To accept or not to accept

DrMom said:
Actually Beached Whale...people get Cyber who are not coding geniuses and not CS majors.
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I never said you had to be a CS major (and you don't, representatives from the cyber branch came to West Point and had a list of majors they were fine with that ranged from operations research to mechanical engineering), I talked about C3T. MOST(basically all) people that get cyber did C3T, which implies they were "coding geniuses". When they decide who gets to branch cyber, one of the most important factors they look at is if a person did C3T.

DrMom said:
People get straight into AG and Finance without a branch detail.
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That's true as well, but the overwhelming majority do not, and unless you graduate with a class rank that only has 1 or 2 digits, I do not think it would be very safe to count on getting either of those branches without a branch detail. If a person has no interest in going infantry, AG and finance should not be near the top of their branch choices because the odds are very high that infantry is where they will end up.
 
Back to the subject the the OP started. My DS was in your shoes last year. Appointment to WP, waitlist USNA. I believe on this exact day last year he declined West Point. They asked for April 15th decision as I recall. His plan B was NROTC scholarship and reapply and he is now appointed second try to class of 2021.

I am a USNA grad so I admit my bias, but I would have been so proud and supportive of my my son if his heart said "Go Army". My grandfather was a career Army Colonel and WWII vet. But my son and I did have a serious talk about life goals. West Point is a fantastic institution and they really do a tremendous job in every stage of the admissions process there. But ultimately you will eventually be a 2nd Lt. in the Army in charge of soldiers. If there is not something in the Army that you can see yourself doing with passion then don't go to West Point. The theorists of going with the "bird in the hand" service academy have short vision. You need to decide what branch of service in which you desire to serve. If you say "either", go to WP. If you are at all hesitant, don't go to WP. It will not be a pleasant experience if you are not all in for your own reasons.

I also agree with others never go to any SA counting on a commission to another service.
 
OP, you should have applied to the USNA only since that's what you were set on. I think you won't enjoy USMA; make it easy on yourself and wait for good news from USNA and go NROTC for Plan B then reapply for Plan C. Good luck!
 
Trigger said:
Back to the subject the the OP started. My DS was in your shoes last year. Appointment to WP, waitlist USNA. I believe on this exact day last year he declined West Point. They asked for April 15th decision as I recall. His plan B was NROTC scholarship and reapply and he is now appointed second try to class of 2021.

I am a USNA grad so I admit my bias, but I would have been so proud and supportive of my my son if his heart said "Go Army". My grandfather was a career Army Colonel and WWII vet. But my son and I did have a serious talk about life goals. West Point is a fantastic institution and they really do a tremendous job in every stage of the admissions process there. But ultimately you will eventually be a 2nd Lt. in the Army in charge of soldiers. If there is not something in the Army that you can see yourself doing with passion then don't go to West Point. The theorists of going with the "bird in the hand" service academy have short vision. You need to decide what branch of service in which you desire to serve. If you say "either", go to WP. If you are at all hesitant, don't go to WP. It will not be a pleasant experience if you are not all in for your own reasons.

I also agree with others never go to any SA counting on a commission to another service.
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Thank you for the advice! That is pretty much my same train of thought. That is inspiring to hear your DS had the courage to do that.
 
I always see post like this and most of the time people forget the purpose of the academy. A few people have hit it her. If you do not see yourself leading soldiers with boots on the ground in foreign lands, you should not accept an appointment to West Point. Just like you should not accept an appointment to USNA if you cannot see yourself spending months on a sea cruise.

It's been a few years but during my time, you could count the number of cross commissioning cadets to other services on one hand. That should not be something you are planning on.

There are other branches, but most graduates go into the combat or combat support branches. In today's modern battlefield, there is very little difference between the two.

There are always a few direct into combat service support but the Army does not need that many 2Lt in Finance.

If you truly cannot see yourself doing those things, then declining and going to NROTC and chasing your dreams is your best option.
 
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