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?I'll be checking in periodically, because I have finals this week, but over winter break (December 13 - January 13th) I should be pretty active!
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.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?
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).Not about the application process, but could you talk a little about your plebe year so far... what you like, don’t like, biggest challenges, etc. Thanks!
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.How long did it take you to find out that you were medically qualified? How did you train for the CFA? How long did it take for you to receive a nomination? Lastly, if you don't mind me asking, what were your stats?
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.What physical items are you glad you had or wished you had this year? I'm thinking Leatherman tool and watch for Christmas - any other suggestions?
When were you first allowed to contact your parents?
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.Kind of a specific question, but do you guys watch any professional sports? like NFL Sundays or anything as a group? or is there just no time?
Plebes normally don't choose roommates. The company leadership will randomize roommates.How do they choose your roomies?? Alphabetical??
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.Thank you for sharing so much in this thread, all of the info has been super helpful! Do you have any recommendations for what type of watch to get? Or which functions are necessary/more important?
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.Hey, thanks for doing this... I'm a Freshman in High School and just wanna know if you have any tips so that I can be checking things off early... then I'm not doing it all in my Jr. Year.
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!Hey, thanks for doing this... I'm a Freshman in High School and just wanna know if you have any tips so that I can be checking things off early... then I'm not doing it all in my Jr. Year.
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!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?
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.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?