Q and A

[GoArmy2022]

hello!

I am a female Plebe at West Point who has just finished her Beast summer. For those of you who do not know, this weekend was Acceptance Day weekend, so now the New Cadets who have made it from Beast are entering the start of our academic year as Plebes, which you or your child (if you are a candidate or candidate parent) may be doing in years to come!

If you have any questions about going through Beast Barracks as a New Cadet, you may ask me. I have included that I am a female because I am also open to female-specific questions. I am a DA (direct admit), so feel free to ask me what it’s like to jump into USMA without any prior experience.

DISCLAIMER: there is some information about CBT, or cadet basic training, that I will not be able to provide you. If I am unsure whether something is classified or not, I will leave it out.

DISCLAIMER II: please avoid asking me questions about the academic year. I am only 2 days into it so I don’t know exactly what is going on yet! I will probably not be able to answer them.

 

[Walman888]

hello!

I am a female Plebe at West Point who has just finished her Beast summer. For those of you who do not know, this weekend was Acceptance Day weekend, so now the New Cadets who have made it from Beast are entering the start of our academic year as Plebes, which you or your child (if you are a candidate or candidate parent) may be doing in years to come!

If you have any questions about going through Beast Barracks as a New Cadet, you may ask me. I have included that I am a female because I am also open to female-specific questions. I am a DA (direct admit), so feel free to ask me what it’s like to jump into USMA without any prior experience.

DISCLAIMER: there is some information about CBT, or cadet basic training, that I will not be able to provide you. If I am unsure whether something is classified or not, I will leave it out.

DISCLAIMER II: please avoid asking me questions about the academic year. I am only 2 days into it so I don’t know exactly what is going on yet! I will probably not be able to answer them.

Congrats to you. I know a class mate of yours. I am told it was a challenge. Hats off to all of you!

 

[hopefullmom2023]

My DS and I learned a lot from your posts through the application process, we followed you during your admission journey.

I remember that post were you explained the RAND study, it was the first time I heard about it.

After reading about the RAND study and hours of research I was able to calculate my DS WCS for WP and the WPM for USNA. Both his RC and his AC shared his numbers with him and we were pretty close.

He got a LOA from USMA on August 6 and today he finally got a LOA from USNA, now just waiting in USAFA, I am sure he will get one soon.

His first choice is USMA, he has been invited to CWV to all three academies, I want him to go experience mid and cadet life at all of them but he refuses. His decision had already been made. Both letters of assurance are contingent to obtaining a nomination, in a competitive state like ours one never knows to which academy would he be given a nomination to.

I was in Annapolis this Summer picking him up from NASS to take him to SLE and I fell in love with Annapolis. I couldn’t believe it when I came out of the hotel and people actually stopped to say good morning. Annapolis is such a nice, friendly place.

I am not military so my question to you is:

What would you tell me to make me feel that my DS is making the right call choosing USMA over USAFA and USNA?

 

[NavyHoops]

Just a note that USNA does not publish its WCS formula, so don’t read too much into that study and try to equate it to USNA. The RAND study is dated also and formulas could of changed. Congrats on the LOAs. The right call is the service he wants to serve in. A SA is a reflection of each service. Each has its own personality, nuances and traditions.

 

[prospective2019]

Congrats on making it through! Is there anything that you wish you would’ve prepared for/prepped more for in the months leading up to CBT?

 

[GoArmy2022]

My DS and I learned a lot from your posts through the application process, we followed you during your admission journey.

I remember that post were you explained the RAND study, it was the first time I heard about it.

After reading about the RAND study and hours of research I was able to calculate my DS WCS for WP and the WPM for USNA. Both his RC and his AC shared his numbers with him and we were pretty close.

He got a LOA from USMA on August 6 and today he finally got a LOA from USNA, now just waiting in USAFA, I am sure he will get one soon.

His first choice is USMA, he has been invited to CWV to all three academies, I want him to go experience mid and cadet life at all of them but he refuses. His decision had already been made. Both letters of assurance are contingent to obtaining a nomination, in a competitive state like ours one never knows to which academy would he be given a nomination to.

I was in Annapolis this Summer picking him up from NASS to take him to SLE and I fell in love with Annapolis. I couldn’t believe it when I came out of the hotel and people actually stopped to say good morning. Annapolis is such a nice, friendly place.

I am not military so my question to you is:

What would you tell me to make me feel that my DS is making the right call choosing USMA over USAFA and USNA?

Honestly, I don’t know a lot about going to USNA and USAFA, as I’ve never been able to experience what the cadets/midshipmen there do. I can’t give you an educated answer regarding why your son is making the best choice, but I can still tell you that he definitely is. What I can say is, that if your son wants to be in the Army (as opposed to the other branches), have a fantastic network of officers and NCOs from not only the Army but also the Navy, Air Force, and even Coast Guard, stay in great shape for at least the next 12 years and build positive habits that will last him for the rest of his life, West Point is the best choice for him. It is America’s oldest (and dare I say finest) leadership institution. It has mastered its recipe and has been making the same cookies for a couple hundred years now. It began the tradition of cadet gray, (which is now worn by hundreds of military schools across the country), class rings (which millions of Americans wear today), and more. Not only are these facts amazing, but so is the fact that at West Point, your son’s superiors will want the best for him. Sometimes, both during Beast and beyond, his superior will do or say something about his performance that will surprise him. Maybe he’ll be below standard on one of his tasks or he’ll just make a simple mistake. The way that they’ll correct him is going to assure that he learns and grows from his mistake—they will want him to be the best officer he can be when it’s his turn to win our Nation’s wars.

No, Highland Falls is not Annapolis or Colorado Springs. It doesn’t have the same wide variety of things to do or places to see (aside from the Academy itself). But let me tell you that your cadet candidate doesn’t need those things. A “nice, friendly place” is not going to make him better. He won’t have time to walk up and down the streets of Maryland, Colorado, or New York on a regular basis. Wherever he goes, if he’s doing it right, he’ll be studying, exercising, at his sport, in class, cleaning, or helping someone.

I don’t know your boy but I am very proud of him. He is making the right choice.

 

[GoArmy2022]

Congrats on making it through! Is there anything that you wish you would’ve prepared for/prepped more for in the months leading up to CBT?

Not really! I’d say I prepared really well. The only thing that will actually help you with Beast is physical preparation. I can promise you that no level of mental preparation is going to get you ready for the very specific tasks you’ll be asked to do during Beast. Pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, and running are the big ones.

Running only really counts during the first 3 weeks because you probably won’t run for at least 2 and a half weeks when you’re at Buckner. However, a good, uphill ruck will put you into cardio. If you are not a good runner then that will make rucks harder.

Make sure you eat everything they give you during Beast.

Here are two things you can do during Beast that will make you a stud:

1. If your superior gives you a legal order, do it

2. Do it as fast as you can

 

[Capt MJ]

My DS and I learned a lot from your posts through the application process, we followed you during your admission journey.

I remember that post were you explained the RAND study, it was the first time I heard about it.

After reading about the RAND study and hours of research I was able to calculate my DS WCS for WP and the WPM for USNA. Both his RC and his AC shared his numbers with him and we were pretty close.

He got a LOA from USMA on August 6 and today he finally got a LOA from USNA, now just waiting in USAFA, I am sure he will get one soon.

His first choice is USMA, he has been invited to CWV to all three academies, I want him to go experience mid and cadet life at all of them but he refuses. His decision had already been made. Both letters of assurance are contingent to obtaining a nomination, in a competitive state like ours one never knows to which academy would he be given a nomination to.

I was in Annapolis this Summer picking him up from NASS to take him to SLE and I fell in love with Annapolis. I couldn’t believe it when I came out of the hotel and people actually stopped to say good morning. Annapolis is such a nice, friendly place.

I am not military so my question to you is:

What would you tell me to make me feel that my DS is making the right call choosing USMA over USAFA and USNA?

What will make you feel right is when HE feels right about the decision, when he says he has found his Service home, a Service Academy family, a warfare tribe he identifies with, a culture he can adopt, a new language he feels comfortable with, standards and ethics he will make his own.

The look on his face on his graduation and commissioning day will put the stamp of authenticity on it all.

He cannot go wrong whichever path he chooses, if he pursues it with an open heart and a willing mind. You’ll be just as proud, regardless of the road not taken.

 

[MJ2020]

My DS and I learned a lot from your posts through the application process, we followed you during your admission journey.

I remember that post were you explained the RAND study, it was the first time I heard about it.

After reading about the RAND study and hours of research I was able to calculate my DS WCS for WP and the WPM for USNA. Both his RC and his AC shared his numbers with him and we were pretty close.

He got a LOA from USMA on August 6 and today he finally got a LOA from USNA, now just waiting in USAFA, I am sure he will get one soon.

His first choice is USMA, he has been invited to CWV to all three academies, I want him to go experience mid and cadet life at all of them but he refuses. His decision had already been made. Both letters of assurance are contingent to obtaining a nomination, in a competitive state like ours one never knows to which academy would he be given a nomination to.

I was in Annapolis this Summer picking him up from NASS to take him to SLE and I fell in love with Annapolis. I couldn’t believe it when I came out of the hotel and people actually stopped to say good morning. Annapolis is such a nice, friendly place.

I am not military so my question to you is:

What would you tell me to make me feel that my DS is making the right call choosing USMA over USAFA and USNA?

... same here mom, I love Annapolis! We stayed by the river 10 mins walk to USNA, surrounded by restaurants, ice cream parlor, coffee shops, and beautiful sunset. Didn’t had time to go shopping. We only have 2 days to take my DS to West Point, drove from Florida. After SLE graduation, DS texted me “Mom, West Point is me, it’s exactly what I want in life” He recieved a LOE last week and now planning his overnight trip in Oct. asking if he can see an Army Navy football game already! Our DS may know each other. But there were few NASS1 campers that also went to SLE2. Congrats to your DS 3 academy LOA! In my openion, LOA is harder to received than nomination! Your DS knows which academy he fit in the most!!

 

[MidCakePa]

No, Highland Falls is not Annapolis or Colorado Springs. It doesn’t have the same wide variety of things to do or places to see (aside from the Academy itself). But let me tell you that your cadet candidate doesn’t need those things.

Our job as parents is to help our kids see beyond the immediate atmospherics of the place and make a decision rooted in deeper consideration. Each DoD SA has its charms: startlingly beautiful autumns above the Hudson, the calm lapping shores of the Severn, the majestic purple backdrop of the Rockies. But that becomes wallpaper amid academic stress, chow calls, grueling PT and repetitive drill. And it’s a passing fancy compared to the coming demands of active duty. As many have said here, our kids will thrive most if they pick their academy based on branch and mission — the whole nine years, if not more — rather than merely the college experience (however scenic, fun or parentally pleasing the location may be).