What to expect during day visit
- Thread starter sfbc2024
- Start date
Early in the morning, you will need to pass two separate security gates before you make your way to a parking lot at near Buffalo Soldier Field. A bus will come and pick you up and drive you up toward the main campus. You will then walk towards the admissions building. At the admissions building, a staff member will check you in and give you a plastic bag which contains a grey USMA t-shirt, a USMA water bottle, some USMA folders and brochures.
The admissions brief consists of one or two cadets giving a PowerPoint presentation about the history, the mission, and life at USMA. The second half of the brief will be one of the regional commanders giving a PowerPoint presentation about the admission's process and requirements. There will be plenty of time to ask questions during the brief.
The next part of the visit will a a guided tour in which a cadet leads everyone to some of the main attractions nearby. You will only be able to stop at a few of the places, which will probably include Thayer Hall, the Lunch Mess room, and the library. The tour will not bring you to other cool places like the battle monument or cemetery, which are farther away. In fact the whole time I was there last Feb, I didn't even see the Plain at all.
After returning from the short tour to the admissions building, you will be paired with a cadet who you will follow around until noon-ish. Its usually a plebe, but you can arrange for a cadet you know to come and pick you up beforehand if that applies. The cadet will bring you to morning classes, formation, and then lunch. Depending on how many classes the cadet has in the morning, he could bring you to some interesting places like the mail room, the laundry room, or the room where they have a whole basket of free beef jerky. You will probably get to see the barracks too.
During lunch, there is a quick formation in front of the lunch room where everyone lines up. You'll stand to the side next to your cadet during this time. Then everyone piles into the lunch room and stands behind their chairs until commanded to sit. The plebes have to set of the tables and fill the cups and report the news headlines to the upperclassmen who sit at the other end of the table. Everyone eats very fast and the food is a little dry and it's difficult to get condiments because you keep having to ask for it to be passed from the other end of the table.
After lunch, you will follow your cadet will probably take you back to the admissions building quickly and there you will part ways. You ave to opportunity to sign up for a private meeting with the regional commander who gave to brief earlier to discuss anything you want. At this point, you are done and you can leave. You can either wait for a bus to come pick you back up or you can walk, which I did that because the bus did not show up. That's it, and there is not anything that you absolutely have to bring. You should bring a cellphone tough to find directions and take pictures.
The admissions brief consists of one or two cadets giving a PowerPoint presentation about the history, the mission, and life at USMA. The second half of the brief will be one of the regional commanders giving a PowerPoint presentation about the admission's process and requirements. There will be plenty of time to ask questions during the brief.
The next part of the visit will a a guided tour in which a cadet leads everyone to some of the main attractions nearby. You will only be able to stop at a few of the places, which will probably include Thayer Hall, the Lunch Mess room, and the library. The tour will not bring you to other cool places like the battle monument or cemetery, which are farther away. In fact the whole time I was there last Feb, I didn't even see the Plain at all.
After returning from the short tour to the admissions building, you will be paired with a cadet who you will follow around until noon-ish. Its usually a plebe, but you can arrange for a cadet you know to come and pick you up beforehand if that applies. The cadet will bring you to morning classes, formation, and then lunch. Depending on how many classes the cadet has in the morning, he could bring you to some interesting places like the mail room, the laundry room, or the room where they have a whole basket of free beef jerky. You will probably get to see the barracks too.
During lunch, there is a quick formation in front of the lunch room where everyone lines up. You'll stand to the side next to your cadet during this time. Then everyone piles into the lunch room and stands behind their chairs until commanded to sit. The plebes have to set of the tables and fill the cups and report the news headlines to the upperclassmen who sit at the other end of the table. Everyone eats very fast and the food is a little dry and it's difficult to get condiments because you keep having to ask for it to be passed from the other end of the table.
After lunch, you will follow your cadet will probably take you back to the admissions building quickly and there you will part ways. You ave to opportunity to sign up for a private meeting with the regional commander who gave to brief earlier to discuss anything you want. At this point, you are done and you can leave. You can either wait for a bus to come pick you back up or you can walk, which I did that because the bus did not show up. That's it, and there is not anything that you absolutely have to bring. You should bring a cellphone tough to find directions and take pictures.
northernerr
Member
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2019
- Messages
- 14
I just did my day visit a couple weeks ago.The above comment summed it up perfectly. While it was a good experience, I cannot emphasize enough to walk around on your own afterwards. Living close to West Point, I've toured the campus many times, and the day visit is good for the admissions aspect and a brief insight on the class life (and the lunches) it doesn't show you the whole campus. Drive through with your parents, visit Miche, the plain, USMAPS, and all of the other attractions. The tour does not do the justice to the campus. If you do get the chance to do an overnight, ask to see the athletic facilities, stairwell to heaven, Obstacles course, rock climbing wall, survival swimming pool, etc. Have fun!
shock-n-awe
5-Year Member
- Joined
- May 12, 2015
- Messages
- 761
There is also a separate briefing and tour for parents (if they choose to attend). We found it to be very worthwhile, and also did a self guided tour the day before of the public accessible facilities and attractions.
Parents are reunited with their Cadet Candidate after lunch. After the final briefing, there is an opportunity to privately meet with the RC (who is in charge of the program for that day). This allows your CC to ask questions about their package, what they need to improve on, or anything WP/Army related. I definitely recommend taking advantage of that opportunity!
Parents are reunited with their Cadet Candidate after lunch. After the final briefing, there is an opportunity to privately meet with the RC (who is in charge of the program for that day). This allows your CC to ask questions about their package, what they need to improve on, or anything WP/Army related. I definitely recommend taking advantage of that opportunity!