Class of 2020 enters West Point

By

The Associated Press

WEST POINT, NY – JUNE 27: Cadet candidates receive orders from older cadets during the in-processing procedures during Reception Day at the United States Military Academy at West Point, June 27, 2016 in West Point, New York. Reception Day is the day when new cadets report to West Point to begin the process of becoming West Point cadets and future U.S. Army officers. Upwards of 1,300 cadet candidates for the class of 2020 will report to West Point on Monday. The new cadets will begin six weeks of basic training before Acceptance Day in early August. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

WEST POINT, N.Y. — West Point is welcoming a new class of cadets.

The U.S. Military Academy will take in almost 1,300 cadet candidates Monday morning.

They will begin six weeks of rigorous training designed to get them used to military life. They will be formally welcomed into the corps’ class of 2020 after the six weeks of basic training.

The cadet candidates include 282 women, who make up 22 percent of the class. About a third of the new cadets are minorities.

There also are 15 cadet candidates from other countries, including Pakistan, South Korea and Turkey.