<p>Let's assume I graduate with a 3.5 GPA from West Point and serve my mandatory five year commitment to the Army in the infantry or another combat branch (I'm undecided about staying or whatnot, but that shouldn't be a factor), maybe get deployed, maybe not. In general, how good would ya'll say my chances to get into an elite MBA program would be? I know questions like this are hard to really answer definitely one way or another, but I'm looking for general opinions or stories of similar situations.</p>
<p>Military men and women are often part of the classes of the top b-schools. A key deciding factor is how much leadership experience you have had and in what capacity (therefore more officers than NCOs accepted), as often these schools know your leadership will be better than a civilian applicant but you may not have the same academics. In your case, you have done very well. </p>
<p>Perhaps the best way forward would be to try and contact other West Point grads who have transitioned into business or are currently at the likes of Harvard/Wharton (these schools really like military officers) and see what they have to say. Also, check the schools' websites for any stats about the number of military admits. Good luck.</p>
<p>HOOAH. Going to West Point was always my dream. I'd go Military Police over Infantry. Much more rewarding.</p>
<p>I think your chances are great. West Point is basically an ivy league type school, plus you get the leadership training and experience that comes with being a military officer. How many 21 or 22 year olds do you know get automatic management positions upon graduating college? In 5 years, you'll automatically be a Company Commander and that's pretty significant - 150 to 300 people under you depending on the unit. </p>
<p>I thought the military prepared me more for the business world much more than college did. I think the combination is pretty hard to beat. I was an NCO - I worked for a living (HAHA) - but that management experience, was probably the most rewarding experience of my life and probably the most valuable to me in pursuing future endeavors. I've only been at my job for about a year and my supervisor comes to me with management questions from time to time because of my military experience. </p>
<p>Stay away from Fort Drum. Great, honorable place to serve, with an outstanding sense of tradition, but its simply a miserable place due to the weather and location. Its really "high speed" so be warned if you're more of a "Civilian in BDUs" than a hard-core war fighter. I was a tweener personally, but I am definitely proud of my service and wouldn't trade it for anything - best decision I've ever made, to be honest. But, I was definitely a short term guy. I felt obligated to serve my country, but not make it a career.</p>
<p>Cant you apply to be an officer upon graduating with a bachelors? </p>
<p>I am an only child with just my mom, so i would never think about joining the navy, military etc..but how about the coast guard. They will pay the last 2 years of college for you for 3 years of active afterwards as an officer after you complete 17 weeks in new jersey. Do colleges see that as the same? It is either become an accountant or join a the coast guard.</p>
<p>Yes, you can.</p>
<p>Umm...Why would you not join the military, but sign up for the Coast Guard? Honestly, the Coast Guard is probably as dangerous as the Air Force or Navy because of the conditions they operate in, if not more so. (Not bashing the CG here, they do great things.)</p>
<p>You could also apply to the Coast Guard Academy.</p>
<p>A surprising percentage of people i've met at CBS and HBS have a military background. In fact, you can go onto the HBS website and see student profiles - a hefty chunk of those bios indicate military background.</p>
<p>It's very possible. As Harro said, the leadership experience is better than most opportunities for someone with a BA or BS, the key is to leverage that in your application and be able to talk about leadership in an intelligent fashion.</p>
<p>OP: your degree will be in engineering?</p>
<p>You all sound like you've got some experience with this. I have a 4.0+ GPA, do two sports, NHS, French HS, latin HS, Model UN, and I'm an intern on two political campaigns. I also have a job. Does this sound good enough for West Point, and/or what can I do to help my chances? Thanks a lot.</p>
<p>Brian, this isn't the West Point board. You sound solid, but you need some leadership experience in one of those sports or clubs and I'd say you have a very good chance-however, nothing is for certain with academy admissions because its all on the congressional district and/or state level. Check the West Point site and see what must be done to get a congressional nomination, that's part of the key to getting in.</p>
<p>Getting back on topic, do some schools tend to take many former military? Do some schools get more former military than others?</p>