<p>I am a graduate of West Point. I felt it necessary to post something on this discussion board after reading through some of the aggressive comments made by some users. I believe on a whole there are some severe misconceptions about West Point and the education it provides.
The idea that West Point focuses soley on military training and military focused studies is completely inaccurate. Of the average 21 credit hours I took a semester, only .5 of them were dedicated to a military science class. The other 20.5 credits focused on a broad range of subjects that you would find in most other undergraduate programs with maybe a greater focus on math and science. A majority of my instructors DID NOT have PhDs, but the overall course director for each class did. The cirriculum was directly dictated by this course director and merely taught on a very personal basis by instructors. I attended at least 7 classes a day that demanded full accountability of nightly homework and quite routinely subjected to course standardized tests. Students are made to brief their nightly studies on a daily basis in a very formal brief before their peers and instructor which demanded even greater personal accountability to studying. Once allowed to pick a major classes of course were more up to the discretion of the individual student but required no less daily accountability. In addition to small class sizes we were also routinely visited and lectured by our course directors and prestigious field intellects. With all this said, now add in the other daily demands of the student.
In addition to our 21 credit hour a semester work load we were also required to attend at least 2 formations a day in firmly pressed uniforms and spit-shined shoes (that tends to eat into studies). At 4 PM everyday we were required to attend either intramural sporting events or practice parade drill for at least 2 hours. There were also chain of command duties to include helping younger students with personal, academic, or discipline problems in much the same fashion as the regular army operates. Add to this summers completely consumed by military training and limited visits home. To make a long story short, there was always too much to do in too little time and often cadets were forced to choose which tasks they would complete and which they would fall delinquent on (always with repercussions).
I do not believe that West Point has ever really saught recognition by the public as being the top school in the nation. That is not its purpose and that is not why students choose to attend its program. To write and belittle its academic worthiness and the quality of students it attracts and produces however is completely inappropriate. Since graduating 6 of my friends/classmates have been killed in action and the rest have been on one or more combat tours in the Middle East. I myself have just recently returned from a 15-month tour in Mosul, Iraq. Perhaps instead of focusing on the usual parameters that make a great university we can maybe for once look at the overall program and experience and accept that maybe for one brief moment an academy is being publicly recognized. There’s always next year Standford…</p>
<p>US Army Captain</p>