<p>In your first year here, after BCT of course, you can have a musical instrument (like a guitar) and books. If anyone else has specific questions about what people can have you can ask. The main things you can't have your first year (or for a portion of your first year) are CDs, DVDs, video games, and civilian clothes. There are also other guidelines saying what members of each class can have. Also, keep in mind that you won't have much drawer space to put stuff.</p>
<p>Stepping out of your "first degree" shoes UNcynical, I went to a Q and A session in my state (for future cadets with current cadets) and the doolies there were teling me that they had brought out an X-box (hiding it in their "Lock drawer/trunk") hid civilian clothes at sponser families' houses and used their hi-tech computer monitors as televisions (even tapping into USAFA's limited cable!!) these guys were pretty slick, but I assume they are a minority. For their sake I wont disclose their names but am curious as to how lenient upperclassmen can be, and how easy/hard it is to bend the rules (not that I would ever consider it!!...)</p>
<p>Benjo, You'll find many kinds of upperclassmen here. I'd be weary, though, of upperclassmen who try to be "friends" with you. I don't want to get into a long discussion (at least in this post), but I'll say that in retrospect, as much as I disliked how strict some upperclassmen were at the time I was a four degree, looking back, these are the ones that helped me the most. They taught me to be disciplined and how the system works. Although the ones who tried to be buddy-buddy with us seemed like a relief at the time, looking back, they didn't really challenge me. </p>
<p>There will be many opportunities while you are here to bend/break rules, and that's your choice. Just realize you may pay the price for the actions (and your classmates may help pay too, even if they were uninvolved, as you all will be a team). Also, realize that if you want the luxuries that other kids your age have in college, you can go to a regular college; it takes sacrifices to be here.</p>
<p>There are contraband searches sometimes as well as other inspections to look for stuff four degrees shouldn't have. Getting caught with music, movies, civvies, and such can get you in a lot of trouble. Keeping civvies at a sponsor's house and wearing them can also get you in trouble if you get caught. These actions, as I mentioned, can also get your classmates in trouble. For things such as tapping into cable that doesn't belong to you, I definitely wouldn't recommend it. That could be considered an honor violation. That's not meant to scare you, but think about what you're doing before you do it.</p>
<p>Cadets aren't perfect and every single person doesn't follow every single rule in every single instance - I'm not going to pretend or try to convince you otherwise. While you are here, however, if you find your #1 priority being looking for loopholes to break rules and slack off, I think there's a problem.</p>
<p>If that didn't answer your question, let me know. However, beginning tomorrow, I'll be gone for the 3 or so days (going on a mini-vacation while I'm home on leave).</p>
<p>Alright-- thanks a lot for an honest answer! I didn't mean to suggest that I will be one of those doolies who prides themselves on "beating the system." As far as the cadets I talked to, I got the feeling they were a small minority. Thanks once again for all the info.</p>
<p>Haha, if you do make the mistake of calling a ma'am a sir or a sir a ma'am and they ask you to tell them the difference between a male and a female... simply tell them that a female has two X chromosomes and a male has an X and a Y... hehe, loopholes.</p>
<p>"simply tell them that a female has two X chromosomes and a male has an X and a Y... "</p>
<p>Assuming they only ask you for one difference between the two</p>
<p>Is it customary for them to ask for two? Have you ever heard this answer^.</p>
<p>Two? No. Twenty or twenty-five? Yes. (I've been on both ends of that.)</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 have a friend who is on the Flying Team and it is not that competitive. I had my PPL before I came also. It is much easier just to go through the Aero Club and rent.</p>
<p>Could a current cadet please explain how the cadet fitness test works at the Academy as far as scoring the events (do you have to pass every event, or is it a total point thing--if you fail one event is that grounds for athletic probation etc...). Thanks.</p>
<p>What is considered grounds for athletic probation has changed in the past year or so. Now, you stay off of athletic probation as long as yout cumulative PEA (which is 35% PE class(s), 50% PFT, and 15% AFT) is at least a 2.0. Your first semester here, just realize that your semetser PEA is your cumulative PEA, so that has to be at least 2.0.</p>
<p>Each event of the PFT (pull-ups, standing long jump, sit-ups, push-ups, and 600 run) is scored individually on a scale of 0-100 (100 being the max)' maxxing the PFT means getting 500 points. "Passing" an event means getting at leats 25 points. However, this is misleading as just getting the minimums on each event will cause you to fail the PFT; likewise, you can fail an event (or 2) and still pass the PFT. 250 points will give you a 2.0 (on a 4 point scale); 200 points will give you a 1.0 and is technically considered "passing" but definitely is not considered good.</p>
<p>Depending on your time on the AFT (1.5 mile run), you will be given a score between 1 and 500. This number will be converted in the same manner as the score on the PFT to a number from 1.0-4.0.</p>
<p>Grades for PE classes are graded on 4 point scales too. If you take more than one PE class in a semester, this portion of your PEA (think of this as the equivalent of a GPA, but for athletics) will be the average of those two grades for the semester. When calculating your cumulative PEA, all PE classes will be averaged together, regardless of the semester in which they were taken.</p>
<p>Even if you are not on athletic probation, if you're considered deficient in athletics, you'll have to go 3 times a week after school to do a special work-out program called RECONDO (physical reconditioning).</p>
<p>If you need anymore clarification and/or I confused you, just respond back. It all makes more sense once you're here and shouldn't be a huge concern of yours before that, as long as you come physically prepared.</p>
<p>I'm not a current cadet, but...</p>
<p>I believe the PT is based on a total point system. For example if you do the min. # of reps you get 25 points or so and the points increase as the # does. I think the highest possible number of points is 500 (don't quote me on that). I'm not sure, but I think that it's pretty hard to completely fail at one segment of the test, unless you don't do anything at all. I know it is possible to fail the entire thing and go on probation, but you could also go on probation if your score its too low (aka not necessarily "failing")</p>
<p>Hope that helps a little/doesn't confuse you more.</p>
<p>well...that was pointless</p>
<p>It was well-intentioned and not bad info ;)</p>
<p>Thanks UNCynical for the info. The reason I asked is because I'm in good shape and can do well (near max) on the upper body strength stuff, but am a few inches short of the "minimum" for the long jump because I'm relatively short and don't have those springy legs that tall, lanky guys do--so I was just seeing if not being able to jump a complete 7 feet (1.3 times my body length) would be grounds for RECONDO, probation, or dismissal. I think, like you said, that a lot of things will become perfectly clear once I get to USAFA. Thanks again for the clarification.</p>
<p>If you, or anyone else here, wants to get an idea of how you'd rate on the PFT as of right now (meaning don't hold me accountable if you get here, things change, and the score I said doesn't quite match), just post your numbers or your goal numbers.</p>
<p>I don't want to post all the scales on here, as that's way more specific than you all should be concentrating on right now, but I can at least give you a score so you can get an idea.</p>
<p>All I need is:
~your gender
~# of pull-ups (in 2 minutes)
~standing long jump
~sit-ups (with feet held, hands across chest, and reps counting when elbows touch knees)
~push-ups (making sure you break 90 degrees coming down)
~time on 600 run</p>
<p>While I'm at it, is you want an idea about the AFT, post a 1.5 mile time too.</p>
<p>In the instructions to candidates book that came with the application, there are complete scores for the PFT for both males and females. As I recall, no APFT scores, though.</p>
<p>And that's for the cadet PFT, as opposed to the admittance PFT that candidates have to take?</p>
<p>Alright I'll give it a whirle
Male
11 pull-ups
long jump i'd guess around 7'4"
70 sit ups
65 push ups
couldn't even guess the 600 run.</p>
<p>AFT:
1.5 mile: 11:41</p>
<p>Thanks Cynical!</p>
<p>"Thanks Cynical!"</p>
<p><em>UN</em>cynical ;)</p>
<p>With the numbers you gave me, you'd get a 217, not counting the run. If you got 1:59 on the run, you'd have a 251, which would be a 2.0 for the PFT portion. (All your stats were just below average except pushups which was higher; 72's the max for males.) The way it works is what is deemed "average" on each event results in 50 points, meaning if you do "average" on everything, you'll have exactly a 250, which as I said is a 2.0.</p>
<p>11:41 would get you 234 points, equivalent to 1.7 points. To get a 2.0 (250 points), you need a max time of 11:15.</p>