Contacting department heads
- Thread starter talltrees
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- Nov 25, 2017
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I would advise against it. They are all full-birds and are quite busy. If you have questions about DFL that absolutely cannot wait until the academic year, I found this email on the West Point website: dfl-info@westpoint.edu
Cadets don't interact with the department heads much. They're great people but will never be your primary contact for anything.
Cadets don't interact with the department heads much. They're great people but will never be your primary contact for anything.
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2010
- Messages
- 895
Very much agree with @prospective2019. Might not be the most appropriate. You’ll be assigned an academic advisor when you start the academic year, and they’re you’re best bet for fielding department specific questions, particularly once you declare your major.
I will caveat that department heads will occasionally serve as academic advisors (mine was my academic advisor) but this is department dependent and normally limited to a very small pool of cadets that have been identified as having potential for contributing to research early in their academic careers or other unique situation. There is no specific benefit that places these cadets ahead of their peers; their schedules just typically need a bit more management due to heavy validation to make them maximize their academic potential at the Academy.
I will caveat that department heads will occasionally serve as academic advisors (mine was my academic advisor) but this is department dependent and normally limited to a very small pool of cadets that have been identified as having potential for contributing to research early in their academic careers or other unique situation. There is no specific benefit that places these cadets ahead of their peers; their schedules just typically need a bit more management due to heavy validation to make them maximize their academic potential at the Academy.
You might want to try the Red Book first. It is the course catalog. Each department has their classes listed in a catalog within a catalog. Here's the link:
I take a somewhat different approach. West Point does not want to lose an appointee because of lack of information - this includes admissions, department heads, and others. If you have not received an appointment, there is no need to reach out to a department head.
If you have received an appointment and you have a question that materially affects your decision, you should not hesitate to find the answer, no matter who you have to contact. You will not lose your appointment because you emailed a Colonel. If it does not affect your decision on accepting the appointment, it can wait and will certainly be answered when you are a Cadet.
However, there is a caveat - it should be a substantial question that you have been unable to get an answer to after considerable effort. I can't really think of something that would fall into that category. Most information can be obtained through the website, Redbook, FFR, RC, etc. But if you are going to turn down an appointment because you don't have an answer to an important question, there is no downside in contacting anyone who might have the answer.
Colonels and Generals are people, just like CEO's and senior executives. Most are happy to help with a legitimate issue within their organization.
If you have received an appointment and you have a question that materially affects your decision, you should not hesitate to find the answer, no matter who you have to contact. You will not lose your appointment because you emailed a Colonel. If it does not affect your decision on accepting the appointment, it can wait and will certainly be answered when you are a Cadet.
However, there is a caveat - it should be a substantial question that you have been unable to get an answer to after considerable effort. I can't really think of something that would fall into that category. Most information can be obtained through the website, Redbook, FFR, RC, etc. But if you are going to turn down an appointment because you don't have an answer to an important question, there is no downside in contacting anyone who might have the answer.
Colonels and Generals are people, just like CEO's and senior executives. Most are happy to help with a legitimate issue within their organization.
The Redbook is your primary source. That said, this presentation has lots of info about all majors and might help you out as well. Majors Brochure for Class of 2024.