<p>I know “Contrails” is the book that you memorize knowledge from as a basic. My parents are telling me that it would be a good idea to get one beforehand (like Ebay) to get a feel for the info and have a leg up. I’m not too sure on trying to get ahead on knowledge. Is it a good idea to get one just to familiarize myself with some of the facts or would that be frowned upon at the academy?</p>
<p>From what I've heard and read, knowing too much isn't really going to be an advantage to you. I was also looking for Contrails but I was informed that if the upperclassmen see you as a "know it all" they'll give you a hard time. The way I see it is that you are going to learn all the stuff while you are there and there should be no need to get ahead and show up your classmates. As my AFJROTC instructor says when somoene makes and obvious know-it-all answer; "no one likes to get pimped."</p>
<p>If I ever had to be exact in my opinion its this, DO NOT GET ONE. You'll learn it just the same as everyone else, getting ahead helps no one. Don't do it.</p>
<p>definitely don't get one. There are no good things that can come from it, it will only come back to bite you in the end no matter what happens. Plus, they're usually pretty expensive on ebay</p>
<p>I agree with hornet and patriot. Don't get one. The knowledge stuff at the Academy is designed to be learned AT the Academy. If you learn it before you come, you'll most likely end up "pimping" out your classmates, like some of the prep schoolers I went through basic with did to the rest of my basic flight. Everyone really hated it when they showed they already knew some of the stuff we were working hard at learning. </p>
<p>I just got to share an example for all the current USAFA cadets on here. One girl, a preppie, decided to pimp us all out by telling the Cadre that her favorite quote was Schofield's Quote (one of the longest quotes you learn at the Academy), which 95% of us had never heard of. We then had to learn the quote in the pushup position. We still talk about how she pimped us out.</p>
<p>What the three before me have said is spot on. Trying to get a head start on knowledge may seem like a good idea now, but the central concept behind BCT is that of the "team effort." By knowing things that you're classmates haven't learned yet, everyone else looks bad.</p>
<p>Like Falcons '11 mentioned, you will hear about "pimping out your classmates" during Basic. Often times, it's a judgment call. Let's say you (then basic cadets) are all lined up and are asked to recite...I don't know, John Stuart Mill's quote. None of your classmates know it. If you've seen it before, should you speak up and try to placate the upperclassman, or should you remain silent with the rest of your team? If you say nothing, then not knowing the quote may be understandable. If you guys have never been taught that quote before or were only recently introduced to it, then your cadre may be understanding, seeing as no one remembers it. From their perspective, they must not have gone over it enough with you. But if you decide to recite the quote on your own, well, then you've opened the gates for bad things to potentially happen. First, the rest of your basic flight looks bad for knowing it. If one basic knows the quote, then there's no excuse for everyone else not to remember it. Secondly, you open yourself up to blame as well. If you know the quote, why didn't you help your classmates to learn it? Were you only looking out for yourself? Is your success more important than the success of the group? Not to mention that, as mentioned above, your classmates probably won't be too happy that they were pimped out and made to look bad. The bottom line is that even if no one knows the right answer, at least you've failed as a group. To divide the team and try to go it alone is usually a bad idea. I remember a story hornet once told on this topic. Early on in the academic year (his 4 dig year), two roommates were running late to fall out for formation and couldn't remember which side of their uniforms their nametags should be on. They wound up picking the wrong side, but they weren't yelled at/punished very much because they had standardized, and at least they had failed as a team. The upperclassmen probably even got a good laugh out of it.</p>
<p>This probably sounds fairly intimidating, but don't worry about it too much. The right choice in a given situation will usually be pretty clear. To summarize though, it would be better to go into Basic without any advantage over your classmates. You'll learn everything you need to know along the way, along with the rest of your group. That is, really, the way it was meant to be, because it contributes to your development and cohesion as a BCT flight and later as the four degree class of an academic squadron. Supporting your classmates is an important concept, and it's one that you'll likely best understand and appreciate if you come in with a clean slate.</p>
<p>Well said, PETKO.</p>