Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Some people legit want to be in the military and see this as a good stepping stone. Yes, they could do ROTC or OCS out of college, but this isn't the same thing as saying you graduated from a service academy. They may be from military families or had family members who graduated from the academies. If you know you want to join the military anyway, why not try for a service academy where you are an officer upon graduation?

No senior company grade officer or higher cares about means of commissioning.

+1. Field grader officer that has no idea how many of my colleagues commissioned.

+1 literally nobody cares except for O1 academy grads

These WP videos leave out that you're getting yelled at from day 1. But surviving in this environment requires resilience, which is important and seems to be lacking today at times.

Reasons to go to a service academy: desire or willingness to be in the active military at least 5 years after graduation in exchange for cost-free tuition. For those wanting to be pilots, physicians, etc., and are willing to serve to pay back the education and training, they can graduate without paying tuition. Many stay in the reserves until much later in life while pursuing other careers and then have a military retirement.

The academies are just one path, though. You can do college ROTC or even just join the reserves while a college student, or you can enter OCS without doing anything at all related to the military while in college.

Anonymous wrote:West Point or Cornell ROTC?

Just depends on what college experience they want, as the end result is basically the same -- you're committed to serve active duty for a period of years. I guess if you opt out at Cornell, you wouldn't have to switch schools, whereas at West Point, you'd have to transfer out.

West Point or Cornell ROTC?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Some people legit want to be in the military and see this as a good stepping stone. Yes, they could do ROTC or OCS out of college, but this isn't the same thing as saying you graduated from a service academy. They may be from military families or had family members who graduated from the academies. If you know you want to join the military anyway, why not try for a service academy where you are an officer upon graduation?

No senior company grade officer or higher cares about means of commissioning.

+1. Field grader officer that has no idea how many of my colleagues commissioned.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People joining academies in 2023 are signing up to be buried in the South China Sea

Good luck

Thank you. My DD is headed to WP this summer and we couldn't be more proud of her or excited for her.

Congrats!!

+1

Best advice I have for her, savor every remaining moment of civilian life, and run every day. Beast is right around the corner!!

The Beast?

Cadet Basic Training. First day of college basically.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ojJupoAyT58&pp=ygUQV2VzdCBwb2ludCBiZWFzdA%3D%3D

The first comment with 2.9k likes is

"My dad was a West Point grad. He said it was the worst four years of his entire existence. This doesn’t shed any light on the hell this school puts you through for a free education."

and first replay to that is

"it's not really free... you pay with your dignity, soul, free will"

LOL?

That is funny and true. But it isn’t comparable anymore to what your father experienced. Now with recording devices all over, better safety standards, more regulations, anti hazing, etc. the experience isn’t quite the same hellish experience it once was

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People joining academies in 2023 are signing up to be buried in the South China Sea

Good luck

Thank you. My DD is headed to WP this summer and we couldn't be more proud of her or excited for her.

Congrats!!

+1

Best advice I have for her, savor every remaining moment of civilian life, and run every day. Beast is right around the corner!!

The Beast?

Cadet Basic Training. First day of college basically.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ojJupoAyT58&pp=ygUQV2VzdCBwb2ludCBiZWFzdA%3D%3D

The first comment with 2.9k likes is

"My dad was a West Point grad. He said it was the worst four years of his entire existence. This doesn’t shed any light on the hell this school puts you through for a free education."

and first replay to that is

"it's not really free... you pay with your dignity, soul, free will"

LOL?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People joining academies in 2023 are signing up to be buried in the South China Sea

Good luck

Thank you. My DD is headed to WP this summer and we couldn't be more proud of her or excited for her.

Congrats!!

+1

Best advice I have for her, savor every remaining moment of civilian life, and run every day. Beast is right around the corner!!

The Beast?

Cadet Basic Training. First day of college basically.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ojJupoAyT58&pp=ygUQV2VzdCBwb2ludCBiZWFzdA%3D%3D

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People joining academies in 2023 are signing up to be buried in the South China Sea

Good luck

Thank you. My DD is headed to WP this summer and we couldn't be more proud of her or excited for her.

How long has she had the goal of attending West Point? Is this something that predated researching colleges?

She has always been a war buff. We have watched Band of Brothers, the entire series, at least 3 times. Fascinated by tanks and WWI especially. Really kicked into gear in high school and became her focus. When looking at colleges we also looked at VT Cadet Corp and just ROTC programs. But her focus had been on WP since sophomore year and she did it. If she didn't get in she would have gone to VT.

Anonymous wrote:

Some people legit want to be in the military and see this as a good stepping stone. Yes, they could do ROTC or OCS out of college, but this isn't the same thing as saying you graduated from a service academy. They may be from military families or had family members who graduated from the academies. If you know you want to join the military anyway, why not try for a service academy where you are an officer upon graduation?

No senior company grade officer or higher cares about means of commissioning.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People joining academies in 2023 are signing up to be buried in the South China Sea

Good luck

Thank you. My DD is headed to WP this summer and we couldn't be more proud of her or excited for her.

Congrats!

Yes, congrats and Go Navy, Beat Army! My DS graduates from Annapolis next month. It’s quite a journey.

For him. Not you. You accomplished nothing.

People join for multiple and various reasons. I don't know if this is a good enough reason to "choose West Point" or any other academy, but some students do choose service academies primarily because there is no cost to attend. They are eligible to be admitted to other "elite" schools but may be admitted full pay and not have the funds to attend or the willingness to take out loans. "Doughnut hole," etc. I have talked to people for whom this was, in fact, the case. They did their 5 years of active duty and then went on to do something else. Some are athletes who may not otherwise have been admitted, but for athletics.

Some people legit want to be in the military and see this as a good stepping stone. Yes, they could do ROTC or OCS out of college, but this isn't the same thing as saying you graduated from a service academy. They may be from military families or had family members who graduated from the academies. If you know you want to join the military anyway, why not try for a service academy where you are an officer upon graduation?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People joining academies in 2023 are signing up to be buried in the South China Sea

Good luck

Thank you. My DD is headed to WP this summer and we couldn't be more proud of her or excited for her.

Congrats!!

+1

Best advice I have for her, savor every remaining moment of civilian life, and run every day. Beast is right around the corner!!

The Beast?

There is no one answer.

But here are a few recurring themes.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4BE7DOmzaRU&pp=ygUOV2h5IHdlc3QgcG9pbnQ%3D

Anonymous wrote:OP here.
Not questioning it. I'm sorry if that was implied. I know that it's super prestigious, incredibly rigorous (academically and physically), etc.
I'm just curious why people you've known have made this choice. I know very little about it.

You just answered your own question.