Chances at USMA? I am a college student FYI

Peter

5-Year Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2010
Messages
254
18/Vietnamese/Male

4.44 GPA (weighted) - don't know unweighted because my school doesn't release that stuff
7/286 (Top 2%)
610 CR, 690 Math, 670 Writing

AP World History (sophomore), AP US History (junior), AP Government (senior), AP Calculus BC (junior), AP Language & Composition (senior)
Took all honor classes available except for Biology
Maintained straight A's in all classes, except for AP Government, which I earned a B+

Sprinter for track team for freshman year, in the Spring of 2007 (will explain why I only did one sport in a little bit)

Member of Technology Student Association (TSA) for two years, a club devoted to building and doing projects using skills acquired through Technology Education. Elected as Head of Electronics for one year; responsible for lead project of building a computer from purchased parts through fundraising

Member of SkillsUSA for one year, an association for high school students and college students, as well as professional members, who are enrolled in technical, skilled, and service occupations. SkillsUSA hosts various competitions that allow members to display acquired skills throughout their academic year. Appointed as class representative in that same year and was responsible for motivating fellow classmates and guiding them in order to win competitions throughout the year.

Inducted into the National Technical Honor Society in 2010, America's highest award for excellence in career and technical education. Required teacher's nominations, the maintenance of a cumulative 3.0 GPA overall, and a cumulative 3.9 GPA for technical class.

Inducted into school's Mu Alpha Theta National High School Mathematics Honor Society in 2009. Had to have strong mathematic skills, be enrolled in high-level mathematic classes, and nominated by math teachers.

Melodic percussionist for top Concert Band for three years, which has also earned distinguished Superior awards in local competitions since its development in 2005. In addition, the band earned a standing ovation from near capacity audience after 2007 performance at Carnegie Hall.

Pianist for top Jazz Band for three years, which has won the distinguished Superior award in local competitions for all of its years since its development in 2005.

Marimba percussionist for winter drumline for two years.

Worked part-time at Zero's Subs from November 2009 - December 2009. Was let go because of poor business.

Currently working part-time at Potbelly Sandwich Works, beginning January 2010. About to be promoted to Certified Trainer

Private piano lessons for 11 years, and received the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) Distinguished Award for Piano for three years. Required candidates to earn a distinguished rating in tests of aural, playing, and sight-singing ability.

Built computers as a hobby for more than three years.

Co-owner of Logix Computer Business, building and repairing computers for friends and families.

One of 50 seniors in High School to receive Excellence in Education Honoree , which required honorees to maintain at least a 4.0 GPA for freshman, sophomore, and junior year. Honorees attended a county-wide banquet.

Alright, so I'm one of the few who will apply to West Point and "transfer" over (of course, I'm not transferring in that sense, but merely starting over as a plebe at West Point). In fact, I'm applying to West Point before I even start my year at Virginia Tech. And yes, other people have stated that you should start the spring semester of junior year. Well the thing is, back around spring semester of junior year, I weighed 175 pounds, and I was incredibly unfit. West Point was pretty much the last thing on my mind, which is why I quit track very early on, after freshman year, realizing that perhaps I probably couldn't do very much as far as athletics.

Well, the summer before Senior year starts, I began taking a more active approach in my fitness by doing extensive cardio, and by the beginning of Senior Year, I am around 145 pounds. Of course, I was still not fit enough, so I did extensive resistance training and a lot of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), followed an incredibly strict high protein/low carb diet, and by the end of Senior year, I am now around 138 pounds. I can do 59 push ups in one minute, and about 10-11 pull-ups in one rep, as compared to Junior summer, where I could do 10 push ups in one minute and no pull-ups at all.

After realizing how valuable a West Point education was, I have begun to apply. In fact, I began applying just two days ago. I have already started on my nominations, and am getting my recommendations in. As you can see, I have already finished my senior year with high academic credentials and pretty above average SAT scores. I'm just wondering when they'll get the details in for my DodMERB. And I'm waiting to do the CFA until I enter Tech, after training some more over the summer.

So with that, chance me!
 
Dude, go for it. Your credentials are solid, everything seriously.
You got the brains and muscle it sounds like- The only thing that is not ideal is your athletic participation. But actions speak louder than words and if you have a very solid CFA score, it shouldn't be a big problem

Just make sure that you are going to West Point because you want to be an army officer, and not just because it's a "great school". Make sure you want it, and it sounds like you do so I wish you the best of luck.

Get your stuff done early, have everything done before September if possible-
everything except the nominations of course (those get decided later down the road). West Point will probably also want your 1st semester transcript from VT, but if you have all the right things done very early on, you are in the best possible position you could be in. I say this because they could possibly offer you an LoA (Letter of assurance) which basically is an acceptance Pending on your nomination and 1st semester grades.

Good Luck :)
 
Thank you. I very much appreciate it.

However, I do have a question. Does it take USMA admissions a while until they send the information to where I can send my transcript, SAT scores, and whatever else they need? I've already sent my SAT scores and I was just about to send my transcript to them, but they didn't include an address to where I could send my transcript to.
 
I don't usually post in the USMA forum...I tend to stay with the USCGA crowd but I personally think you look pretty solid. And I am extremely impressed by your personal fitness accomplishments. Maybe explaining that in an essay or something would show Admissions how dedicated you are.
 
Thank you. I very much appreciate it.

However, I do have a question. Does it take USMA admissions a while until they send the information to where I can send my transcript, SAT scores, and whatever else they need? I've already sent my SAT scores and I was just about to send my transcript to them, but they didn't include an address to where I could send my transcript to.

While I commend your enthusiasm at the moment, you'll need to hold off for the time being -- applications for 2015 won't open until sometime in August. If you've gone to the admissions website and filled out the form to be considered an applicant, that's all you can do at the moment. You will receive a candidate ID # and password to use to log onto the candidate portal. You should be able to log on as soon as you receive your ID and password, but you won't be able to start filling things out until it's opened in August.

Good luck! And definitely go for it, your stats look great.
 
While I commend your enthusiasm at the moment, you'll need to hold off for the time being -- applications for 2015 won't open until sometime in August. If you've gone to the admissions website and filled out the form to be considered an applicant, that's all you can do at the moment. You will receive a candidate ID # and password to use to log onto the candidate portal. You should be able to log on as soon as you receive your ID and password, but you won't be able to start filling things out until it's opened in August.

Good luck! And definitely go for it, your stats look great.

I was actually sent a letter just yesterday stating that I could send in my transcripts and my SAT scores now.
 
no applications are to open june 15th

That's new this year, then. It didn't open until August 3rd last year, I believe.

I was actually sent a letter just yesterday stating that I could send in my transcripts and my SAT scores now.


Okay! Everything else you need, though, will be available on the candidate portal once it's open. You'll fill out a personal data record (with address, your birth info, parent's info, fluent in other languages? been arrested? etc), an activities record, and receive three different essay prompts. You'll put in your guidance counselor's email so s/he can verify your activities record, enter the email of whoever administered your CFA, and put in the emails of an English, math, and physics or chemistry teacher so the three of them can fill out evaluations of you. And that's pretty much it for the application, aside from the nominations.
 
Okay! Everything else you need, though, will be available on the candidate portal once it's open. You'll fill out a personal data record (with address, your birth info, parent's info, fluent in other languages? been arrested? etc), an activities record, and receive three different essay prompts. You'll put in your guidance counselor's email so s/he can verify your activities record, enter the email of whoever administered your CFA, and put in the emails of an English, math, and physics or chemistry teacher so the three of them can fill out evaluations of you. And that's pretty much it for the application, aside from the nominations.

So right now, the earliest thing I can do is just work on my nominations?
 
Pretty much. You could also try getting into contact with the teachers you want to use for your SOE's to let them know that you will be requesting that, so they're prepared for the email when it comes.

But oh, I also forgot about DoDMERB. I don't remember exactly how it works, but I think you receive a letter or something instructing you to go to the DoDMETS site. As it's been quite a while since I used that site, I looked it up. Under the "How do I Begin?" section:

At this point, you should have received a packet from Concorde instructing you to visit www.dodmets.com to complete your medical and optometric requirements for the Department of Defense Medical Examination Review Board (DoDMERB).

DoDMETS specifically handles the tracking and completion of your medical requirements. Concorde and this website do not make “Qualified/Disqualified” decisions as they relate to your application.

They will give you a specific doctor and optometrist to go to regarding your examinations. After your examinations are submitted to DoDMERB, then you'll be finished with the DoDMETS site, and follow the DoDMERB website to see if you are deemed medically qualified or if they'll request a remedial, as well as disqualifications and waivers.

If you've received a prompt to send in your SAT scores and your transcripts, I would bet that you should receive a packet from Concorde soon. I remember I had my exams completed in June, and I received the packet shortly after returning from SLS, and all of my info had been submitted to DoDMERB by 1 July. So, unless the portal does indeed open on the fifteenth of this month as Szpieg stated, that would be the next immediate task to work on.
 
Do the teachers have to teach math, english, and chemistry or physics? Somebody told me they had to teach those specific topics.

I haven't received a letter about my medical screening yet, but I will start that right away when I receive the letter.
 
Last year the required three letters of rec. One from an English teacher, one from a math teacher, and one from either a chemistry or physics teacher.
 
Last year the required three letters of rec. One from an English teacher, one from a math teacher, and one from either a chemistry or physics teacher.

Alright, I'll give them a heads up sometime soon. Thank you!
 
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