Going to West Point after first year of college?

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Jan 7, 2019
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Kind of an interesting situation here. I previously had almost no interest in the academies, and most of my interest was directed towards ROTC, because it was more attractive to me to be able to experience civilian college while still getting to my goal of commissioning. Recently I had an epiphany of sorts, and have become almost obsessed with West Point. I am lured by the pride, tradition, amazing campus and school, and the prospect of one of the most challenging 4 years you can get. I want to go to West Point, no matter what it takes. Obviously because I had no intention of going until recently, I didn’t apply, and applied for an AROTC scholarship, which I unfortunately did not receive. I will be beginning with ROTC in the fall. I was wondering, what could I do to prepare a proper application for a college student wishing to apply? College is a fresh start, and I want to be fully invested in getting to the academy. I am so invested that if I was offered a spot at the prep school after already completing a year of college, I would leave and take it. How is the process for a college student different. I had a great ACT score from HS. Could I still use that? Thank you.
 
Most important thing is to take a challenging plebe-like schedule — Calculus, Chemistry, English, History — at the highest level you can. Excel at them to show USMA that you can handle the West Point academics.

Also excel at ROTC. Be a leader and a team player from day one. Participate in athletics, even if it’s just intramurals. Keep yourself busy and stay out of trouble.

Your ACT should still be good. USMA won’t consider you until your first-semester grades are in. Otherwise the process will be pretty similar and long.
 
Contact your RC. Tell him/her of your wishes and ask for advice. Do EVERYTHING he/she says. Get your application in early. Right now is the time to work on your nomination packets. They are generally due in Sept or Oct. Get very involved w/ everything ROTC has to offer. Make all A's. Good luck.
(mom of a college applicant)
 
Retake both the SAT and ACT. A year of college English can do wonders for your score. Start preparing for the candidate fitness assessment. All four years of high school still count.
 
Retake both the SAT and ACT. A year of college English can do wonders for your score. Start preparing for the candidate fitness assessment. All four years of high school still count.
I actually got a perfect 36 on reading, and a 35 on English, what hurt me was math and science on which I got a 22 on both.
 
You are going to need to retake the ACT. They usually do not consider you competitive unless you have an ACT Math score over 24 and realistically unless you have something else they are looking for (i.e. Division I NCAA athlete or from an under-represented population group) then you probably should be shooting for a math score in the 28-30 range
 
I don’t think you need to retake both the ACT and SAT. I would think just one or the other to get your “super score” higher.
 
I don’t think you need to retake both the ACT and SAT. I would think just one or the other to get your “super score” higher.

Unless you also had perfect on the SAT English or like the test significantly more, I’d say practice math and science, then try to superscore the ACT. Your other two sections are very high, and the ACT is cheaper in case you need to take it a few times. Just my advice though, I’m not sure if USMA prefers one over the other.
 
I actually got a perfect 36 on reading, and a 35 on English, what hurt me was math and science on which I got a 22 on both.
As areo02 wrote, just concentrate on the math and science parts of the ACT. Do questions. Then more questions. I can’t remember the numbers but something like 1000 questions equals a 1 point increase. So start doing questions NOW. Don’t worry about the SAT or the other parts of the ACT. All efforts into improving your math and science.
Second, if math and science is a weakness take them in college, but don’t over do it to the point where you struggle academically.
 
The college application/reapplication process is similar but has a few differences with the biggest being your application will not be evaluated until 1st semester college transcripts are received. That gives you a little more time to get everything completed but you should not wait till the last minute. You need to have most of your application completed before USMA will schedule your DoDMERB review. You should balance getting your best application completed the fastest. You will also need SORs from college professors and they may take a little time to make those type of connections. USMA does not ask for a letter of recommendations. Instead, they send targeted questioners to certain instructors to evaluate you as a candidate.

The official line from admissions is to take a plebe like schedule and do well, stay active in activities and join ROTC.

The nomination applications are usually more involved and take longer to complete than the USMA application. You should visit your MOCs websites and check the application deadlines and requirements. Start gathering everything they require.

Your Math score is most likely disqualifying as of today. I would suggest that you start preparing today and take the first available test this fall. I would not send the 22 to any of my congressman. That is the balance I was referring to when I mentioned getting your best application.
 
I am a college student who made it to the class of 2023.

Just like everyone has said, the application process is really similar. And as USMA 1994 said, they don't review until they have gotten your first semester/ quarter of college transcripts in.

Nominations are still really important. They will be the same as a high school application, but you will need to provide a college transcript. If you are unable to provide those by the time of the interview, probably because the term hasn't ended, contact the congressional staffers about what should be done. The interview may include questions like, "Why didn't you apply in high school?" and, "What have you been doing in college to prepare you for the Academy?".

Another difference is the college activities submitted on the supplemental information sheet. This is similar to the Candidate Activites Record that high school students fill out and have verified by a high school counselor. The difference between the two is that the college activities form is a blank text box that you can put anything on. It also doesn't need to be verified by a counselor or school official.

If you are a first-year college student you are allowed to ask senior year high school teachers for your recommendations. If you are a second-year college student, you will only be able to ask college professors. If you are a previous applicant, previous recommendations are kept and carried over to the current application, including high school recommendations. You can, of course, remove old ones, but at least two old recommendations are required.

I have heard from a Naval Academy blue and gold officer that the Naval Academy cares more about grades now that you are in college. That might be true for Military Academy as well.

Stay involved with sports, activities, and employment. Take on leadership roles, but don't forget to also show that you are capable of teamwork.

Make sure to get close with professors. In high school, there were many chances to talk with the teacher and the opportunity for a closer connection. Whereas in college, it is much easier to never interact with a professor, and never make a solid connection for a recommendation. Make connections with professors now so that you have options for people to fill out recommendations later.

Be careful of the recommended courses for college students. West Point recommends that you take classes similar to a plebe, but as a second year California Community College mechanical engineering student, I encountered a big problem. This last semester was filled with all of the STEM courses that I didn't take my first year. It was a really challenging semester, and it didn't have to be that way. It should also be noted that had I failed to make it into West Point, I would have been unable to transfer to >80% of my in-state universities because I didn't take all of the required courses for transfer in my major. tl;dr-- Be careful, visit a school counselor and spend some time thinking about what courses you should take.

Other than that, the application is the same. Do your best to improve all parts of the application: grades, course-load rigor, sports, leadership roles, teamwork activities ( clubs and extracurriculars), standardized test scores, CFA scores, essays, recommendations, employment, etc.
 
Nominations are still really important. They will be the same as a high school application,
Perhaps I'm being nit-picky here but nominations are more than important, they're mandatory. Second, you do not KNOW that the nomination application will remain the same. It is most likely to, but pay attention to detail and check the MOC's site as there may have been changes this time around.
 
During my freshman year of college I reapplied to WP. I noticed many questions on the congressional applications had not changed, so I made refinements to my responses from the previous year and resubmitted. I was notified by one of the senator’s offices that they wanted a more current perspective and was asked to rewrite at least one of the questions. Something to think about for those who are reapplying.
 
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