<p>Everybody gets evaluated on everything. Some of it matters, some of its doesn't.</p>
<p>Bottom line, don't act like a dork and you won't be treated like one. Don't dress like a dork and you won't be treated like one.
Ask reasonable questions, keep reasonably quiet, don't brag about things that don't matter, keep up or be left behind and find out what you need to find out to make a decision.
We've all been there. We've all been unsure of what we were getting into.</p>
<p>1,000 people a year make it through plebe year. It's not the end of the world.
Ask the plebe what you want, then forget about it mostly because it all changes come I-day.</p>
<p>You know what I've found to be the golden rule? What keeps you out of trouble more than anything else?</p>
<p>Don't get others in trouble.</p>
<p>I'm not saying there is wholesale breaking of rules or anything but, primarily, your mission in life sh ould be to do what you are told when you are told to do it. Just that simple.
Keep your boss [in this case cadre and other upper class] out of trouble and you don't get in trouble.</p>
<p>Opening the care packages in front of the cadre is SOP during plebe summer, but not during the year. During my son's plebe summer ( in another company) the cadre discovered that a friend of a plebe (with an undisclosed problem with alcohol) was sending her little bottles of liquor. They won't open sealed envelopes but postcards are fair game-incoming and outgoing. Speaking of care packages, there's a wonderful service offered through the chaplains that provides plebes who, for one reason or another , aren't receiving boxes, their own care packages. So when you make one up for your own plebe, do up another and send it to "Any Plebe" care of the Chaplains</p>
<p>As my Plebe described it, "You keep your mouth shut, your head down, and do what you're told to do. And you'll be fine. Anyone that is here, can succeed; it's all about attitude and effort."</p>
<p>Hahah dont worry about cadre opening your plebes mail or care packages. Mail/packages are given out at Blue and Gold and you just open them and the squad leader looks in; they arent out to find things to confiscate and Im pretty sure there is a rule that they cant take anything from the plebe. Mail call is generally a more positive time of the day and while the cadre may seem at times to be out to ruin your life, they really arent. How tough things are for you is directly proportional to how well you are performing "plebe duties." And yes, your plebe duty includes making sure your 'shipmates' are doing their duties as well....thats kind of where things get interesting.</p>
<p>During the Ac year you go to the mail room yourself. No one checks your mail. The Ac year is SO SO SO much different than plebe summer. </p>
<p>As for ideal care packages (for the summer).....</p>
<p>Chocolate :D (for days that were rough)
granola bars<br>
pictures
Snuggle dryer sheets- haha I like the smell and I just threw them in my laundry bag cuz it helped
notes/letters from home/friends about whatever was going on</p>
<p>You get issued shout wipes and bandaids and all that jazz. My favorite care packages just had a little note from my family in there and a small chocolate bar and some pictures. My family did some cool stuff- my mom had bought a stuffed bill the goat and took pictures of him in front of all my favorite places in town and then sent them to me (she was bored one day haha), and my brother signed on my screen name with an away message saying that people could leave me messages and he would print them off and mail them. That was cool. Honestly, during the summer its the little things that count.</p>
<p>Wow, sorry for the long rambling post. I hope that answered some peoples questions/curiosities? If anything can be specified let me know.....</p>
<p>As for now, I must trek over to Sampson....</p>
<p>Our plebe said no cleaning or body supplies - as APan said thats all issued. He wanted granola bars, homemade cookies, single serving cool-aide packs, and breakfast bars. </p>
<p>The two things he really liked and thanked us many times was a letter a day with a few (2-3) pictures in each letter - we never missed a day! His best friend would check out all of the friends facebook pictures, download pictures of the gang and e-mail them to me and I would print 3x5's every night to put in the next day's letter. I in turn would find pictures from of him on dropshots that were posted every day and send those to the friend who would then put them on my plebes facebook - he had so much fun during PPW reading all of the messages that were posted to his face book. Everybody felt like they got a glimpse of what he was doing and he knew what the gang was doing just through the pictures! </p>
<p>Becareful with putting non-allowed items in the confidential locker. If there is any suspicion that non-allowed items are being hidden in there, a chit can be routed to conduct a "Health & Wellness" Inspection and con-lockers are then opened. Health and Wellness inspections are usually unannounced...so that means at a certain time in the day (assuming a chit is approved), the CC/XO could say, plebes you may not enter your room until a 1/C is there and then when the 1/C arrives, the con-locker is opened for inspection.</p>
<p>Our company had a Health & Wellness inspection after a drinking in the hall incident occured in the brigade last year. It was unannounced, and alcohol was not the only thing being looked for.</p>
<p>ETA: "Health and Wellness" inspections? Sheesh, some things HAVE really changed. In our day, your CO or upperclassmen simply walked in and started looking.</p>
<p>Oh, well. I'm sure there's a method to the madness.</p>