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Find out why Jeanne Hull declined admissions to several Ivy League institutions to attend West Point Military Academy.
Captain Jeanne Hull: My name is Captain Jeanne Hull and I'm a proud graduate of the West Point class of 2000. I think West Point is right for people who want an experience that is beyond what a normal college education would give you. I applied to three or four ivy League schools and I was admitted to all of them. But the academics here are just as rigorous as any ivy league institution. On top of that you have physical fitness requirements and you have military leadership requirements that give you leadership, managerial and interpersonal skills that you're not going to get from a regular college education.
Cadet Adrienne Rolle: To be challenged on a regular basis both physically, mentally, emotionally, that is something that I really wanted to partake in.
Lieutenant Colonel Ike Wilson: West Point gives you day-to-day 24/7 opportunity to test yourself, to rise to the challenge and to frankly, lead.
Cadet Seth Johnson: I just feel that West Point is a fantastic opportunity and think that I've definitely changed a lot. I feel that I can overcome anything I put my mind to.
Captain Jeanne Hull: West Point has a very unique history in that every single graduate have participated in serving the country since the institution was founded.
Cadet Adrienne Rolle: What we become a part of here is like nothing else I've seen on a college campus.
Captain Jeanne Hull: When you're here, you are part of a living, breathing museum. You are doing things that have been done at this institution for the past two hundred and some odd years now. Everywhere that you go there are reminders about the people that went before you and things that they've accomplished and that's something that you don't get from most other places.
Captain Jeanne Hull: As a Soldier, I am responsible for the national defense. As a scholar, my mind has been honed and prepared to deal with a variety of challenges and a variety of problems.
Cadet Adrienne Rolle: That's what West point is about; the combination of leadership and knowledge. That's really what it takes to be a good Officer and I think that's something that distinguishes West Point from universities or other academies.
Captain Jeanne Hull: I feel extremely fortunate because very early on in my career I had the opportunity to work with General David Petraeus as an Intelligence Officer and I think that role suits me far better than being the person that's out front making the decisions. But at the same time I also appreciate the impact that I'm having on those decisions.
Colonel Michael Meese: Literally Captain Hull is making decisions and providing analysis that is affecting United States Policy. It's critical that those decisions be made by intelligent leaders and that's why we try to prepare them well here at West Point.
Lieutenant Colonel Ike Wilson: We create and have created the leaders of our nation.
Captain Jeanne Hull: Having a West Point education and being a West Point graduate is somethiing that distinguishes me from everyone else. It's something I will have on my resume and in my toolkit for the rest of my life.
UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY AT WEST POINT
WEST POINT CONSISTENTLY RANKS AMONG THE TOP PUBLIC COLLEGES IN THE NATION
DEVELOP LEADERSHIP SKILLS THROUGH ACADEMIC, MILITARY, AND PHYSICAL PROGRAMS
RECEIVE FULL TUITION, ROOM AND BOARD, AND MEDICAL AND DENTAL CARE
CHOOSE FROM MORE THAN 40 MAJORS
GRADUATE WITH A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE AND A COMMISSION AS AN OFFICER IN THE U.S. ARMY
For more than 200 years, West Point graduates have served our country as Army Officers, engineers, explorers, and leaders at all levels of business and government. The United States Military Academy at West Point is one of our nation's top universities, offering a fully funded and elite education while preparing you to become an Army Officer. You must be under 23 years old to enroll at West Point. Upon graduation, West Point Cadets are awarded a Bachelor of Science degree and commissioned as an Officer in the U.S. Army.
Military Junior Colleges (MJCs) provide a more structured and disciplined college experience, and the opportunity to become an Army Officer in two years. MJCs offer Army ROTC classes, leadership labs and field training along with your required degree courses. ROTC also offers full-tuition scholarships, allowances for books and fees, and annual stipends worth up to $5,000. At a MJC, you will complete the Leader's Training Course (LTC) at Ft. Knox, Kentucky, the summer before your freshman year. You will then take the ROTC Advanced Course studies while at the MJC. Upon graduation, you'll receive an associate degree and a commission as an Officer in the Army Reserve or Army National Guard.
Senior Military Colleges (SMCs) provide a more structured and disciplined college experience while also offering the Army ROTC curriculum. ROTC provides leadership training through a series of classes, leadership labs and field training taken along with your required college courses. ROTC also offers full-tuition scholarships, money for books and fees, and annual stipends worth up to $5,000. At graduation, you'll be commissioned as an Officer in the U.S. Army, Army Reserve or Army National Guard.
If you have two years remaining on your bachelor's or advanced degree, you are eligible to enroll in Army ROTC after completing the Leader's Training Course (LTC) at Ft. Knox, Kentucky. ROTC provides leadership training at more than 1,100 schools in the United States, Guam and Puerto Rico, and is taken along with your required college courses. ROTC offers full-tuition scholarships, money for books and fees, and annual stipends worth up to $5,000. Upon completion of ROTC requirements and graduation from college, you'll be commissioned as an Officer in the U.S. Army, Army Reserve or Army National Guard.
Some of the most highly specialized experts in the U.S. Army are Warrant Officers. Warrant Officers are experts in aviation, piloting some of the most technologically advanced aircraft in the world. You can become an Army aviator directly from high school. After selection for the aviation program, you'll attend Basic Combat Training (BCT) for 9 weeks and then go on to Warrant Officer Candidate School (WOCS) and flight training. As an Aviation Warrant Officer, you'll be paid for your expertise, receiving flight pay in addition to regular pay, allowances and benefits.
Officer Candidate School (OCS) provides college graduates the opportunity to enlist in the Army and become an Officer. Upon completion of Basic Combat Training (BCT), you'll attend OCS, enabling you to be commissioned as an Army Officer. OCS is also available to enlisted Soldiers with a college degree who want to join the ranks of the Officer corps.
Becoming an Officer is just one of the many careers and job opportunities available to you in the U.S. Army. To learn more about all of the career options the Army offers click below.
Officers serve in many different capacities in the U.S. Army. Based upon your education and level of expertise, you may be eligible to apply for a direct commission. Opportunities are available in the Judge Advocate General's (JAG) Corps for lawyers, Army Medical Corps (AMEDD) for doctors and nurses, and the Chaplain Corps for clergy. Direct Commission is also available into branches such as Adjutant General, Quartermaster or Military Intelligence for Army Reserve or Army National Guard Soldiers who meet the requirements.
