Words of Encouragement

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1 2cubs

5-Year Member
Joined
Dec 30, 2016
Messages
27
This time last year was one of the worst weeks of my life. Every social media source was flooded with R-Day post and I had to watch as 1200 new cadets got to live my dream. I was flooded with emotions. I had jumped through every hoop required of me, but I was still not good enough for admission. I had spent long hours working on my eagle project, studying and developing my skills on the basketball court yet I came up short.

Now flash forward to right now as I get ready for R-Day in a couple of hours. I can not explain to you how important my one year in college was for me. It humbled me. I learned that West Point although my dream is not the end all be all. There are many great ROTC programs that develop incredible leaders. I learned what I had a passion for academically and how to manage a crazy engineering schedule with ROTC. And most importantly I learned that although civilian college is fun, West Point is where I want to be.

For all re-applicants: if you were to have told me that not getting in my first time was a good thing I wouldn't have believed you. Although it may be hard right now to see your friends gear up for R Day, you need to trust that everything happens for a reason. I know that my year at college matured and developed me into person that is fully ready for the challenges I will face the next 47 months. I wish you all the best of luck during your reapplication.

As always,

Go Army, Beat Navy!
 
I loved reading your post!! And I hope that others who did not get in the first time find this post and are encouraged by it. I'm sure that the lessons you learned last year will serve you well while you are at WP.
 
I'm reapplying to West Point while doing ROTC as well; this could not have been more relatable. I didn't think anyone understood what I was going through. A year ago, I went to SLE and met my amazing squad mates. We stayed in touch with a giant group chat all through senior year, celebrating the win over Navy and congratulating our squad leader who was on the team. I wished them all luck yesterday as they posted their new cadet mailing addresses on Snapchat (I wanted to send them a picture of Navy's rolling carts but thought they'd probably see it in a spirit video anyway). Today, I woke up, worked on my MOC applications, and hit the gym to practice for the CFA. When I was nearly out of breath, realizing now was my time to step up gave me strength to continue. I knew that in that same moment, my friends were getting yelled at to get down and give 20, left/right/about face, and memorize lines in 60 seconds under 90 degrees heat, and THAT encouraged me to dig deeper.

Though it would have been great to join my squad mates today, I know that a year of college and ROTC will give me the academic, physical, and emotional fundamentals to prepare me for (hopefully) next year's R-Day.

Thank you for sharing this. No matter what, please hydrate in this warm weather and stay safe. GO ARMY, BEAT NAVY!!
 
Just to "piggy-back" on "Cubs" post...

I applied to all three SA's out of high school; did not receive any appointments, but did get ROTC scholarship offers. I chose to attend prep school for a year...and then received my SA choices!!

This year one of my former AFJROTC cadets resigned his NROTC scholarship (USMC option) from a VERY prestigious school in DC (he'd completed his freshman year) to fulfill his dream: he's currently a new plebe at USNA. He said much the same as Cubs...that year in college was a game-changer! He knew he could achieve his goal of becoming a USMC officer through his ROTC program and he loved that, but the siren call of Annapolis was still there, so he went for it.

Per Ardua Ad Astra!

IT CAN BE DONE!!

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
There are many routes to the Service Academies. My DD got the TWE for USMA on her first try from high school. She went to another university where she played D1 soccer and had a ROTC scholarship. She was in the process of applying again, had a congressional nomination, but after one semester, she dropped out and enlisted.
She applied from the ranks, and got her appointment just before the Army/Navy game. She delayed accepting it until she deployed to Iraq.
One of my brothers who attended USNA likes to say that he and my other brother who also went to USNA attended hoity-toity prep schools to prepare them for the rigors of USNA, but my daughter went to prep school in Iraq.
 
For those of you that were college re-applicants (and aren't currently going through BCT) what advice would you give to someone who is applying for the second time. I'm re-applying to USAFA and want to know what you did to change your essays and other things.
 
I know a cadet who applied to USMA mutiple times and was accepted on the third try. That cadet is one of my best performing students. Good luck to you, Cub!
 
I have a lot of interactions with moms of cadets who struggle with one thing or another. My cadet was a reapplicant. Having a year of college and another year to grow up, mature, and be independent makes a world of difference in the life of a cadet. I didn't see my son struggle with any of the typical plebe issues. Sure, he's had some struggles...they all do, but I've seen him deal with what pops up w/ the tenacity that comes with being just a bit more mature.
 
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