<p>OK, so i thought i'd never apply to a westpoint or the academy. that was up until a few days ago when my parents decided not to help me financially in any way and make me go to westpoint or the academy. </p>
<p>i already finished the questionarre online for west. and academy. westpoint had scheduled an appointment for me w/ my congressman saturday, so i was going to ask him for both a westpoint and academy nomination. is a congressman nomination enough for both?</p>
<p>I got my westpoint kit already and am almost done filling it out, but i dont really know when the PAE is due and who can fill it out for me. The same goes for the medical examination.</p>
<p>and for my rec's, westpoint wants a math, eng, and lab science teacher from physics or chemistry. the problem is my physics and chem teachers retired and i'm taking bio ap. my bio ap teacher is a physics teacher too so can i use him as a lab rec?</p>
<p>i really would rather go to the air force and didn't know if i could switch from army to air force (if i didn't get in to academy) while in westpoint or would i have to wait unitl i graduated?</p>
<p>thanks for your help and tell me of any major differences in the academy and westpoint application process.</p>
<p>The academy must arrange for DODMERB to contact you directly so that you can arrange for your medical exams. One exam is good for all the academies. The PAE is due (as well as the medical exam results and any remedial requirements) by the application deadline of the particular academy. The PAE can be given by a PE teacher or your coach. Normally a congressman/senator is only going to give you a nomination for one academy. That of course will depend a lot on how competitive your state is (are you from New York or Wyoming?). One nomination for one academy can NOT be used to attend another academy. Good luck</p>
<p>From previous postings, my understanding is that you have received a letter of assurance from West Point. If that's correct, then the letter should give you the deadline for submitting the application. The medical qualification deadline is usually later, around April 15th.</p>
<p>As Shogun points out, congressional nominations are academy specific. If you want nominations for two academies, you must request two nominations from your congressional representative. </p>
<p>Suggest you call WP admissions and ask them about your teacher evaluations. I would expect that there is some flexibility since the evaluation form is structured to elicite fairly general student ability evaluations.</p>
<p>I don't believe you can transfer from one academy to another. There is, however, an inter-service transfer program that allows transfers after graduation. These are pretty rare though. For the entire class of 2004, four WP cadets transferred - 2 to air force, 1 navy and 1 marines.</p>
<p>I trust there is more to your interest in West Point than a "free ride" and the feeling that you are being forced into the academy by your parents. As many of the previous postings have pointed out, you must be committed to the academy program or your tenure as a cadet will be short lived.</p>
<p>Coqui
On the subject of parental pressure---should you be fortunate enough to receive an offer of appointment, make sure you read the letter that comes with it very carefully. It specifically and very bluntly speaks to the issue of parental pressure when accepting an appointment. No doubt this is an issue as old as the academy.</p>