<p>My 9 year old son recently told me that he wanted to go to West Point. He also said something about wanting me to find him a high school that he could go to that is more geared towards military. We are from Louisiana and I have no idea where to look. Also, he is more interested in doing something along the lines of weapons development for the military. Any help in this matter would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>I think 9 is a little young to start thinking about USMA…he has plenty of time before he gets to high school, when the time will be to start thinking more seriously about it. </p>
<p>For officers, there’s nothing really like weapons development…but again, isn’t this a little early?</p>
<p>At this stage, the best thing to do is get good grades, participate in athletics, and do extracurriculars that build leadership experience. Those things will set him up to apply to a Service Academy, but they will also keep his options open for virtually any top-ranked school.</p>
<p>If this is really a goal he will pursue (and I can’t say that I had that foresight at 9), being a high-performing, well rounded student is the best way to prepare. Even if he changes his mind (quite likely), he’ll still be set-up well.</p>
<p>While I respectfully acknowledge your opinion. I do not think that my son is too young to start thinking about college. He is in the 4th grade (honors class). He does not want to go to a regular high school, he wants me to find him one that he can go to that will get him ready for to apply to West Point. I do not think that he will change his mind he has said the same thing for the past four years. His biological father passed away due to injuries that he received during combat. His feelings for going this route were further confirmed when we were doing our family tree and realized that the past 5 generations on both sides have been in the military.</p>
<p>It won’t be time to apply to a private or military high school until middle school so right now there’s really not anything he or you can really do besides researching it and doing well with school. Him getting in the right mindset and doing well in school (which it sounds like he does) and participating in athletics is also good to do at this age.</p>
<p>Does he specifically want to go to a military geared high school or just a really good school in general? Most military schools these days are for at-risk kids it seems like.</p>
<p>He wants to do a military geared high school. I agree especially around here they are for at risk kids. The only problem with the athletics is that he does not like them. He is more into computers and science.</p>
<p>To get into West Point he’ll have to take a fitness test, and to be competitive he should be a varsity athlete, as almost 90% of incoming freshman are, or are at least involved in some kind of sport.</p>
<p>I was very young (7-8 yrs old) when I first learned about West Point and now I am a Cadet. I can’t tell you that there is one specific high school to go to, but I can share with you what I did and I hope it gives you some ideas:</p>
<p>1) Attended very strong academic Catholic high school, took AP classes, scored well on SAT
2) Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts: earned Eagle Rank as 14 yr. old + held many leadership positions (EVERYTHING I learned in Scouting has helped me at West Point!)
3) Civil Air Patrol: Joined when I was 12 and loved it. Joined Honor Guard and Drill Team (taught me more about discipline and marching)
4) Varsity Athlete: Earned 3 letters in Track & Field (Sprinter), but also played many other sports (Football, Swimming, Soccer, etc.) – I suggest your son think about running Cross Country; in the military you run A LOT and start doing push-ups, sit-ups and when he gets older he will want to get a pull- up bar
5) Read books about West Point: “Absolutely American”; “In A Time of War”; “The Long Gray Line”; etc…other books: American Sniper, No Easy Day, etc.</p>
<p>I would also suggest getting to know some West Point graduates. Try your local American Legion Post and look up a West Point Society in your area.</p>
<p>You could also consider a good high school that also offers JROTC - just make sure it is an “Honors” JROTC which usually means it has been a good program for many years. (My high school did NOT offer JROTC.)</p>
<p>West Point evaluates candidates on Whole Candidate Score: 60% Academic, 30% Leadership(including Athletics), 10% Fitness Test (look up Candidate Fitness Assessment).</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Please be sure to get back to us in 7 or 8 years and let us know how this all turned out.</p>
<p>to be 120% honest, a superb SAT/ACT, Top 1% high school class rank, varsity letters from 1 or 2 sports would get your son into West Point. Also, having a record of lineage in Armed Forces, could boost your stats as well.
Doing best under given circumstances is the only thing that matters. Don’t look for fancy opportunities to boost your son’s specs.
if this sounds too wacky to you, then follow the herd; but that only get your son up to a certain point in his life. Build your own trend. that’s what I am trying to say here.</p>
<p>I got interested in attending WP when I was 9. I read everything I could about WP and geared all of my studies, athletic participation, and leadership development towards gaining admission. It paid off.</p>
<p>Emphasis on attending military high schools is overrated. The admissions office maintains detailed records correlating success as a cadet with where the cadet attended high school. What this means is that although grades are important, where the applicant for admission earned those grades may be even more important. I would contact the admissions office to inquire as to the names of the leading high schools, in their opinion, in your area and enroll your son in one of those when he’s ready. </p>
<p>Here is what I consider to be the ultimate admissions test. A classmate of mine from upstate New York told his father on New Year’s Day that he wanted to attend West Point. The father, a veteran of heavy combat as an infantryman in both WWII and Korea, neither approved or disapproved of the decision. Instead, he told his son to put on several layers of clothing as if he was working outside, then take a shower while wearing all those clothes, then spend the night in the back yard (remember, this is upstate NY in January!). The father concluded by saying that if in the morning he was still excited about attending West Point, he had found the right profession.</p>
<p>Never forget that the mission of West Point is to train combat officers to lead America’s best in times of America’s worst. That should be the primary motivator in seeking admission.</p>