I'm a Cow at USMA, AMA (Ask Me Anything)

TPIAD said:
I first heard about West Point my junior year. I applied for SLS and got accepted. I looked into Boy's State but it was too late for a scholarship. Instead I just paid to go (It wasn't that expensive if I remember right). SLS was a ton of fun and what really made me want to go here. (SLS is also a recruiting tool, don't interpret what that is like to match what being a cadet is like because unfortunately they are very different). The summer leading into my Senior year I tried to get into better shape. I started my application my senior year. My congressmen didn't do interviews, I just applied. I got word sometime in November that I was nominated. I found out in March I was accepted. The application sucked, but after that it was a ton of waiting. I was worried because I wasn't that special of a person. I wasn't team captain, or class president, or even top 25%. I was a boy scout and a football player.

The truth it, applying to West Point is a battle of patience. The application sucks and only some 3000 students finish it. That whole 8% of applicants get accepted is BS. It is true that getting in on your first try is hard, but that's why I say it is a game of patience. I got in on my first attempt. My two closest friends did a year or two at a different school. I have a number of friends from the Prep school. Two of my friends enlisted after being turned down and were accepted during or after AIT. If you want to go to West Point, bad enough to wait a year or two of college, or to enlist, then you will get in. Especially if you enlist, USMA will accept enlisted service-members, even if their grades weren't too good, simply because they can bring tangible experience to the corps. My advice is if you want to come, don't accept defeat and don't give up and I guarantee you you'll find yourself here in the end.

Whether or not USMA is worth all that work is a different conversation without an answer haha
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Absolutely agree. I got into West Point on my second attempt after a year at normal college and doing ROTC. If it's really where you want to be keep looking for ways and things will work out for you.
 
Felix Rosa said:
Again, we are really grateful for your unsiders viewpoint and tips.

I'm curious, are the training facilities also open to recreational use, or are they only for the team? eg. Can a cadet occationally swim in the pool/jump off the trampolines during his/her downtime? Can a cadet safely use the rock climbing facilities if he/she wants t practice for next years tryouts? How about the shooting range, etc.
I'm really curious about the answer to this question, lol
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Felix Rosa said:
Also, do we really have a decent amount of down&chill time as cadets, or is that only for the academic wizards that can get their calc&chem homeworks done before the average dudes are even half way? You mentioned earlier that WP likes to Bragg about cadets going bezzerk with work and not having enough down time
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Most facilities are. Our main gym is called Arvin and it has the combatives rooms, rock wall, and pool. The pool is open just about every day, and the hours are posted somewhere. The combatives rooms are never locked, just find a buddy throw on ACUs and have at it. The rock wall has free climb periods where you can go practice even as a nonmember to the team, I can't remember the hours but it is a thing. You will get to go to many of these facilities as part of DPE courses so at some point you'll get exposed. I've been choked out in the combatives room, almost drowned in full kit trying to swim in the survival pool, and attempted to climb some rocks all in Arvin over the last three years. The shooting range is harder, but if you take the initiative and ask your military NCO during the academic year about range training to improve your aim, he could probably set out a company event on a weekday. You could also join Sandurst, each company will have a company competitive mil even called Sandhurst that trains all year. They go to the range frequently.

You will have a surprisingly large amount of down time. If you're like me, it goes like this: work really hard for a short burst, then do nothing for a week, and so forth. I don't work ahead too often. West Point brags about us being busy because they make us busy. Academics won't take your time, mandatory briefs and other random events will quickly make free time disappear. On average though, I would say I have plenty of free time. I could have more if I worked ahead or had better time management, but it is what it is. I'm usually in bed around 10pm to 11pm. Infrequently will I have so much homework that I have to stay up all night (4 times since I've been at this school) and it's probably because I was lazy and waited to the last minute.
 
TPIAD said:
Most facilities are. Our main gym is called Arvin and it has the combatives rooms, rock wall, and pool. The pool is open just about every day, and the hours are posted somewhere. The combatives rooms are never locked, just find a buddy throw on ACUs and have at it. The rock wall has free climb periods where you can go practice even as a nonmember to the team, I can't remember the hours but it is a thing. You will get to go to many of these facilities as part of DPE courses so at some point you'll get exposed. I've been choked out in the combatives room, almost drowned in full kit trying to swim in the survival pool, and attempted to climb some rocks all in Arvin over the last three years. The shooting range is harder, but if you take the initiative and ask your military NCO during the academic year about range training to improve your aim, he could probably set out a company event on a weekday. You could also join Sandurst, each company will have a company competitive mil even called Sandhurst that trains all year. They go to the range frequently.

You will have a surprisingly large amount of down time. If you're like me, it goes like this: work really hard for a short burst, then do nothing for a week, and so forth. I don't work ahead too often. West Point brags about us being busy because they make us busy. Academics won't take your time, mandatory briefs and other random events will quickly make free time disappear. On average though, I would say I have plenty of free time. I could have more if I worked ahead or had better time management, but it is what it is. I'm usually in bed around 10pm to 11pm. Infrequently will I have so much homework that I have to stay up all night (4 times since I've been at this school) and it's probably because I was lazy and waited to the last minute.
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Thank you! If everything goes to plan I'll be trying out for the Sandhurst team!
 
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EVDfootball said:
If you show up to West Point with a learners permit, is it possible to obtain your drivers license while at West Point?
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I'll be honest, I have no idea, but I'm pretty sure you could. West Point is a military post with families and the Army has facilities to support them that we could use. When you get to your Academic Year Company, ask your Chain of Command or TAC officer to help you set up the means to get your license. There is a DMV in Peekskill, ~20 min away and you could probably get an ETP to go get your license there (It would be an NY license tho). That said, these are just guesses, it would probably be easier to try and get your license before showing up.
 
catlover2 said:
How many pushups and sit-ups would you say you did a day during BEAST?
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At most, maybe 100 pushups or situps and never in one go. You might do sets of 25 or 30, then 4 sets. That was the case for me, I do know they're trying to make CBT harder because we've had it easy for the last few years. Try and push yourself to be in the best shape possible, it'll make beast easier. A good workout I recommend is doing 4 sets of 1/3 your max. So if you can do 60 pushups now, do 4 sets of 20, and before you know it that number will cross past 70. Same for situps, though I sometimes just do as many as I can without a time limit to build the strength needed to crank out 80 or so in two minutes. If you work hard, it can easily be done over the course of 4 - 6 weeks.
 
I have a question that is perhaps a bit unusual. My son keeps hearing about the 'tradition' of cigar smoking. I lost grandparents to smoking and I am a former smoker. As a result, our children have grown up with a strong aversion to tobacco of any kind. Do the majority smoke cigars there? Is it easy to decline one? Thanks.
 
ArmyMom11 said:
I have a question that is perhaps a bit unusual. My son keeps hearing about the 'tradition' of cigar smoking. I lost grandparents to smoking and I am a former smoker. As a result, our children have grown up with a strong aversion to tobacco of any kind. Do the majority smoke cigars there? Is it easy to decline one? Thanks.
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Traditionally at Christmas dinner, everyone smokes cigars. That said, if your kids don't want to, no one will force them. And if anyone asked, they could just tell them 'Hey lung cancer runs in my family, I don't want to smoke' and if that friend is worth anything they'll respect that choice (At least, that's how I feel). It's not a big deal at all, smoking isn't as popular here as it once was. People dip a ton, but it's easy to stay away from that too. Your son should be fine.
 
ArmyMom11 said:
I have a question that is perhaps a bit unusual. My son keeps hearing about the 'tradition' of cigar smoking. I lost grandparents to smoking and I am a former smoker. As a result, our children have grown up with a strong aversion to tobacco of any kind. Do the majority smoke cigars there? Is it easy to decline one? Thanks.
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Plebes are tasked with providing the cigars for the Christmas dinner (1-2 per company; other Plebes will be responsible for decorating the table). My DS's two grandfathers died from the effects of cigarettes over a lifetime, so I too tried to instill the dangers etc. My DS partook Plebe year (to my horror) and only smokes them occasionally now. I would prefer he wouldn't but I can't make those decisions for him. Your DS doesn't have to smoke but don't be surprised if he poses for a pic after the dinner holding a cigar. You may even see many females holding/smoking cigars. The night is a tradition.
 
Thank you for the reply. I've already told him it is his decision but he's the one who brought the concern to me. I told him that when I was in the Army, it was more common to smoke than not. Not sure how much that has changed but he knows the decision is his :)
 
Whoa Whoa Whoa.......This night is a high note for the Cadets and a way to have some sanity inside the pressure cooker. Don't be so judgmental and controlling over this WP night. What ever core values you've instilled in your Cadet are still there. They are adults serving in the Army and will have to make tough decisions as leaders and if takes an opportunity to sit down with their team and smoke a stogie to build trust then so be it. The smoking takes place outside Washington after dinner. Some just hold the cigar, some will place it on their lips, some will light it up. And the only one who has control of that is them.

Let it be.

Push Hard, Press Forward
 
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At Navy Dining Outs/Ins, I brought along Mrs. See's chocolate cigars, indicated in a quiet way that was my after-dinner choice, shared them generously, no big deal. They also look real enough in posed shots.

It is part of tradition throughout the military, but not a big deal to not partake if handled in a courteous, low-key, non-judgmental way.

BTW, very nice of WP posters to provide unvarnished cadet's-eye views.
 
tug_boat said:
Whoa Whoa Whoa.......This night is a high note for the Cadets and a way to have some sanity inside the pressure cooker. Don't be so judgmental and controlling over this WP night. What ever core values you've instilled in your Cadet are still there. They are adults serving in the Army and will have to make tough decisions as leaders and if takes an opportunity to sit down with their team and smoke a stogie to build trust then so be it. The smoking takes place outside Washington after dinner. Some just hold the cigar, some will place it on their lips, some will light it up. And the only one who has control of that is them.

Let it be.

Push Hard, Press Forward
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I hardly think I was judgmental. Settle down. My son asked and I thought I'd ask here.
 
Everyone, don't be worried. The night is a high note, and it is one of celebration. I have never judged, nor have any of my friends, anyone who chose to not smoke. It is actually pretty common that people abstain and only hold cigars for photos. There is very little smoking culture at USMA, you need not worry that your son/daughter might pick up on it. Smoking is limited to designated spots and at most there's 5 or 6 cadets there in the evening. I think they'll be too busy taking photos, climbing Washington's horse, and having a good time.
 
ArmyMom11 said:
Thank you for the reply. I've already told him it is his decision but he's the one who brought the concern to me. I told him that when I was in the Army, it was more common to smoke than not. Not sure how much that has changed but he knows the decision is his :)
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Lol. Smoking will never be my children's decision. If they ever started smoking for real I would tie them up and lock them in a vault until they came to their senses. This will be true as much when they are 40 years old as it was when they were 4. I'm kidding, kind of, but I would for sure light them up in a big way, just as I would if they did anything else so conspicuously contrary to their best health or interest. And I doubt I am offending any smokers out there. On the other hand, I have no problem with the celebratory occasional gagging on a cigar for a moment. I have done it myself a few times, and each time I did it reaffirmed my curiosity as to how anyone could ever smoke regularly.
 
EVDfootball said:
I know rday is before July 4 and as such, do the new cadets engage in any special activities?
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I know for the past few years they serve a big independence day cake in the mess hall. Dumb plebe me would've made numero 7 that wanted a slice so I cut six and never got a piece (not even to this day). Don't be me, cut it in the worst pieces you've seen and go ham. Afterwards ya'll go out to trophy point and there's a small amphitheater there. The benny havens band will play some music and there will be fireworks. I know during my beast, parents threw glow sticks into our ranks and we all started to party.
 
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