West Point?

connermaddie

connermaddie

5-Year Member
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Jan 6, 2014
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I am a senior in high school but I am in a program where I am attending college full time and getting high school and college credit. By the time I graduate, I will have 46 college credits. Almost 2 years of college out of the way. Also, I am in an Army ROTC program. Should I pursue West Point? If I attend, I will have to redo 2 years of college. Also, I love the college that I attend and have made many friends. I also love my ROTC program. I love the schedule flexibility where some days I only have 1 class. My favorite part is the cultural diversity where my best friends are Syrian and Egyptian. I am considering a major in Arabic and MI in the Army, eventually moving to Civil Affairs. Is West Point right for me?
 
You said you are a senior in high and school and mention ROTC... Do you mean JROTC? Only you can answer the question of USMA is right for you. From what you mentioned the things you enjoy about college level classes and lifestyle are not what you will get at West Point. You take a lot of classes at SA and rarely have days with 1 class, I never had it or any of my friends. My lightest days were 3 classes. Even then you have military obligations, drill or sports, workouts, and professional duties. So in reality there is really never a day off Monday- Friday. Have you applied for an Army ROTC scholarship? If you are a senior, you need to get on this and any SA applications. Also to go thru a SA it is 4 years regardless of college credits. Also to commission via ROTC you will have to attend school for 4 years to commission.
 
I am doing ROTC. I am a senior in high school but am spending it in college. Also, I can't apply for the ROTC scholarship because I have too many college credits but my individual school can offer me one if they see my commitment. Even though I would have to stay in ROTC for 4 years, I wouldn't have to retake certain basic classes. Also, how is the cultural diversity at SA?
 
My sons each had 40+ college credits (not AP, "real" college, the local university). They graduated from USAFA and are now pilots. If you want to go to West Point or USNA or USAFA, you will still spend four years there, and THEY will decide if you validate any courses.
 
I thought that no credits transfer? Also, does it really matter if I go ROTC vs. SA?
 
Correct, no credits "transfer," but you may be able to validate some coursework. maybe.

What is your goal? Do you WANT to go to West Point or other SA for four years? Do you want a more typical but less intense college experience?
 
connermaddie said:
I thought that no credits transfer? Also, does it really matter if I go ROTC vs. SA?
Click to expand...

Correct. College credits do not transfer, although you would have the opportunity to validate some of the classes you've taken in college.
Fencersmother was simply pointing out that her sons had taken numerous college credit classes before they entered the academy, not that they had transferred.

My own DS had 38 hours of college credits and could have graduated from university in three years....he never looked back or second guessed himself as he was totally committed to his pursuit. But that was him, not anyone else.

And to directly answer your question, and has been noted by many more knowledgeable than I on this forum, there are many routes to commissioning and becoming an officer....ROTC and SA's are but two that lead to same end....service....which should be your ultimate goal.
 
Pick the service you will thrive in. Within the colleges available to commission in that service, including the academies, pick the college you will thrive in. Tough to beat the academies, but it's not for everybody.
 
Both have pros and cons. I am just trying to figure out the best route for me. I want to major in Arabic, have a MI MOS, eventually switch to civil affairs, and post military, I want to be a missionary. The main thing that I want out of life is to help the people in the middle east who are being persecuted by ISIS. I want to spend a lot of time there, helping those people and interacting with them in person.
 
connermaddie said:
Both have pros and cons. I am just trying to figure out the best route for me. I want to major in Arabic, have a MI MOS, eventually switch to civil affairs, and post military, I want to be a missionary. The main thing that I want out of life is to help the people in the middle east who are being persecuted by ISIS. I want to spend a lot of time there, helping those people and interacting with them in person.
Click to expand...
Only you can decide what the best route is for you. We can only provide pros and cons. If you have further questions regarding pros and cons then fire away. Or use the search function. This topic comes up each year and I'm sure there are excellent past threads.
 
One of the toughest things to get across to those not accustomed to the military is that it is next to impossible to completely map out your career. You may get into MI, you may not. If you stick around long enough to switch to a functional area/Civil Affairs, you may or may not make the cut for that. Even if you get those branch choices, you may not get to work in your chosen duty location. Speaking as a Latin American Studies major that previously had a 2/3 Spanish proficiency, I have never been stationed or worked that area of the world, but have been to the Middle East, Europe, and the Far East for the majority of my career.

West Point checks the block for offering Arabic as a major. You can even branch MI if you perform well enough there, though the majority of MI come from other commisioning sources.

By the time you get to transfer Civil Affairs (in all likelihood 10 years or so from now), how relevant will ISIS even be...is that something that you want to pin a career or a decision like whether or not to go to West Point on?
 
connermaddie said:
The main thing that I want out of life is to help the people in the middle east who are being persecuted by ISIS. I want to spend a lot of time there, helping those people and interacting with them in person.
Click to expand...

This is my personal opinion and others might agree, if you want to help people becoming a soldier might not be the right path for you.

Why do militaries to exist? Why is it called military, instead of something else?
 
By the time you graduate and get assigned to a job or base, ISIS may no longer be the dominant bad-guy in the Middle East. If what you want is personal interaction with refugees and those struggling through that mess (and the entire Middle East is always a mess, so you'll have plenty of people who need your help), I might suggest that the Armed Forces are not exactly the best path, as said by MemberLG.

Perhaps one of the religious charitable groups might be more of what you seek?
 
Check organizations such as USAID. Their entire job is to help folks around the world.
 
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