In need of your opinion...

[mdlax10]

Hello everybody. I've been a member of this forum for a while, but I rarely post.

I have been told by my USMA admissions officer that I have a strong chance of being offered USMAPS, because although my SAT math score is low, I have demonstrated exceptional leadership ability, and I have a strong desire to serve my country as a career Army Infantry officer.

My dream is to graduate from USMA, and I will not stop until I am there (or until my 23rd birthday...haha). But there is absolutely no guarantee that I will be offered USMAPS. So, I have thought of going to a military junior college and take the same classes a prep would and then reapply. I have been offered an academic/athletic (lacrosse) scholarship to attend one.

Recently, I have been offered an ROTC scholarship to a great University, as well as an "Early Commission Program" offer to another military junior college.

It's a tough decision to make. On one hand, I feel a pull to chase my dream and risk wasting a year of my life to prep myself if not offered USMAPS. On the other hand, I can go to a great University and receive my commission that way, but, in no way to knock ROTC, I do not feel that I will receive the tools from ROTC to succeed the way I want to as a career Army officer. Many great officers have come out of ROTC, but I feel the need to live in a strict military environment and be surrounded by the Army the way USMA does.

On yet another hand, I have the chance to receive the rank of 2LT by the age of 20 by the ECP. That, I must say, is enticing as well.

I have also thought of enlisting my entire life, and I feel it is possible to get into USMA that way.

I know this is my life and my decision, but I ask for the opinions of previous military officers, military personel, parents, peers, and cadets/midshipmen.

 

[Antoinette]

Keep plans A, B and C as options until the day comes that you have to decide. The mention of USMAPS was not made lightly. You have until May 1 to commit to most universities. You have earned the right to wait. It is still only February.

 

[ArmyWife29]

The mention of USMAPS was not made lightly. You have until May 1 to commit to most universities. You have earned the right to wait. It is still only February.

AMEN!!! I would be patient! Our son was being talked to VERY strongly to about USMAPS and he received an APPOINTMENT! So, you see, even if you are offered USMAPS, you can still be offered an appointment!

I would wait on the USMAPS, however, still keep up with your other options, but if you do get the USMAPS, take that, and if you get the appointment, well there you have your answer then too... I sure hope this is not too confusing, because I am a NEW 2012 mom who does not really know my terms well here but I do know what just happened here & this is what happened to us!

hope this helped some...

 

[Zaphod]

It pays to wait for MAPS. Trust me.

Remember, if you get MAPS and graduate, you are IN to USMA. No other place offers you that.

I know of what I speak. I'm a NAPSter.

 

[Just_A_Mom]

mdlax -

Good for you - the possibility of USMAPS is excellent.
IF you want to go to USMA and you are offered USMAPS then go for it.

It pays to wait for MAPS.

Do NOT just sit and wait for USMAPS.
The offer may not come to you right away however, or it may not come at all. Continue to prepare for that eventuality. In Lieu of USMAPS a AROTC scholarship is a great option and you may reapply to USMA next year as a college freshman.
ECP program - this is a good program, yes you are commissioned after two years but - you must still get your bachelor's degree, therefore you will still have to transfer and finish your degree.

You have some excellent possibilities and good options available to you.
Finally - if you really want to get to USMA then follow the good advice of your admissions officer. Trust that he will guide you well.

 

[ScreamingEagle]

I would be very careful about ECP. That commision is only good for the Guard/Reserves. They tell you you can go active after you graduate with your bachelors, but I have a few friends who they will not let out of the Guard to go active. Also, quite frankly, you're really not ready to be an officer at 20. I wasnt really sure I was ready at 23, but 20 is rought. It's possible, but the maturity gained by a few years of age is important, as is being older than your Soldiers (if at all possible). Just a few thoughts.

 

[Antoinette]

I learn something every time you post ScreamingEagle.

Hope you are well!

 

[Just_A_Mom]

Screaming Eagle - yep I agree. If you absolutely want active duty then I would not suggest ECP either. As far as the age thing goes - it may be better suited to the older college student who is already out of high school for a couple of years.
Being stuck in Guard when you want Active Duty is very frustrating. This happened a lot during the 90's when the Army was downsizing.

 

[mdlax10]

Thank you to everybody who helped. I should ask questions more frequently, you guys are amazing. You people are really helping me out, because I am finally able to talk to someone (besides admissions) about this. My mom,after months of explaining, still thinks that going to USMA means enlisting in the Army. I still can't believe that an actual deployed, commissioned officer is taking the time to speak to me (thank you Screaming Eagle! Hooah)

I do intend to wait for USMAPS until the very end, but when do those offers stop going out?

The option that appeals to me most is prepping myself at a military junior college. Has anybody had any experience with this? How great are the chances of being admitted without an AOG scholarship (worst case scenerio)? Also, is it manditory to reatake the SATs? They are my mortal enemy, and since SATs only predict the success of your first college year, why would their be a need to retake?

And one more question...are college applicants looked at differently? Is there a quota that is met? DO they have an SAT minimum that needs to be met (1200 m/v)?

 

[wpmom2011]

You've stated that you hate the SATs, but you haven't said anything about ACTs. You may do better on the ACT. Students that are more math and science oriented tend to do better on the ACT. If you haven't taken one (or 2 or 3), I strongly suggest you do. Students that don't usually do well on one test, can do quite well on the other.

 

[The Commissioner]

Also, is it manditory to reatake the SATs? They are my mortal enemy, and since SATs only predict the success of your first college year, why would their be a need to retake?

If you are not appointed to USMA, your application is marked "DQ" for disqualified. That's the case even if you are admitted to USMAPS. In the event of a DQ, you must start over with the application process and that includes a retake of the SAT and/or ACT. At USMAPS, you will take both.

 

[Poyner]

Just chiming in on the enlisted part of your question. While it is easier to get a nomination as enlisted, you have to do it on your own time. That means all the extracurriculars, leadership, fitness, ect. has to be done on top of your job, deployments, and secondary duties, which can be extremely demanding. If you have another route to go down(which it seems you have alot of) I would recomend that. Stay motivated!

 

[ArmyWife29]

I think they prepare you at USMAPS for the SAT & ACT & you are MUCH MORE PREPARED to take it at the end of the year or the mid-year term & Im sure you will do just fine!

 

[WAMom68]

I do intend to wait for USMAPS until the very end, but when do those offers stop going out?

Sorry, I can’t answer this one. Sounds like a question for your admissions officer.

The option that appeals to me most is prepping myself at a military junior college. Has anybody had any experience with this? How great are the chances of being admitted without an AOG scholarship (worst case scenerio)?

My son was an AOG sponsored prep and went to NMMI last year. I don’t know the statistics for non-sponsored preps but you could contact the military colleges you are interested in and ask. I know NMMI and MMI have advisors for the service academy prep programs and they can probably give you some statistics. If you take the same classes as the sponsored preps and get A’s and B’s it should help your overall package when reapplying. It shows you can take the same class load and succeed.

Also, is it manditory to reatake the SATs? They are my mortal enemy, and since SATs only predict the success of your first college year, why would their be a need to retake?

If you are a non-sponsored prep you do not have to retake the SAT’s but I would recommend that you do. Take the ACT again too. Most likely your scores will improve. If you do better on the ACT USMA will use those scores instead of the SAT. My son despised the SAT and did better on the ACT. He did improve his verbal SAT by 120 points after only a few months at NMMI. We were both happily surprised at this huge improvement. He improved his math SAT by only 20 points but any improvement is better than nothing.

And one more question...are college applicants looked at differently? Is there a quota that is met? DO they have an SAT minimum that needs to be met (1200 m/v)?

I don’t think there are any quotas for college students. If your h.s. grades were so-so and you do better in college it should help your application. Regarding the SAT scores, if you look at the stats on the USMA website for current and previous classes you will see that most of the class has scores in the 600’s, but there are some admitted with scores in the 500’s.

 

[Just_A_Mom]

USMAPS offers go out until the class is filled. I know one person who was on the waiting list and got a USMAPS offer in June last year.

IMO - If you get a USMAPS offer then take it. No brainer for you.

IF not - your options are:
Prep - Military Jr college. I suggest you do some research here. USMA Assn of Graduates sponsors cadets through the West Point Preparatory Scholarship Program (Civil prep) to attend military jr colleges. They are very particular about which ones they use and the two most popular are NMMI and MMI. As WaMom said they both have success in preparing kids like you for West Point. You can look up their programs on their websites.
Very few cadets in these programs are not sponsored by the academy - there are some however. Other programs are available but be cautious. Ask about appointment rates - be leary of programs that are not USMA approved.
You will also take Army ROTC and get an excellent taste of military school - aka - 4 hours of work and 2 hours to do it.
At MMI the curriculum is set by USMA admissions - you will take English, chemistry, math (pre-calc or calc) and US History. You will sit for a math placement test.
By taking Army ROTC you will also be eligible for a service connected nomination.

Another option is accepting your Army ROTC scholarship and attending college. This is a good and viable option as well. Cadets in Army ROTC are appointed to USMA each year. Your admissions counselor should be able to give you good counsel on your curriculum and it should be tailored to the plebe year - similar to MMI - above.

SAT's - I took the liberty of looking at your other posts and I see your math SAT is quite low. Yes you will have to take them again. AT USMAPS, Military school or college. sorry. prepare now. take them this spring again.
take the ACT's as well. I am sorry but I have no good news for you here.
While admissions does not publish SAT "minimum" scores - they really want your math to be in the 560-600 range.
Math is very important at USMA - you WILL take Calculus I and CAlculus II. A proficiency in Math is critical to success.

 

[mdlax10]

Thank you to everyone for all the information, and most importantly, honesty. Many of you have given good advice, because my parents have not been very suportive of my drive to join the military (AKA I drove myself to my nomination interviews).

I know I am weak in math. I do not make excuses, so I am just going to admit that I have a deficiancy. But it is not the kind of deficiancy that holds me back in my courses. I still do well in math in school and take a challenging courseload. I just take longer on tests/homework. So, when I take the SAT, I know how to do the problems, but I feel I don't have enough time.

I know admissions has seen my leadership (Captain of 2 varsity sports, 7 Varsity letters, held office in 2 clubs, over 100 hours of community service) and my desire to become an Officer.

So I will just have to wait and see. I know many of you have said that when my admissions officer said I have a great chance at USMAPS, it was not said lightly. So if he feels so strongly about it, then what is he waiting for to offer it to me?

What can I do?

 

[ArmyWife29]

What can I do?

Another suggestion is to take the ACT every CHANCE YOU GET, they will then take the best score out of each section on whatever test you make it in! IE: you make a 28 Math & a 25 in Sci 9/08 and in 12/08 but you made a 27 in Math & a 30 in Science they could take the 28 from 9/08 and the 30 from Sci in 12/08 does that make sense?