Appointment rules

professorm804

professorm804

USMA 2025
Joined
Jan 17, 2020
Messages
152
I just got appointed this morning and I am both humbled and overjoyed. I already know that dropping grades will cause USMA to rescind my appointment. Is there any other things that I should watch out for? (barring obvious things like don't murder someone). Furthermore, am I allowed to talk about my appointment? Thanks!
 
professorm804 said:
I just got appointed this morning and I am both humbled and overjoyed. I already know that dropping grades will cause USMA to rescind my appointment. Is there any other things that I should watch out for? (barring obvious things like don't murder someone). Furthermore, am I allowed to talk about my appointment? Thanks!
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Congratulations! Recommend being very careful of what, if anything, you post on social media. Keep a low profile.
 
Congratulations!
Avoid senioritis and finish strong.
Be hyper-aware of peer pressure situations where you might let your guard down and make a conduct decision that could derail you.
Social media - tidy it up, be smart about what you post.
Stay healthy, get fitter. Run, run and run, in all conditions, and hills, given you are headed to WP.
Enjoy the here and now with family and friends. Be the best kid you know how to be to your parents in your last 5 months of living full-time at home.
 
As my father always told me, "Don't do stupid sh*t." Avoid doing anything reckless that would waste all the hard work you have spent gaining an appointment to West Point. If I were you I would avoid going to "Senior Week" unless you are going with really close friends and do not plan to get involved in any of the activities that go on there.

Someone in my area got an appointment to the Merchant Marine Academy and threw it all away by getting a DUI two weeks before going off to summer training. That still pisses me off to this day, but hopefully that spot was offered to someone deserving of it.
 
Congratulation!
Let your extended family know and you’re free to tell everyone at school (friends, teachers, administrator), especially if they were integral to your process.
This is not top secret. Many MOC’s put out press releases highlighting Appointees. During normal years many schools will highlight the achievement at graduation.
Just be cognizant of what you post on social media and keep your nose clean.
 
Congratulations!!!!
Yes, absolutely go ahead and appropriately announce your appointment! Your own word - humble - is a great persona to have. Humble and lots of humility go a long way: "With lots and lots of support of my..." or "I want to thank all my teachers, coaches, parents, friends and family..."

CLEAN YOUR ROOM! haha, said it again!

Agree 100% on social media but also - scrub wherever you have any footprint. With online learning, new and unfortunately circumstances are popping up. The most common theme is you are part of a big study group or groupme, and even if you haven't been active, suddenly a rogue poster says, Hey everyone! Here's the answer sheet! or, there are subgroups/rooms and even if you were never active, forgot you were even part of the group, never entered that particular room - you are then at the mercy of trying to convince the Powers that Hold your Entire Future. This happened to some students at my DD's civilian school. Now they have to try to convince the university they didn't cheat (that sounds tough) but in the meantime they have not only a failing grade, but the one coded as cheating.

Live your life until in-processing. But live it carefully. No unnecessary risks.

Embrace any smothering to your advantage. My DD loved being chauffeured everywhere, leaving her cups and plates of food everywhere, and in general, enjoying a few last months of having mom do what she should and had been doing for herself.
 
Major injuries, however incurred, can also block your path. For years parents have joked about bubble wrapping their kids during the ninety days between appointment and I Day, but they're only kind of laughing. This spring is not the time to start checking things off your bucket list. Be proud, be sensible, be ready.
 
All good advice about finishing the academic year strong, being careful with what you post and with not taking any risks that might jeopardize your physical qualification. You should also make sure that you complete your Admit kit items in a timely manner and limit travel outside the country in this current pandemic environment. There is still a lot of requirements remaining to complete after you are admitted, so get after it with the same tenacity that helped you get your offer.
 
Agree with the thread! Don't get hurt, no tattoos, and go to R Day in the best shape in your life. Especially on the push ups and running side of things - makes the summer go by much easier. Practice some 30-50 lb rucking to break in your boots. Good luck!
 
Pretty much everything has already been covered. Don’t be an idiot and get into trouble, continue to perform to the high standard you have been up to this point to get an appointment, don’t get hurt, and enjoy the rest of your senior year. Also, keep going to class. A friend and I had both been granted appointments to USNA and USMA and both had a super awkward conversation with our principle when we got called into her office to be told that while we were still grade wise performing exceptionally, we were on track to not meet attendance requirements to graduate. Too many late shows on our part. We cleaned it up but don’t be us and make it even a question.

In regards to talking about your appointment, there’s nothing against it. You should be proud of your achievement but maintain your humility. It’s really easy for your cadre to find the guy who does an interview with local media about heading to school, and depending on how the cadet candidate presents themselves during such interviews, it’s a good way to make a target for yourself before you’ve even shown up because to a cadet at West Point, it’s nothing that they haven’t done already and more since they’ve actually been through CBT and their plebe year.

Same thing with social media. If you have things out in the public sphere, and you should assume that anything posted to social media, no matter how locked down it is, is out in the public sphere to at least a certain degree, your cadre might find it. It can make your life more uncomfortable during CBT than it needs to be. This is not even getting into the realm of things that your future employer, the US Army, might take exception to as has been discussed above. Keeping a low profile is a key to success for an uneventful CBT (or SERE or really any Army school) experience. Might as well start practicing now
 
Whoohoo! Congrats to you. Plenty of solid advice above.

RE the paperwork packet. Make a copy of it in its entirety. Our DS also put a scanned version on a thumb drive. It will include a background clearance questionnaire that is about 267 pages long (kidding, just feels like it). You will have to fill this out over and over during the course of your career. Having a copy of your original, with dates, addresses, jobs held, places lived, schools attended will make it easier moving forward.

Ditto to birth certificate. Start the process now of acquiring a certified duplicate. Mom can keep one (she earned it) and you can take the other with you once WP is done with it.

Keep your nose clean, grades up, bubble wrap not too bad an idea. @HCopter isn't wrong. Let mom and dad spend as much time (and siblings) with you as possible. You will wish you had more of that soon.

Sort your room and closet. Make arrangements to have a person you trust local at your bank if you need in person assists while gone.
RUN, and then do that some more. With good shoes and insoles.

Remember your why, why you went down this tough road. It is hard and it will likely get more difficult. But if you remember your why in those moments it will be easier to get through those. Consider writing yourself the 'why' letter and leaving it with someone. When you need it, ask that it be mailed.

Congrats again, enjoy your time until the big day!
 
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