CFA Question

[1mountaintop]

Tug this is not mutually exclusive. Kids today have more time on their hands. A lot of them are out playing pokemon. It doesn't take much to allocate 15 minutes a day to do push ups sits ups and pullups and run a couple miles every other day. As far as the nomination, it is my understanding that almost all MOC provide a slate to allow WP to select. I totally agree you need to be well rounded but in my opinion you need to push in all areas including multiple SAT/ACT test taking just like multiple CFAs.

 

[brovol]

Tug this is not mutually exclusive. Kids today have more time on their hands. A lot of them are out playing pokemon. It doesn't take much to allocate 15 minutes a day to do push ups sits ups and pullups and run a couple miles every other day. As far as the nomination, it is my understanding that almost all MOC provide a slate to allow WP to select. I totally agree you need to be well rounded but in my opinion you need to push in all areas including multiple SAT/ACT test taking just like multiple CFAs.

Exactly.

 

[1mountaintop]

Brovol besides sharing the same opinion we share a son in same class. Like most, he would like to move on to SF. Maybe I will see you on A day.

 

[tug_boat]

I have no idea what part of the country the OP comes from. So kinda difficult for us all to give a better assessment. I wish we could give them a more precise opinion.

SF huh?

From WP to Ft Bragg is galaxies away. Your Cadets will be exposed to so much that they may change their direction several times over. When they start their AY in a few weeks, TACs, department heads, sponsors, mentors and profs will have a huge influence on their direction. Your Cadets may or may not be identified early for talents they may have. The department heads will be looking for talented Cadets to fill voids and needs within the Army. As an example the huge void the Army has is looking for talented Cadets to branch into Cyber. What is unique to Cyber its considered a Series 17 Warfare. The Army is way behind in this area and needs to find talent. And quickly. The private industry is light years ahead in this subject. Our country is under constant pressure and we lose billions in dollars and thousands of jobs. Keeping are military secrets, secret could be the deciding factor when we go into realtime. There is a constant game of warfare going at all times, dog and cat.

On A-Day you'll get a chance to meet some very incredible and talented people that will teach your Cadets. They will be your Cadets mothers and fathers for the next 47 month. They are extremely dedicated to the preservation of our democracy. Absolutely amazing folks. As an example the Admissions Director, she is a WP grad as with her husband. Her husband was injured from IED and they have a son in Class of 2017. You will meet people who bleed olive drab. Have a great time on A-Day. Right after is Ring Weekend for the Firsties. They will receive their class rings that have gold from alum who have passed away and their famines gave their rings to be forged with the next class as with steel from the Towers.

The Long Gray Line

Push Hard, Press Forward

 

[brovol]

I have no idea what part of the country the OP comes from. So kinda difficult for us all to give a better assessment. I wish we could give them a more precise opinion.

SF huh?

From WP to Ft Bragg is galaxies away. Your Cadets will be exposed to so much that they may change their direction several times over. When they start their AY in a few weeks, TACs, department heads, sponsors, mentors and profs will have a huge influence on their direction. Your Cadets may or may not be identified early for talents they may have. The department heads will be looking for talented Cadets to fill voids and needs within the Army. As an example the huge void the Army has is looking for talented Cadets to branch into Cyber. What is unique to Cyber its considered a Series 17 Warfare. The Army is way behind in this area and needs to find talent. And quickly. The private industry is light years ahead in this subject. Our country is under constant pressure and we lose billions in dollars and thousands of jobs. Keeping are military secrets, secret could be the deciding factor when we go into realtime. There is a constant game of warfare going at all times, dog and cat.

On A-Day you'll get a chance to meet some very incredible and talented people that will teach your Cadets. They will be your Cadets mothers and fathers for the next 47 month. They are extremely dedicated to the preservation of our democracy. Absolutely amazing folks. As an example the Admissions Director, she is a WP grad as with her husband. Her husband was injured from IED and they have a son in Class of 2017. You will meet people who bleed olive drab. Have a great time on A-Day. Right after is Ring Weekend for the Firsties. They will receive their class rings that have gold from alum who have passed away and their famines gave their rings to be forged with the next class as with steel from the Towers.

The Long Gray Line

Push Hard, Press Forward

Great post Tug! That's why we love you.

My son has dreamed of flying an Apache, but is wide open to doing almost anything else. He has enjoyed the academic briefings so far at Beast, and briefly asked for my opinion on foreign language choices when he called during the ice cream social, only to get little response from me beyond trust your own judgement after considering as much as you can consider.

We can't wait until A-day. My wife has has a countdown on our refrigerator since we got home from R-day. (She finally stopped crying).

For those who are parents of candidates, or who themselves are candidates, I can tell you that in the relatively brief time we have been a part of the WP family, I can say it is an amazingly impressive and helpful group, far more family like than you can imagine, and it is an absolute honor to be a part of. It is very hard leaving your child on R-day, but so impressive to feel the support right from the moment your kid walks away. West Point is special, and if your child is deciding between WP and another academy, as my son who had multiple appointments did, my son, wife, and I all are grateful he picked USMA . .....But I digress.

 

[Gianime]

I have no idea what part of the country the OP comes from. So kinda difficult for us all to give a better assessment. I wish we could give them a more precise opinion.

SF huh?

From WP to Ft Bragg is galaxies away. Your Cadets will be exposed to so much that they may change their direction several times over. When they start their AY in a few weeks, TACs, department heads, sponsors, mentors and profs will have a huge influence on their direction. Your Cadets may or may not be identified early for talents they may have. The department heads will be looking for talented Cadets to fill voids and needs within the Army. As an example the huge void the Army has is looking for talented Cadets to branch into Cyber. What is unique to Cyber its considered a Series 17 Warfare. The Army is way behind in this area and needs to find talent. And quickly. The private industry is light years ahead in this subject. Our country is under constant pressure and we lose billions in dollars and thousands of jobs. Keeping are military secrets, secret could be the deciding factor when we go into realtime. There is a constant game of warfare going at all times, dog and cat.

On A-Day you'll get a chance to meet some very incredible and talented people that will teach your Cadets. They will be your Cadets mothers and fathers for the next 47 month. They are extremely dedicated to the preservation of our democracy. Absolutely amazing folks. As an example the Admissions Director, she is a WP grad as with her husband. Her husband was injured from IED and they have a son in Class of 2017. You will meet people who bleed olive drab. Have a great time on A-Day. Right after is Ring Weekend for the Firsties. They will receive their class rings that have gold from alum who have passed away and their famines gave their rings to be forged with the next class as with steel from the Towers.

The Long Gray Line

Push Hard, Press Forward

Thank you all for the advice - it's really helped me put everything into perspective. I live in the northeast and my district is very competitive. Like I said, I will be retaking the CFA regardless in order to maximize my chances and to put all my energy and effort into the application.

 

[brovol]

I have a hard time envisioning a member of the panel that reviews the applications standing up to make a case for a candidate and saying "but, but, but...... this person threw a basketball 10 feet farther than this other candidate."

Frankly, I wish they had a more difficult or a better test to determine someone's toughness and their commitment/drive.. I think the ACT/SAT scores are emphasized too much. I would rather have my leader in battle have a 25 ACT and be as tough as nails than a 36 ACT and not nearly as tough. I know they are not mutually exclusive and there are candidates that check both boxes but there are not enough of those and it seems there is a preoccupation to having a high avg ACT/SAT score for the class profiles.

A local boy had outstanding academics and was given an LOA early in the process this recent application cycle. Quite a few whispered that they didn't see this person handling the physical demands. Well, he lasted 3 days and came home.

Beyond being a military school, WP is one of the very top level, elite and most prestigious academic institutions in the world. It attracts applicants who have offers of admission to Ivy League schools, and the academic rigors at WP are second to none. It is critical that candidates show a strong academic and intellectual foundation as well as aptitude, so that the admissions team is not bringing in kids who are less likely to be successful. Although standard tests like the ACT are not a perfect indication of how one will perform academically, they are useful in terms of setting a bar, and are, frankly, the best colleges have in terms of a standardized assessment.

And an admissions panel doesn't have to ask the question, on a close call, "who through the basketball farthest", because there is a WCS formula which is already calculated for the panel. They will know what the scores are, and be able to quickly assess how well rounded each candidate is, and make a deduction as to how committed each kid was to the process. I actually saw the "war room", when my son, wife and I were asked by son's RO to meet with him in his office after my son's overnight visit. We had a great, and lengthy, conversation, which ended with my son being told his appointment was in the mail.

 

[raft11]

raft11, it must have been another post but it was recommended that you have your daughter take it soon in case she is injured and can't perform as well when you need to get it done. My DS took it in a cramped indoor gym quarters the first time and did not do as well as he hoped (stringing all events together is also harder than one would think). The second time was at a HS in great weather and he did much, much better. From my take of it, the Army wants to see you improve and taking and finding out what your baseline is fine then work to improve. The basketball and shuttle require technique and practice. The others require strength and conditioning. While 845something is correct in it is a very small contribution to WCS, I feel brovol is more correct that you need to strive to improve everything you can. I am sure there are kids who have great grades and SAT scores who do not get in because they are not fit. In addition, if the ultimate goal is to get into WP, the first thing is surviving BEAST so why not continue to train so you will be ready when you are called upon. Taking the CFA a second time is minor compared to completing all the other requirements in the admission process.

Thank you for your insights! My daughter plays two contact sports so this is very good advice to do it ASAP in case of injury and also to allow time to improve her score! Thanks very much!