West Point Interview

At 2:00pm today, I had a phone interview that was rescheduled from last week with my Military Academy Liaison Officer (MALO), Mr. O’Brien. The interview was primarily for him to assess my readiness to become a Cadet at West Point and an Officer in the US Army. Interviews of the sort can be as short as 45 minutes or can last an hour or two, depending on how many questions the MALO has to ask in order to satisfy himself that he has a good feel for the candidate. Today’s interview lasted about an hour.
Last year at this time, I had this interview with a different representative, who was very tough with his questions and the answers he expected. The interview was at my house on a Sunday afternoon and pretty intense. Since he was also assessing how much I wanted to actually attend West Point, it was obvious to me that he was trying to put me under a lot of pressure, in both the questions he asked me and by his arrogant manner. I remember one question in particular, when he asked me, “What does Honor mean to a Cadet at West Point and a US Army Officer?” I apparently did not express myself the exact way he wanted, and he badgered me until I stated exactly what he was thinking, even though what I first stated in response to his question was about identical to the answer he was expecting, just in slightly different words. The interview was possibly the hardest that I had ever gone through at this point in my life, and here I thought my Eagle Scout Board of Review was a feat to overcome because the District’s Commissioner sat on my Board, and he was tough. (I was only thirteen then, and being in that kind of position was good practice for last year’s MALO interview.) In the end, though, he wrote a very nice review of me and ranked me as a very strong candidate for West Point and said that I would even be an asset to help tutor other students. My father is a US Air Force Academy graduate and said that some interviewers intentionally try to fluster candidates in their questioning, and that it is good that I am calm and handled myself well.
Before the interview today, I was nervous. I tried to anticipate some of the questions Mr. O’Brien would likely ask me and came up with some answers so I would be able to give a well thought out response. I have been in contact with my new MALO for only two or three weeks now and most of that time was in trying to coordinate a date and a time for the interview. Just by the emails that we sent back and forth, I could tell that Mr. O’Brien was a much nicer person and not nearly as arrogant as my last Liaison Officer. I was hoping that I would feel more comfortable during this interview than I did last year, and thought there was a good chance it would go smoothly.
As it turned out, the interview went well. Talking over the phone and not seeing normal body language and facial expressions actually was not an issue since Mr. O’Brien was pleasant and nonthreatening. I felt like I was talking to someone who had a true interest in me and who was not trying to pick a fight or put me down. We talked as if we already knew each other and I feel like I answered his questions to his satisfaction. It was a much more comfortable experience than last year.
Next weekend is the big interview, the nomination interview. Without a nomination, there is no hope of West Point for me. In order to be offered an appointment to a US Military Academy (being fully accepted), a cadet candidate must obtain a nomination from either their Congressman, one of their two Senators, the Vice President, or the President. Presidential nominations are reserved for prior service candidates (people currently serving in the Army as enlisted soldiers) or children of career military personnel. The nomination is the legal authority for a candidate to attend the Academy as a Cadet.
Congressmen and Senators can nominate up to only ten candidates each year out of hundreds of applicants who begin the process. This process is very competitive in northern Virginia. Last year, Congressman Tom Davis gave me a nomination. Now I have to hope that Congressman Gerry Connolly will do the same. I will leave for northern Virginia after class on Friday, and have a 9am interview the next morning.
The Congressional nomination interview is supposed to take 45 minutes and is in front of a panel of people. Each one will ask me questions about my admissions file at the Academy, as well as my qualifications. There are always individuals on the interview panel who are like my first MALO, which is probably intentional. The panel is supposed to sort out the best candidates for the available nomination slots. From my Congressional District, nearly 45 people have made it this far in the process and will be interviewing for a USMA nomination this Tuesday evening and next Saturday. Like I said, ten is the maximum, and elected officials do not even have to fill those ten slots if they do not want to.
Hopefully the nomination interview next week will also go well. One of the retired Army Officers who is in charge of the nomination process in the area where I live had told me that since I had already been awarded a nomination last year and been found “fully qualified” by West Point Admissions, he did not see why I would not be awarded one this year as well. But having that nomination in my hand (hopefully by Christmas) will make me feel better. Then I can focus 100% on my school work and grades.