Sidwell Friends prepared Philippe Sanchez ‘16 for the academic and physical challenges of West Point, but not for some of the other things that come with military service. “Coming from Sidwell, I had spent the last 12 years of my life learning how to express my identity as an individual," Sanchez wrote by e-mail. "But within the first few hours of being in-processed, I soon found myself to be just another shaved head amongst a sea of black shirts standing in formation.” Sanchez is currently a freshman, or “plebe,” at West Point, and one of only two Sidwell graduates currently attending a service academy. The academies are often ranked by publications like Forbes and US News and World Report as among the most selective colleges and universities in the country, and they have a reputation for academic excellence, as well as demanding requirements for physical fitness and military skills. Despite their prestige, the academies do not attract the same level of interest fr...
There's nothing so relaxing as being totally prepared