>
<p>We have no idea what, if anything, transpired between the CGO and the coach. We do know that qualifications for LOAs are a closely held secret and any type of release by CGO will camouflage these reasons. However, we might surmise that total WCS points might be a factor. We also might surmise that at this stage in the game, that SAT scores might be the only variable remaining. Thirdly, we might surmise that an increased SAT might place this candidates WCS within the LOA range. Lastly we might surmise that the coach might make comments that the CGO, in their effort to maintain secrecy, would never divulge. Therefore, a call to the CGO may or may not be productive.</p>
<p>A much more disastrous scenario might be if the call was made to the CGO who then determined that the coach had no business making such a comment. There are many ways that a coach can help a candidate’s package get through the process. Do you honestly think that, human nature being what it is, a coach who has been embarrassed will be as likely to assist a candidate who has been the cause of the embarrassment?</p>
<p>There are good reasons that the Question Authority bumper sticker is not a big seller in the Mid Store.</p>