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Start Young

Prepare for USMA at an early age

You need a well-rounded background to successfully compete for admission to West Point, so start early in your high school years.

There are three areas in which you should prepare in order to be competitive in the admissions process:
Academic Preparation
Physical Fitness Preparation
Leadership Preparation

ACADEMIC PREPARATION
West Point encourages you to take a strong college preparatory academic program if you hope to apply and be a competitive West Point candidate. Your high school academic subjects should include:

Four years of English, with a strong emphasis on composition, grammar, literature, and speech.
Four years of math: algebra, plane geometry, intermediate algebra, and trigonometry.
Two years of a foreign language.
Two years of a laboratory science such as chemistry, biology or physics.
One year of U.S. history.
Courses in geography, government, and economics will be helpful as well. If your school includes a course in precalculus and calculus in its curriculum, along with a basic computing course, we suggest you consider taking those courses because they will be helpful during your first year at West Point.

PHYSICAL PREPARATION
To prepare for the rigorous West Point military training, physical education, and intercollegiate athletic programs, you should improve your physical strength and endurance in the following ways:

Participate in vigorous competitive team sports.
Participate in individual sports that require sustained physical effort.
Perform distance running regularly; two miles are recommended.
Perform strenuous conditioning exercises - push-ups, pull-ups, and sit-ups.
The best way to prepare is by starting off slowly and building on your physical accomplishments. Start with a two-mile run, alternating between running, walking, and gradually increase the amount of running. If you start early, you will be prepared to deal with the physical aspects of the West Point challenge.

LEADERSHIP PREPARATIONS
You should participate in extracurricular activities that provide valuable leadership experiences and responsibilities. This will help you prepare for the leadership development training you will receive at West Point. The following high school experiences will develop and demonstrate your leadership potential:

Class, club, or student government position.
Awards in academic societies, such as the National Honor Society.
Participation and achievement in athletics.
Participation and success in public speaking and other nonathletic activities.
Participation and achievement in Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Civil Air Patrol, or Reserve Officer Training Corps.
Membership in community or church organizations.

The United States Military Academy considers it more valuable for you to achieve distinction in a specific activity, rather than participation in a number of activities without any evidence of leadership achievement. If you have to work to provide financial assistance for your family, West Point views that working experience as a demonstration of your leadership potential even though it will limit participation in school activities.