Many questions about West Point Military Academy

[WyattJohn]

Hey, and thanks for your help!

As a canadian who is very separated from the military in general, i find myself asking questions about west point on a fairly regular basis. This has caused many questions in my mind, which I will list

1. It seems every major military commander has attended west point. Do all soldiers attend the school? that seems highly unlikely, but is there a certain division or rank that ALWAYS attends west point? or is it more of the harvard of the military, closed yet constantly producing the top soldiers?
2. What does 'admission' to west point entail? do you need to serve elsewhere first and be admitted? Is it based on grades or military ability? do you apply or are you head hunted?
3. Is it safe to say that all those who attend westpoint are quite superior in one way or another? Not so much in the literal sense, but I mean does attending the school give people an automatic prestige such as an ivy league school?
4. how heavily does parental and familial pressure on the academy lead to some people being accepted? is it purely random or do the sons of generals usually have an easier chance to attend?
5. what is the main focus of the academy? is it purely military, or do you get a degree from it at well?
6. In a chicken egg question, is the reason that the most well known military members seem to have all attended west point because the academy produces the best? or are the best simply fed through the academy just to get the name on their wall and propel them not through aptitude but recognition?
7. Generally, how old are the students? Is attending west point the kind of decision you make early on, essentially putting yourself on the path to the military and forgoing other ventures in lieu of this path?
8. What 'kind' of soldiers does west point produce? generals? infantry?

 

[Cdkd]

I think you can find most of answers to your questions here https://www.westpoint.edu/about/public-affairs/news/fact-sheets and https://www.westpoint.edu/admissions

 

[AROTC-dad]

@WyattJohn

Please note that it is properly capitalized as "West Point."

 

[MidCakePa]

Let's start here: It's called the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Now, go to the USMA website and read every page, tab, pulldown and link. You'll find just about everything you ask answered there. If not, come on back and folks can fill in the gaps.

(Cross-posted with @AROTC-dad.)

 

[davejean90]

I can answer question #4. In the US, the all volunteer military is slowly becoming the family business. The reason why sons and daughters of military officers seem to do better when it comes to admission comes down to probably two reasons; (1) traits that make a candidate a successful applicant are probably passed down from parent to child and (2) there is a better understanding of the process and the requirements among military families.

 

[ders_dad]

In the US, the all volunteer military is slowly becoming the family business.

yes. But for the three service academies, it has always been the family business. How many times do you hear, “My father was a West Point grad, his brother was, their father was, etc.”?

 

[Capt MJ]

Or, my mother, my sister, my aunt. We are getting to the “my grandmother” stage.

 

[s-xuer]

It seems every major military commander has attended west point. Do all soldiers attend the school? that seems highly unlikely, but is there a certain division or rank that ALWAYS attends west point? or is it more of the harvard of the military, closed yet constantly producing the top soldiers?
Only officer candidates attend. Out of the entire Army, only few will have gone to the academy. There are no units that only West Point grads are allowed to serve in. However, command positions at the academy are always given to grads.

What does 'admission' to west point entail? do you need to serve elsewhere first and be admitted? Is it based on grades or military ability? do you apply or are you head hunted?
You don't have to serve first. Most are accepted out of high school, and some are accepted out of the Army and even other colleges. Academic, physical, and leadership ability is assessed. Only recruited sport teams athletes and some minorities are sometimes 'hunted.'

Is it safe to say that all those who attend westpoint are quite superior in one way or another? Not so much in the literal sense, but I mean does attending the school give people an automatic prestige such as an ivy league school?
West Point is indeed very prestigious, and it's comparable to Ivy League.

how heavily does parental and familial pressure on the academy lead to some people being accepted? is it purely random or do the sons of generals usually have an easier chance to attend?
Some people are pressured by family to attend, and other are pressured to not attend. A general's son might have better guidance, but admissions tries to be fair and will not add points.

what is the main focus of the academy? is it purely military, or do you get a degree from it at well?
You get a bachelor of science degree. The purpose of the academy is to develop leaders of character for the Army.

In a chicken egg question, is the reason that the most well known military members seem to have all attended west point because the academy produces the best? or are the best simply fed through the academy just to get the name on their wall and propel them not through aptitude but recognition?
Both. USMA applicants are generally ambitious, and the academy does great work to develop and prepare officers.

Generally, how old are the students? Is attending west point the kind of decision you make early on, essentially putting yourself on the path to the military and forgoing other ventures in lieu of this path?
Ages range from 18-27, with most being on the younger side. You do have to devote to the 5-6 yr service obligation. Many grads leave after the requirement and have other ventures, while others stay for longer times in the Army.

What 'kind' of soldiers does west point produce? generals? infantry?
Most go into combat arms (Infantry, Armor, Artillery...) and support (Intelligence...), while few go into less common fields like medical and finance.

 

[jl123]

+1 to s-xuer

A couple of clarifications:

• Command positions at USMA go to officers from all commissioning sources, although I am not aware of the the top three (Superintendent, Commandant, Dean) going to any but USMA grads. There are many Company and Regimental Tactical Officers from other commissioning sources. The Company Tactical Officer is the legal Company Commander of a Cadet Company.
• It would be very difficult for admissions to favor a legacy candidate. The appointment process is legally mandated and highly objective. A child of a career military officer has an advantage through eligibility for a Presidential nomination, but that is available to children of all career military personnel (officers and enlisted), not just USMA grads. The only possibility to bypass the merit system on the basis of legacy would be as an Additional Appointee, but since the vast majority of those are reserved for recruited athletes and minorities, it is only a slight possibility.