I think many of those arguing on this forum are starting from the wrong perspective. DoDMERB and the medical process is there for a reason, and it is not to weed out individuals. It is there for the safety of the individual and potentially the safety of those that they are going to lead.
1. Do not discourage seeking medical attention because it may preclude someone from gaining/retaining admission. Having a mechanic check out that funny sound under the hood may cost you a ton in labor, but it is a lot cheaper than waiting for something to fail that could cause a more expensive problem or an accident. That elevated cholesterol level may be nothing, but it could be a sign of heart disease and with a couple years of high stress, little sleep, and questionable food choices could turn that into a heart attack. Who in your future platoon on the side of a mountain in ****holistan is capable of treating that?
2. You, your parents, and your doctor are most likely not qualified to make the determination of what is serious and what is not. You can't even rely on most Army docs to write a decent profile, how is someone not even associated with the military going to know what is serious. That is why it is said to report any possible change. Yes, it may preclude you from attending this year if a waiver is not possible due to time; however, unless you are about to turn 23, there is the opportunity to reapply next year and work that waiver process so your condition can be properly evaluated. What is a year in terms of a lifetime?
3. For those they don't listen to what the current CSA and SMA are saying (99% of the people outside of the military and probably way too high of a percentage of those in the Army too), they have one overriding priority - Readiness. Too much of the Army cannot deploy, primarily for medical reasons, and as the size continues to come down, it hurts us more. Many of those individuals have been around awhile, it not so much the young recruits. The Army is not kind to the body - what may seem insignificant for you now, the Army owns for 9+ years if you go to West Point. If I only have 7 or 8 captains in my battalion and one of them is not deployable, that leaves a serious gap in capability. What if that captain is a low density support type - Signal, MI, AG - that doesn't have an alternate in my unit to cover down? Your hopes, dreams, desires are not as important as where you fit into the bigger picture. No one will be a failure in life if they can't get into West Point, they just need to look into other ways to serve and excel outside of the military. The Army is going to get a lot tougher/stricter on waivers for the next few years. Not just for the immediate impact, but looking long term at the success of the Army knowing everyone of those 400,000-something individuals has an important task somewhere to do that they cannot afford to leave them on the injured reserves.