Can you be injured over the summer and still go to USMA?

I am wondering whether you can be injured over the summer and still be able to enroll in USMA. I am not planning on getting injured, of course, but I have senior trips to the Midwest with High School buds in May/June, and want to know how nervous I should be. I mean, I obviously will skip out on our mountain biking day, and maybe white water rafting (can't tell if they were joking when they said "skydiving!" but I'll probably skip that too if that's actually a thing), but I plan to go on the hikes/fishing trips we have planned. I imagine it can depend on the severity of the injury as well - if you have a mildly sprained ankle, I am willing to bet they will let you in on June 28th, but if you have, say, a broken collar bone, I imagine they will turn you away. Either way, I guess a solid course of action is to ask myself a simple question for all activities I undertake from now until June 28th - "can I get hurt doing this?"
Well, every teenager should probably always ask themselves that question, but I digress...

You pretty much have it summarized correctly right there. I would pass up the risky stuff. Hiking and fishing should be safe enough. Then again stranger things have happened just walking down the street. Be smart, have fun and don't do anything that is stupid and you should be fine.

You need to be able to hit the ground running on day 1 - anything that would impede doing all the PT will likely cause you to be turned back. DS broke his wrist and had surgery months ago, has been cleared by MD but we are still waiting for a waiver. Don't take any chances. Fishing sounds safe

My son went to a bounce house the other day. Did all sorts of crazy things and was fine ... until he slide down a simple slide and banged up his ankle. Sigh.

I feel like if anything happens, it'll be because I snap my ankle getting out of bed on June 27th. That sounds like something that would happen to me...

Hahahaha.....you must be 100% ready to go.

Push Hard, Press Forward

What happens if someone gets injured at CBT anyway? Are they just sent home :O


2019 WestPoint class appointee

Recipient of 4 year army rotc scholarship.

I think I read somewhere it depends on the severity of your injury...to quote "these will be handled on a case to case basis." So a sprained wrist, you'll probably be fine; fracture your femur somehow, well, enjoy your year off from college. On that note, if you are injured, does your entire appointment just go *poof* and you have to start all over next year if you want to get in again? Or are you reserved a spot next year if you are healed in time, or a prep school slot or something?

That kind of stuff worries me so much. I don't want to have my life changed negatively and drastically because I trip or have something that comes up.


2019 WestPoint class appointee

Recipient of 4 year army rotc scholarship.

Currahee said:

On that note, if you are injured, does your entire appointment just go *poof* and you have to start all over next year if you want to get in again? Or are you reserved a spot next year if you are healed in time, or a prep school slot or something?

Click to expand...

Depends. Each is a case by case basis. If you were barely earning your appointment this year, West Point will let you fight it out next year. If you are a stellar candidate they will likely reserve a spot.

There was a case a few years back (I think at AFA) where the CC tripped getting off the bus moving from point A to point B on Rday...messed up his knee and was sent home. I might skip the mountain biking, but as long as you stay in the raft, you should be fine. My kids usually do the NOC in a duck raft, which sit lower in the water. Last time only the adult fell out (we were in a traditional raft). The most experienced paddler was in the raft. Go figure!

Couple of real world examples:

There was a 2017 Candidate, and a member of this forum, that tore his knee up in the Spring. He was DQ'd for admission. But he did receive a very early LOA (West Point doesn't do very many LOA's) for 2018 and is now a member of the class of 2018.

There was a female CC that injured her knee during beast. According to facebook posts from her mother on the parents page, it was determined to be "career ending" and she was separated from the class.

So, obviously, it depends on the injury and of course when it happens.

I fretted all spring as my son competed in Powerlifting and Soccer. Turns out he had a completely unrelated medical issue that required a late waiver. Stress city!!! It all worked out.