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Aerial view of West Point on the Hudson River

USMA · Life at the academy · Year 3 of 4

Cow yearU.S. Military Academy (West Point) · Second class

What year 3 of 4 at USMA looks like: milestones, training, privileges and the service commitment, from official USMA pages.

West Point and the Hudson River from the air, 2013. Photo: Joe Mabel (on Flickr as Joe Mabel from Seattle, US) via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

What this year is like

Cow year is when the service obligation becomes binding, at the Oath of Affirmation the night before classes begin. Cows lead as cadet sergeants, and many can park a personal vehicle on campus.

Rank and duties
cadet sergeant, a senior NCO, leading at the squad, platoon, and company levels12.
Branch step
Branch Week, branch talks, and, for Aviation, EOD, or MEDEVAC pilot applicants, physicals that start in the fall of cow year3.

Key milestones and events

  • CTLT or advanced schools
  • Oath of Affirmation
  • Cadet sergeant
  • 500th Night
  • Ring Melt
Milestones
500th Night and the Ring Melt1. Ring timing is described two ways: the milestones summary says cows experience "receiving your class rings," while the firstie page places the ring ceremony at Ring Weekend, marking "your entrance into the ranks of first-class cadets"14. Cows select and order rings; see both pages.

Academics and training

Summer training
The summer before cow year means "a summer leadership detail or... an Individual Advanced Development (IAD) program"1. Advanced options include CTLT, four weeks shadowing a lieutenant in an active-duty Army unit, and two-to-four-week Military Individual Advanced Development (MIAD) schools such as Airborne and Air Assault5. About 20% of cadets do Cadet Leader Development Training as cows4.

Privileges

Privileges
"expanded opportunities to leave post, and for many, the ability to own and park a personal vehicle on campus"1. Cows may apply for an optional Career Starter Loan1.

Service commitment

The commitment point
On the night before cow classes begin, cadets take the Oath of Affirmation. "From that moment on, your service obligation is binding"1. Before that oath, "cadets may leave West Point for whatever reason without incurring a service obligation"6.

Sources

  1. Cow Milestones (westpoint.edu)
  2. Corps of Cadets (westpoint.edu)
  3. Branch Education (westpoint.edu)
  4. Firstie Milestones (westpoint.edu)
  5. Military Training (westpoint.edu)
  6. Tuition and Service Commitment (westpoint.edu)

Official pages change. Confirm details with USMA before you plan around them.

Still in high school?

See what to do each year, from freshman year to reporting day, for USMA.

High school, year by yearUSMA overview