If the IAW and Boys/Girls State Conferences occur at the same time, which event should the candidate attend?
We recommend the candidate attend the State Conference as it is considered a ‘leadership’ activity and can help boost their file in that particular category. Although the IAW is a great experience in which to participate, the candidate always has the opportunity to visit USMA sometime later in the admissions process to gain that ‘first hand experience’. It is impossible, however, to ‘recreate’ the Boys/Girls State Conference. As for the IAW, students who are invited to attend are those who, up until that point in their academic careers, have demonstrated the ‘potential’ to have a solid file in which the Admissions Office is interested. Attending the IAW and then ‘slacking off’ in one’s studies the next semester or entire senior year would definitely be a detractor in the admissions process for any institution. If you have the opportunity to attend the IAW, by all means attend! However, don’t consider it imperative that you attend. I personally come from an extended family of 7 USMA gra
