Transferring from West Point to Elite School

I am currently a cadet at West Point that may be forced to transfer due to medical issues. I do not plan on transferring unless I am kicked out for these medical issues. In high school I had a 3.9 GPA and 34 ACT. I was also a national merit finalist and played varsity football for 3 years. Here at West Point I have a 3.94 GPA. The average GPA here is about a 2.9. I was wondering if I would be competitive to transfer to an elite institution, possibly Harvard. Thanks.

Your stats are extremely impressive, especially coming from West Point. I think Harvard will still be extremely difficult though, as their acceptance rate is 0.009%. But coming from West Point will certainly make you stand out compared to others, so I say give it a shot. I think you have a great chance at other top schools with better transfer rates. Apply to Ivies such as Cornell, Brown, Columbia, and Penn. Look at other schools like Northwestern, Vandy, Georgetown, Emory, Wash U, etc.

Thanks for the reply @Dontskipthemoose , I looked up some of those schools and Cornell seems to be a really good fit if I can qualify for instate tuition. Otherwise, I will likely have to look for cheaper options if I do indeed end up needing to transfer. Might also be interested in MIT or Columbia, but I realize those are a bit more of a long-shot. Will probably pick Georgia Tech, Texas A&M, and a local state school as safeties.

@balrog29 Whare are you looking to study and major in? Cornell only has in-state tuition for its NY contract schools, which are ILR, CALS, Human Ecology, and Veterinary school. And the in-state cost of attendance is only slightly cheaper at around $53,000 as opposed to the normal $70,000. You should look into Suny schools like Binghamton and Stony Brook.

When you meet with the team that will make the decision about your situation, find out what your status will be if you are indeed separated from West Point for medical reasons. If you are considered to be a veteran, you will be independent for financial aid purposes at most colleges and universities. In some states, you might also automatically qualify for veteran scholarships.

Take advantage of any counseling that is offered to you. The transition back into the civilian world can be challenging, and even more so for those who are separated from the services so much earlier than they had planned.

Wishing you all the best!

@Dontskipthemoose I’m looking at studying Industrial Engineering/Operations Research, or something statistics related.

@happymomof1 I looked it up, and apparently while I am at West Point I cannot qualify to be financially independent. However, once I leave West Point I can qualify to be financially independent for financial aid purposes. I’m not sure how this will work out for me, because the deadline to apply for financial aid at many schools falls at a time prior to when I would likely leave West Point, should I leave. I guess this could lead to me simply not getting financial aid for my 1st year, but getting it for my second year.

This would be a case when you need to ask the financial aid officers for professional judgement. If you aren’t considered independent your first year, some places will not consider you independent in future years. The same may go for financial aid in general. As each aid office about their policies. They will tell you.

A year off to get your health completely under control might be in order. That will also mean that you are independent for sure for financial aid whan you start applying for transfer.

@happymomof1 The medical issues that I have are not life threatening, nor do they impact my ability to function like a normal human being. The medical issues I have only interfere with the tasks I must be able to do to be a soldier. For this reason, I don’t think it’s necessary to take a year off. However, Id be open to doing so if it’s necessary to receive financial aid. My only concern would be that colleges would look down upon the fact that I took a year off, and I’d have a harder time getting into a more selective school.

I’ll make sure to ask the financial aid officers for more information, thank you for your input.

No one will hold it against you that you took a year off! Especially as it is possible that you won’t have the lead time necessary for your applications. Think about how you might use the semester or year to good advantage - work, travel, volunteering, etc. - so that you don’t get bored!

I have a nephew who was separated from his branch of service halfway through bootcamp for an otherwise not horribly serious health issue, so I know that sometimes these things aren’t things that would impede a succesful civilian career. However, he did have adjustment issues when he returned home as he had never had any particular back-up plan. He floundered for quite a while before settling in to the life he hadn’t planned for. It is good that you are looking squarely at your options. If you are separated, you will be ready with your next step.

Even though there’s an official deadline, I recommend making some contacts. I’d be surprised if there weren’t some waivers that could be made.
If you do get a shiny DD214, that ought to open other doors. Some states and some schools will consider you in-state if you’ve just been discharged, possibly opening up places like Purdue, Michigan, or Colorado.
I don’t know if that’s true for these schools, but it could be worth a look.