Situated at West Point, New York, the United States Military Academy at West Point (also referred as Army, West Point or USMA) is a federal service academy, which provides four-year undergraduate training and education program. It was established in 1802 and is one of the oldest United States five service academies. USMA was the first American college to have class rings, and its technical curriculum was a model for later engineering schools.
The admission process of West Point consists of two parts –
- Candidates must apply directly to the USMA.
- They must obtain a nomination.
The majority of candidates receive their nomination from their congressman, while some receive a Presidential nomination from the President of the United States. The nomination process consists of writing essays, a formal interview and obtaining letters of recommendation. This process is not political and applicants do not have to know their congressman to be nominated. Candidates must be between 17 and 23 years old with no legal obligation to support a child.
Student body of West Point has a unique lexicon and rank structure. Students are officers-in-training and are referred as cadets. Approximately 1,300 cadets enter the academy each spring with about 1,000 cadets graduating. Tuitions for students are fully funded by the USMA in exchange for an active duty service obligation on graduation. Students have to keep their clothes crisply pressed, their shoes shined, and their hair neat. Moreover, it does not allow alcohol in the dorms, which must be kept meticulously clean. All cadets live in together and dine together en masses on weekdays for breakfast and lunch.
There are 45 academic majors and the most popular majors are mechanical engineering, economics, history, management information systems. The academic program grants a Bachelor of Science degree with a curriculum, which grades student’s performance according to a military leadership performance, broad academic program, and mandatory participation in competitive athletics. Graduates from this academy are commissioned as second lieutenants (2L). The DPE (Department of Physical Education) administers the physical program, which includes physical fitness testing, physical education classes and competitive athletics. USMA also provides moral and ethical training. Students are required to stick to the Cadet Honor Code; a cadet will not steal, cheat, lie, or tolerate those who do.
The United States Military Academy fields nine women’s and fifteen men’s NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) sports teams, while all cadets compete in at least one sport, either at intercollegiate or intramural level. Its alumni and cadets are collectively called The Long Gray Line and its ranks include seventy-four Medal of Honor recipients, two Presidents of the United States (Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower), and numerous famous generals.
USMA mission is “To educate, train, and inspire the Corps of Cadets so that each graduate is a commissioned leader of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor, Country and prepared for a career of professional excellence and service to the Nation as an officer in the United States Army.”
