it all works out

My son is very interested in USMA; however, his grades are not up to par. He would love to be offered MAPS. Is it ever a good idea to express interest in MAPS in the application or is that not a good idea?

dychang

Don't even mention it. Your son's goal is to get into the Service Academy. It rather shows a lack of confidence (USMAPS doesn't even guarantee an admission ticket to WP). If WP thinks it's appropriate for him to go to USMAPS, then they will make him go. The top priority right now should be getting good grades in order to have a high class rank (WP don't look at GPA much b/c of nationwide GPA inflation), and unless he is a recruited athlete... low grades/SAT/ACT won't work out with USMAPS. Typically kids who go to USMAPS, who are not recruited athletes/prior servicemen, are smart. They might have medical issues, etc, but definitely gotta keep up with admissions process with set priorities.