MOS/Unit Selection

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BDHuff09

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May 26, 2012
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I have heard a lot about how USNA does service selection, but very little about how USMA does it.

Do cadets at West Point select there MOSs during Firstie year? Do they have to rank several of them and are given one on the basis of the Army's needs? How common is it for one to get his/her desired MOS? Do they also have a say in the unit they will be assigned to?

Does the Army treat cadets looking to become Rangers/SF similar to how the Navy treats prospective SEAL officers? I am aware that going to Ranger School and getting the Ranger Tab is different than actual training to be a Ranger.

Does the Army ever "draft" cadets into the less popular MOSs like the Navy or is it pretty much individual choice (assuming one has good enough grades)?
 
They call it branching. There used to be several good powerpoints and PDFs on the web about it. If you do some googling, you might find them.

They used to have lots of branching info on the West Point website but they've hidden it in the intranet now and mere mortals can't access it.
 
Branch Selection

It is my understanding that each branch now has input into which cadets are accepted into the branch. I'm not clear on the details.
 
The process changed for 2013. Perhaps America's Finest will see this thread and explain the changes.
 
There have been some indications that the process they tested for c/o 2012 may be refined further or changed back.

The specific explanation given was that the new approach created a significant amount of additional workload, but did not change the 2012 outcome in a meaningful way. So the jury was out on whether it would be continued.

My suggestion would be treat the information on the recent changes as indicative, but recognize it could change further.
 
I am not from a military background...(my disclaimer). However, some changes seemed to make sense. For instance, for 2013 cadets couldn't branch engineering unless they were engineering majors. While everyone does an engineering track, it seems logical that a major in engineering would be more helpful in this MOS. Just my $.02.
 
mom3boys said:
I am not from a military background...(my disclaimer). However, some changes seemed to make sense. For instance, for 2013 cadets couldn't branch engineering unless they were engineering majors. While everyone does an engineering track, it seems logical that a major in engineering would be more helpful in this MOS. Just my $.02.
Click to expand...

I agree. Seems like common sense, and the old system seemed like it could work against that a bit. With engineering majors tending to have lower GPA's, etc.

But you would not need essays & extended review for that. Just make it a prerequisite to be considered for the branch.
 
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