I applied to West Point last year and am currently a plebe! Lmk if y'all have any questions about the application process!
- Thread starter VGKrul
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Thanks for taking the time to do this! If you wouldn't mind, what were some activities/classes that you took/participated in that you felt really set your application apart from others?
toomuchtimeonmyhands
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Not currently a plebe, but somewhat of recent/old grad. I'm sure OP is busy with Term End Exams (TEEs) and hopefully OP responds to you all soon. As my username says, I have too much time on my hands so I figured I could give a somewhat recent perspective.
First time I contacted my parents was during the ice cream social, which was halfway into Beast.
I think having Boys/Girls State really helps for leadership if you don't have many leadership experience in a club, team, etc. Don't pursue leadership roles just to have a check off the box. Leadership is important, but it is also important to be passionate in giving back to the community or somehow bettering yourself for your organization.
My biggest challenge was time management so I had very little free time/sleep. My plebe schedule was very busy and had almost no free period. On top of that, I never worked efficiently, meaning that I was working HOURS on homework. I wasn't the most in shape so I also had to do morning workouts (form up by 0530).
I don't remember the specifics to my application process too well. If I remember correctly, I found out about my medical status pretty quickly. Nomination, I did not find out until I got my BFE, which was early spring. CFA training, I did track, which helped A LOT on learning how to run (breathing, strides, etc). I wasn't a D1 level runner, but not having to stress out about running on physical tests throughout my WP experience was pretty nice. A lot of my buddies were always stressing about the 2 mile runs. I highly recommend getting a pull up bar for your bedroom doorway and doing some pull ups/negatives every time you pass through. Don't forget that even though you pass the CFA, you will have to do a bunch of physical assessments once you arrive at WP for R-Day/Beast.
A leatherman is useful during summer trainings, but besides that, I never used it too often. A G-Shock (doesn't need to be expensive) is great for summer trainings because it will get beat up a lot. But the little night lights and alarms on G-Shocks were super helpful for me. During the academic year, a decent analog watch with a leather strap or smart watch is always nice to wear with uniforms or on pass. Something I truly appreciated during my plebe year was my Keurig machine.
First time I contacted my parents was during the ice cream social, which was halfway into Beast.
There's usually a lot of time on the weekends. A lot of people will watch sports by themselves or get groups of friends and use the company dayrooms to watch games on the projector.
Plebes normally don't choose roommates. The company leadership will randomize roommates.
toomuchtimeonmyhands
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I forgot to mention that if you are a parent or you are getting ready for plebe year, a nice set of noise cancelling headphones or earphones can be a huge improvement for quality of life. Helps with studying/homework/relaxing and great for travelling on airplanes/busses/subways. Wireless earphones are great for working out in the gym. These things can be pricey at times and are in no way a necessity. A lot of people generally have the noise cancelling headphones from Bose. Some people prefer Air Pods or find other noise cancelling earphones.
toomuchtimeonmyhands
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I was never a watch person before USMA, but for Beast, I wanted a watch that could take a beating, had an alarm, had a backlight for the dark, and wasn't too expensive just in case it broke during training. I ended up getting the G-Shock DW9052 from Target for $50 and I still use this watch to this day. This watch survived CBT, CFT, CLDT, and a few other Army schools. It's been smashed against rocks, submerged in water, covered in dirt, rained on, and it still works! Just because something is expensive doesn't mean it's going to be better so I never felt the need to get the most high tech G-Shock.
During the academic year, I wore a Fossil watch that I got for a high school graduation gift. It looks like this (https://www.fossil.com/en-us/products/neutra-chronograph-brown-leather-watch/FS5380.html) except the numbers around the clock were black and not silver/chrome. I liked the leather strap because it was sort of casual, but could also be used in more formal settings.
Some people wore smart watches during the academic year for everyday use (texts, workouts, etc.)
Parents/friends/family members/whoever is reading this - a watch is a great Christmas gift, graduation gift, A-Day gift
It's good that you are preparing early! Start studying for the SAT/ACT. Studying early will help you for the PSAT, which should help with applying to Summer Seminar. When I was in your position, I kind of did a roadmap of what to do and when to do. I knew that my application could be missing some leadership roles so I told myself to apply for Boys State around junior year.
But honestly, don't join every club just to list them on your resume. Join a few that you are passionate about and you can be active in. Then you can talk about them better during interviews/essays and you'll be more invested if you ever become a club president.
A varsity sport will help a lot. I'm not sure what you are good at, but I'd definitely say join the track or cross country team. Don't worry about not being the fastest or never being a varsity runner. Just being on a running team will help on the CFA and your life as a cadet.
Figure out why you want to go to West Point because this will come up in a lot of interviews/essays. Is your goal to become an officer in the Army or does West Point offer something that you can't find anywhere else?
High school can be busy and stressful, but make sure to enjoy the journey
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Hi! Make sure you focus on being a well-rounded candidate - being good academically, fit/healthy, and having some leadership experience under your belt! Tangibly, this means getting good grades on standardized test scores (ACTs, SATs, APs, etc.), getting a good class rank/getting good grades, being a varsity athlete and having a routine workout schedule, and having some leadership roles in clubs (class president for student council, leader of a club or community service group, leadership summer programs like boys state, etc.)! These are all things that can make you an incredibly competitive applicant and take a lot of time to build on!
Good Luck in HS!
Of course! My application was definitely more academically weighted, so I think that really set me apart from all the other applicants! I would say take challenging courses like APs and advanced/honors (whatever your school calls them)! Definitely like @toomuchtimeonmyhands mentioned, Boys/Girls state is a pretty big contributor to your application! Varsity sports are pretty important - a big portion of each incoming class is a varsity athlete in at least one sport. Hopefully this helps! If you need more clarification, definitely don't hesitate to reach out!
LeaderWhoServes23
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Hi. I'm very, very new here. Might I ask, what made you choose West Point? I'm thinking about applying because I want to spend my life doing meaningful work serving others.
Just seeing this. My son accepted his offer of admission for C/O 2025. He is looking for details on boots, shoes and ruck sack. I'm curious, did you purchase boots/shoes to break in before hand? He's read that you can but that there will be an approved list at some point. He's a wrestler so is in really good shape, but he also wants to get a ruck sack and start walking hills to get used to the weight. Are those all supplied or can you get them early that you know?
When your son arrives, he will be issued a variety of gear and TA-50 that he will maintain throughout his entire time at usma. A rucksack and assault pack are included in the issued TA-50 gear, so need to bring your own unless you are transporting personal items in the assault pack on R-day. If he wants to get more into the swing of rucking, maybe invest in an assault pack and throw some weights, books, rocks, etc in there. I suppose you could invest in a rucksack at home, but I wouldn't advise bringing it with you on R-day.
I purchased my own boots beforehand and it was the best decision I could have made for myself. The issued boots serve their purpose, however, I found that they were not very comfortable and created many problems for those that did wear them (blisters and other foot problems). I purchased the Garmont T-8 Bifida, a popular boot among the corps here, and they lasted me from Beast, through CFT, and I am still wearing them throughout the academic year. I definitely broke them in from time to time before my arrival. The only time I actually used the issue boots was for my survival swimming course.
Since you say he's in really good shape, the only thing I would worry about is getting used to carrying weight on his shoulders. Many women will adjust the rucksack to distribute weight on their hips, while men tend to adjust it to sit more on their shoulders. This pulls on a lot of muscles on the shoulders and back, which can lead to quick fatigue. If I remember correctly, you will never ruck with more than 35 pounds throughout Beast. Granted some classmates will carry others' rucks if they are struggling through a march.
Hope this helps
Volbeater7734
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Do you remember the physical on R day? I’m worried about my blood pressure being sky high due to my nerves.