My DS2's RC sent the following blurb to DS2:
HERE'S HOW TO APPLY AGAIN:
1) Go online and open an application to the Class of 2021. You will have to fill out the Candidate Questionnaire. The full application would become available to you a short time after that (August).
2) Once the full application opens, your goal should be to complete all of the portions you can, as quickly as you can. The timeline below is very carefully planned out and is your roadmap to potential success. It is not a guarantee, but following this plan will give you your best shot.
ITEMS WE WILL MAINTAIN FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR. You do not have to send them in again.
--SAT or ACT score reports
--School Official Evaluations
--Employer Evaluation
--Any extra documents you sent in, such as letters of recommendation or a resume.
ITEMS REQUIRED FOR REAPPLICATION:
[COMPLETE THESE EIGHT ITEMS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE] --Final High School Transcript.
Make plans to get us a copy of this as soon as it is available. You do not have to wait until your full application is open!
--Any new ACT or SAT scores.
Send us an official copy for any new test scores. (ACT School Code: 2976. SAT School Code: 2924)
--Candidate Personal Data Record.
This takes 5 minutes to fill out. Ensure that the legal information at the bottom is complete.
--Request for Academic Information.
This will come from your HS counselor and include your final high school rank and other data. I recommend contacting your counselor to let them know that this request will come to them and make sure they'll be able to "answer the mail" in a timely fashion.
--Candidate Activities Record.
Also from your HS counselor. Required again to ensure we are aware of all of your HS participation. Same deal as above - let your counselor know it is coming.
--Candidate Fitness Assessment.
You must take a new test. You may test any time after the full application opens. I recommend completing this before you begin your fall semester. Set the date ahead of time with your CFA administrator.
--Candidate Statements.
These are the same essays you submitted as before. I recommend making a few revisions to your previous essays, but not to over emphasize this requirement. Your previous essays met our standard. Do not drag your feet on this.
--Any Award Documentation.
If you received any new major awards, feel free to submit the certificate or other documentation noting that. Generally, we do not need to know about awards within your high school, but awards that are at the state or national level may be significant.
[COMPLETE THESE THREE ITEMS NO LATER THAN THANKSGIVING] --Supplemental Activities.
This (optional) document is just a text box where you tell us about the activities you are doing in college. If you are in ROTC or any other clubs, sports, or activities, tell us about those here. No one has to certify this. I recommend submitting this no later than Thanksgiving.
--Two College School Official Evaluations (SOEs).
Once your professors get to know you, you must submit two of these. You will likely have to make a very specific effort to get to know your professors. Plan ahead from the start so that they are able to give you a good eval. The SOEs can come from any subject, although we would prefer for them to come from either math, English, science or ROTC. I recommend submitting these no later than Thanksgiving.
--Employer Evaluation (only if applicable).
If you are working or committing significant time to volunteering, use this form to document that.
[COMPLETE THIS ITEM ON THE DAY THAT IT BECOMES AVAILABLE] --Official Fall College Transcript.
This should be the last item you submit to us. Plan on getting this in to us as soon as it is available. You cannot become academically qualified until we receive all of the above items, including your fall college transcript!
There are two other pieces of the puzzle - medical qualification and nominations.
Medical Qualification through DoDMERB.
Medical qualification is maintained for two years from the date of your initial exam. DoDMERB typically requires reapplicants to fill out a "Present Health Questionnaire" before they will update the status. Be prepared to follow instructions from DoDMERB so you can proceed through the qualification process as quickly as possible.
Nomination.
--You must receive new nominations. Only the Presidential Nomination and the Disabled Vet Nomination carry over and do not require resubmission.
--Apply to your Congressional Rep and Senators in the standard way. Be sure to check the submission deadlines for each office - they may change them and you do not want to miss the deadline.
--Nominating committees generally respect someone with the dedication required to apply a second time. Show them your maturity and your dedication to becoming an Army Officer.
--If you are in Army ROTC, your Professor of Military Science (the Lieutenant Colonel in charge) can nominate you using USMA Form 5-497, which is available on our website. I recommend handing in this recommendation as soon as possible, however we realize it will take some time for the cadre to get to know you.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVING YOUR STANDING:
--Retest on the SAT/ACT.
This is 30% of our evaluation, so improvement here can have a significant impact. I realize this takes a great deal of intestinal fortitude, but it could make a big difference. In addition to whatever other prep program you are using, I recommend
march2success.com It is a free test prep site sponsored by the Army.
--Train hard for the CFA.
This is 10% of our evaluation. Seek improvement from your previous performance in all six events. Train hard for the next few months. Time will slip away from you once the academic year starts, so it is best to do it beforehand.
--Army ROTC.
We recommend participation in Army ROTC, however this is not required. Anyone can take ROTC as an additional class, and I further recommend becoming involved with additional activities such as Ranger Challenge, Pershing Rifles, or whatever other groups are offered at the program near you. ROTC participation does a few things (1) shows that you are dedicated to becoming an Army Officer, regardless of the path you take and actually puts you on that path in the case that you do not get in to West Point (2) provides you good military preparation (3) gives you a military chain of command who can mentor and evaluate you (4) provides leadership opportunities. Completely apart from bolstering your West Point application, it is a great program and a great way to become and Army Officer.
--Do well in college.
We do not care where you go to college - the important thing is that you are challenged and continue to grow as a person. I do not know what options you have available to you at this point, but if you end up enrolling in community college, that is fine. Just ensure that you are academically challenging yourself. I recommend that you take a full load of courses, in subjects similar to what our plebes take: calculus, history, chemistry, English, to name a few. You can take other classes as well or instead, but try to get in as many of those basic requirements as possible without hurting your civilian college path. Good performance (A's and B's) can significantly boost a candidate's standing. The better the grades, the greater the effect on your standing.
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