<p>When is the earliest one can receive an appointment to west point?</p>
<p>I'm a junior and I will apply for the Summer Seminar in december (after I get my PSAT scores) but when do I apply for west point itself?</p>
<p>Your SLS application will serve as step one of your application (a candidate file will be opened). Step two will be sent in late August/September of your senior year.</p>
<p>The earliest appointments are given out to LOA candidates who have met all requirements. As you have seen on this board this can be as early as September of your Senior year (with a Presidential Nomination). However, this is far from the norm.... Most appointments are given out in the Second Semester of your Senior year. (After the Congressional nominations have been processed).</p>
<p>Just to clarify on a few points...</p>
<p>The Summer Leadership Seminar serves as a mini-application, with test scores and activities being taken into account. Everything you enter in the SLS application will be noted by West Point and stored in the candidate file that, as Ann mentioned, they will open for you. </p>
<p>The actual application for West Point, however, does not come online for quite a while after that date. This year, the application was posted on Aug. 8th, 2008. When that's posted, you have a chance to complete all of the requirements and expand upon the information you entered for you SLS application. </p>
<p>As for the appointments and the LOA's, an LOA stands for a letter of assurance; in West Points own words, it is a guarantee of appointment contingent upon file completion, medical qualification, and receipt of nomination. Once you get that, which as Ann mentioned can be as early as September, you can rest a little easier :) If you want it, and you've got an LOA, you can almost certainly get an appointment. One thing to note; lucky for candidates, you file only has to be mostly complete. That doesn't mean that you should not be working towards getting all of it done, but if you have one or two categories (I had 3...) that remain undone, you can still be competitive for the LOA. </p>
<p>The appointment is separate, though. It is an actual acceptance, rather than a simple assurance that you will be accepted. Once you complete all of your requirements, receive a nomination from one of the 5 qualified sources (Congressman/woman, two Senators, the VP, or POTUS), and are physically qualified, then and only then will WP mail you the appointment. Because you must have a nomination to receive that appointment, the earliest date is more contingent on your member of Congress, rather than WP itself. Try researching their deadlines and the dates they claim to notify you of your nomination status, and that date is probably the earliest you can hope for an appointment. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Only American citizens can apply to enter West Point?</p>
<p>A very few foreign students are appointed each year. The U.S. taxpayers do not pay for these cadets. Here's the link to more information.</p>