My son has received three emails from West Point requesting that he begin applying even though he is only graduating in 2017. The first page of the application asks for SSN so we are wondering if anybody else has got this and whether it is worth it to start the process. My son’s email address was sent out through the PSAT. Thank you for replying.
If you include your email on your PSAT, SAT, ACT, or AP tests you can expect various colleges to email you. Generally colleges get email lists from Collegeboard and email students who scored within a specific range (that’s how I understand it anyways). So don’t read too much into the fact that West Point sent your son an email.
As for whether or not you should start the process, I’m not an expert on the admissions processes at the Military schools, but if your son is graduating in 2017 I don’t see any value in starting the app now.
Schools benefit from giving students the perception that they are highly sought after. But those come on’s are not based on information suggesting they would extend an offer to your son. The more applicants a school has and the more they reject, the higher their rating is on the US News Report rankings. Don’t be fooled and don’t let your son be flattered. It is just PR and sent to most students.
Applying to a service academy takes longer than most colleges because you need to apply for a nomination. You need to start in your junior year for that.
Yes if he is interested in West Point or another academy their application process starts much earlier.
As a Junior your son can apply for the summer program at West Point or one of the other Service Academies. The deadlines for applications to your Senators and Member of Congress vary be state. The deadline in our state was October of the Senior year. You can find out the exact dates on each legislator’s page. Besides applying for noms from each and possibly interviewing with each, he would need to complete the actual USMA application, be physically qualified by taking a fitness test, and be medically qualified by DoDMERB after completing a health questionnaire and getting a physical.
im guessing the email was a result of West Point buying high emails of high scoring PSAT test takers. Don’t read too much into it. Having said that, only those who go through the admissions process are ultimately offered admission. I graduated from West Point in the early 1980s and don’t regret it one minute. All the service academies have a summer program for high school juniors that is a week long exposure to life at a military academy. It looks good on a college application regardless of where your son ends up going to college. The timeframe for West Point asmissions starts January of junior year when students begin their application by applying to this summer program. It’s not a scam
My son received one email, ignored it. Received another one a week later , he still ignored it. Then a week later he received a letter via snail mail. He continued to ignore it as he had no desire to attend West Point. Several days later, my husband and I received a letter encouraging us to encourage our son to apply to West Point. That being said, if he is interested , it is a long process that you should investigate.
We looked at the summer engineering programs but they all had a box on the application to check that you would be applying to an academy so they were not possible for us knowing that is not in my daughter’s plans.
@carolinamom2boys…i guess we’re in the same boat. Two emails…letter addressed to my son came yesterday…I’m waiting to see if there i
If he’s interested , I’d pursue it. I’m partial to the Air Force Academy, but that’s because my husband is AF vet.
No one can deny that the thought of a fully paid education is extremely attractive! Time will tell! Thanks for your input!
@mathewjn Starting the application now makes him eligible for the summer leader experience. They use PSAT for that.
@JasonMath - thanks for that information. How much does the summer leader experience cost to parents?
@mathewjn I seem to remember it was pretty much free but there might have been a very small deposit ($200?)
@JasonMath…that’s good to know!
Hey everyone! Quick question. How much of your application do you need to complete in order for USMA to request a DoDMERB?