<p>To those parents with kids at Session I this week that haven’t heard from their darlings, things sound like they are going well. Son Mike called at 11 pm last night “on a high” and was having a blast it appears. Cool weather so far but he’s still is halfway the 18 pairs of socks he took ( so don’t skimp on them Session II goers). Ditto on T-shirts. Apparently you get a few there but he says he wishes he brought more dry personal ones for “off duty” times.</p>
<p>Parents, please dont worry if your kids dont call you at the seminar. I was so excited and having so much fun I forgot to call them for a long time...I finally remembered when I got back from church on Sunday and had a few hours before my roomates got back from their hike.</p>
<p>Bottom line...the seminar is loads of fun and don't worry too much about them. They'll tell you all about it when they get back.</p>
<p>DKnight, did your son get any of the classes he requested do you know? My son called once and was disappointed in the class selections. He is engineering minded and got very few of those classes - the one class he truly didn't want, he got - uh huh English and War Poetry.</p>
<p>Well,we always say there is a reason for everything...even English and War Poetry. He said there is someone there who wanted that class and didn't get it but it seems that most of the people in the class wish to be elsewhere.</p>
<p>Yes, his call said "he got the classes he wanted" but no details. Knowing he wanted the glider and rocket design classes the most, I'm assuming that is what he meant....</p>
<p>Sorry to hear about your son's disapointment. Do I recall that he was one of the one's that got in via the waitlist, or was that CG AIM (or some other person)?</p>
<p>At least the weather is cool out there this week - looks good for NASS III next week also (Mike got into all three - AF first, then immediately to NASS the next day (phew), then up to CG AIM III in July.... busy busy but he'll really be able to compare the three academies when he's done).</p>
<p>We're from suburban Philadelphia - not too far from you. My son got into AFSS within 48 hours of applying. He did NASS session 1 and will have an opportunity at Coast Guard (not AIM 3, tho.) Does your son want to be a pilot?</p>
<p>Yep. Drop me an email at <a href="mailto:Dknightfam@aol.com">Dknightfam@aol.com</a> if you have any suggestions for NASS (other than those already posted here on CC) - he's heading there right after AFS on Saturday.</p>
<p>i got permission from my principal to miss my regents and take them in august/january. i took finals instead this week for my transcript. the teachers were cool about it and didn't mind making up another final since they knew how prestigious it is.</p>
<p>Son Mike is missing the last TWO WEEKS of school and his finals so as to attend AFA (finshes today) and NASS (starts tomorrow) - he has to report back to school after it is out (i.e. last week of June) to take all of his Finals (which are supposedly locked in a safe and awaiting his return...). Can you say worn out by July 4th weekend!!? :)</p>
<p>PS: His Principal was OK with the idea of missing school as her son is a middie at the Merchant Marine academy right now! And the other teachers are considering it "school interview visitations" and giving him credit on homework, etc. He just misses the Final reviews, etc. but he should do OK nevertheless - he has solid scores in his AP classes already....</p>
<p>Since he never called the entire time, I figured he was having fun. He did.</p>
<p>He came home with a strained voice from Doolie day. This is what I was able to extract out of him. He didnt arrive early enough to hike the canyon. So if your kid would enjoy the hiking arrive at the airport before 1 PM. They gave him all kinds of stuff. This year they did get jackets, but they are plain, thin and not very warm. He now understands the joke If you dont like the weather, wait 5 minutes. </p>
<p>Because of the strange coincidence, he was in the same element with his friend from HS, last names with same letter. I thought that was really funny, 365 kids and the 2 of them in the same element. They had very little free time, about an hour each night. He spent that time showering and relaxing-- getting to know his roommate. They really got on well.</p>
<p>The Seminars that he went to wereDouble E, Poli Sci (loved that one), Lasers and physics, History (too dry), Money Management, Airmanship (T-6 sim), Math Bombs on target and last one he hasnt told me. The only one he really didnt like was the history it was just not an interesting period of time to him. This kid loves history.</p>
<p>He was very surprised at the number of people who were there only because their parents wanted them to go. Many of the folks in his element said they really were not planning to apply. I wonder if these folks had been interviewed by ALOs or if they were 2 days after you apply you got in folks.</p>
<p>The food was interesting and I could live with it for 4 years. It solidified his choice to apply to go there. </p>
<p>Lessons learned:</p>
<p>Go early on the first day if you want to take the hike.<br>
You will get what you get for seminars; go in with an open mind for all of them.
Pack what they tell you, you really dont need that much.
If you take the rocketry class you set of the explosives at the airport alarm.
Dont book an early flight out, you will be getting up at O dark 30 (3AM)
Have fun.</p>
<p>I am packing my bag (Female) do I really need my suit...will khaki's and a polo be acceptable? Mostly jeans, how many shorts? How was doolie night...The mock indoc at Navy was more funny than serious.</p>
<p>Pack only what they tell you to in the brochure that you were mailed. Trust me, you will find yourself with way too much to carry on the way home if you pack much more than that. If "suit" refers to swimsuit, then you will not need it. If it refers to a business suit, then you will need it for the final night.</p>
<p>Don't bring a lot of shirts, they give you 5 that you wear everyday to class. The suit is up to you, some of the sports you'll play after class depends on the element cadre. S brought 2 shirts one for the formal thing and one to wear home on the plane. He wore new jeans everyday, as did most everyone. </p>
<p>The one suit case he brought home was so stuffed that he checked the small duffle they gave him, it had the sweat suit, 3 of the SS shirts and some of the small stuff from his other suit case.</p>
<p>He used the space bags to shrink his sleeping bag and pillow. Worth the price from wal-mart. You will bring home a bunch of stuff just plan on it. He got use to living from a suit case when he went to Australia 3 weeks as an exchange student.</p>
<p>Son Mike enjoyed AFA A. Not as much drilling/marching as he expected. Lots of time spent in "horizonal attention position" - i.e. push-ups, so his arms and shoulders took the brunt of the week. Good classes and good weather, though those cadets that did not drink enough water or were in lousy shape did spend time ralphing around him. </p>
<p>Unfortunately he flew home with a stuffy nose and sore thought (from all the yelling back during Dolliee Day?) so he was in rough shape this morning when we drove him over to Annapolis for thier summer session (back-to-back SS, then home to take the Finals he's missing at HS). </p>
<p>All in all, he did not think AFA was all that tough - NASS is supposedly alot more physical so pray for him...</p>
<p>What did they have you do for doolie day. NASS was only a couple hours in the hallway playing ping-pong...Sea Trials were very physical and lots of running. Will we be running at AFA or just lots of push-ups. Getting psyched up. Leave for Denver in a couple hours.</p>