Daily visit or not?

Hello. My DS is 3q with nom to USMA (his first and only SA choice). His backup plan is already set for SMC with AROTC scholarship.
He wants to go to West Point for the candidate visit (no LoA, so no overnight) but he also said that he knows that (USMA) is where he wants to go and nothing on the visit will change his mind. BTW, we live in the south so he will have to fly and miss 2 days of school.
So, for those who have visited and those who know…I am wondering if he should go ahead and do the candidate daily visit?

Philmont, I would do the visit. My cadet only wanted West Point also and each time we visited, it confirmed for him that he had made the right decision. We are from the South also, but were able to visit over our Spring/Easter break (which is not West Point's spring break). Of course, I'm sure after the snow that lingered a week, it's a real possibility that lots of school systems in the South may not have much break left. I think another time we went over a teacher workday---leaving Thursday afternoon and returning on Sunday. We were always able to find good prices on airfare and rental cars. He never missed a day of school for the visits.

West Point is so beautiful, it really needs to be seen in person with your own two eyes. On one of our trips, we took the 2-hour tour offered by West Point Tours and another time we rode the train down to NYC. The cadets who hosted my son were very helpful and gracious to him. It was nice for him to eat in the mess hall, see inside the barracks, and sit in on the classes.

Yes, take the trip!

I know it's probably a stupid question, but what does DS stand for?

dlb2014, DS means 'dear son'. There is an sticky posted in the community section of forum that lists all the acronyms.
Dixieland, Thanks for your advice. I sent you a PM.

I would also echo Dixieland. I'm on the plane headed home from an overnight visit at West Point right now, and the visit was well worth it. I also did a daily visit last spring which really piqued my interest in West Point. Both times my cadet escorts were more than willing to show me around and answer all my questions. They also gave me all their contact info if I had any questions later on. It sounds like your son is very set on West Point and while I am not 100% sure, seeing the classes, barracks, interactions between cadets, and cadet life overall was very helpful and will aid me in my decision process. I think even if you do know you want to go to West Point, a visit is a good idea to solidify that choice and provide extra information.

I'd do the visit and just pair it with a trip to NYC for the weekend.

Another option would be to wait and see if he gets the Appointment. You can do an overnight then.
If he doesn't get an Appointment, then you would not have taken an unnecessary trip to WP.

buff81 said:

Another option would be to wait and see if he gets the Appointment. You can do an overnight then.
If he doesn't get an Appointment, then you would not have taken an unnecessary trip to WP.

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Agreed. Also, the overnight is so much better than a daily visit as far as getting an idea of what it's really like and being able to see much more.

If you are from the South - call Maj Tolman and see what he recommends. He can give special allowance for an overnight visit even if your son doesn't have the LOA. He can also let you know where your son stands in the process. He will be honest, so be prepared for that. He didn't give us good news, but there is still hope. Good Luck

I would recommend going! It really confirmed my wanting to go there; I also feel like it would be wrong of me to be so sure going wanting to go to WP if I had not properly visited as it is definitely not a place for everyone!

I did a day visit to both USMA and USAFA. I'm from NJ, so I ended up missing 3 days of school to fly out to Colorado. I felt that the trip to USAFA was worth it. USMA was and still is my top choice. USAFA was more of an afterthought, but after taking the trip, I'm much more open to the option and can much more easily picture myself there and in the AF. While visiting, my family and I drove out to Denver and throught Colorado Springs just to sightsee for a bit. It helped paint a better picture for me of the setting of USAFA and what I'd be looking at if I ever left on weekends. As far as I know, there isn't much nearby USMA, but NYC is about an hour or so away and maybe you could explore the surrounding area. USMA's setting is pretty different compared to USAFA. Your son will also get a "feel" for the academy itself regarding lifestyle. Plus, college visits are a bonus of senior year

PS Weather sucks up here right now. We're supposed to get more snow/ice this weekend too. Your travel plans are at the mercy of Mother Nature if you're planning for a date nearby.