<p>My son is home on break, if anyone is interested he's more than willing to offer advice or answer questions. </p>
<p>Here's what he's thought of so far:</p>
<p>Things to do before you go:</p>
<p>Go to a running store, not a footlocker or payless. Have someone who knows what they're doing look at your feet and then watch you run in some neutral shoes. They can fit you for shoes that will correct pronation/supination. These are the main causes of shin splints over the summer and getting good shoes will keep you out of the pep-tent and off crutches. </p>
<p>RUN! Get in shape! Swim! RUN! GO OUTSIDE NOW! WHILE YOU STILL CAN!</p>
<p>During Plebe Summer:</p>
<p>Bring ONLY what's on your supply list. Don't bring any extra stuff. You don't need it. It's been said before but you could show up naked and be just fine after I-day. </p>
<p>Plebe summer is FUN. You get to run around outside, get wet, play in the mud AND you have 40 built in playmates! Keep a smile on your face and ENJOY it. The ac year comes up fast and no one likes that. </p>
<p>Your cadre WANT to be there (no not to torture you).
Don't fall into the trap of believing your upperclass are your enemies. The enemy is in Iraq, not Bancroft. </p>
<p>Don't get bogged down in petty fights with your roommates or squadmates. Your job is to work together and GET THROUGH. Also, as a side note, you're not there to find boyfriends or girlfriends. You're all adults, go hunting on your own time. (Plebe summer IS NOT your time...)</p>
<p>how hard are the academics? any paticular class that gives plebes a hard time? I have talked to alumni, and they have told me that if you put the time in with the proffesors, they have a "heart" when it comes to grading, and I have also heard that time for homework is extremely scarce. Any comments?</p>
<p>The naval academy professors have the hearts of small children. They keep them in jars on their desks. The plebe classes which historically cause the most problems are calculus and chemistry. If you can 'bone' up on your skills now, you'll be in much better shape. Beyond that, the almuni was right, you have to put in the time with profs, its called EI or extra instruction. If you think you're going to have problems in the class, introduce yourself early and start trying to make appointments for EI right away. It's SO much easier to stay ahead of the curve than to play catch up. If that doesn't work and your grades still slip, talk to your company academics officer, it will be a first class midshipman. Tell him you want a tutor. USNA pays to have tutors teach you up to twice a week in a subject you're struggling with. This is contingent on two things: that you've tried very hard in the class and that you have a good attitude. If the firstie drags his feet, you can go to the MISLO (Midshipman Information Services Liason Officer) link on the USNA intranet homepage and request a tutor yourself. There's an automated form you fill out yourself. </p>
<p>Yes, time for homework is limited. Plebe year is partly an exercise in prioritizing. You will be busy, but you will get better at managing your tasks. The basic rule is: Start working on papers as soon as you get them. You won't have every class every day, so work on whatever is due the next day first. </p>
<p>lil_killer:</p>
<p>As far as the difference between USNA and USAFA, I can't really speak intelligently. I can say, however, that several of my friends/roommates came to the Academy with vision waivers and have since had PRK corrective eye surgery with great results. So yes, you can easily get into either one with glasses. :) Good Luck! </p>
<p>As far as Aerospace engineering, i know USNA has a fantastic engineering program. There is an Aerospace Engineering major available, as well as an entire division devoted to weapons and engineering. You can major in ANYTHING at USNA but you will still graduate with a Bachelors of Science because of all the technical courses you're going to take.</p>
<p>All anyone ever says about preparation for plebe summer is to run so that you don't get stress related injuries. This has me thinking that we will be running upwards of 7 or 8 miles a day. Is that an accurate estimate? and is most of the running done in formation or is it like in between classes and evolutions? Also, I've read alot about care packages on here... What absolutely needs to be in the first one (I am going to go out and get the stuff so my mom doesn't have to worry about it) I have heard a mouthguard for boxing and goldbond...anything else that is vital?</p>
<p>Lets see what I remember...Pep every morning is about a mile, maybe. You'll also do formation runs once or twice a week, these can be anywhere from two to four miles. You won't have classes per se, but you will be moving across the yard from briefing to briefing. For whatever reason, the Navy usually sees fit to place these evolutions as far from each other as possible. So you will be route-stepping in formation to get there. It can't be more than 4 to 5 miles on average per day. </p>
<p>The vast majority of your running will be in formation, and this can pound your legs because you can't use your stride. You end up either shortening up or stretching waaay out depending on your height. Its not so much the distance but the intensity of the entire summer plus the fact that you get very little down time to heal up. </p>
<p>The moral is, take care of yourself, jump on little problems before they get worse and take you out of action.</p>
<p>As far as care packages, they won't let you self-medicate over the summer, so they'll confiscate any aspirin or ibuprofin your parents send you. Gold bond is great, but in my company it was confiscated as well. Food is always good! The trick is, you have to SHARE it. Spread the love around. Power bars or trail mix or things like that are great. Also, have your parents send you one of the ubiquitous USNA Nalgene bottles if you aren't issued one. The best thing, as corny as it sounds, is random letters from home. There will be bad days and its nice to know someone's rooting for you. Also, if you can get your parents to send you pre-adressed postcards you can just jot down a note whenever you have a spare second and send it out. Mouthguards will be provided for you since you're all too valuable for the Navy to mess up your teeth. : ) Hope this helps, keep the questions coming!</p>
<p>i get the occasional season allergies. how's it during the summer at USNA? my allergies aren't that bad. it's something that can easily be gone with a simple claritin D or so.</p>
<p>"Allergy Season" is highly individual, depending on what a person is allergic to, and when it "blooms".</p>
<p>One of my sons has his worst outbreak of allergies in late June through mid to late July, the other from mid August through the first hard frost. Because the yard has little in the way of open fields with wild vegetation, and lots of surrounding water, ragweed seems to be minimal. I do not know if plebes can take OTC allergy meds during plebe summer, however.</p>
<p>Plebe "hack" is quite prevalent, even in the cadre.</p>
<p>As far as allergies go, yes, there's a lot of crud floating around in the air, but again, since you can't self medicate your best bet is to tell a cadre early on and head to medical for some generic allergy medicine. However, as always, going to medical is just about the most inconvenient thing you could possibly do, so I would recommend suffering through unless you are unable to function. </p>
<p>Also, AF is the whiny little brother of Navy and Army...that's why we HAVE to let them play football but we always destroy them. : )</p>
<p>I applied to the Summer Seminar about a month ago, how long does it usually take to hear back? Also, I have only taken the SATs once and did pretty bad on it, do you think I could still get in if all my other things(extracurricular activities adn stuff like that) are good? Oh yeah, one more thing, does anybody know how difficult it is to get a nomination in Massachusetts? Thank you all very much.</p>
<p>Sorry, my son is back on the yard, but I might be able to add something here. </p>
<p>NASS-can't say, son didn't go. </p>
<p>SATs- try again. You need to have 600 or better on each section (or is it 650? I'm sure someone will correct me if I am wrong :)) and don't forget that you can also take the ACT and that might work better for you. You can take SAT prep classes or go online and prep, but that score is very important. Check the USNA website for recent classes and the scores for the class.</p>
<p>Massachusetts- well, maybe someone else here can take a stab at that one.</p>
<p>Do you know if people in a plebe's own company are available to help w/ the dreaded chem and calc? Is there any external pressure on the whizzes to help classmates or is there any tutoring or structure w/in companies to help their own?</p>
<p>^^^^^ Academic Center
All midshipmen have access to the Academic Center, which offers academic advising services and learning skills classes. Students who encounter academic difficulty during plebe year are referred to the Academic Center where they receive special academic advising, academic effectiveness classes and tutoring. A series of learning skills classes, including topics such as time management, note taking, effective reading, test taking and how to cope with challenges, is offered several times a year for interested midshipmen. The Academic Center coordinates the Plebe Advising Program where faculty members serve as the advisors for a company of plebes during both plebe summer and academic year.</p>
<p>Midshipmen Group Study Program (MGSP)
MGSP provides an opportunity for midshipmen to study with others taking the same course, to compare notes, to discuss important concepts, and to develop strategies for studying. Groups are directed by midshipmen who have done well in the course and are trained in leading others. The program provides assistance in Chemistry (SC111, 112), Calculus (SM005, 121, 122, 131, 161, 221, 223), Physics (SP211, 212), and Statics/Dynamics (EM211, 232).</p>