<p>Make sure to change your socks every day. You'll be amazed at how much of a difference this makes, especially when it gets cold later in the year. </p>
<p>Strange that I'm gonna be a Cow soon... Just a brief update on me--3 week AIAD to Egypt, and Buckner II PSG. I'm having eye surgery in early August, and I'm spending a semester abroad 2nd semester. Should be a good time!</p>
<p>Marines4Me!! Congrats on your summer assignments. That is awesome, and it is great to hear from you.</p>
<p>Wow, marines4me, time does fly. Sounds like your next summer and year are going to be eventful. You are seizing all those great opportunities!</p>
<p>Holy god...you're all growing up so fast! <em>sniff</em> :) You're going to Egypt? Great AIAD. Take lots of pictures. Where's your semester abroad?</p>
<p>More random tips...Unwrap what t-shirts and underwear you need for your display drawers, but leave the rest in the packages and only take them out as needed. Also, the top two inspectable drawers in your dresser are NOT TO BE USED. Put them together and tape everything down, then leave them alone. Put the rest of your t-shirts and socks in your other drawers. Those only have to be neat, not perfect. The t-shirts and handkerchifes in my dresser drawers as a firstie were the same ones that I ironed and folded in Beast.</p>
<p>When you SAMI your room for the first time, have one roommate put all the inspectable drawers together. That's the only way to make sure they're all exactly identical to each other. The other roomie(s) can dust, rearrange stuff, tighten beds, polish shoes, whatever they need to do to chip in equally, but it's really best to only have one person do it. Fold your stuff into "nineths." Take a t-shirt. Pull each side in and fold it into thirds. take the bottom of the shirt and pull it a third of the way up, then fold the top of the shirt a third of the way down. Turn it over. It should be a perfect rectangle, nothing to disturb the white cotton of the shirt front. This is the best way, because there's nothing to make any shirt look different from the others this way. This is also the best way to fold underwear, when you finish it'll look like a box of jello. It's important to fold the bottom up and then the top because doing it top then bottom doesn't give the underwear a stable base and they'll fall over. West Point filled me with esotaric facts like that :)</p>
<p>For your sheets, make a sheet burrito to hide the edges. Take one sheet and fold it into quarters. Take the rest of the sheets and fold them neatly, you want them all to be about the same size. Place them in the middle of the quartered sheet. This is your burrito filling. Pull the sides of the quartered sheet in, then fold the top and bottom over and flip the burrito over. It too should just be a plain cotton quadrangle. This will save you from having to refold your sheets over and over. </p>
<p>Label your stuff when you get there. Take a thick Sharpie, the laundry markers are cheap and worthless. Last initial and last four (of your social security number) on every item of clothing you're issued, this will help greatly when the laundry plant loses your pants. Label your hangers too. You're never going to remember what belongs to who so this takes care of that problem. Number your tops and bottoms of your ACUs so that you launder them at the same time and then they won't fade unevenly and make you look funny. Make sure you number them on a double layer of fabric, my tops are labeled on the inside of the jacket, over the right pocket. My pants are labeled on the right pocket flap, on the inside.</p>
<p>I'll post more as I think of things...</p>
<p>WOW!!! This is all so helpful. I know this is a little off topic, but what is going to go on during R-Day and the rest of the first week?</p>
<p>If you haven't yet, I'd highly suggest reading Amy Efaw's Beast. Her version of the events wasn't all that different than mine, and it talks a lot about the personal aspects as well as the events of the summer. </p>
<p>First week - you're going to get issued more gear than you ever thought possible. I kid you not, you could show up to West Point with a pair of running shoes and a watch and they would issue you everything else, from your underwear and tooth brush to uniforms. You're also going to be welcomed to USMA through a series of briefings from the Dean, the Comm, the Supe, the head of DPE, the regimental commander, your cadre, the honor staff, the respect staff, the chaplain (Father Wood! Awesome guy!) Finance....the list goes on and on. You'll do PT in the mornings, and learn your first week of knowledge. You'll put your TA50 together and your belts for drill. You'll be issued an M14 rifle. If you all get 2535509, let me know :) The head of athletics will talk to you, and you'll have a chance to try out for the sports teams in the afternoons. You'll be measured for your winter uniforms, and get issued your first trunk, as well as, strangely, a graphing calculator. Our class got TI89s. You'll also start taking placement tests and validating courses. </p>
<p>Gah, all of Beast I blends together in my head...I'm not sure this is all the first week. Basically, you'll be in garrison, getting lectures and being issued gear, and taking tests and stuff. </p>
<p>R-Day specifically - You'll report in and get a quick five minute speach and then do the "90 second good bye" After that, you'll be taken to Thayer Hall and issued underwear, socks, PT uniforms and some other stuff. Then you'll be taken to another room to change into the R-Day special, black dress socks, low quarters, Army PT shorts, white t-shirt, TEDs, and your R-Day tags. When you change, they'll do the tattoo check. You'll then go through you bag and grab the stuff you need for the rest of Beast. The rest of it will go away into a trunk room until you pack your stuff up and take it to your new company right before going to the field. At that point, your stuff will be searched for contraband. Next it's haircuts. Then, you'll be taken over to Washington Hall and you'll get mock-e's (gray trousers), white shirts, gray epaulets, and other uniform type stuff. Then, joy of joys, you'll be taught your four responses, (Yes, sir/ma'am, No sir/ma'am, No excuse sir/ma'am, Sir/ma'am, I do not under stand) and report to the cadet in the red sash. Until you get it right. Next, you'll go up to your room and report in to your company and go to your room to drop your stuff off and attempt to start putting it in order. At some point, you're also going to learn to march. You'll be fed lunch (We had turkey wraps, pasta salad, peanut butter cookies, and wild berry punch) Eventually you'll change into white over gray (no hat) for the first time. When you go up to your room, make sure you put aside your epaulets, a set of white gloves and your nametape. You'll need it quickly when you're sent up to change. Then you'll practice for the Oath. At five o'clock, you'll have formation on the Apron for the first time. You'll march to the flagpole and have retreat and people will talk to you, and then you'll swear the oath. Then you'll march back to the mess hall and have dinner, and then go up to your room and finish settling in. This is the time to put your name on stuff :). Shove all of your field gear into the ruck sack and deal with it later. Set your room up for SAMI as close as you can, you'll have it pretty soon. Get the meals for the week, or as far out as they're posted. Get the training schedule too. Copy it, don't take it! Start to get to know your roommate and squadmates at the shoe shining party you're guaranteed to have with your squadleader. You'll be in bed by ten. If you want to give up sleep to get more organized, don't just wait for taps check then get back up, your cadre will be moving around till midnight or later with training meetings and stuff. They'll also be up earlier than you, so two to three a.m. is your best bet. Don't turn your lights on, CGR will see and will come to see with the problem is. Just leave the shades up and use the area lights, it'll be fine. You'll be up by 0500 to go to PT. Shave the night before and sleep in your PTs so all you have to do is throw your sneakers on, put your hair up, and brush your teeth. </p>
<p>More random tips - Always leave your smart card in the bottom of your two quart. Double up in the showers, you're not going to have time other wise. This means you get wet and then move into the middle of the shower room to lather up, then wait for a shower to open, rinse, and leave. Don't linger! Lots of people have to use the showers! Don't walk down the hall with a towel over your shoulder, carry it folded in half on your arm. Your bathrobe is crossed left side over right side, the crest should be visible. Wear your shower shoes. When you roll your socks, make sure they're not wrinkly and that they "smile". Rolling socks - Stack one sock on the other. Start at the toe and roll up the sock. When you get about two inches from the top, stop, and cuff the sock top over the ball. Tuck your thumbs into the lips and smoothe the sock out...it'll "smile" at you. Put the minimum of stuff in the display drawers. One t-shirt, one pair of socks, one handkercheif, one pair of underwear. Less is more. </p>
<p>To make your hatbrass shiny - Put a section of the newspaper on the floor. Pour a puddle of brasso onto it. Rub your hatbrass, hard, through the puddle. When the brasso turns gray from the newsprint ink and the tarnish, clean it off as best you can with the newspaper, then rub it hard against a folded brown towel. Detail the little crevices with a q-tip. Don't forget to clean off the back before you put it onto your hat. If you get brasso on your white hat, 409 will clean it off. If the stain is too stubborn, get sink scrubbing stuff, I can't remember the name, it's a white squeeze bottle with a green flip top lid, and the liquid inside is white too. Kinda like Comet, but in a solution. The stuff is great for scouring your sink down, too. </p>
<p>To get your shoes shiny...take the laces out. Wash them with saddle soap and the little round brush. Let them dry. Pop open your black kiwi and put a little water in the lid. Wrap your polishing rag around two fingers. Wet your polishing rag (t-shirt) and get some kiwi on it. Rub in small circles, starting at the toe and working your way back. Put lots of kiwi on, and rub it in well. These are your base layers. Keep this up till they start getting hazy. You can study knowledge until you get to this point, it's pretty mindless. Then switch to just water. Rub this in till they start to glow. Now open your neutral. Wrap two fingers in fresh cloth and just touch the cloth to the water. Lightly dab at the neutral, you don't want too much. In small circles, gently work this over your base layer. This will help protect your base layer. Keep rubbing it in until your shoes are nice and shiny. Once your shoes are conditioned enough, this is the stuff that makes shoes you can see yourself in :) Finish by putting the laces back in (don't forget to polish the tongue before you do) and edge dressing your shoes. Edge dressing's like nail polish, do lots of thin layers to prevent chipping and cracking and speed drying. Put your freshly polished shoes on a sheet of newspaper to dry and clean up your mess! </p>
<p>If you spill edgedressing on the floor, you can pull it up with a little brasso on a towel. 409 is for cleaning surfaces, windex is for mirrors and faucets. Wipe the mirrors with newspaper for a streak-free shine. GET A SWIFFER! Those things rock. Cleaning out a trashcan is easier if you squeeze a goodly amount of shampoo in then fill it with hot water and let it soak for a bit. When you SAMI your room, organize your stuff, then clean. Clean from one side to the other, start at the windows and work your way to your closets. CLEAN ALL HORIZONTAL SURFACES. Don't just swipe at them with your washcloth, spray it with 409 first. Rinse your washcloths occasionally. Clearly mark them "CLEANING ONLY" They will be gray and nasty when you're done, you don't really ever want to put them on display. Don't use your display towel. Use the washcloth, and change it frequently. After showering, just hang your wet, used towel on a hanger on the drying rack and move out :) It'll be there when you need it, and it'll actually dry not mildew hanging in your latrine locker. Of course, only do this if you MARKED YOUR STUFF. When you get ten minutes, that's not enough time to really do anything but review your knowledge and dust. Dust everything, all the time. Dust from high to low...top shelf of your bookshelf, bottom shelf, desk, then sweep. Dusting low to high only puts dust on your freshly cleaned surfaces. If you use the cleaning cloth you've created, you won't make trash (papertowels) that you then have to dispose of. Clean as you go. Never take something out and then move on to something else. Finish each task when you start it and put stuff away when you're done. Only do one thing at a time. </p>
<p>Try to start living like this - cleaning your bathroom every morning, keeping your room neat and orderly, sweeping at least once a day....One, your parents will have heart attacks, and two, you'll be in the habit when you do start Beast....</p>
<p>OK I'm like officially in love with you. This stuff is awesome. Im like so memorizing all of this before I go. Speaking of memorizing, is it really hard to learn the BEAST Knowledge, or do they give you lots of time to know it? The reason I'm asking is that I have a copy of a 2005 knowledge book and could go ahead and start memorizing it. If anyone wants a copy of this just let me know and I'll email it to you.</p>
<p>Awww, glad I could help. No, it's not hard to learn your knowledge. Whenever you have time, though, pull it out and get cracking. MAKE A PLAN. Learn the long ones at night and pass them off first thing in the morning. I did the Star Spangeled Banner at PT formation, and had my voice crack about eighteen times...oh well. Learn the short ones at meal formations. Quiz your room mates and have them quiz you. If you want, you can start learning some of it, but don't let it be ridiculously obvious you know it all. Also, if you're passing off knowledge, and you think you screwed up, don't flinch or acknowledge it, just keep going...you may get lucky and they won't catch the mistake.</p>
<p>Send me the knowledge book, I'd love to know how it's changed. My prefs address is good.</p>
<p>Hooray- the knowledge book gets around! Hope you guys make good use out of it...getting it a little advance and all! The schedule should be a file in there too for extra fun!</p>
<p>Umm....wow. I am soo happy Mom found this site! YES! Only problem is I don't understand some of it. So on R-day we will be in the barracks? Are we there the whole time or out in the field or does it change? this whole SAMI thing is....???? I am assuming how you keep your room clean and stuff. When I went up there, the girls left their beds made and just used their second green lady to sleep under. That is legal I guess. How hectic is everything? Are people running around not knowing what to do, or are the instructions for the most part very clear? Will someone be like, "Label your stuff.." or do I just do that on my own? I guess what all do they tell you to do and how much of this is just wisdom being passed down. I am so excited!!! I am getting my boots within the next two weeks! yes! can't wait to start running in them and getting some major-weird looks!</p>
<p>Yes, on R-Day you'll move in to the barracks. You'll head out to the field during the second half of the summer. SAMI - Saturday Morning Inspection - white gloves, move your furniture to make sure you swept behind it, checking to make sure you underwear are all folded exactly alike...fun times. R-Day is hectic! Instructions are very clear and quite precise, but people aren't going to be going around telling you to make sheet burritoes, jello box underwear, or to label your stuff. A lot of this is my hard earned knowledge :) </p>
<p>Be careful running in your boots. Stop when you get hot spots, you need to toughen your feet up as well as break your boots in. I will say the desert boots are about a million times easier to break in than the black ones.</p>
<p>Great info!
A few updates with more current information:
- You won't be issued a graphing calculator. You will get a really simple scientific one (TI-30XIIS) and that won't be until the school year begins anyway. They've switched from graphing calculators to a computer program called Mathematica which has a lot more capabilities than anything hand held anyway. You bring your laptop to most of your classes so you will always have it with you and can use it during math tests (WPRs).
- Also (and I know, I know, "the corps has") you won't need to worry about applying edge dressing or cleaning up the unavoidable spills - edge dressing has been banned at USMA. They don't even sell it at the C-Store anymore. </p>
<p>Hope that helps! Good luck, 2011!</p>
<p>WHAT? THEY BANNED EDGE DRESSING? YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!
<em>has first Old Grad flashback</em>
That's right, I remember about them changing the calculators on y'all. And Mathematica was the bane of my existance plebe and yuk year. It was with great glee and delight I deleted that program from my hard drive.</p>
<p>More random advice - at the first sign of problems, take your computer to Gold Coats, the IT guys. My laptop is still running strong, although I replaced everything several times, I think I finally got components that work well together. Back your stuff up to the server weekly. Set your defrag and antivirus and adaware to run automatically and you'll save yourself a lot of grief. Speaking of viruses...when cold season hits, fill your sink with hot water and a healthy splash of bleach. Add that nalgene that you've been drinking out of for weeks, the silverwear in your room, and your coffee mug, plus whatever else needs to be disinfected. Let it sit for 20 minutes or so, then wash and rinse as normal. This will really cut down on the colds and such that you get.</p>
<p>I remembered the name of the Comet stuff for your white hat, it's Soft Scrub. Best thing ever for scouring your sink every week or so. 409 will cover your day to day needs.</p>
<p>I can't believe they BANNED edge dressing....</p>
<p>When I went for my candidate visit last year, I remember the plebes in the calc class I went to hated Mathematica. I believe the name of that book by Amy Efaw is actually "Battle Dress", it's a great book, I think I've read it about 4 times. For those of you that have been through it, what was the toughest thing that you had to do/go through during Beast?</p>
<p>OMFG I have mathematica for mac and I can't even run all of the functions even when the teacher puts in the commands! That was the bane of my college existence after the first 5 "labs"</p>
<p>Do we need to bring all of those cleaning supplies or can we get them there?</p>
<p>You can get them there. You'll go to the Cadet Store in your first week...this is just a suggestion on what to buy.</p>
<p>Marchback was my worst experience.</p>
<p>Totally non sequitur but for some reason I keep thinking that the rocket is the thing that people say while precariously perched on some thin board and some bricks or something...</p>
<p>As for mathematica, it doesn't suck for the first few lessons. It starts to suck later when you try to make really fancy graphs with lots of things in the input.</p>
<p>Just thought I'd bump this again and see if anyone had any more input.</p>
<p>I have to say that I think bzzzt is the goddess of Beast for that report. I just can't believe that you remember what you ate on R-Day. Uncanny! I sure wish you were around 2 years ago.</p>
<p>The name of Amy Efaw's book is "Battle Dress". It's actually a quick and good read, detailing a lot of what's done during Beast but with fictional characters. I know that I found a blog of hers a while ago that you resourceful ladies can track down if you have an interest.</p>