tielir999

I have my BGO interview on Tuesday.

Will this be similar to the Senator and Congressman Interviews?

Should I dress in a suit for this also?

What types of questions should i expect?

I've only met my BGO once, emailed a couple times, and talked on the phone once. Not really sure what to expect except.

Thanks

hooyahmicah

Others' mileage may vary, but I just wore khakis and a nice polo with some loafers. A suit wouldn't be out of place, but I don't think it's necessary, especially if it's in your home.

As far as the similarity, for me it was roughly similar. My MOC interview was rather laid back in style and formality, but from others' stories, theirs weren't laid back at all. My BGO interview was pretty laid back, as well. And by laid back, I don't mean laid back, I just mean not as formal as might be expected

GreatAmerican

You need to think of the BGO interview as a job interview. How would you dress for a job interview? I would recommend wearing a coat and tie. It never hurts to be over dressed at events but if you are under dresssed it will be a disaster. You might want to read some of the books on dressing for success.

If the interview is at your home, make sure that your parents are also dressed appropriately.

Simayan

My BGO interview was at my home, and I was explicitly told by him over the phone to dress casually. Very casual in his approach, and repeatedly said he thought this was the "most unneeded part of the application."

As for MOCs, I wore a suit. Didn't feel out of place, even though they were pretty informal. None of them grilled me for not doing any sports (or anything for that matter), but asked what I was doing to stay in shape. Told them I passed the CFA easily and did a brief overview of my weekly routine, after which they said that the lack of sports has been negated in their eyes.

My advice is to act confident, but not arrogant. Tell the truth about everything, and if it's a weakness, say it proudly, but tell them what you do to improve it. There's nothing worse than someone who thinks they are perfect in everything.

USNA1985

I don't expect people to wear suits to BGO interviews. However, I would recommend a collared shirt and pressed slacks. Showing up in gym gear or barefoot (yeah, I've had that happen) is not good.

BGO interviews depend a lot on the individual BGO. You should be prepared to discuss plebe summer, honor code, limited majors, possible service selection, your motivation, interest in USNA and ROTC, and whatever else interests the BGO and you.

It is helpful (but NOT required) to bring a copy of your "resume" as well as a copy of your USNA essay (if you've completed it).

Don't forget that the BGO is there to help you. Thus, don't be afraid to ask questions.

mom3boys

My son's BGO was very nice and helpful. He was dressed far more casually than son or hubby and me. I baked cookies so the house would smell all warm and homey. First part of meeting was whole family, then after about an hour, parents were dismissed. BGO was prior to MOC inteviews, so son was pretty nervous. He did fine, though, and the BGO was there to help him. Since that time we've had several emails/calls with him and he's continued to be supportive. He also knows son has applied to WP, and is heavily recruited by them. He had some advice for getting the coach more involved at Navy.
good luck!

peskemom

tieler99.....wear church-level clothes - the 'suit' is up to you. You will be asked questions like "why do YOU want to go USNA"...."what are you studying in high school right now", "tell me about your college interests", "what kind of sports do you do?" "have you visited USNA?"....

If you are being interviewed with your parents nearby - please make sure YOU answer 90% of the questions. You are the ones being interviewed, not your family. So make sure you are front and center during the interview.

Good luck and God bless! You'll do just fine! Maintain eye contact, and honest enthusiam and you'll do just fine.

GoNavy2011

Our BGO officer actually questioned me (the mom) a few times about my feelings on military service for my son, the war in Iraq, etc. I was surprised at this, because I was prepared to serve up the lemonade and cookies and sit quietly for an hour.

I could only think of two reasons for this (his dad and stepdad were present, but not questioned during the BGO interview): #1 - Moms may be a pretty strong determiner of their kids' military commitment and service, or, #2 - I've been active in Democratic politics for 20+ years.

I tend to go with #1, because I don't think that the parents' political affiliation has squat to do with a USNA admission. My son's USMA and USNA MOC nominations came from two right-wing, nationally recognizable Republicans. I had actively worked on their opponents' campaigns...

peskemom

gonavy2011 mom.....yes, I was questioned, along with my husband by the BGO during the interview. The key was to only answer a question when posed directly to YOU. The BGO won't appreciate it if he asks the candidate a question and a parent answers first - or even amends the answer. That's what I meant by making sure the young person is 'front and center'.

And you'd be surprised about the family backgrounds and personal political positions of USNA families. You are correct in determining not all are right-leaning Republicans, even if "I are one"....welcome gonavy2011 mom to the world of Service Academy folk. :-)

bulletandpima

I think the interviews vary. Our s had his held privately away from our house. He then called in the middle of the day and spoke to me privately. Called a few days later and asked to speak to my husband. Have another friend in a different state that their son was invited to dinner at the club with retired officers and other prospective candidates. And 1 friend in yet another state who had the came to the house. She was upset because they started the process many many months ago and only had the interview recently

navy2010

Like peskemom, we had several interactions and discussion with our son's BGO (former marine) prior to his "interview;" in retrospect I have no doubt the interview process spanned them all! The BGO did ask about our thoughts regarding our son's persuit of a military career, on several occassions I recall, and while I expressed some "parental" concern, he could clearly see our son's decision had our support.

Bulletandpima is right in that the interview process can vary greatly.

Our Mid's BGO interviewed him seperate and apart from us. Our son said it was very relaxed, more as a result of having met or having had conversations several times before the "official interview", which no doubt helped to put some nerves at ease! That was back in 2008- and they still keep in touch.

We had a similiar experience with the BGO from the foundation program, who was very gracious in meeting us and our son down in Annapolis, once officially, and several times thereafter when we were down in the neighborhood for football or lax. He also visited each foundation student at their respective schools during the course of the foundation year, monitoring their progress and offering support as needed.

The net result was that our son had not one, but TWO really great, dedicated BGO's.... as interested in learning as much about him as he was in learning about the USNA and Navy!

The point to be taken home, however, is not "when" the interview is done, or how it is done, but doing whatever you can to make sure the BGO has every opportunity to get to know the "candidate" well.

Best of luck to all!

tielir999

Thanks for all of the help/advice. My interviews tomorrow at his house so hopefully it goes well. Thanks again, this site is always great with helping out.

boulderhikermom

Our daughter's BGO interview was a great experience. After she first contacted him, her impression was that he was a stern, gruff guy. However, he told her to dress casually and that bringing her parents would be fine. We read that as 'it would be a good thing to bring your parents'.

We met in his office and he turned out to be the nicest man ever. He gave the illusion of being very casual but in retrospect, he controlled the meeting very well. He spent 1/3 the time giving us naval academy stories and advice, then 1/3 the time asking questions that he was required to and 1/3 of the time taking questions. He was glad to see us (parents) there because he wanted to see the parental support.

Moral of the story: 1) if you get instructions on how to dress, follow them otherwise dress 'up'2) if you are told parents are welcome, bring them. 3) dont judge a book by its cover. She was nervous about the demeanor of her BGO but he turned out to be a wise and very nice man.

Oh, also he had asked for documentation for all of her awards, honors etc. We dug up what we could and he collected it for his file.

Good luck tomorrow!

SteveTheBeav

Good luck with your interview tomorrow.

My BGO interview was at the officer's current job at a major local corporation. I did not receive instructions on how to dress, but I wore a grey suit, white shirt, and blue tie. I dressed up for two reasons. Number one, I wanted to look professional, show my BGO that I was taking applying to USNA very seriously, and so I felt more confident. Number two, my interview was in the downtown office of a major company and not being in a suit would have looked out of place. My BGO was actually dressed more casually since it was Friday, but I'm still glad I wore the suit. My interview covered pretty typical topics: why I want to go to USNA, info about my family and if they supported me, Plebe Summer, Honor Code, Academy academics, my academics, sports, etc.

tielir999

Had the interview. It wasn't bad at all. My BGO was a former wrestler so we talked alot about that and then we got down to the normal questions and stuff. He just asked me a few questions and then gave me some advice for my other interviews. Definitely was pretty laid back about the whole thing. Thanks for all the advice.