<p>has anyone here transferred out of west point, after realizing that this was not the place for them?</p>
<p>why did you decide to leave?
how do you do it? what does the process involve?</p>
<p>im currenly a student here but have had second thoughts about it and am thinking about transferring.</p>
<p>is it possible to leave west point within your plebe year? for instance I'm a plebe now but is it possible in any way to apply for a school and leave before the second semester of plebe year? i've heard of cadets leaving during beast and going to CMU or other schools without waiting a whole year.</p>
<p>Your TAC will be able to give you advice. Leaving WP is a huge decision and not one to be made lightly. Many people will advise you to complete your first semester before you make a final decision. Understand that plebe year is tough, and almost all cadets hit a patch where they feel they want to quit. Having second thoughts is quite normal - especially this early in plebe year. Why do you want to leave?</p>
<p>for a lot of reasons. i guess you could say ive hit that rough patch, and everyone keeps saying that its only like this the first year, but i just don't think this is the place for me. You really can't quite understand what west point is like until you've gone through it. i've never been this down and depressed for such a long period of time, and this is only the BEGINNING of school. it's going to get much worse and a lot harder.</p>
<p>i am a fairly individual character, and though i knew what iw as getting myself into, west point is just not what i expected. it seems like im being held back, and that id just like to be happier as a normal person.</p>
<p>any cadets here though that have personally gone through this?</p>
<p>Hopefully some current cadets will chime in - I agree you have to have lived it to fully understand it. Only you can decide what it right for you. For now take one day (or hour) at a time. The rough patches don't last forever. If you are really depressed, please talk to your TAC - they are trained to help you.</p>
<p>As far as I know, outprocessing will probably take at least a few weeks with all of the administrative paperwork you'll have to fill out. From what I've read, Transient Barracks is a pretty depressing place.</p>
<p>I went to civil prep for a year and I'm a plebe now too, what you're feeling is normal and just a part of the process. Hell, even last weekend I was doubting why I should be here and whether or not ROTC would have been the better path.</p>
<p>Some days you'll feel good and some days you'll feel like absolute crap and second-guess why you ever came in the first place. The healthiest thing that you can do to keep yourself sane is to maintain a sense of humor and look at each day as a new beginning.</p>
<p>I'll give you a personal example: on Monday I had a brain fart and forgot whether a sergeant at my breakfast table prefers OJ or water with his coffee, so he decided to chew me and my buddies out for my mistake. We didn't eat much that morning and everyone had to wait longer to eat, but I decided that that night I was going to make damn sure that I got my duties right for the following morning. If you screw up, accept the failure, and look forward to doing better next time.</p>
<p>People are right by saying that things only get better. I visited at least four other military colleges before I arrived at West Point and the common denominator at each was that freshman year absolutely sucked. With each year that you stay, things will get progressively easier to deal with, even as the workload and stress increase.</p>
<p>Yeah, you may not be happy now, but there are always opportunities to relax and laugh. When you signed on to come here you pledged to develop yourself into an Army officer. The Army itself has a serious job description so not having fun all the time is just a part of the everyday.</p>
<p>Sure, you could go to a civilian college, but who the hell can say that they've survived West Point? So far, you have, and you still can. You'll figure it out eventually.</p>
<p>First of all, yes you can transfer. The only way you can transfer with any credit is to finish the semester. (You actually have some fun coming up soon.)</p>
<p>Secondly, you worked very hard to get to this point which most plebes confront. Just like you heard so many times that new cadets who leave on R-Day or during Beast gave up too early, many have said the same about plebe year. It's not designed to make you happy. And you probably wonder how it will make you a better leader. If you decide to stay, it likely won't be the last wall you hit.</p>
<p>Third, vehicles exist to discuss the issue. Take advantage of opportunities available to you so that you make the right decision. And remember that any decision you make when under tremendous stress and while you're extremely unhappy may not be the best decision. Don't make a hasty decision you may regret. Make the decision because you've looked at your situation and have objectively evaluated it.</p>
<p>I'm actually fairly interested in why you want to leave. It's probably none of my business, but sometimes hearing the bad sides of things can allow the others know whats in store for them. What is it too much of?</p>
<p>pyoo, Is it the journey or the destination which is causing you to wake up with cold sweats? If it is the journey, everyone is correct, the path will become easier. If it is the destination, a military career is not for everyone. While you have seen very little of the true military, you do have a glimpse of what military life is about. If this is the reason, ensure that it is an unclouded decision. Don't allow the toughness of Plebe year, affect it. Think long and hard before you throw this opportunity away.</p>
<p>Give it time, the beginning of plebe year sucks for everyone. As the year goes on, things will probably get better. The second year is MUCH better as well.</p>
<p>USNA69 wrote, "Is it the journey or the destination which is causing you to wake up with cold sweats? If it is the journey, everyone is correct, the path will become easier. If it is the destination, a military career is not for everyone. While you have seen very little of the true military, you do have a glimpse of what military life is about. If this is the reason, ensure that it is an unclouded decision. Don't allow the toughness of Plebe year, affect it. Think long and hard before you throw this opportunity away."</p>
<p>This is probably the clearest, most concise, and most accurate assessment of the dilemma you're likely to get. If you think about your decision on these terms you're likely to best understand which is the correct decision for you. Good luck.</p>
<p>pyoo, I agree that USNA69's advice was right on the money. I also agree that the decision to stay or transfer is one that each individual must make on his or her own. The timing of making that decision, however, is pretty important. It seems to me that it is way too early to make a decision to transfer out of West Point at this time. So far you have expereinced the most challenging part of West Point. As the weeks go by things will get better, slowly but surely. Try to make it to the end of your plebe year when you can better put things in perspective and then make the decision. On Memorial Day sit down and take USNA69's advice and ask yourself if it is the journey or the destination that you have an issue with. If it is the destination, maybe you should transfer out. On the other hand, with the tough first year out of the way, you might find that the journey has gotten a lot easier...</p>
<p>I agree with all of these other posts, but I want to add a few things.</p>
<p>Before R-day, my now plebe was getting progressively crankier. When she finally verbalized, she said she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to do everything that was going to be expected. I asked, "Have you ever failed at something once you set your mind to it?" knowing that she hadn't. The light came on and the "crankies" calmed down. I believe it was because she was reminded that she is in control of her own destiny. </p>
<p>The twist is that West Point pushes the cadets until they fail as part of the process of training. That can be pretty humbling for a young person that has probably been good at everything they've ever done. </p>
<p>Remember, that you're one of the best in the country, or you wouldn't be at West Point. Every cadet there has weaknesses in something and will be learning how to deal with the fact that they have weaknesses. You are not the only one that's questioning themselves.</p>
<p>Hang onto the good times to get you through the bad times. What part of Beast did you end up enjoying? For my cadet, she loved the field training and camaraderie, but hated the rucks. That was where the camaraderie and her company-mates got her through.</p>
<p>Focus on the positive. Choose to be in control of how you deal with everything. Find a sport/activity/club that you like and can retreat to when you need a break. Know that whatever is happening now, isn't going to last forever. Talk to your TAC if you need to. And when things feel a little overwhelming, take one thing at a time. I call it taking baby steps. Taking baby steps gets you to the same place, only it doesn't feel so overwhelming along the way.</p>
<p>And, from personal experience, don't rush into a decision that you may regret later. Not to sound like an old person, but "you're young, you've got time."</p>
<p>Hopefully pyoo is off having a good labor day weekend and recharging his batteries :).
One observation I would make for future candidates, is that if you have doubts going in, you will definitley have doubts when you get there. WP is not a "try it and see if you like it" kind of school. Few people enjoy plebe year. Your motivation for going and determination to succeed is what will get you through. Having an exit strategy in the back of your mind will make it harder to succeed.<br>
That being said, for some WP it is not the right choice. The challenge is to make that decision for the right reasons when you have enough information and without letting the "rigors of the day" cloud your judgement.</p>
<p>yes im back home enjoying my time off, but dreading tomorrow when I go back.
i know that this is a decision that I should not be rushing into, and believe me i don't plan on rushing into. TRUST ME, i've been told countless, countless times that this is what plebe year is about, that it's supposed to suck, that i'm supposed to doubt myself.</p>
<p>honestly, i really do want to give it my best shot, and i won't settle for anything less, especially because i would have let down so many people.</p>
<p>but the thought is still there, and really, i just want to know how it's done or how it can be done. i know a current classmate who left during beast, and he is already at another college. i can't get in touch with him though...so anyone here gone through something like that?</p>
<p>pyoo323: To separate from WP you need to go through your TAC. He will give you all of the information your need. As others have said, there is a fair amount of paperwork during outprocessing (takes about 2 weeks I think) and you are normally isolated from your company in the Transient Barracks during this time. As Triggs said it is a pretty depressing time, but it does give you time to think. My understanding is that you can change your mind any time up until when you walk out of the gate. Once you have done that, there is no going back unless you go through the entire application process again and are lucky enough to be accepted a second time.....
As others have said, you will need to complete the semester if you want to transfer academic credits to a civilian school. In addition, you will need to apply to whatever school you wish to attend (assuming you haven't deferred a civilian college option). Some candidates say "yes" to a civilian college as a backup plan, and even go as far as paying a deposit. Some do it in case they get injured during Beast, some do it in case they decide WP is not for them. (Note: not every civilian college allows you to do this, and some will penalise applicants for double depositing if they find out). For new cadets who have this option, transferring out is easy (maybe too easy). If they leave before the normal college year begins, they transition easily into their civilian college of choice.
A few other thoughts:
1. That feeling of dread you have in your stomach is completely normal. I think most cadets feel it when they contemplate going back. No consolation to you I know.
2. Don't stay at WP because you feel you would be letting others down if you did not. This has to be your decision.
3. Good luck - whatever you decide!</p>
<p>To add my few comments; I know many a friend that left the academy early on because they thought it was too tough or not what they wanted, and now they question themselves every single waking day. The advice prior to this on here has been very good. If you are sure you want to serve in the Army, you need to suck it up and stick it out, it will eventually get better. I'm not lying when I say that I actually miss much of my Cow and Firstie years, even as I live in my own apartment, free as a bird now. However, if you are having questions regarding serving as an officer and deploying to Iraq, I would advise to seriously look into it and determine what you think is right in your heart. I have many a friend how left WP before commiting to the army and I will never hold a thing against them becuase they realized it was not for them and they chose the harder right (quitting) over the easier wrong (sticking around and becoming a PL who doesnt really want to be in the Army due to pressure from outside). whatever you choose, it will be tough, but I hope my and the other advice on here helps.
RLTW</p>