Highschool junior with aspirations to get into West Point Academy?

[DesertCaliMom]

There is a proud tradition of Hispanic servicemen and women throughout our country's history. My tia has a poster on her wall that she walks by every day showing every member of our family that immigrated from Mexico in 1907 and every generation since that has served, bled and died to prove our right to be Americans. It is about pride in who we are, how we got here, and where we are going.

Channel that energy from your family. That hard work and stubborn quality to never give up because that's what's expected of us, but do it for yourself. Show yourself you can apply everything our heritage brings to the table and make it shine.

Being Hispanic is never a crutch or an excuse, it's a point of pride. Be like John Baca who jumped on a grenade to save his platoon and lived to receive the CMOH. Be like Israel del Toro, the indomitable Invictus athlete. Be like my cousin (Silver Star, Vietnam Wall), who knew his machine gun position had the best vantage point to save as many Marines as possible and stood up during a firefight to collect ammo so more covering fire could get Marines to safety.

Work hard, never make excuses, go get your dreams.

 

[BTCS/USN]

There is a proud tradition of Hispanic servicemen and women throughout our country's history. My tia has a poster on her wall that she walks by every day showing every member of our family that immigrated from Mexico in 1907 and every generation since that has served, bled and died to prove our right to be Americans. It is about pride in who we are, how we got here, and where we are going.

Channel that energy from your family. That hard work and stubborn quality to never give up because that's what's expected of us, but do it for yourself. Show yourself you can apply everything our heritage brings to the table and make it shine.

Being Hispanic is never a crutch or an excuse, it's a point of pride. Be like John Baca who jumped on a grenade to save his platoon and lived to receive the CMOH. Be like Israel del Toro, the indomitable Invictus athlete. Be like my cousin (Silver Star, Vietnam Wall), who knew his machine gun position had the best vantage point to save as many Marines as possible and stood up during a firefight to collect ammo so more covering fire could get Marines to safety.

Work hard, never make excuses, go get your dreams.

DesertCaliMom, Good advice but actually after all of my input, I never gave much thought to him being Hispanic. Don't understand what that has to do with being able to qualify for an appointment to USMA however except for the possible language difficulties.

 

[Y_D1922]

BTW, Y_D1922, When I said know your audience, some of the people on these forums are retired officers, current officers, retired enlisted, current enlisted, civilians with no military background, civilians with extensive military background, parents, grandparents and probably a lot of people that will be making decisions on your future in regards to advancing in the military. May also be the people that have your life in their hands if you manage to get an appointment to a SA. Just saying ... Good luck and have a great day.

Honestly...that is possibly the most insightful point of view i ever read. I dont know how to thank you other than just by saying it. I agree with what you have said by far. I will take your advice in good will and apply it for my personal and professional development. Thank you so much and you have a great day too.

 

[Y_D1922]

There is a proud tradition of Hispanic servicemen and women throughout our country's history. My tia has a poster on her wall that she walks by every day showing every member of our family that immigrated from Mexico in 1907 and every generation since that has served, bled and died to prove our right to be Americans. It is about pride in who we are, how we got here, and where we are going.

Channel that energy from your family. That hard work and stubborn quality to never give up because that's what's expected of us, but do it for yourself. Show yourself you can apply everything our heritage brings to the table and make it shine.

Being Hispanic is never a crutch or an excuse, it's a point of pride. Be like John Baca who jumped on a grenade to save his platoon and lived to receive the CMOH. Be like Israel del Toro, the indomitable Invictus athlete. Be like my cousin (Silver Star, Vietnam Wall), who knew his machine gun position had the best vantage point to save as many Marines as possible and stood up during a firefight to collect ammo so more covering fire could get Marines to safety.

Work hard, never make excuses, go get your dreams.

I absolutely agree. My grandfather personally always told me to work hard for the sake of the people you lead. I took that to heart, because my parents dont really encourage me with my goals. Also another thing to point out in general with everyone in the forum, i apologize about earlier, i was a bit frustrated with my current situation.

 

[Y_D1922]

DesertCaliMom, Good advice but actually after all of my input, I never gave much thought to him being Hispanic. Don't understand what that has to do with being able to qualify for an appointment to USMA however except for the possible language difficulties.

I dont believe me being hispanic should be an excuse in any way, as you mentioned its more about my english which is a bit off. But like all things, i will try my best to perfect my english so i wont worry about it in the future. Hopefully all goes well either way, whether i go to USMA or ROTC.

 

[BTCS/USN]

Y_D1922, some of the best guys I ever worked for were people I had to ask to repeat themselves a couple times because I couldn't understand what they said the first two or three times. LOL

 

[brovol]

Honestly i appreciate the honest answer. I have been criticized twice due to me being hispanic and not speaking english correctly. It only infuriates me because i know im not very good, but at least i try my best in pushing with my goals.

The pursuit of your goals, and not being afraid to go for it, will likely make you successful at whatever you end up doing. Noone here will criticize you for those traits; to the contrary, it is that kind of drive that gets kids into places like west point, and makes others wealthy. But the bottom line is that there are certain standards for admission. You will submit written essays to the academy and to your nomination sources. You will interview with the same. You also need to do well on the English portions of standardized tests. If you struggle with English, you probably won't get in.

Hey, the other thing is that the folks on this board don't make the decision, so what we think or know won't effect your application regardless. Take our comments for whatever value you wish to give them.

 

[bookreader]

VMI is one of several senior military colleges (SMC). It's a wonderful school and I can recommend it to you. You can call the admissions office to see if you can transfer there with a two year degree. This is likely possible, but I don't know this for a fact, so it's best to verify. Also, you'll want to verify that they offer your major.

If you are able to do ROTC during your time at community college, then your CO will also be able to give you good advice about where to continue your studies.

 

[Y_D1922]

VMI is one of several senior military colleges (SMC). It's a wonderful school and I can recommend it to you. You can call the admissions office to see if you can transfer there with a two year degree. This is likely possible, but I don't know this for a fact, so it's best to verify. Also, you'll want to verify that they offer your major.

If you are able to do ROTC during your time at community college, then your CO will also be able to give you good advice about where to continue your studies.

Actually since i have west point as one plan, 4 years of rotc in florida as my second (costs a bit more, but very efficient so i can go for a business administration major), i was thinking between VMI or The Citadel. Do you think it's a good idea to do community college rotc for a semester or two, and then try to move out of state just to attend VMI as a sophmore? I dont know if ill miss out anything important if i take this route. Especially if i recieve a scholarship for ROTC while being in florida.

VMI also seems so amazing to attend. But that is an alternative if i dont manage to get into West Point.

 

[Y_D1922]

Y_D1922, some of the best guys I ever worked for were people I had to ask to repeat themselves a couple times because I couldn't understand what they said the first two or three times. LOL

Haha, honestly i would imagine myself in a situation like that once i actually comission as an officer. (of course once i put my effort and determination into the goal.) Though i am very glad to have great public speaking skills, so i believe its a good trait for me to have. If anything im working on self-development so i may be able to make better judgement.

Though one thing that i do not like is disrespect for one another. I found it irritating earlier in the forum because i felt like people were simply ridiculing me based on my grammar when its something i have been working on so far since i was born here. I have had developed alot as a person to let anyone walk all over me.

 

[Y_D1922]

VMI is one of several senior military colleges (SMC). It's a wonderful school and I can recommend it to you. You can call the admissions office to see if you can transfer there with a two year degree. This is likely possible, but I don't know this for a fact, so it's best to verify. Also, you'll want to verify that they offer your major.

If you are able to do ROTC during your time at community college, then your CO will also be able to give you good advice about where to continue your studies.

You wouldnt think i could get into VMI right after i graduate highschool, especially with what ive shown so far?

 

[bookreader]

Apply to VMI whenever you want. What i don't know is if finances are an issue for you - and VMI is very pricey if you are an out of state student. I have no idea what Citadel tuition is.
That said, I don't know why you wouldn't apply to a SMC while in high school - unless finances are an issue and then you'd choose community college. Either way, apply to ROTC also.

 

[Y_D1922]

Apply to VMI whenever you want. What i don't know is if finances are an issue for you - and VMI is very pricey if you are an out of state student. I have no idea what Citadel tuition is.
That said, I don't know why you wouldn't apply to a SMC while in high school - unless finances are an issue and then you'd choose community college. Either way, apply to ROTC also.

Financially i am good since my parents guranteed me to pay for it. Especially if i can pay for it little by little also. I was skeptical about applying because of my gpa. Apperently it has a 52% acceptance rate, and with my 2.3 gpa (maybe 2.5 in senior) im not sure if id get accepted because of my low gpa.

 

[bookreader]

You won't know if you can get accepted if you don't apply. What is the harm in applying? Just have several plans going into your senior year and then see which ones pan out.
But there is no downside to applying.

 

[WetsuGator]

I appreciate your determination and dedication to becoming an Army Officer, however, your multiple threads have me a bit confused.

All you need to do is apply and see what happens. I'm glad that you clearly have plans a-e, and you need to be willing to accept any of them. Best of luck, I wish you well, but you can't change much at this point.

-AIR CAV

 

[Y_D1922]

I appreciate your determination and dedication to becoming an Army Officer, however, your multiple threads have me a bit confused.

All you need to do is apply and see what happens. I'm glad that you clearly have plans a-e, and you need to be willing to accept any of them. Best of luck, I wish you well, but you can't change much at this point.

-AIR CAV

I apologize for the multiple threads. I made 3 threads that involved multiple case scenarios after highschool so i see which one would work practically and which wouldn't. I have recieved pleanty of help from everyone which i thank deeply i preety much have a good idea on what to do, overall the end goal is to become an officer. Thank you and i wish you all well.

 

[TotheTop]

Y_D, I'm an '09 grad from west point and a current officer. If your goal is to be an officer, ROTC is an excellent option and it is much easier than going to an academy. Once you graduate no one really knows your commissioning source unless it comes up in discussion. In my experience, West Pointers perform a bit better, but it is not extremely noticeable.

If your goal is to go to an academy, I recommend trying to get in to a prep school first, such as New Mexico Military Institute or Virginia Military Institute. If you do well at one of those places, the academies may overlook your poor highschool performance. I will tell you though that the academies will likely never take you if you don't show that you are a good athlete and leader. You may want to consider getting into a sport in your free time and show some type of leadership. This is more important than volunteer work.

Another option you may want to consider is enlisting first then applying for an academy. Prior service is a great way to get in if poor grades are a problem.