<p>If any of you have questions about what it’s like here, feel free to post them in this thread. There’s at least one other cadet here (and probably a few more who lurk), as well as myself. Between us, you should get an answer, and perhaps even a few different perspectives.</p>
<p>I was always curious about what relationships are like there (if there are any at all)....with only 20% or so of the population made up of females...</p>
<p>I've already heard about how long-distance outside relationships alwys die fast (2% club...) but what about within the academy? This is the reason I've been holding off on the relationships this year :) don't want anything too serious that will fall apart when I leave.</p>
<p>Also, how limited are you with your issued laptops? Can you back up your stuff from home and bring it with you? Do cadets get to play games and such on them in their free time?</p>
<p>How's the food there? The day I visited the academy and shadowed a cadet, they served fried chicken...it was <em>ok</em>, but the cadets said that I was lucky because that's one of the best meals they serve, lol.</p>
<p>What do cadets do in their free time (I'm assuming they don't have much)?</p>
<p>What's the weather like right now?</p>
<p>Thanks for your insights =)</p>
<p>Same sort of relationship questions, except from a girl's perspective. </p>
<p>Also, do we get to have makeup, hair straightener, gel/hairspray?
because , if not, I have to develop some new hair styles.<br>
Do we have to get it cut? I know at usma they don't but at usna they do. </p>
<p>thanks!</p>
<p>My questions are about the flight clubs/oppurtunities at USAFA. </p>
<p>I know you can become an instuructor pilot in the soaring program if you took that summer program. How competative/hard is it to get into this? </p>
<p>At summer seminar I also heard about the competative flying team (powered aircraft). When can someone try to get involved in this and just how hard is it to get into? Comming in I will have my private pilots license.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for answering these and everyone elses questions. It's people like you who have been willing to give me the inside scoop on things at USAFA that have really helped me make an informed decision on if it's right for me.</p>
<p>same question as eeee14, about the makeup/hair straightner/hair cutting before BCT thing.....</p>
<p>and if we do get our hair cut, after BCT are we aloud to grow it out, like @ usna? or does is stay short all doolie year?</p>
<p>and is dating within the academy aloud? i'm assuming yes, but with some regulatins (no pda, etc)</p>
<p>How hard is it to get PRK? How many people per year on average get it? Do you have to be in the top 100 or something?</p>
<p>what is a PRK?</p>
<p>like LASIK. <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=120552&page=2%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=120552&page=2</a>
Talked about in that thread.</p>
<p>man, we had a lot of questions...</p>
<p>"I was always curious about what relationships are like there (if there are any at all)....with only 20% or so of the population made up of females...
I've already heard about how long-distance outside relationships alwys die fast (2% club...) but what about within the academy?" </p>
<p>Relationships do exist between cadets. Your first year here, you can only date people in your own class. The upper three classes are allowed to date amongst themselves. Dating and relationships here are pretty common. It can present problems though when things go bad (especially if the person is in your squad) as you still live within very close proximity, see each other daily, and need to put personal differences aside to work together to accomplish tasks. Even if the person's in a class, due to the small class sizes and the fact you can't skip class, you'll see that person all the time. </p>
<p>The male:female ratio does present an issue, as you can imagine. There's nothing against having relationships outside of here, though, whether it be back home or in the local area.</p>
<p>"Also, how limited are you with your issued laptops? Can you back up your stuff from home and bring it with you? Do cadets get to play games and such on them in their free time?"</p>
<p>As long as you're not doing anything illegal (or against cadet regs, like looking up porn), you're pretty free to do what you want wth your laptops. If you're downloading certain programs, you may want to check first to ensure it's okay, but you can definitely put files from home on them (again, as long as it's not somehting like porn). At the beginning of your first year here, you will not be allowed to play games on them or use them to play DVDs or CDs. That's a privilege you eventually earn, though.</p>
<p>"How's the food there? The day I visited the academy and shadowed a cadet, they served fried chicken...it was <em>ok</em>, but the cadets said that I was lucky because that's one of the best meals they serve, lol."</p>
<p>It's not very good relative to what you're used to eating at home. It's not a major issue, though, and at dinner and on weekends there are optional meals that are buttet-style and have a larger variety of food to choose from.</p>
<p>"What do cadets do in their free time (I'm assuming they don't have much)?"</p>
<p>Your first year here you don't have much free time (or money), but cadets still find things do do, whether it be going to the movies, skiing, hiking, or just going to their sponsors' houses to crash for the weekend.</p>
<p>"What's the weather like right now?"</p>
<p>I took a picture just now; it'll do thta question a lore more justice than any words could. I'll put it online and give you a link sometime today (if all goes well).</p>
<p>"Same sort of relationship questions, except from a girl's perspective."</p>
<p>The answer to this is pretty much the same as above. Girls obviously have more of a "selection" but some girls still choose to date non-cadets. It's just a matter of preference. Just don't let the male:female ratio distract you from the reason why you came here. </p>
<p>"Also, do we get to have makeup, hair straightener, gel/hairspray? because , if not, I have to develop some new hair styles."</p>
<p>Once you go to the cadet store in 1st BCT you'll be able to get some hairspray or gel to control your hair, but that's it. After BCT you can have the rest of that stuff.</p>
<p>"Do we have to get it cut?"</p>
<p>You do not have to get it cut, but if you don't, you'll have to be able to put it in a bun (or similar) very quickly as it has to look professional and it isn't allowed to go below (or touch) the bottom of your collar.</p>
<p>I want in. Now. ;)</p>
<p>"I know you can become an instuructor pilot in the soaring program if you took that summer program. How competative/hard is it to get into this?"</p>
<p>It depends how well you demonstrate your flying ability as well as whether or not you're willing to (and can afford to) make the time commitment necessary for the program. </p>
<p>"At summer seminar I also heard about the competative flying team (powered aircraft). When can someone try to get involved in this and just how hard is it to get into? Comming in I will have my private pilots license."</p>
<p>I don't have a lot of knoweldge of this, but it's something you can address as early as your first year, I believe.</p>
<p>"and if we do get our hair cut, after BCT are we aloud to grow it out, like @ usna? or does is stay short all doolie year?"</p>
<p>As long as you can keep it within regulatons, you do not have to cut it.</p>
<p>"and is dating within the academy aloud? i'm assuming yes, but with some regulatins (no pda, etc)"</p>
<p>Yes it is allowed, but indeed, there are many rules that you must abide by, specifically in the cadet area.</p>
<p>"How hard is it to get PRK? How many people per year on average get it? Do you have to be in the top 100 or something?"</p>
<p>It's based on how bad your eyesight is and how well such a procedure can correct your deficiency. It is very competitive and you do have to be in the top certain percentage (which varies) to receive it. If you're qualified for such a procedure you'll receive more information and be briefed on this.</p>
<p>What is your personal schedule like on Sundays such as today? (your only day off, right?)</p>
<p>Here's a link to the picture I look less than an hour ago: <a href="http://noordinarymoments.myphotoalbum.com/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album01&id=DSCN1121_JPG%5B/url%5D">http://noordinarymoments.myphotoalbum.com/view_photo.php?set_albumName=album01&id=DSCN1121_JPG</a></p>
<p>"What is your personal schedule like on Sundays such as today? (your only day off, right?)"</p>
<p>Sundays are almost always off; the only exceptions are sometimes during major training events as well as BCT. There are two kinds of weekends here: blue and silver. On blue weekends, you don't have anything specific (particularly training) from Retreat (1630 Friday) until The following Monday; the lower three classes have to be back in the squadron Sunday night by 1900 (7:10pm) to study. On silver weekends ther emay be training Friday afternoon for a couple hours as well as training on Saturday, which usually concludes by the afternoon. Weekends are a time to relax a little, catch up on some sleep, and get some homework done. They're as productive (or not) as you make them. Even as a four degree, you can leave most weekends once training is done, but you only have a certain number of passes to use every month or so, so you need to make them last.</p>
<p>As for my schedule today, I didn't go to sleep until about 0230 (2:30am) as I was doing research for a paper. I woke up at 1000 and ensured my four degrees had done their morning details (which they had). I then had to fill out end-of-semester feedback for all of my four degrees and then administer a make-up knoweldge test to a few of them. I'm the training officer for my squadron, so a big focus of mine is what's going on with my 35+ four degrees. As for the rest of the day, I have to meet with my partners in two classes to put together final presentations for this coming week. I also need to work on a final research paper and another presentation that's due this week. The closer to final exams it gets, the busier cadets tend to be. Finals begin in just over 10 days. I'm hoping to be in bed by midnight tonight but thta may or may not happen.</p>
<p>Realize that my schedule is different from how you can expect yours to be your first year here. it changes year to year as your priorities switch around and you gain more responsibility. If Shines is around and happens to read this, perhaps he can give you some insight about how a typical weekend as a four degree.</p>
<p>that picture is beautiful. :) </p>
<p>so do a lot of people cut their hair even though they don't have to?</p>
<p>"that picture is beautiful."</p>
<p>I agree. It was taken right outside my window, and the wall off to the left is the Honor Wall.</p>
<p>"so do a lot of people cut their hair even though they don't have to?"</p>
<p>It's only been an option for females to not cut their hair last year and this year. many females do at least get rid of some length to make it more manageable. BCT in particular just isn't condusive to long hair. If females keep their hair long and it becomes an issue (for instance, it they have to keep stopping to re-do it because it comes out of regs when they're esercising), they will get it cut.</p>