<p>Ann:</p>
<p>Understanding the admissions process at the USMA can be a daunting task. At the risk of information overload, hear's some of what I have been able to gleen about the process during the last year.</p>
<p>While candidate ranking is mostly an objective process with the congressionally mandated whole candidate score system, there are several other factors that impact a given candidate's chances of receiving an appointment. One of those factors is the "desired composition and diversity" goal you mentioned. If you look at the approximately 1250 slots available, you can see that the number of spots available for candidates not in the recruited athlete, prior enlisted, women, or minority classification is probably under 600. Someone with better information can confirm or correct my estimate.</p>
<p>I base this estimate on the following:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Recruited Athletes (250+). I base this estimate on some of the news releases issued by various coaches. The Class of 2009 had 77 recruited athletes for football alone (29 of those 77 came from the USMA prep school); wrestling(15), baseball(13), men's soccer(13), and women's soccer(9) </p></li>
<li><p>Prior enlisted Personnel (200). A certain number of "slots" are assigned to candidates presently in the military.</p></li>
<li><p>Women (189). About 15% of the admitted candidates were women. </p></li>
<li><p>Minority Groups (approx 300 per WP June press release). </p></li>
<li><p>Military Prep School Graduates (200+). For the most part, a candidate who completes the one year program at one of the military prep schools is assured a slot at West Point the following year.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>There is certainly some double/triple counting since some candidates would likely fall into two or more of the above classifications. </p>
<p>Hold on to your hat for this next part. It may be confusing, but it it vital to understand since it will have a tremendous impact on a candidate's chances of receiving an appointment. </p>
<p>The part of the appointment process I refer to is the impact of a candidate's geographic location. By Federal law, the academies have to distribute appointments to qualified candidates in each congressional district based on the relative qualifications of candidates within that congressional district (or the preference of the member of congress if that member makes a principal nomination). As a result, a "more qualified" candidate in a highly competitive district may not receive an appointment while a "less qualified" candidate in a less competitive district does. While most congressional districts are roughly equivalent in size, there is great disparity in the number of qualified candidates in each district.</p>
<p>In summary, getting an appointment to West Point (or any of the academies) is highly competitive both on a local and national basis. That is why so many of the posters have encouraged candidates to retake SAT's, pursue athletics and participate in leadership positions. Hope this is of some help.</p>