About Bill Taylor Expertise I can answer questions about admissions to West Point; about the history of West Point; about how to travel to West Point, where to eat, where to stay, etc.; and about West Point`s alumni organization, the West Point Association of Graduates.
Experience I am a 1970 Graduate of West Point. I served six years on active duty and another 8 years in the active reserve. I have been actively involved as a Field Admissions Representative for over 15 years and have participated on my Congressman's Academy Selection Panel for over 20 years. I am actively involved in West Point Alumni affairs, serving in roles both with the West Point Association of Graduates and the local alumni chapter in Annapolis, MD. I also have two sons who graduated from West Point in 1995 and 2001. Both are veterans of the Iraq war and continue to serve on Active Duty in the Army.
Question I was just wondering if you could give me an idea of my chances and/or any advice that would help me better my chances of getting into West Point. Currently I am a sophomore at a prepatory school.(Does the USMA take into consideration public vs private/prepatory schools?) My school does not rank but I am sure I am in the top 5-10 percent. I have a 4.0 GPA.(My school does not give exact GPAs but my average for freshman year was 98.4) Hopefully I can keep up these grades throughout my highschool career. I will be taking almost all AP or honors courses my junior and senior years. I also am on the school's varsity wrestling team and my chances of being captain junior and senior years are a great possibility. Also I am on the school's varsity cross country and track teams. I will be running for class president in the future and I am also a member of JSA(Junior Statesman of America), literary club, and I work stage crew for the drama club. By the time I apply for West Point, I should have about 100 service hours logged. Most of it is from school service trips and helping out at my local church. I also have gone to the shooting range with my father during the summer on weekends alot for the past 5 years so I know how to operate many firearms.(If that helps at all)
Thanks
-Pat
Answer It's good to hear from you, Patrick. Thanks for your interest in West Point. I apologize for the delayed response as I have been slammed with travel and work.
As you know, West Point is looking for well rounded young men and women who are good students, good athletes and good leaders. Having a balance in all three areas is important.
Based on the information you have provided I would suggest that you should be very competitive for admission. Yes, admissions does take into account the nature of your school and the percentage of graduates who go on to a four year college. You should get credit for the prep school you are attending. Your school is not doing you any favors by not ranking students, but admissions will contact them anyway and ask them to speculate as to what percentile you would be in if they did rank students.
You also seem to be doing well in the athletic and leadership arenas. Keep up the good work there. My best advice is to continue to seek out the greatest challenges you can find in all three areas and perform to the best of your ability in everything you do. If you continue this excellent record of performance you most certainly will be very competitive for admission in your senior year.
