Getting In?

crazyboy1179

5-Year Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2012
Messages
50
So I am still a freshman in high school and it's like my ultimate dream to go to West Point.
I know it's like really hard to get in, and that you have to be athletic, and have to have a pretty good GPA and have a good class rank.
Most places I look at don't really mention anything about the GPA of people who are accepted and attend West Point.
I was wondering if anyone on this forum is willing to let me know what their GPA is (or of someone you know).
And I know sports is like a big thing. I know it's like better to be on more than one varsity sport team and all, but is there anyone on this forum who has gotten into West Point even though you were only on one varsity team? Anyone who has never been on a varsity team and got in?

Thanks.
 
You don't hear much about GPA because GPA is not used as an admissions factor. Since class rank is directly related to GPA and since it is a more accurate way of comparing you to your direct peers, admissions used class rank instead. It is 1/2 of the academic portion of your whole candidate score (WCS).

And a small correction, you don't just need a good class rank... you need an excellent class rank (top 5% or 10% is prime).

Personally, my GPA when I got my appointment was a 4.44 and my class rank was 1/413 at a high school with 99% college placement. Also, I only had one varsity sport (wrestling).

Yes, it is possible to get in without a varsity letter, but it is far more difficult. Below is the admissions profile for the class of 2014; you'll notice that only a very small portion of the entering class is letter-free.
http://www.usma.edu/Class/2014/profile.asp
 
I got in with a 3.2 unweighted GPA in all honors classes. I believe that GPA has a very minimal effect on receiving an appointment.
 
I had a 3.6 unweighted, and a 3.85 weighted with honors and ap classes. Gpa isn't a huge factor like he said. It's just a common theme among candidates to have a high gpa.
 
I got in with a 3.2 unweighted GPA in all honors classes. I believe that GPA has a very minimal effect on receiving an appointment.

I had a 3.6 unweighted, and a 3.85 weighted with honors and ap classes. Gpa isn't a huge factor like he said. It's just a common theme among candidates to have a high gpa.

These are very misleading statements. Let's don't give the impression that it doesn't matter what grades you make.
USMA2016 gave a good description of how GPA affects your WCS (and hence your chances of getting an offer) even though GPA is not directly used.
 
These are very misleading statements. Let's don't give the impression that it doesn't matter what grades you make.
USMA2016 gave a good description of how GPA affects your WCS (and hence your chances of getting an offer) even though GPA is not directly used.

Absolutely. GPA is a big deal.

To the OP: I'd say I don't want to sound harsh, but I don't care if I do. Re-read your post. You actually wrote "like" in the manner in which people vapidly use it as a placeholder in conversation. First, I'm shocked that you think that's an acceptable way to speak in a post about attending one of the world's most selective institutions. Secondly, I'm shocked you actually took the time to write it.

If you want to be among the best, now is the time to start.
 
Given that West Point seems to primarily use class rank for an assesment of academic success, what then do they do when a high school does not rank its students?
 
Given that West Point seems to primarily use class rank for an assesment of academic success, what then do they do when a high school does not rank its students?

Your entire academic section of the WCS will be based off of standardized test scores.
 
Just so you know where I am getting my information, I am a junior in the process of applying, I have gotten into SLS and I have spoken to three different admissions officers and 2 alumni.

Like everyone is saying, GPA isn't a huge factor. Obviously you need to get good grades and take challenging classes, but I have spoken with people who were accepted with a 3.2 and people who had a 4.3. One thing they did have in common is that they were club officers and captains of a sport. They were leaders at everything they did. I only do one sport, wrestling, and I am a captain. According to the admissions officers I have spoken to, they would rather see captain of one sport then being average and participating in 3. Get involved in 2 or 3 things that you really enjoy and become a leader in those things, while maintaining good grades and taking challenging classes. Make sure teachers and counselors see your efforts and tell them that you want to go to West Point and they will help you out. Its amazing what they can do for you. West Point isn't looking for an amazing athlete nor an outstanding scholar, but a mixture of the two. Oh, and one more thing, STAY OUT OF TROUBLE!!!
 
Just so you know where I am getting my information, I am a junior in the process of applying, I have gotten into SLS and I have spoken to three different admissions officers and 2 alumni.

Like everyone is saying, GPA isn't a huge factor. Obviously you need to get good grades and take challenging classes, but I have spoken with people who were accepted with a 3.2 and people who had a 4.3. One thing they did have in common is that they were club officers and captains of a sport. They were leaders at everything they did. I only do one sport, wrestling, and I am a captain. According to the admissions officers I have spoken to, they would rather see captain of one sport then being average and participating in 3. Get involved in 2 or 3 things that you really enjoy and become a leader in those things, while maintaining good grades and taking challenging classes. Make sure teachers and counselors see your efforts and tell them that you want to go to West Point and they will help you out. Its amazing what they can do for you. West Point isn't looking for an amazing athlete nor an outstanding scholar, but a mixture of the two. Oh, and one more thing, STAY OUT OF TROUBLE!!!


Just so you know where we're getting our information, both buff81 and I are admissions reps. And I'm a grad. And an officer.

You candidates are free to believe whatever sources you want.
 
Absolutely. GPA is a big deal.
...
If you want to be among the best, now is the time to start.

Just so you know where we're getting our information, both buff81 and I are admissions reps. And I'm a grad. And an officer.

You candidates are free to believe whatever sources you want.

I'm going to go with scoutpilot on this one. Just as a reference point, I'm a junior and I was accepted into SLS on the first day they sent out "offers." I have sports/leadership/that other stuff - but as this post is about GPA, I'm rank 12/709 in my HS (Which is A top 10 HS in my state, top 200 in Nation), I have a ~3.5/4.589. After the ranks are updated (we just finished finals, and I'm going to have all A's) I should be at somewhere around 4.8 weighted.

Hope this helped,
TheChicagoan
 
All you need is a principal nomination from a congressman or senator. That is all that matters. Get it done and be qualified (must pass medical and physical standards). There are people here who got in after being ranked in the middle of their public school class. Don't worry yourselves too much.
 
All you need is a principal nomination from a congressman or senator. That is all that matters. Get it done and be qualified (must pass medical and physical standards). There are people here who got in after being ranked in the middle of their public school class. Don't worry yourselves too much.

Yeah...THAT is the plan you want to pin your hopes on. :rolleyes:
 
All you need is a principal nomination from a congressman or senator. That is all that matters. Get it done and be qualified (must pass medical and physical standards). There are people here who got in after being ranked in the middle of their public school class. Don't worry yourselves too much.


You have got to be kidding me...

Pkneram, that is by far not the easiest or most convenient way of earning an appointment; you make it sound like it's no big deal.

Let's pick the inaccuracies in this post apart for the purpose of clarifying information (no offense intended pkneram):
First off, most congressional districts don't even use the principle nominee system. The trend is toward competitive slates with no rankings and no principle, they are more common. Even more, earning a principle nomination means being the best candidate in your district. So yeah... no big deal.

Passing DoDMERB is no cakewalk either... in fact it's more like a filter. Many great candidates get stuck because of medical history issues. Medical qualification should not be taken for granted.

And finally, yes it is possible to receive an appointment to West Point if you're ranked in the middle of your class! But let's look at this a little more critically. In the class of 2014, 10% of the class was made up of candidates who were ranked in the middle or below of their high school class (http://www.usma.edu/class/2014/profile.asp). So now you might be thinking "well that's not too bad of a percentage". Let's get real though... have you considered recruited athletes? I will not say that recruited athletes are not as smart because that would be an unfair blanket statement, but most of that 10% is likely comprised of recruited athletes.

All in all, never oversimplify the admissions process. That's a dangerous laxative for your mind. Similarly, never overcomplicate it either, you'll take on a lot of unnecessary stress. Get acquainted with how everything works and you'll see that it's actually quite logical.
 
I got in with a 3.3 unweighted GPA in all honors and AP classes. Varsity Captain of 2 sports, Varsity lettered in 4 sports.
 
All in all, never oversimplify the admissions process. That's a dangerous laxative for your mind. Similarly, never overcomplicate it either, you'll take on a lot of unnecessary stress. Get acquainted with how everything works and you'll see that it's actually quite logical.

Pretty sure pkneram is a current cadet.
 
Hi guys,
I am a recruited athlete for baseball at the USMA, and I graduate in 2013. Not knowing if I am a strong competitor is stressing me out. My average is only about an 87, which correlates to about a 3.2 GPA I believe. I completed the Candidate Questionnaire and applied to SLS. What else do I have to do now? And am I in line to be accepted? I've been on varsity baseball all high school years so far, and I have lettered and been a captain on the team every year so far. In addition I played varsity basketball my freshman and sophomore years and lettered twice, but i stopped for baseball. West Point has been a dream of mine since I was 12, so I would appreciate the help. Thanks!
 
ScoutPillot makes a good point.
I believe everyone on this forum has good intentions. However, be careful who you listen to. Many of the people have some knowledge but do not know as much as they think they know. Listen to people like ScoutPilot and buff81. In my case I am a West Point graduate, a former member of the Admissions team, a former math instructor at West Point and an experienced military officer. I am also current on the admissions policies and procedures as I just "navagated these waters" and have a son in the Class of 2015.
 
GPA is important but, as others have said, it won't necesarily make or break you. They care more about class rank and standardized test scores. That being said, I've heard that they also look at your academic rigor. They'd rather see honors/AP courses than regular courses as long as you can still make the grade.

As for sports, it's better to excell in one than just do many. That being said, they look at three main things: academics, leadership, and athletics. If you're weak in one, make sure you nail the other two. For example, I'm okay at football; I'm small by nature and although I'm fit, I'm not going to be able to truck a 300 pound guy. BUT, I make an unweighted 4.0 and take honors and AP courses, giving me a class rank of 14/501. I expect that number to get better at the turn of the semester. As for leadership, I'm a deputy corps commander for JROTC (similar to a vice-president of a club) in addition to having positions as drill team commander, color guard commander, etc. in the past. I'm not trying to make this about me, but from what I've heard from alumni and current cadets, I stand a descent shot. Why? Because I made up the slack from athletics with the other two categories. Do the same thing for yourself if you feel less-than-competitive in a certain area on your application.

That being said, DON'T SETTLE! Don't think that because you're smart and you have leadership positions that you can get away with being "just okay" at sports. Try your hardest with everything you do, and keep in mind that as General Patton said, "If a man tries his best, what else is there?"
 
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