Application Timeline: http://www.usma.edu/admissions/Shared Documents/Admissions Timeline.pdf
Nominations:
- a nomination is the legal authority to consider a candidate for admission
- there is a whole forum on nominations that is an excellent source of information, so I won't go into detail here
- apply to ALL ALL ALL ALL !!! nominations that you are qualified for. ALL!!! Every single one!!!!
- there are two types of nominations: Congressional and Service Connected
- everyone is qualified for at least 4 nominations: the 2 Senators from your state, your District's U.S. Representative and the Vice-President
- the least competitive MOC nomination is usually from your District Representative
- if you are qualified for a Presidential nomination, apply for that as early as you can and then complete your file ASAP. If fully qualified, you have the possibility of receiving an appointment BEFORE the MOC deadlines.
- each MOC has 5 cadetships at WP and can submit a slate of 10 names to fill each vacant cadetship. That means that some years a MOC will be able to submit 2 slates of 10 names thereby nominating 20 candidates.
- the VP also has 5 cadetships at WP. Each VP vacant slot will be filled with a candidate chosen by WP from those that have applied for the VP nomination.
- make sure you keep up with your MOC's deadlines for the nomination application
- if you are on a MOC's slate of 10, then you have a nomination
- getting a MOC nomination does not necessarily mean you are qualified
Reader's Digest version of the 3 ways that a MOC can nominate candidates:
1) Principal with Numbered Alternates:
- Candidates are listed in order of preference with a Principal nominee and then alternates numbered 1-9.
- the Principal is offered admission IF fully qualified
- if Principal is disqualified, then the 1st alternate is evaluated and offered the appointment if found qualified and so on down the list until the highest numbered alternate who is qualified is offered admission.
2) Principal with Competing Alternates:
- principal is listed with alternates 1-9 not numbered.
- the Principal is offered admission IF fully qualified
- if Principal is disqualified then the next fully qualified alternate with the highest WCS (Whole Candidate Score) is offered admission
3) Competitive:
- ten unranked names are submitted
- WP then rank orders those names according to the WCS
- the candidate who is fully qualified with the highest WCS is offered admission
- this is the most common method MOCs use
GPA v Class Rank:
- class rank is weighted heavier than GPA
- if your school doesn't rank, WP will take your ACT/SAT scores, compare them to the National scores to get an idea on how you stack up next to your peers
- even if your school says they don't rank, sometimes they will give WP a rank
Interviews:
By your MALO/FFR:
- Dress nicely. Like it or not, the interviewer will take note. You need not wear a tie, but a young man should know that a collared shirt speaks volumes. Young ladies, well...perhaps I'm dating myself here...whatever finery you wear, make sure it's pleasantly conservative. Plunging necklines and academy interviews do not mix.
- Be early. 5 minutes early is on-time. Don't cut it close and be two minutes late, or even 30 seconds late. Especially if an officer is interviewing you.
- We know you're nervous. Relax as much as you can, but don't think that being nervous will turn the interviewer against you in any way. Nerves tell us that you take this seriously.
- Firm handshake. That's for young ladies and young men.
- Smile. Be happy. As I tell my interviewees, my job is NOT to root out the reasons why Candidate X should not get in. It's to make sure the board has a nice, well-rounded idea of who the person behind the packet is.
- Write your questions down. I can't count how many times I tell the candidate he/she can ask me questions about USMA and their nerves make them forget the questions they had in their head. We know you're nervous. Write them down.
- Honesty, honesty, honesty. If you want to go to USAFA or USNA really badly, don't tell us USMA is number one. Be honest. It's your life, and we want to help you get to the right place.
Lastly...the interviewer is there to help. Always. This is a volunteer gig that takes time away from our lives. If we didn't want to help you, we wouldn't be doing it!
Posted by: Scoutpilot
By your MOC:
A smart applicant will talk to the particular congressional offices first:
-When and where is the interview?
-What is the interview room like (very small; mid-size; large) anything that's unique about the room or furniture that you should know about?
-How many folks are on the panel that will interview me?
-Does your office have any general interview guidelines that pertain to that specific congressional panel?
-Is there anything else I should know about the interview to set myself up for success? To which, dress for success. If you do not know what that means, ask your parents and/or the staffer that is setting up your interview.
-Know why you wish to attend a service academy. Don't give them the answers you think they want to hear. They'll see through that immediately. Therefore, think long and hard about it in the days and weeks preceding the interview.
-Look each questioner directly in the eye when responding to them. Respond in a voice that all in the room will hear your answer.
Posted by: MullenLE
I'm a Freshman/Sophomore and I want to go West Point:
First:
- make sure that West Point/Army is what you want. Learn all you can about West Point and the Army
- do this by reading books, watching videos, youtube and series/movies about West Point
- talk to grads and your MALO/FFR
After that:
- go to http://admissions.usma.edu/. Devour this site. Click on the 'Start Young' tab to the left. You can sign up to be on the mailing list off of this page.
- make a day visit to West Point. Go to: http://admissions.usma.edu/ and follow instructions to schedule a day visit.
- prepare yourself for the PSAT. If you do well enough - West Point will start contacting you via snail mail.
- keep your grades up. Class rank is important!
- here is the profile of the Class of 2016: http://www.usma.edu/classes/SiteAssets/SitePages/2016/Profile2016.pdf. It will give you a good idea of the scores of that class and what you need to be aiming for. IOW - these are the stats of those that West Point accepted for 2016.
- take the hardest classes you can take and make an A or B in
- make sure that in High School, you take 4 years of math (including Trig and Pre-Cal), 4 years of English, 4 years of science (including 2 years of lab science), 1 year of US history, 2 years of foreign language. Geography, economics, government and a basic computing class are recommended as well.
- you will need recommendations from your math, English and chemistry or physics teachers, so get to know these teachers !
- excel in your sport(s). Strive towards being Captain of team sports. Contact team sports are rated higher than individual sports.
- stay involved in extracurriculars
- don't join every club in your school because you think it will look good on your application. It won't. Find clubs/causes that you enjoy and are passionate about and assume leadership positions in those clubs/causes.
- start working on your resume. Keep an accounting of everything that you have earned or done. When you are a Senior, you may have forgetten about an award you got or an activity that you were involved with while in the 9th grade.
- call your Representative's office and find out when they are having their All-Academy Day. This is a very informational meeting where all of the academies will have representatives for you to talk to and answer your questions. Usually, the Representative will speak about the nomination process.
If you are a Junior:
All of the above plus-
- plan on taking ACT/SAT at least twice - at the end of your Junior year and the beginning of your Senior year. Study for them with an emphasis on math and English. West Point superscores test scores. IOW - they take the highest score on each segment of the exam each time you take it, so there is no penalty to taking the tests as many times as possible.
- apply to SLE in January of your Junior year. Watch the USMA website for the latest information about exactly when the application will open. Applying to SLS will automatically open a file for you with Admissions.
- make a 'Plan B' on what you will do if not offered admission. Look into AROTC at colleges that you are interested in AND plan on applying to those schools and the AROTC scholarships. A good reference is: www.goarmy.com
- consider applying to Boys/Girls State
- start looking at your Senators' and Representative's web sites. Prepare yourself by determining what is their deadline for the nomination and what kind of information they require on the application.
- you can open a file on-line in January of your Junior year
- breathe! The application process is a long one.
The Process:
- open a file - by either on-line candidate questionnaire, athletic candidate questionnaire or SLE application
- initial evaluation is made by RC once he/she has at a minimum a test score (either PSAT/ACT/SAT) AND class rank
- RC opens SSK (Second Step Kit) via candidate's portal for those who pass this first evaluation. SSK is the on-line application for West Point.
- when the SSK is opened, WP will then request the medical test through DoDMERB for the candidate as well as the CFA.
- if you are NOT found to be a competitive candidate, you will be sent a letter telling you that your file is closed until your file improves. This letter will tell you which areas need improvement. Leaves the door open to re-apply if file improves.
- complete your file ASAP!
- once your file is complete (all icons are green on your candidate portal), it will reviewed for qualification by 3 sets of eyes: your RC, another RC and and a member of the Admissions committee
- when your file has gone through this qualifying process, you will receive a letter telling you of your status
- once the noms come in, fully qualified candidates (academically, medically and physically) with a nom can be offered appointments or placed on the NWL
- fully qualified candidates with a MOC nomination but are not a MOC vacancy winner will go on the NWL
- the Admissions committee meets every Tuesday
Nominations:
- a nomination is the legal authority to consider a candidate for admission
- there is a whole forum on nominations that is an excellent source of information, so I won't go into detail here
- apply to ALL ALL ALL ALL !!! nominations that you are qualified for. ALL!!! Every single one!!!!
- there are two types of nominations: Congressional and Service Connected
- everyone is qualified for at least 4 nominations: the 2 Senators from your state, your District's U.S. Representative and the Vice-President
- the least competitive MOC nomination is usually from your District Representative
- if you are qualified for a Presidential nomination, apply for that as early as you can and then complete your file ASAP. If fully qualified, you have the possibility of receiving an appointment BEFORE the MOC deadlines.
- each MOC has 5 cadetships at WP and can submit a slate of 10 names to fill each vacant cadetship. That means that some years a MOC will be able to submit 2 slates of 10 names thereby nominating 20 candidates.
- the VP also has 5 cadetships at WP. Each VP vacant slot will be filled with a candidate chosen by WP from those that have applied for the VP nomination.
- make sure you keep up with your MOC's deadlines for the nomination application
- if you are on a MOC's slate of 10, then you have a nomination
- getting a MOC nomination does not necessarily mean you are qualified
Reader's Digest version of the 3 ways that a MOC can nominate candidates:
1) Principal with Numbered Alternates:
- Candidates are listed in order of preference with a Principal nominee and then alternates numbered 1-9.
- the Principal is offered admission IF fully qualified
- if Principal is disqualified, then the 1st alternate is evaluated and offered the appointment if found qualified and so on down the list until the highest numbered alternate who is qualified is offered admission.
2) Principal with Competing Alternates:
- principal is listed with alternates 1-9 not numbered.
- the Principal is offered admission IF fully qualified
- if Principal is disqualified then the next fully qualified alternate with the highest WCS (Whole Candidate Score) is offered admission
3) Competitive:
- ten unranked names are submitted
- WP then rank orders those names according to the WCS
- the candidate who is fully qualified with the highest WCS is offered admission
- this is the most common method MOCs use
GPA v Class Rank:
- class rank is weighted heavier than GPA
- if your school doesn't rank, WP will take your ACT/SAT scores, compare them to the National scores to get an idea on how you stack up next to your peers
- even if your school says they don't rank, sometimes they will give WP a rank
Interviews:
By your MALO/FFR:
- Dress nicely. Like it or not, the interviewer will take note. You need not wear a tie, but a young man should know that a collared shirt speaks volumes. Young ladies, well...perhaps I'm dating myself here...whatever finery you wear, make sure it's pleasantly conservative. Plunging necklines and academy interviews do not mix.
- Be early. 5 minutes early is on-time. Don't cut it close and be two minutes late, or even 30 seconds late. Especially if an officer is interviewing you.
- We know you're nervous. Relax as much as you can, but don't think that being nervous will turn the interviewer against you in any way. Nerves tell us that you take this seriously.
- Firm handshake. That's for young ladies and young men.
- Smile. Be happy. As I tell my interviewees, my job is NOT to root out the reasons why Candidate X should not get in. It's to make sure the board has a nice, well-rounded idea of who the person behind the packet is.
- Write your questions down. I can't count how many times I tell the candidate he/she can ask me questions about USMA and their nerves make them forget the questions they had in their head. We know you're nervous. Write them down.
- Honesty, honesty, honesty. If you want to go to USAFA or USNA really badly, don't tell us USMA is number one. Be honest. It's your life, and we want to help you get to the right place.
Lastly...the interviewer is there to help. Always. This is a volunteer gig that takes time away from our lives. If we didn't want to help you, we wouldn't be doing it!
Posted by: Scoutpilot
By your MOC:
A smart applicant will talk to the particular congressional offices first:
-When and where is the interview?
-What is the interview room like (very small; mid-size; large) anything that's unique about the room or furniture that you should know about?
-How many folks are on the panel that will interview me?
-Does your office have any general interview guidelines that pertain to that specific congressional panel?
-Is there anything else I should know about the interview to set myself up for success? To which, dress for success. If you do not know what that means, ask your parents and/or the staffer that is setting up your interview.
-Know why you wish to attend a service academy. Don't give them the answers you think they want to hear. They'll see through that immediately. Therefore, think long and hard about it in the days and weeks preceding the interview.
-Look each questioner directly in the eye when responding to them. Respond in a voice that all in the room will hear your answer.
Posted by: MullenLE
I'm a Freshman/Sophomore and I want to go West Point:
First:
- make sure that West Point/Army is what you want. Learn all you can about West Point and the Army
- do this by reading books, watching videos, youtube and series/movies about West Point
- talk to grads and your MALO/FFR
After that:
- go to http://admissions.usma.edu/. Devour this site. Click on the 'Start Young' tab to the left. You can sign up to be on the mailing list off of this page.
- make a day visit to West Point. Go to: http://admissions.usma.edu/ and follow instructions to schedule a day visit.
- prepare yourself for the PSAT. If you do well enough - West Point will start contacting you via snail mail.
- keep your grades up. Class rank is important!
- here is the profile of the Class of 2016: http://www.usma.edu/classes/SiteAssets/SitePages/2016/Profile2016.pdf. It will give you a good idea of the scores of that class and what you need to be aiming for. IOW - these are the stats of those that West Point accepted for 2016.
- take the hardest classes you can take and make an A or B in
- make sure that in High School, you take 4 years of math (including Trig and Pre-Cal), 4 years of English, 4 years of science (including 2 years of lab science), 1 year of US history, 2 years of foreign language. Geography, economics, government and a basic computing class are recommended as well.
- you will need recommendations from your math, English and chemistry or physics teachers, so get to know these teachers !
- excel in your sport(s). Strive towards being Captain of team sports. Contact team sports are rated higher than individual sports.
- stay involved in extracurriculars
- don't join every club in your school because you think it will look good on your application. It won't. Find clubs/causes that you enjoy and are passionate about and assume leadership positions in those clubs/causes.
- start working on your resume. Keep an accounting of everything that you have earned or done. When you are a Senior, you may have forgetten about an award you got or an activity that you were involved with while in the 9th grade.
- call your Representative's office and find out when they are having their All-Academy Day. This is a very informational meeting where all of the academies will have representatives for you to talk to and answer your questions. Usually, the Representative will speak about the nomination process.
If you are a Junior:
All of the above plus-
- plan on taking ACT/SAT at least twice - at the end of your Junior year and the beginning of your Senior year. Study for them with an emphasis on math and English. West Point superscores test scores. IOW - they take the highest score on each segment of the exam each time you take it, so there is no penalty to taking the tests as many times as possible.
- apply to SLE in January of your Junior year. Watch the USMA website for the latest information about exactly when the application will open. Applying to SLS will automatically open a file for you with Admissions.
- make a 'Plan B' on what you will do if not offered admission. Look into AROTC at colleges that you are interested in AND plan on applying to those schools and the AROTC scholarships. A good reference is: www.goarmy.com
- consider applying to Boys/Girls State
- start looking at your Senators' and Representative's web sites. Prepare yourself by determining what is their deadline for the nomination and what kind of information they require on the application.
- you can open a file on-line in January of your Junior year
- breathe! The application process is a long one.
The Process:
- open a file - by either on-line candidate questionnaire, athletic candidate questionnaire or SLE application
- initial evaluation is made by RC once he/she has at a minimum a test score (either PSAT/ACT/SAT) AND class rank
- RC opens SSK (Second Step Kit) via candidate's portal for those who pass this first evaluation. SSK is the on-line application for West Point.
- when the SSK is opened, WP will then request the medical test through DoDMERB for the candidate as well as the CFA.
- if you are NOT found to be a competitive candidate, you will be sent a letter telling you that your file is closed until your file improves. This letter will tell you which areas need improvement. Leaves the door open to re-apply if file improves.
- complete your file ASAP!
- once your file is complete (all icons are green on your candidate portal), it will reviewed for qualification by 3 sets of eyes: your RC, another RC and and a member of the Admissions committee
- when your file has gone through this qualifying process, you will receive a letter telling you of your status
- once the noms come in, fully qualified candidates (academically, medically and physically) with a nom can be offered appointments or placed on the NWL
- fully qualified candidates with a MOC nomination but are not a MOC vacancy winner will go on the NWL
- the Admissions committee meets every Tuesday
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