Enlisting before entering an academy

connermaddie

connermaddie

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Jan 6, 2014
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Should I enlist in the Army at 17 before my senior year, so that I would already be enlisted while attending West Point or go straight from civilian life to the academy? Which one would give me a better chance at being excepted?


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Enlisting

If you do that - be prepared to serve your enlistment if you don't get in to an Academy. If you at least get Basic Training under your belt, I think you qualify for one of the 85 active duty slots. The standards are lower that route.
 
If I don't make the academy then I plan on going to college else where and joining ROTC. So I would have a better chance at acceptance into the academy or no if I enlist first?


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I was also worried that I would not be admitted to the Academy and considered enlisting the day I turned 18. I spoke to the admissions officer at WP and he said that you would have to wait at least two years before your CO would even consider giving you a nomination to the Academy. You can't just apply immediately after Basic. Don't do it unless you want to enlist anyways.
 
As with ROTC Green to Gold you need the recommendation of your company commander/CO to proceed with the application process your either WP/ROTC and I am sure OCS.

No CO is going to give a PV2 or PFC right out of AIT a recommendation until he/she has been around a while and showed they are a good solider. You are looking at a few years after enlisting before you''ll have that shot and you better hope your CO/PL/PSG likes you.
 
I have been scrolling through this forum for the last few days and I think you have one of the most impressive resumes. I think you should be accepted through regular admission as a civilian.
 
You would be surprised. USMA is super competitive and there are a lot out there with 10 times more than what I have on my resume.


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Plus, if I were to enlist, it would be with the National Guard.


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I also have considered enlisting before applying to a service academy. However, I am a caucasian male and my resume is less impressive than yours. For you, being female, you already an advantage and are likely to be accepted.
 
That is true. I have taken that into consideration as well. However, I don't want to rely on that advantage. I still want to do everything I can to help my chances of being excepted.


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HSClassof2017 said:
I also have considered enlisting before applying to a service academy. However, I am a caucasian male and my resume is less impressive than yours. For you, being female, you already an advantage and are likely to be accepted.
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Females do not have a greater likelihood of being appointed than males just because they are female. If she is appointed and not you, it was because her resume was more impressive than yours was. What does that tell you to do? Work harder. And never offer an "excuse" that you weren't appointed simply because you're male. Plenty of men are appointed every year. You can be one of them.

Also, I don't believe that enlisting in National Guard offers any kind of "easier" route to an academy. If anything, it would make the road longer and harder.
 
connermaddie said:
That is true. I have taken that into consideration as well. However, I don't want to rely on that advantage. I still want to do everything I can to help my chances of being excepted.
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Accepted, not "excepted."

But the more appropriate word, correct me if I'm wrong, would be "appointed." You get accepted to Stanford. You get appointed to West Point.

Edit: Nah, I take that back -- the WP admissions site does say that people are "accepted."
 
My apologies. I am more of a math person. Usually I am good about reading posts multiple times before submitting them to verify that they are grammatically correct. Plus, I would rather not be given an advantage for being female. I want to make sure that I am qualified for the right reasons. To me, being appointed to the USMA, is not about getting into a good "college". It is about trying to serve my country and lead others. I believe that I would be a good candidate because of my passion for my country, along with several other qualifications. If I am not the right person for it, than I would rather not be appointed. I would rather the right person be, so that this country may continue to be great. If I'm am not the right person for it, then I don't want to be appointed.


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connermaddie said:
My apologies. I am more of a math person. Usually I am good about reading posts multiple times before submitting them to verify that they are grammatically correct. Plus, I would rather not be given an advantage for being female. I want to make sure that I am qualified for the right reasons. To me, being appointed to the USMA, is not about getting into a good "college". It is about trying to serve my country and lead others. I believe that I would be a good candidate because of my passion for my country, along with several other qualifications. If I am not the right person for it, than I would rather not be appointed. I would rather the right person be, so that this country may continue to be great. If I'm am not the right person for it, then I don't want to be appointed.
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It's ok -- I only corrected because you had used "excepted" twice; I wanted to make sure you knew the correct usage. But please, never make excuses for mistakes. How lame do "language" people seem when we make excuses for an ineptitude in math? I'm an adult with good language skills working in a math-heavy environment. I know math is my weakness. But I never make excuses for it, and I never guess. I find people for whom math is a strength, and I ask for their help. If math is your strength, and language is a weakness, my suggestion is: read more, and write more, and seek feedback from people who have language as a strength. An exceptional math mind can more easily convey her math strength to others using professional communication skills.

You have won me over with the bolded part above. I wish you the best!
 
Scratch that last "am". It should just be "I'm". Plus, I am not looking for an "easier" route. I am looking for the route that will qualify me to be a better leader.


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candidate2014 said:
I was also worried that I would not be admitted to the Academy and considered enlisting the day I turned 18. I spoke to the admissions officer at WP and he said that you would have to wait at least two years before your CO would even consider giving you a nomination to the Academy. You can't just apply immediately after Basic. Don't do it unless you want to enlist anyways.
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Wrong, the first commander that can nominate a soldier is the basic training commander. He or she is not required to nominate anyone, but can nominate a soldier if he or she wishes to.
 
Thank you for helping me. I will try to work more on my language skills and less excuses. I make mistakes and in the future, I will remember things such as this so that I may become a better person in what ever I do. However there will always be more mistakes to be made. It is how you respond to them and the ability to learn from them that counts. Once again, thank you. I am always looking for ways to become better. I appreciate those who help me along the way.


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Don't enlist unless that is what you want to do. Don't do something (especially something involving dedicating years of your life to) simply to improve your chances of admission. Plenty of people out of high school get accepted with no prior military experience (to include JROTC).

If you want to serve your country a bit on the enlisted side first and then later apply, than that is a different story and by all means go for it. If it is just to improve your resume to get accepted, don't.

Also, I think the 85 slots for USMAPS reserved for enlisted soldiers are only for active duty and not National Guard/reserves, I could be wrong though. If you really want to enlist in the NG/reserves and become an officer, you could be in the national guard/reserves and do ROTC in a normal college (or a SMC if you wish). A lot of people in Norwich are in the Vermont National Guard.
 
The National Guard does have a certain amount of slots. I have spoken with my stepdad some. He is an officer in the National Guard. I see what you mean though. I will most likely go straight in from being a civilian.


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MemberLG said:
Wrong, the first commander that can nominate a soldier is the basic training commander. He or she is not required to nominate anyone, but can nominate a soldier if he or she wishes to.
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This is true most I think inmost cases it will be at a first unit 1-2 years down the the road. I wouldn't want to rely on my BCT CO nominating me with so many variables in play if my goal was WP and I wasn't prepared to give a full term enlistment.
 
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