I Graduated From West Point — I Won’t Encourage My Children To
West Point produces officers for the military, not emotionally intelligent leaders of character for the nation
I was 16 when the 9/11 terrorist attacks occurred. Signing up for West Point seemed like the best and most right thing I could do to serve my country and make a difference. Two months later, on my birthday, I got my acceptance letter. And in the summer of 2002, still just 17 years old, I arrived to West Point.
The four years I did at West Point were the longest and hardest years of my life. West Point claims to create leaders of character for the United States of America, but it fails to teach cadets some of the most important things needed to be a true leader in the real world.
The discipline and strictness at West Point build grit, perseverance, and mental toughness, but it comes at the cost of churning out officers who lack emotional intelligence and the ability to think for and take care of themselves.
At West Point, you don’t learn about empathy and how critical a role it plays in being a good leader. You don’t learn how to really listen to others and communicate your feelings. You don’t learn about self care.
West Point isn’t your typical college experience. Every portion of the academic year and your summers are controlled. When I was a cadet, there were three pillars — academic, physical, and military. They’ve since added character development as a fourth pillar.
From the moment you set foot campus, West Point controls what you can and can’t do. From the time you wake up, to the time you go to bed, it’s all part of a schedule given to you with very little room for flexibility.
West Point does a few things well. It teaches you how to operate under pressure. It teaches you mental toughness. It teaches you the importance of discipline. But mostly, West Point does a good job of producing officers who are bitter, frustrated, and lacking in emotional intelligence.
For all its storied history, for all the Generals and Ambassadors and other leaders who have graduated from the West Point, it’s not a place I want my children to go. West Point produces officers for the military, but not leaders for the real world. There’s so much more to life and leadership than what’s taught at West Point — which is why I won’t encourage my children to attend.
West Point doesn’t create leaders of character.
Does West Point attract people with character? Absolutely. But character isn’t something any person or institution can give you. Not even West Point.
West Point’s 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.”
Do a lot of officers with character emerge from West Point? Absolutely. Does West Point produce many officers lacking in character? Absolutely.
From my experience, those who showed up to West Point with strong character left that way. Those who were lacking in character when they arrived left unchanged. West Point isn’t a magical place where you enter and somehow leave transformed into a leader of character.
West Point has an honor code that reads, “A cadet will not lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate those who do.” Cadets lacking in character didn’t adhere to this because they internalized it — they did so because breaking the honor code put you at risk of being kicked out.
If West Point produces leaders of character, why do West Pointers regularly make the headlines for actions that display a lack of character? West Pointers like Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, James Johnson, David Petraeus, Stanley McChrystal, and Paula Broadwell — all West Point graduates — have made headlines for actions displaying a lack of character.
You don’t have to look any further than the disheartening number of sexual assaults happening at West Point to realize it’s an institution full of cadets and senior officers lacking in character with no regard for the honor code. The number of sexual assaults at West Point and the other service academies is up 47% since 2016. This is unacceptable and heartbreaking, especially for a place claiming to be the bedrock of character development.
In response to these reports, the West Point Superintendent announced a stand-down day, and declared. “Sexual assault and harassment have no place at West Point or in our Army. It erodes readiness and the trust required to build cohesive teams and is contrary to West Point ideals and Army values.”
As someone who now works in Policy and Communications, I can see right through PR nonsense. It’s a similar statement to one the Superintendent made when I was a cadet about sexual assault. If West Point was led by leaders of character who care as much about sexual assault as they do about the well-manicured parade field, you might see real change. If West Point had leaders of character who cared as much about sexual assault as they do about winning football games, you might see real change. West Point spends more time and resources making sure cadets don’t wear socks that show their ankles than they do keeping cadets safe from sexual assault.
It’s a black mark on the character of West Point and the bedrock of character it claims to be.
Character is doing the right thing, even when no one is looking. Character is not something anyone or any institution can give you. Character lies deep within each of us — it’s something you have to want for yourself. Military officers can’t give it to you, a cadet honor code can’t give it to you, putting you on lock down and punishing you for every infraction won’t give it to you.
At West Point, someone is always looking. From the first mandatory formation at 6:55 am, to TAPS at 11:30 pm when someone checks to make sure you’re in your room — someone is always watching.
From the moment you set foot on West Point, fellow cadets, military tactical officers, senior enlisted soldiers, and military professors are all watching and enforcing the rules. During the weekends, cadets who have broken rules or displayed a lack of character get to spend the afternoon walking for hours in a circle in full parade uniform.
Once you leave West Point, you don’t have someone watching you every waking moment anymore. Those who show up to West Point lacking in character and graduate will continue to be lacking in character as soon as no one is watching.
At West Point, you’re constantly told you’re the best and brightest. You’re made to feel West Point is producing the best leaders of character for the nation and holding cadets to a higher — and superior — standard to anyone else. It’s easy to fall into believing this when you’re bombarded with this daily by military officers.
I served in the Army for eights years, worked in non-profit for three years, and I’ve been in tech now for four years. Many of the best leaders I’ve met have been those outside of West Point and the Army. I’ve served with some amazing leaders of character who came out of West Point. But these individuals are leaders of character despite going to West Point — not because of it.
Not only is it inaccurate, but it’s dangerous to think the leaders West Point says it’s producing are not only different, but better than any other. I’ve met leaders in non-profit, in tech, in education, in medicine — all leaders of character superior to anything I saw coming out of West Point.
West Point doesn’t teach you emotional intelligence.
Becoming more emotional intelligent is the most important part of my development in the last few years. It’s something I’ve been deliberate about because it’s not something that’s taught at West Point.
People who are emotionally intelligent are empathetic, they listen to others and communicate their feelings, they’re self aware, and they handle pressure in a healthy way.
At West Point, the program is designed to produce mentally tough officers. Officers who can make decisions under pressure, who are resilient, and who can stay focused.
West Point worships at the alter of stoicism, demanding cadets show no emotions, keep things to themselves, and drive on no matter what — like a good soldier.
True mental toughness needed by good leaders involves having emotional intelligence though. Mental toughness without emotional intelligence may work in an alpha-male environment like West Point and the Army, but it’s not healthy, and it doesn’t work in the real world.
During the first summer at West Point, when the new cadets arrive for Beast Barracks, about 5 -10% of the incoming class quits. They realize West Point just isn’t the right fit for them. By the end of the four years at West Point, another 10% or more will leave or get kicked out. My class started with about 1,200 cadets and graduated with close to 850.
During the very first day of Beast Barracks, when you have your head shaved and you’re running around for hours on end in the hot sun getting yelled at, at least a dozen cadets will quit. On the very first day. Remember, all West Point cadets who show up on day 1 have received a nomination from someone in Congress or the Senate, and were at the top of their high school class in academics, sports, and extracurricular activities.
And as soon as the first new cadet quits, a senior cadet will get on the loudspeaker and announce for the entire Corps of Cadets to hear, “Attention all cadets, the first new cadet has quit.” The announcement is greeted with cheers and applause by many. A new cadet who quits is seen as a weakling who just couldn’t cut it. “Good riddance, right? They didn’t belong here anyway,” is the mentality you’re taught at West Point right from the start.
Crying, showing emotions, and expressing your feelings are discouraged from your first day at West Point, and this continues over the entire four years you’re there. Many of the officers who return to West Point to become instructors are graduates themselves. When you have instructors and military Officers lacking in emotional intelligence as instructors, they’re not equipped to teach it to the cadets under them.
A Colonel in charge of discipline often led feedback sessions at West Point (not the best person to hold sensing sessions), his favorite responses were, “no, that’s not a good idea.” And, “that’s just the way we do things here.”
West Point, it views emotional intelligence as touchy feely — not something to be taught or demonstrated to young officers being trained for a career of service in the military.
For the top leaders at West Point, emotional intelligence — especially empathy — is seen as something that can’t be defined or taught — it’s something you either have or don’t have. These are the same leaders that continue to insist that character is something you can teach though.
West Point dismisses emotional intelligence to its own demise. Not only would teaching cadets about emotional intelligence make them better officers, but it will better prepare them for life once they leave the military. Everyone who graduates from West Point will leave the military — many before making the rank of Major. Nearly 65% of West Pointers get out before serving a full career (20 years) in the military.
Instead of teaching cadets about emotional intelligence, West Point focuses more time on giving cadets weekend room inspections, where you have to fold your clothes a certain way, line up your books in height order, polish brass until it shines, and make sure no dust shows up on any surface when a white glove is brushed across it.
I’m sure Mike Pompeo, who graduated first in his West Point class, excelled at all of the above.
West Point doesn’t teach you how to take care of yourself.
First formation at West Point is at 6:55 am. If you’re late or miss formation, plan to spend your weekend walking for hours in a circle.
All classes are mandatory. If you miss a class, expect to be walking on the weekend for hours on end. The same is true if you’re even 1-second late to class — again, the punishment is spending your weekend walking hours.
Most cadets are walking zombies during their time at West Point. The day starts with wake-up at 6 am and lights out at midnight — and they fill almost all of those hours with mandatory requirements. Although lights out is at midnight, talk to any cadet at West Point, and you’ll discover most cadets have to stay up far past midnight to do well in class.
I have vivid memories of staying up until 2 or 3 in the morning regularly. I stopped counting how many all-nighters I pulled after about a dozen.
If you stay up all night working on a project, it makes sense to sleep in or miss a morning class to take care of yourself. At West Point, that’s not an option. Cadets who stay up late into the night studying still have to be at first formation at 6:55 am, and if they miss their first class at 7:35 am, they’ll spend their weekend walking in a circle. How does this teach a cadet about prioritization and self care? It doesn’t.
If you don’t have class in the morning, you’re still not allowed to sleep. Every morning until noon, cadets are in what’s called AMI (AM inspection). When you’re in AMI, your door has to be propped open 90 degrees, your room has to be clean, and your bed perfectly made with hospital corners in the comforter. And there’s no sleeping allowed.
West Point is supposed to be creating the future leaders of America, and there are rules telling cadets when they can and can’t take a nap in their own room.
It’s a huge deal when the West Point Superintendent (A three-star General) puts cadets in PMI (PM Inspection). This usually happens when Army wins a football game or something. You have some of the best and brightest young men and women gleefully cheering because for one beautiful morning every couple of months, a 3-star General tells them they can close their door in the morning, keep some trash in their trashcan, and take a nap if they want.
Instead of letting cadets focus on self-care, West Point crams the schedule of cadets as full as possible. Most cadets have 15 to 18 credits every semester, no exception. On the weekend, instead of being able to study or relax, you’re required to attend home football games. Nothing creates future leaders of the nation like marching them to watch a football game and stand the whole time. And if it’s not a football game you have to attend on a Saturday, it’s often a parade you’re marching in to honor some old General who graduated from the Academy years ago.
West Point claims to create leaders of character for the nation. While it may create officers for the military, it does a poor job of creating true leaders for the nation. The discipline and strictness at West Point build mental toughness for sure, but true leaders need more than just mental toughness.
To be successful in today’s world, you have to be well rounded. You must have empathy, the ability to listen to others, and the ability to communicate your feelings. Beore you can take care of others, you need to know how to take care of yourself. These are all critical things that West Point not only doesn’t teach, but discourages.
For every Eisenhower and Buzz Aldrin to graduate from West Point, you also have Robert E. Lee, who betrayed his country, General MacArthur who was more worried about his legacy than anything else, and General Westmorland who continually lied about the war in Vietnam.
West Point has produced Presidents, you say? Yes. And there are also 9 Presidents who didn’t even go to college. Presidents like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Harry Truman.
Does West Point have some current Fortune 500 CEOS? Yes, it does. But it ranks behind schools like the State University of New York, Lehigh University, Michigan State University, Purdue University, University of Michigan, and the University of Wisconsin — to name a few.
Some amazing leaders of character are West Pointers I’ve had the privilege to serve alongside and work with. From my experience, these are all individuals who are great leaders, not because of West Point, but because of who they are, deep down inside. Emotionally intelligent leaders full of character, who led well in the Army and now continue to lead well in non-profit, technology, education, and other fields.
I want my children to be well-equipped to lead in the real world. To do this, they’ll need a complete and well-rounded education, one I believe is best found outside of the walls of West Point.
Andrew is a West Point grad and combat veteran.
