Wait Listed

[USMA2016]

From what I see (and I'm no expert on who gets in to the Academy) these candidates all were definitely qualified for appointments. After looking at the forums, how come people with lower/fewer SATs, ECs, grads, etc. got appointments and LOAs?

 

[Floyd]

Aaron, I do not think that the national waiting list is going to be opened up any further. We should get the final word this week. The person that you are talking about had a national level slot, so it does not affect your ability to gain the local congressional vacancy slot (which has been accepted). Sincerely, Major Golden

Michael T. Golden
MAJ, AV - USMA '98
Far West Admissions Officer
USMA - West Point Admissions
845-938-5719
845-938-3021 (fax)
http://admissions.westpoint.edu/
^email i got

Does this mean that it is essentially the end of the road for any candidates that have not heard word of a spot on the NWL? I have been triple qualified and have had 2 nominations since January 20, yet have not heard a word from admissions regarding my status (nothing concerning the NWL, or anything for that matter.) I thought I had a competitive profile.

 

[jagabiti]

DS is going to visit USMA on April 4th. DS is looking forward to it. Anyone else on the WL go and visit?

 

[CPT_Claw]

Timing. Timing. Timing.

From what I see (and I'm no expert on who gets in to the Academy) these candidates all were definitely qualified for appointments. After looking at the forums, how come people with lower/fewer SATs, ECs, grads, etc. got appointments and LOAs?

Not a definitive answer, but many of them received LOAs and appointments because their packets were completed EARLY! From your name, you are a candidate for 2016. Strive to have all of your paperwork and materials in closer to the opening date for USMA accepting your stuff than to the deadline.

Obviously, there will always be some materials you cannot provide until later in the timeline, but LOAs will be sent out based on demonstrated potential and an assessment of your candidate materials. LOAs almost always have qualifiers or 'pending X,Y,Z' caveats. That's because many things cannot be submitted/completed until later. Still, having a lion's share of the materials goes a long way in determining who gets those LOAs. If nothing else, it demonstrates a great deal in terms of how motivated, committed and squared away you are.

Having an LOA makes life a lot more comfortable for you. After sweating out the nomination, all you have to do is keep your nose clean, keep your grades up, and stay healthy until R Day. Th more work you do early equates to less stress later.

 

[MemberLG]

Does this mean that it is essentially the end of the road for any candidates that have not heard word of a spot on the NWL? I have been triple qualified and have had 2 nominations since January 20, yet have not heard a word from admissions regarding my status (nothing concerning the NWL, or anything for that matter.) I thought I had a competitive profile.

Contact your FFR/MALO, if you have one. If they can't help you, they should forward your question to your RC. RCs are usually more responsive to FFR/MALO.

To be blunt, it is essentially the end of the road, but for different reasons

You don't know if vacancies you were nominated against are filled or not (likely filled, but you don't know for sure)

How many offers are still outstanding and how many extra offers West Point made.

Example

1000 vacancies
1100 offers made, since historically about 10% decline their offers. This year could be an exeception where 15% decline. If so in theory, West Point might have 50 vacancies to filled after May 1 acceptance deadline (I don't know the exact numbers). In MD, there are several offers still not accepted.

 

[M2inOR]

...Strive to have all of your paperwork and materials in closer to the opening date for USMA accepting your stuff than to the deadline.

Since you are likely a junior, now would also be the time to contact your teachers that you wish to get recommendations from. Granted, they will be filling out some online forms from your portal, but letting them know now will be advantageous.

Many teachers are off doing various things over the summer. You'll want to be sure to select teachers who will be able to complete the required info ASAP when it shows up on your portal. Get summer contact information for your teachers, too.

When my son contacted his teachers, they initially told him to wait until the fall of his senior year. He encouraged them to complete everything sooner, with his stated goal of completing his application at the start of the school year. He was successful.

One thing to remember is this mantra: "early is on time, on time is late", or even better, the early bird catches the worm.

 

[sixx123]

Just got my TWE yesterday. My heart kinda sunk when I saw it in the mail. Rejection. It's unfortunate, it was my top choice. But that's life I guess.

I thought I stood a decent shot. I had two nominations (Senate + Congressional in a highly competative state), solid CFA, lots of leadership, 3Q'd and 2200 SATs. I have been on on the NWL since November when I got my first nom.

The kiss of death: No varsity letter. I played JV sports but kept getting cut from Varsity teams all four years of high school. This is a guy who got 18 pullups, 72 pushups, 85 situps, etc. on the CFA. I consider myself in shape. I just go to a school that keeps short benches and cuts most of the people who try out for teams. I should have really seen it coming. I should have known when my MALO told me I didn't get an LOA because of the sports.

The moral of the story: If you don't play a varsity sport, then don't waste your time applying to West Point, or any other SA for that matter.

 

[NYMA06]

sixx what district and state are you from?
and what did your gpa/class rank look like?

 

[sixx123]

CT-03
GPA was a 3.54 unweighted (With a ton of APs) for the first three years. 1st semester senior year I managed a 4.0 unweighted. My school does not rank but my guidance counselor told me that I was at the "top of my class." He is pretty shocked I didn't get in.

 

[sweettooth]

Just got my TWE yesterday. My heart kinda sunk when I saw it in the mail. Rejection. It's unfortunate, it was my top choice. But that's life I guess.

I thought I stood a decent shot. I had two nominations (Senate + Congressional in a highly competative state), solid CFA, lots of leadership, 3Q'd and 2200 SATs. I have been on on the NWL since November when I got my first nom.

The kiss of death: No varsity letter. I played JV sports but kept getting cut from Varsity teams all four years of high school. This is a guy who got 18 pullups, 72 pushups, 85 situps, etc. on the CFA. I consider myself in shape. I just go to a school that keeps short benches and cuts most of the people who try out for teams. I should have really seen it coming. I should have known when my MALO told me I didn't get an LOA because of the sports.

The moral of the story: If you don't play a varsity sport, then don't waste your time applying to West Point, or any other SA for that matter.

Sorry to hear the news sixx123. IMO the academy should have more academic admits. I think this would enhance the academic robustness and intellectual vibrancy of the corps. I am not suggesting admitting candidates without leadership potential or who are physically undfit. I am suggesting that the lack of a varsity letter should not be a non starter for admission. In my area, high schools of 2000 -3000 students and private schools which attract some to the top athletes in the area make varsity team selection difficult. It is not uncommon for pretty decent athletes to not earn a varsity letter.

 

[h2ocop]

No TWE

OK so my son was December 09' SLS acceptance, 3Qd and nominated by early November. Not LOA worthy but on par with many as far as I can tell from these forums...in short admittable. At this point (March 25th) no appointment and no TWE. E-mails to WP admissions go unanswered. No rejection letter, no waiting list letter. 7th semester transcript was soft but not awful (5 B's and a C in AP Calc...5 AP classes total at an A+ school). At this point we've more or less written USMA off and moved on but for all the jumping through hoops he feels like he deserves a decision at this point or at least a status. Why wouldn't he have heard something by now? Also, does his 3Q status at some point help him for AROTC Scholarship? We're waiting for results of the March board (applied late).

 

[tonk002]

The kiss of death: No varsity letter. I played JV sports but kept getting cut from Varsity teams all four years of high school. This is a guy who got 18 pullups, 72 pushups, 85 situps, etc. on the CFA. I consider myself in shape. I just go to a school that keeps short benches and cuts most of the people who try out for teams. .

Im in the same boat - and its not fun. I will never be able to play a varsity sport. Not because I have a lack of effort or athletic ability, though. Im an avid bike racer, but obviously thats not a interscholastic varsity sport.

At my school, nearly all varsity athletes in main sports (football, basketball, wresting, hockey, lax,) are recruited in from around the country, and many will play D1 sports. My main sport, wrestling, is composed of nearly all D1 wrestlers. Im a good wrestler, but Im not at the D1 level. I know that feeling of not being able to get on a varsity sport.

 

[momofhree]

Son received medical waver, 3Q'd, put on NWL in January and received TWE today.

 

[sixx123]

Im in the same boat - and its not fun. I will never be able to play a varsity sport. Not because I have a lack of effort or athletic ability, though. Im an avid bike racer, but obviously thats not a interscholastic varsity sport.

At my school, nearly all varsity athletes in main sports (football, basketball, wresting, hockey, lax,) are recruited in from around the country, and many will play D1 sports. My main sport, wrestling, is composed of nearly all D1 wrestlers. Im a good wrestler, but Im not at the D1 level. I know that feeling of not being able to get on a varsity sport.

Yep...I wish I could give you more encouragement but the sad fact is that USMA takes a very minuscule number of non-varsity letter winners. I'm assuming a lot of these could be former enlisted Army, etc. When you come out of high school without one of those letters I feel as if you're pretty much out of luck with the Academy.

I hate that West Point looks at all high schools like athletic equals. If I choose to go to a different high school I could have easily been a 4-year varsity letter winner. They should treat it like GPA. The Academy recognizes that a 3.5 at one school might be equivalent to a 4.0 at a less rigorous school. They need to understand that a varsity letter at a school that makes cuts is much more difficult to obtain than it is at a school that keeps everyone on the team.

 

[TrpRMom]

what a year!

Our son is basically in the same boat as many others; fully qualified, two nominations, medically waivered after many tests paid for by the government, told he was in top 20% of applicants, no LOA or even NWL letter. WP admissions has communicated pretty clearly he will not get an appointment but nothing official yet. We have moved on and he received a four year ROTC scholarship to a very good school which we are thrilled about. It was, however, the death of a dream he had for more than a year and quite draining for everyone. He was even told, unofficially of course, that some appointments had been given to people with his same credentials and his was simply a regional issue. We took that to mean that some districts have better applicants than others. I am sure every parent on this forum feels the same way. We know our children and we know they would make outstanding cadets and good army officers. Thus begins a lifetime of having to deal with disappointments and so life goes on. Lots of luck to everyone wherever you end up.

 

[Floyd]

Same boat as many others here. Was 3Q'd, had 2 nominations, and everything was clear since about early january. Just received my TWE today. My Mom decided to give it to me after I woke up, and not when I got home last night. I knew it was coming but it still stings to have gotten so close, but just not hit the mark.

 

[dsacto1]

Not too late

For those of you who feel the dream may be over, there may be another route to West Point if you want to explore it. Our daughter applied for the class of 2014 and was close but didn't make it. She was fully qualified so USMAPS wasn't an option either. She was fortunate enough to be offerred an AOG scholarship which she immediately accepted.

We didn't know too much about Service Academy Prep (SAP) schools but with a little research we found they have a very high rate of students who go on to attend the academy of their choice. The schools work directly with the academies as far as required curriculum and the 1 year spent there mirrors the classes at the academies. Students sign-up for classes based on the academy they are attempting to gain entrance to. A successful year of SAP shows admissions the cadet would have had a successful year at the academy. I think that goes a long way when the next class is filled.

Our daughter accepted her appointment to USMA class of 2015 in February. She feels the year spent at SAP has actually benifited her and she never considered it a negative.

Interestingly, she attends classes with unsponsored cadets who also wanted to attend West Point but did not get an AOG scholarship. Everyone she attends class with (I believe 20 or so students) received their appointments.

I recall when we attended an informational meeting (seems so long ago) about attending West Point, the Major said if you really want West Point but don't make it the first time, re-apply and don't give up.

Hopefully this information helps someone consider an alternative route.

 

[sixx123]

She was fortunate enough to be offerred an AOG scholarship which she immediately accepted.

Have most of these offers been given out already or do they generally come only after you've been denied admission?

I have an interest in reapplying, despite the fact that I have been accepted to some top tier liberal arts colleges. However, one more year of college is not going to change the fact that I don't have a varsity letter.

 

[WAMom68]

Have most of these offers been given out already or do they generally come only after you've been denied admission?

I have an interest in reapplying, despite the fact that I have been accepted to some top tier liberal arts colleges. However, one more year of college is not going to change the fact that I don't have a varsity letter.

My son was a sponsored SAP in 2006-07. We are from a very competitive congressional district, on the NWL, and in March he was still waiting on a medical waiver decision. It was looking like he wasn't going to get an appointment so his admissions officer asked him if he was interested in the AOG sponsored SAP option. Of course he was...got the offer in early April. He went to NMMI, all West Point sponsored preps got their appointments by the following April, and now he is less than 60 days from graduation.

If you are serious about getting into West Point, even if it takes an extra year, make sure your admissions officer knows you are very interested in this option.

 

[Kev Dawg's Pop]

New kid on the block

I love this forum, but scratching my head on the lingo. Can someone tell me what a DS is (I think its the candidate) What is a AOG sponsored SAP? How about TWE Does this mean "The White Envelope"? If so, the white envelope can be good or bad right? My kid recieved notice that he was on NWL in January..He is DODMERB qualified... What happens now.. No letter this weekend. He also waiting for Round 3 of AROTC.. Im too old for all of this stress!!!