Two quick questions about USMA

Chockstock

The Stars and Stripes Forever
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Hello again

I had two questions that I could not find on the USMA website after 15 minutes of hunting. They are pretty important, since the answers to them would decide whether I go to West Point or not (assuming that I get accepted).

1. Can cadets attend graduate school after graduating or is it straight to getting commissioned, no questions asked?

2. Is there a foreign exchange program available at West Point?


Thanks again :smile:
 
Grad school

If you are seeking a medical or law degree you may go straight to grad studies. A more typical situation is to serve all or part of your active duty requirement, and then be enticed to sign on for more with the promise of two free years (with pay) at the graduate school of your choice. By the time you finish this you are halfway to retirement and earning decent pay as a Major and the hope is that you stay in the service.

Many cadets study overseas, especially the language majors. There are also exchange programs with the other service academies and Sandhurst. There are amazing options available for cadets wishing to see the world.
 
There is no going straight to law school from USMA. There is a program available for a very few, but that is not how it works.
 
If you are seeking a medical or law degree you may go straight to grad studies. A more typical situation is to serve all or part of your active duty requirement, and then be enticed to sign on for more with the promise of two free years (with pay) at the graduate school of your choice. By the time you finish this you are halfway to retirement and earning decent pay as a Major and the hope is that you stay in the service.

Many cadets study overseas, especially the language majors. There are also exchange programs with the other service academies and Sandhurst. There are amazing options available for cadets wishing to see the world.

Thats good to know...are you only allowed to go to graduate school if you major in medicine or law? Would you be not getting commissioned immediately upon graduation if this happened? Also, are there certain requirements to being able to go to grad school? I vaguely remember hearing something about GPA requirements at SLS...

Thats even better news. Do you mean cadets study overseas DURING their four years at West Point or after? And for how long? Do you HAVE to be a language major to do the exchange program?

I have another question that struck me while reading your post. If you stay in the military until retirement (65?) how far up the ranks can you go?
 
I have another question that struck me while reading your post. If you stay in the military until retirement (65?) how far up the ranks can you go?

Well if you make it to 65 you will basically be a monument in front of a building cause all of the rest of your peers will have been gone for some time.:rolleyes: It is a young mans game. Right now- you can retire at 20 years with 3 years in grade to keep your current rank & you will be facing mandatory retirement at 27 years for a LtCol; 30 for a Colonel; 5 years from your last promotion as a general officer (which if you are in the 1% who get to that rank you typically get the first of somewhere around 25 years). To put it in perspective- Gen Petraeous is the USMA class of 1974-has been in for 35 years- (he's 57) and Gen Casey the Cof S of the Army graduated from College in 1971 I believe. So if you find a 65 year old on active duty he is a very unusual case indeed. That's a good thing generally though- and it means that you are only in your early 40s when you first become eligible to retire with a decent pension and health care benefits (take it from me- that check everymonth for the rest of your life is a nice thing to see in your bank account when the rest of the economy is tanking!)
 
Thats good to know...are you only allowed to go to graduate school if you major in medicine or law?
No...as pedro said the Army will pay for grad school but you don't do it right after West Point. You put some time in first, then you can agree to more years of active duty in exchange the Army will pay for grad school.

Thats even better news. Do you mean cadets study overseas DURING their four years at West Point or after? And for how long? Do you HAVE to be a language major to do the exchange program?
Cadets can study overseas during their 4 years at West Point. My son has a good friend who is currently doing fall semester in Russia. I think cadets usually do one semester on an exchange but I can't answer that for sure. Being a language major helps but I don't think you HAVE to be one to do an exchange.
 
Hello again

I had two questions that I could not find on the USMA website after 15 minutes of hunting. They are pretty important, since the answers to them would decide whether I go to West Point or not (assuming that I get accepted).

1. Can cadets attend graduate school after graduating or is it straight to getting commissioned, no questions asked?

2. Is there a foreign exchange program available at West Point?


Thanks again :smile:
What graduate program are you looking at? If going to grad school immediately after graduation is important to you then West Point may not be right for you.
Here is a link for medical school and the fully funded legal education program - http://www.west-point.org/family/ai-grads/MedLegalOpp.html
West Point will send you information on this in your packet when you get an appointment.

There are a few West Point cadets each year who matriculate to graduate school immediately after graduation. Here is a link to cadets who have won prestigious graduate scholarships. They will commence their education after graduation but it will not count toward their service commitment.
http://www.dean.usma.edu/Scholarships/
 
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