Question's and answers that might help

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Mcclp5

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Feb 20, 2024
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I gathered up a few questions that were asked more than once. If you don't have an exact answer please give your experiences. If you have any more questions add them to the list

1. How are you notified of the LOA?
2. How are you notified of the appointment?
3. How are you notified if you are wait-listed?
4. How are you notified, if you don't get in?
5. Where is the portal everyone is talking about with updated application status?
6. Is being an athlete at KP going to make the 1st year more difficult than it has to be?
7. USMMA CFA mins.?
8. ACT min. Score
9. SCT min Score
10. How do you know if you are academically disqualified?
 
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Hi, I can answer 1&2 .. DS was notified via FedEx of LOA - this arrived as a complete surprise. He was notified by nominating sources via phone / email of appointment then about a week later the appointment arrived from UsMMA via FedEx. His portal still looks the same as when application was complete (no LOA / appointment shows in the portal) and he did not receive any email communication from UsMMA for LOA or appointment - FedEx only. Hope that helps!
 
I can answer 1&2

1- My son was notified by coach before his congressional interview that he was granted an LOA. An official letter via FedEx was delivered for him to bring to congressional interview.

2- the Congressman surprised my son at school and gave him an appointment. A day later a FedEx package came from USMMA. Nothing changed in his portal yet.
 
Mcclp5 said:
I gathered up a few questions that were asked more than once. If you don't have an exact answer please give your experiences. If you have any more questions add them to the list

1. How are you notified of the LOA?
2. How are you notified of the appointment?
3. How are you notified if you are wait-listed?
4. How are you notified, if you don't get in?
5. Where is the portal everyone is talking about with updated application status?
6. Is being an athlete at KP going to make the 1st year more difficult than it has to be?
7. USMMA CFA mins.?
8. ACT min. Score
9. SCT min Score
10. How do you know if you are academically disqualified?
Click to expand...
Current Plebe here.

6.

Athletics offers a great opportunity here. Coming from HS playing varsity sports all four years, I seriously debated going through the recruitment process and playing a sport. However, I decided not to pursue a varsity sport for plebe year at least. Mainly because I have to work hard for acceptable grades; while I truly miss playing my sport and being a part of that team, it's allowed me to get through the plebe year so far.

One thing you learn quickly here is that Academics truly come first. Good grades are the main thing that will get you through here. Many of my friends are athletes here and excel in their sports and academics. I also know a good amount of athletes who have left due to academic deficiencies.

It really just depends on the kind of student-athlete you are. Sport or no sport, just be ready to accept that most of your days here will be spent studying and trying to keep up with the academics. The sooner you understand this, the easier your time here will be. The lure of being a college athlete is tempting. If you can accept the bigger picture of what going to KP means and balance both worlds, GO FOR IT!

9.

I don't know any official requirements. To give you some perspective I had an 1120. Definitely was on the lower side, I had some very unique extracurricular and leadership positions to make up for it.

Hope this helps. Always free to answer any questions. I know its that time of year where the waiting game can be a pain. Good luck to all of you!!
 
Regarding sports, while it does take up a lot of time, being on a sports team can significantly affect your KP experience in a positive way. Both my KP kids played varsity sports all four years at KP. First, it gives you the opportunity to get off campus (out of prison) during your plebe year. It is hard to describe the feelings of being stuck at KP while upperclassmen are going off to have fun in NYC or sailing around the world having adventures and your friends from high school are posting in social media about all the fun they are having. Getting a brief respite for away games/matches can definitely keep your sanity. Second, being on a team gives you the chance to get to know upperclassmen, seek out their advice, and be treated by them like you are not actually lower than a snake's belly. Third, it can give you a leg up academically by providing studying and tutoring help as well as access to "ponies" that are not available to everyone. Finally, it increases your sense of camaraderie with teammates that can lift you up at KP, during sea year, and beyond into real life.
 
There are many benefits to being on sports teams as others mentioned. Job #1 is to stay there and graduate. There are many distractions plebe year. If your grades start to slip, pause or drop the sport. It is especially important to recognize it if you are falling behind early in plebe year when the highest drop & setback rates are. Every student is on scholarship and you don't need the sport to remain there.
 
Strangely enough, varsity sports participants tend to have a higher graduation rate (at least at USNA) than the general population. That may not correlate to USMMA, but it is worth investigating.
 
Mcclp5 said:
6. Is being an athlete at KP going to make the 1st year more difficult than it has to be?
Click to expand...

By design everything you do adds to the difficulty of your 1st year at KP. Success/Failure at KP is primarily a function of time management.

I always advise plebes to be very particular about your extra curricular choices. Being an athlete, EMT, on the Drill Team, on the Color Guard, (insert extra curricular activity here) is not going to save you when you are failing classes. That does not mean you should be a room rat and only study and nothing else.

The time commitment of anything will take away from time available for study but that does not mean both can't be effectively managed. There have been thousands (if not tens of thousands) of student-athletes who have graduated from KP. Some have barely skated by as or the other, sometimes both, an others have succeeded at both so don't let the idea of a sport making plebe year more difficult dissuade you from taking on the challenge.

As others have said, there are tremendous upsides to any extracurricular activity. Just don't overdo it, there is a point of diminishing returns.
 
I have see that the average ACT score is a smidge lower for USMMA students vs other SA's. I know the rigor of the sea year plays a part but I, am wondering if that is cause for some of the difficulties in classes, setbacks or DORs.
 
Bduett said:
I have see that the average ACT score is a smidge lower for USMMA students vs other SA's. I know the rigor of the sea year plays a part but I, am wondering if that is cause for some of the difficulties in classes, setbacks or DORs.
Click to expand...
I think they have a harder time recruiting kids than the other academies. Possibly why they extended application date to March 1 too? It’s concerning bc it seems to be the most rigorous program. This is a big concern we have about my DS committing to KP right now. The graduation rate is the lowest from any of the other academies.
 
Iblameej said:
I think they have a harder time recruiting kids than the other academies. Possibly why they extended application date to March 1 too? It’s concerning bc it seems to be the most rigorous program. This is a big concern we have about my DS committing to KP right now. The graduation rate is the lowest from any of the other academies.
Click to expand...
💯 - DS doesn’t have an appointment yet but we are leaning towards his Plan B actually becoming Plan A. It’s tough - because we all know how hard these kids worked to just apply to KP & I can’t believe I’m considering suggesting he walk away from an appointment if he were to receive one. It’s just the setback #s that were provided at a call a few months ago were so concerning. He’s a good student but man, not sure it’s the best fit for him. He’s not going pro in the sport he’s in - college is the last stop. Academic fit needs to be priority #1 for him. I just can’t comprehend how an educational system is ok with the current academic performance of the plebes. Yes, there are kids at both ends of a bell curve for every course at every college but if setbacks are the majority/norm and not the exception I don’t know how as a parent I can encourage accepting an appointment. It’s a struggle for the entire family at the moment. We decided to take a break from talking about it until Monday. He told us last night that he’s struggling with trying to make a decision….
 
Iblameej said:
I think they have a harder time recruiting kids than the other academies. Possibly why they extended application date to March 1 too? It’s concerning bc it seems to be the most rigorous program. This is a big concern we have about my DS committing to KP right now. The graduation rate is the lowest from any of the other academies.
Click to expand...
When we went to visit, it did seem like football had a tight knit group and that specifically said that there were no setbacks from that group in the past year. They seemed to make a concerted effort to ensure their team was doing well. DS I think will be well prepared academically based on GPA/ACT, that along with no football setbacks made me feel better. KP is his first choice; however, we would prefer he go active duty if he chooses KP over USNA. We prefer him to be on a boat with more than waterguns.
 
Bduett said:
I have see that the average ACT score is a smidge lower for USMMA students vs other SA's. I know the rigor of the sea year plays a part but I, am wondering if that is cause for some of the difficulties in classes, setbacks or DORs.
Click to expand...
Curious how the difficulty of adding a sea-year in the middle of a four year education would lead to lower test scores prior to attending.

The difficulty in academic records at KP is all about the number of credits and the pace of the curriculum. You are doing a 4-year BS program in 3 calendar years. If you did a typical BA at the same pace as KP you would be done in about 2-2.5 years.
 
Boymomof3 said:
💯 - DS doesn’t have an appointment yet but we are leaning towards his Plan B actually becoming Plan A. It’s tough - because we all know how hard these kids worked to just apply to KP & I can’t believe I’m considering suggesting he walk away from an appointment if he were to receive one. It’s just the setback #s that were provided at a call a few months ago were so concerning. He’s a good student but man, not sure it’s the best fit for him. He’s not going pro in the sport he’s in - college is the last stop. Academic fit needs to be priority #1 for him. I just can’t comprehend how an educational system is ok with the current academic performance of the plebes. Yes, there are kids at both ends of a bell curve for every course at every college but if setbacks are the majority/norm and not the exception I don’t know how as a parent I can encourage accepting an appointment. It’s a struggle for the entire family at the moment. We decided to take a break from talking about it until Monday. He told us last night that he’s struggling with trying to make a decision….
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Yes!!!!! We were on that Zoom call too, the one with the Plebe? So concerning.
 
KPEngineer said:
Curious how the difficulty of adding a sea-year in the middle of a four year education would lead to lower test scores prior to attending.

The difficulty in academic records at KP is all about the number of credits and the pace of the curriculum. You are doing a 4-year BS program in 3 calendar years. If you did a typical BA at the same pace as KP you would be done in about 2-2.5 years.
Click to expand...
From what we have researched, they need to squeeze in 4 years of academics in 3 years - due to the Sea Year. There are only a few majors and students at KP need to take through Calc 2 to graduate, which is very different than the other SA’s.
 
Boymomof3 said:
💯 - DS doesn’t have an appointment yet but we are leaning towards his Plan B actually becoming Plan A. It’s tough - because we all know how hard these kids worked to just apply to KP & I can’t believe I’m considering suggesting he walk away from an appointment if he were to receive one. It’s just the setback #s that were provided at a call a few months ago were so concerning. He’s a good student but man, not sure it’s the best fit for him. He’s not going pro in the sport he’s in - college is the last stop. Academic fit needs to be priority #1 for him. I just can’t comprehend how an educational system is ok with the current academic performance of the plebes. Yes, there are kids at both ends of a bell curve for every course at every college but if setbacks are the majority/norm and not the exception I don’t know how as a parent I can encourage accepting an appointment. It’s a struggle for the entire family at the moment. We decided to take a break from talking about it until Monday. He told us last night that he’s struggling with trying to make a decision….
Click to expand...
We are in the EXACT same spot as you. My son has another off to another academy (and one to USMMA) but loves the mission of the USMMA. I just don’t know about the set backs. And the quality of life seems concerning, in comparison to the other academies. I can’t sleep at night.
 
Boymomof3 said:
💯 - DS doesn’t have an appointment yet but we are leaning towards his Plan B actually becoming Plan A. It’s tough - because we all know how hard these kids worked to just apply to KP & I can’t believe I’m considering suggesting he walk away from an appointment if he were to receive one. It’s just the setback #s that were provided at a call a few months ago were so concerning. He’s a good student but man, not sure it’s the best fit for him. He’s not going pro in the sport he’s in - college is the last stop. Academic fit needs to be priority #1 for him. I just can’t comprehend how an educational system is ok with the current academic performance of the plebes. Yes, there are kids at both ends of a bell curve for every course at every college but if setbacks are the majority/norm and not the exception I don’t know how as a parent I can encourage accepting an appointment. It’s a struggle for the entire family at the moment. We decided to take a break from talking about it until Monday. He told us last night that he’s struggling with trying to make a decision….
Click to expand...
We are in the EXACT same spot as you. My son has another off to another academy (and one to USMMAbut loves the mission of the USMMA. I just don’t know about the set backs. And the quality of life seems concerning, in comparison to the other academies. I can’t sleep at night.
 
My son is a 3/c there now. Sailed on an MSC ship in the Med in support of the USS Gerald Ford during the attack on Israel. Has a naval flight internship in June with an F-18 training squadron, and just was accepted into an Army Corps of Engineers program for his 2nd sailing. He is working his butt off, but absolutely loving the overall experience. They seem to embrace the quality of life as a badge of honor.

Also, my son was a recruited athlete, played his freshman year, and is not playing now. Not uncommon for some athletes to reprioritize

I have posted this numerous times, apologies to those who have seen it already. It's a must-watch for prospective mids and their parents.

 
Iblameej said:
We are in the EXACT same spot as you. My son has another off to another academy (and one to USMMA) but loves the mission of the USMMA. I just don’t know about the set backs. And the quality of life seems concerning, in comparison to the other academies. I can’t sleep at night.
Click to expand...
I have no idea how he’s going to make a decision as he really likes it but I just don’t know about the quality of life & set-backs issue. We agreed to just stop talking about it for a time being. He just leaned he earned the NROTC Prep Scholarship for SUNY. Seems like such a better fit. Maybe he won’t be offered an appointment to USMMA & the decision is made…. Good luck 🍀 to you guys!
 
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