TiberiusJunior

5-Year Member
Joined
Apr 1, 2017
Messages
13
"Yes, I am still here Staff Sergeant" -Anthony Swofford, Jarhead

I'll be the first to admit that I made a lot of mistakes in my USMA application process. I never really trained for the CFA, never applied for SLE, gave up too early and only barely submitted my application before it would have been rescinded. However, I am technically still in the game.

Part of the reason for my lethargy is that I didn't actually receive notice of nomination until January 30th from Charles Schumer, having failed Louise Slaughter's and Kirsten Gillibrand's processes for nomination (Gillibrand never even formally denied me; I had to call her office weeks after the fact). In retrospect, I should have been completely finished with my application in August/September, before I even touched a nomination packet, but obviously that did not happen.

I was interviewed by two regional staffers in mid-January after receiving a call asking me if I had gotten a nomination yet and if I was still interested. I had given up in November after Slaughter's rejection, considering how unlikely my chances were if I couldn't even get that far. I was totally floored that I actually managed to snag a nomination, from a Senator no less! I spent the next few weeks finishing up my application and barely managed to squeeze in the documentation before the 28th, thus allowing my application to stay open.

As of now, I am scheduled for a remedial examination from DoDMERB (they were nonoperational for a few days which slowed down the process) which will almost certainly go well, being only a resting ECG to confirm that I am in fact cleared of an arrhythmia that is explicitly non-disqualifying in the 6130.03, given that I had the requisite procedure to fix it, which I did. I got my academic and physically qualified letter on March 9th, something that similarly floored me, considering I preformed below average on all events in the CFA, sans an exactly average performance in the sprints and an above-average performance in the mile. Looking at the 2020 data, I am amazed that I have made it to the point where 53% of male candidates receive an appointment. Based on that parameter, my hopes are up, but I fear that every error I've made will be noted and flagged by USMA.

I believe that I am above average academically, scoring 35 Science, 35 English, 34 Reading, and 30 Math on the ACT as well as in the 93rd percentile for writing. My school does not rank. My 1-6th semester average was a 3.72 UW with all AP and honors classes, sans core curriculum math and a handful of electives. My 7th semester was not comparable to my other semesters, but I am still taking 4 AP classes and an honors science course, averaging out at about a 3.52. I have all the requisite brownie points, seeing as how I am/was an Eagle Scout/Senior Patrol Leader, Boys' State delegate, two year/two sport varsity letter winner and one year/two varsity sport captain, NHS member, brown belt in martial arts and newspaper writer, among other things.

Provided I have my DoDMERB completed by April 15th, what chance do I stand against the rest of the applicant pool, and is it a good sign that I have not been outright denied by this point? I have already prepared myself to get that TWE and never make the same mistakes again. In any case, I am a 4-year ROTC scholarship winner, so I'm destined for the butter bar regardless of what USMA says (also, should I tell USMA that I got that scholarship?)
 
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Funny how much one can learn from their mistakes. We made so many during the process of getting our DS's application/nomination process. RC really never spoke to us until we made all the mistakes and told us his chances were slim.. Anyway he is still in the hunt but has 4yr arotc scholarship and he couldn't be happier.. Good luck to all.
 
I just love Tiberius-Junior's writing style! Wow! Wherever you end up, you should continue writing, I think you have a real skill and gift, [emoji404][emoji404]. And yes, you have very competitive stats, good luck!!!
 
Funny how much one can learn from their mistakes. We made so many during the process of getting our DS's application/nomination process. RC really never spoke to us until we made all the mistakes and told us his chances were slim.. Anyway he is still in the hunt but has 4yr arotc scholarship and he couldn't be happier.. Good luck to all.
It is unfortunate. I was very gung-ho about going to West Point this time last year, but Boys' State changed my perception as to the nature of communal military life. I still wanted to be considered for admissions, however. Like I said, I'm fully prepared and excited to take the ROTC route, but to be admitted to West Point would be an honor I would never forget.
 
I just love Tiberius-Junior's writing style! Wow! Wherever you end up, you should continue writing, I think you have a real skill and gift, [emoji404][emoji404]. And yes, you have very competitive stats, good luck!!!
Thank you! I do plan on majoring in a writing intensive field :)
 
You look competitive. Have you touched base with your RC?
I'm in the Northeast region, so based on this, would I talk to CPT Lukasz Derda?
That's what it looks like to me. I assume you have an open portal? My recollection is that your RC is listed someplace within the portal, but my son did this with USMA, USNA, and USAFA, and that was a year ago, so I get mixed up on the portals. If you are in the northeast, and are within a few hours of West Point, I would try to attend a briefing soon and meet with the RC who is on duty that day. The RC will go through your application, and give you a candid assessment of where you are. If you can't visit, at least email, or try to speak with your RC on the phone.
 
I suspect that your ACT scores caught the eye of the Admissions Dept ( congrats on those awesome scores!).
You passed the CFA so not to worry about that. Even if you barely passed, your academics will make up for that since they are weighted more ( CFA - 10%, Academic - 60%).
If you're cleared medically, you are definitely in the game.

But - a couple of red flags popped up to me -
You seem to have waffled a bit on West Point. Being gung ho and then Boy's State changed that ( not sure what you meant about that though). Not completing your application early. Then giving up once you didn't receive your MOCs nom, even though you still had a chance with one of your Senator's.
Search your heart and decide, if offered a West Point appointment, do you prefer West Point or the ROTC route. You have to REALLY want West Point to survive there. Many prefer ROTC over West Point because of the life style. Only you know the answer. Just make sure you are doing what is best for you.
Good luck!
 
Boys' State changed my perception as to the nature of communal military life.
What does this mean? :confused2: :scratch:
Before Boys' State, I had exactly zero exposure to the military lifestyle. At Boys' State (NY), we woke up at 5:30 to PT, slept in dorms, marched everywhere, ate our meals in 5 minutes and were supervised by Marine NCOs. Obviously it was not as hardcore as West Point, but it was a taste of the service academy life and it was not as fun as I thought it would be. Granted, I still loved it and still feel a sense of pride looking back. I began to prefer the ROTC route after that, but it was perhaps because I was still with my girlfriend and thought we might have a chance together in college, a chance completely erased if I was at West Point. I now understand that military relationships are tricky no matter where you are, but we've since broken up, so I've begun to admire the West Point way of doing things more, if that makes any sense. However, in June of 2016, when I should have been working on my application, I was doubting myself, so I missed a lot.
 
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I suspect that your ACT scores caught the eye of the Admissions Dept ( congrats on those awesome scores!).
You passed the CFA so not to worry about that. Even if you barely passed, your academics will make up for that since they are weighted more ( CFA - 10%, Academic - 60%).
If you're cleared medically, you are definitely in the game.

But - a couple of red flags popped up to me -
You seem to have waffled a bit on West Point. Being gung ho and then Boy's State changed that ( not sure what you meant about that though). Not completing your application early. Then giving up once you didn't receive your MOCs nom, even though you still had a chance with one of your Senator's.
Search your heart and decide, if offered a West Point appointment, do you prefer West Point or the ROTC route. You have to REALLY want West Point to survive there. Many prefer ROTC over West Point because of the life style. Only you know the answer. Just make sure you are doing what is best for you.
Good luck!
Thank you! I understand that my CFA isn't weighted as much. If accepted, I already have a plan to begin working on my physical weaknesses that's already going into effect so I can do well in ROTC.
You're entirely correct on me shirking USMA. See the above post about Boys' State.
I'm just glad to here that I have a shot.
 
You look competitive. Have you touched base with your RC?
I'm in the Northeast region, so based on this, would I talk to CPT Lukasz Derda?
That's what it looks like to me. I assume you have an open portal? My recollection is that your RC is listed someplace within the portal, but my son did this with USMA, USNA, and USAFA, and that was a year ago, so I get mixed up on the portals. If you are in the northeast, and are within a few hours of West Point, I would try to attend a briefing soon and meet with the RC who is on duty that day. The RC will go through your application, and give you a candid assessment of where you are. If you can't visit, at least email, or try to speak with your RC on the phone.
Yes, my portal is open. I've got a listing for a State Coordinator and a Congressional District Coordinator on my portal, but I'll talk directly with the regional coordinator. It's unrealistic that I could actually be at West Point soon.
 
Boys' State changed my perception as to the nature of communal military life.
What does this mean? :confused2: :scratch:
Before Boys' State, I had exactly zero exposure to the military lifestyle. At Boys' State (NY), we woke up at 5:30 to PT, slept in dorms, marched everywhere, ate our meals in 5 minutes and were supervised by Marine NCOs. Obviously it was not as hardcore as West Point, but it was a taste of the service academy life and it was not as fun as I thought it would be. Granted, I still loved it and still feel a sense of pride looking back. I began to prefer the ROTC route after that, but it was perhaps because I was still with my girlfriend and thought we might have a chance together in college, a chance completely erased if I was at West Point. I now understand that military relationships are tricky no matter where you are, but we've since broken up, so I've begun to admire the West Point way of doing things more, if that makes any sense. However, in June of 2016, when I should have been working on my application, I was doubting myself, so I missed a lot.
You need to try and do a day visit to West Point. You would get to go around with a cadet and ask questions. I am concerned that you don't have a good idea of what West Point is really like and need the opportunity to see it up close.
 
This reminds me of my very independent DD. She was assigned a Blue and Gold officer last summer because they said she was a competitive candidate. Her application was not even close to being complete because she was out there doing all of the requirements on her own including seeking nominations without advice. She Once she got her nom, her application shot almost to complete. Her BGO said that she thought she wasn't really interested and then she shocked her because she really sought no advice through the process. She was very impressed that she did it all on her own. They had only one introductory call up until that point. She said she had never had a candidate do that in the 17 years that she had been a BGO but figured out she was serious really quickly. She is still CPR but I'm really proud of her and so is her BGO. There is something to be said for taking your own future in your hands, no matter what happens.
 
Boys' State changed my perception as to the nature of communal military life.
What does this mean? :confused2: :scratch:
Before Boys' State, I had exactly zero exposure to the military lifestyle. At Boys' State (NY), we woke up at 5:30 to PT, slept in dorms, marched everywhere, ate our meals in 5 minutes and were supervised by Marine NCOs. Obviously it was not as hardcore as West Point, but it was a taste of the service academy life and it was not as fun as I thought it would be. Granted, I still loved it and still feel a sense of pride looking back. I began to prefer the ROTC route after that, but it was perhaps because I was still with my girlfriend and thought we might have a chance together in college, a chance completely erased if I was at West Point. I now understand that military relationships are tricky no matter where you are, but we've since broken up, so I've begun to admire the West Point way of doing things more, if that makes any sense. However, in June of 2016, when I should have been working on my application, I was doubting myself, so I missed a lot.
You need to try and do a day visit to West Point. You would get to go around with a cadet and ask questions. I am concerned that you don't have a good idea of what West Point is really like and need the opportunity to see it up close.
I have visited West Point and I have conversed with cadets in the past. I've watched all the "day in the life" videos on YouTube that I can and done as much research and whatnot as possible. I believe that I understand what West Point is like to the fullest extent, but I have not lived it (the closest anyone can get to this is SLE of course). If I do secure an appointment, I will certainly deliberate for a few days, but there is little doubt that I will decline it. I have had my mind set on West Point since early my Junior year, despite my lapse in attentiveness.
 
I have visited West Point and I have conversed with cadets in the past. I've watched all the "day in the life" videos on YouTube that I can and done as much research and whatnot as possible. I believe that I understand what West Point is like to the fullest extent, but I have not lived it (the closest anyone can get to this is SLE of course). If I do secure an appointment, I will certainly deliberate for a few days, but there is little doubt that I will decline it. I have had my mind set on West Point since early my Junior year, despite my lapse in attentiveness.
I have heard it said on this forum numerous times by both those that have attended, as well as moderators, that SLE is nothing like life as a USMA cadet. An overnight visit during the academic year is a lot more realistic, they say.
 
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