<p>That sounds just like a typical day here...take advantage of the weekends work ahead, get ahead of your class so you can pay more attention in class and spend less time taking notes or trying to catch up. You'd be surprised how much you can learn on your own. Second, if you have free periods at school and you're struggling, use them to get work done so you can relax before bed or go to bed early.</p>
<p>Just get used to it, its gonna be like that here.</p>
<p>Unless you're an intercollegiate athlete, it doesn't sound like there is as much mandatory physical conditioning as I thought. Can cadets still plan their own fitness routine? I love running and I would want to continue doing that every morning. Are their places to run around the academy? (aside from that 1 mile loop...I think that would get boring running in circles like that every morning)</p>
<p>Also, how hard is it to become a member of the jump team? And if you are not an intercollegiate athlete, do you have free time in the afternoons? Like from 3:00 on? Wow, that seems like a lot... Although I'm sure the time flies because you have a lot to balance.</p>
<p>There is mandatory squadron conditioning at least 3 times a week, which can either be a run (with or without rifles), or just plain physical conditioning.You can run just about anywhere around the academy but most times you are either too tired or just too busy. But on the weekends I encourage going down to the gym or running. The jump team from what I hear is fairly difficult to make and requires a lot of time, but it is something that I am gonna try out for. Over 200 do, but only about 25 make it into the program. If you are not an IC, you come back to the squadron after your last class and begin PT with the squad. There is no freetime until 715, and that is mandated mainly for studying (but be sure to have some fun as well, otherwise you'll go crazy!) Yeah the days go by SOOOO fast.</p>
<p>Ok, so it's Sunday. What is everyone doing? Is it a red weekend or a blue weekend? (did I get that right?) Also, what is an M-day and a T-day?</p>
<p>Mostly, I'll be cleaning, doing homework, and working out today. It is a Silver (not red) weekend, but the only military duty we had was a briefing yesterday morning. M-days and T-days designate which classes you will have on those days. They alternate every weekday.</p>
<p>On blue weekends is it pretty much just four degrees left on campus? Because if you don't have any transportation... Are you allowed to hang out with upperclassmen? At summer seminar, I was told that you can only use the 7 basic responses when talking with firsties, but that seems like it would be hard.</p>
<p>Mostly, yes...its just us, plus some upperclassmen who have no lives or passes left...they just sleep anyways, so we don't see them. After parent's weekend we can sign out, but we don't get many passes so it won't be too often.</p>
<p>We still cannot "hang out" with upperclassmen. I can be friendly with the upperclassmen on my team or at my bible study, but that's about it. Outside practice or when the bible study meets, there is no case when I'm allowed to just hang out with them.</p>
<p>You're supposed to use the 7 basic responses with every upperclassmen, but most don't care that much, and you learn who does. It's nothing like basic.</p>
<p>Did many females have a hard time keeping up in BCT? Someone told me that there were some who would constantly complain and go to the injured room (or whatever facility they have) when things got too hard. That's irritating...I think females should work just as hard as the men, if not harder, to keep up and earn the respect of their teammates. How are groups distributed? Do they go by last name like in summer seminar or do they make sure that there are the same ratio of males/females in every group? And how are the groups broken down? I have some random vocabulary, like wing, flight, squadron, element, etc. but I don't exactly know what they mean...</p>
<p>The women worked just as hard as the men. They had the same expectations placed on them in every course, during the runs and during the PT.</p>
<p>There were lazy men and lazy women.</p>
<p>Whoever told you that is an idiot.</p>
<p>I didn't mean that as an offense in any way. The person who told me that was simply advising me as a female to work hard during BCT and not "whimp out" like some people choose to (male and female), because sometimes females have to work a little harder to gain respect at the academy. I'm sorry if it came across rudely; it wasn't intentional. ;)</p>
<p>What did you like better...1st or 2nd BCT? The photos online of Jack's Valley actually look like fun in a way. Hard work...but a good challenge.</p>
<p>It actually is true...there were girls (and a few guys) who would feign injuries or make a big deal out of little ones so they could get on a Form 10, which would get them out of training for a certain amount of time. The problem was everyone knew, even though they thought noone did.</p>
<p>Flights (group of 30 or so you will be with all of basic) are broken up fairly equally, you will be put with a roomate alphabetically. 4 flights make up a squadron in basic, and there are 10 squadrons. Each flight contains the basics who will go into a certain squadron after basic. Ex: Aggressors A Flight goes into Squadron 1. A group consists of 10 squadrons. There is only one group in basic, there are 4 during the regular year. The Wing is all cadets collectively.</p>
<p>As for basic...2nd beast is tougher by far, but much less boring. You'll remember it with more memories, for sure. :)</p>
<p>The only time expectations are really different between males and females is on the PFT/AFT (fitness tests).
Although, we did physically carry a girl on one run, which I doubt we would do for any guy.</p>
<p>If you keep getting hurt (making a big deal of little injuries) people will know and will get annoyed. If you get injured, but keep going, your teammates will respect you a lot. Keep going when possible, but if you are injured and would make that injury worse by pushing through, then definitely stop.</p>
<p>Second beast is a lot tougher physically. First Beast is about meeting standards in nearly everything (marching, appearance, rooms, speech, etc.). Second beast is about teamwork, pushing yourself further than you thought you could, and overcomming fears. It is more demanding and fun.</p>
<p>('10s, did you learn to ID the different generators by sound to wake up before reveille?)</p>
<p>lol, yup, our tent guards woke everyone up with the generators. </p>
<p>It's a form 18, not form 10, just details.</p>
<p>Don't worry so much about time management in high school as long as your grades are up. I was the worst procrastinator ever, stayed up late every night etc etc. BCT changed me. I'm a week ahead in homework now and everything is done early. I go to bed between 10 and 11, wake up at 5:30 and get ready. I feel fine. My work load isn't so intense, my classes, again, are less homework intensive. </p>
<p>The females in my squad are mixed. They work hard though. Usually they could always keep up, maybe one or two would have trouble in runs (of the 5), but everything else they did fine in. They put a lot of the guys to shame! :) It depends on cadre too, ours were very professional and didn't discriminate. They expected our best, and we gave it. </p>
<p>Jack's is more fun, and much more physical indeed. It really is a time to see what you can do. I'll admit I dropped out of the A-course from medicine induced dehydration, but I pumped through on the time run. I went to the hospital once from hyperventilation with a very painful cough and a fever. lol. But I came back and within two days was back on par. If you can bounce back or put in your all, you'll make it. </p>
<p>1st BCT is all about drill and military ability.</p>
<p>That's it for now.</p>
<p>"Don't worry so much about time management in high school as long as your grades are up. I was the worst procrastinator ever, stayed up late every night etc etc. BCT changed me"</p>
<p>thats good news for me^^^^. ive got pretty bad senioritis.</p>
<p>You have senioritis already? Uh-oh...bad sign ;)</p>
<p>I had my ALO interivew yesterday. It was in the hospital cafeteria (funny, I know) because he is an orthopedic surgeon and happened to be on call that day. Our interview was cut a little bit short because he had to go operate on someone's leg suddenly, but I think it went well. How much say do the ALOs have in whether or not you get in? I've heard the infamous "I can't get you in but I can keep you out." He said I interviewed well and thinks I'm a very strong candidate and would give me a very high recommendation. Does the academy look very much at that, or do they only pay close attention if the ALO says something bad about you?</p>
<p>The ALO can pull some weight.</p>
<p>Do you ever wake up to someone yelling at you? Do you call minutes in the hallways in the morning? How often do you have knowledge tests? How bad are room inspections? I have heard stories of cadre secretly planting photos of upperclassmen's girlfriends in four degrees' rooms during inspection...just so there's something to harrass them about. What about "cadating"? :) It seems like there wouldn't be much time (or girls) for it. How do you toe the line in determining what spirit missions are appropriate? What do you do for fun? Does anyone have interesting experiences/stories they want to share about the academy?</p>
<p>We don't get "yelled at" like we did during BCT. We might get a talking to as a group, but as far as individual, in your face yelling like that in BCT, there isn't any of that.</p>
<p>We call morning minutes and minutes for military training time and noon meal formation.</p>
<p>Actually our SAMIs as freshmen were much better than the upper classmen.</p>
<p>Our SAMI was pretty easy, compared to what I expected.
During Basic you wake up to reveille(sp?) and yelling most days, but now, we wake up most of the upperclassmen with minutes.
K-tests are weekly.</p>
<p>Spirit missions should be funny and not damaging/grossly disrespectful. Someone stole the stars off Gen. Regni's staff car...that definitely crossed the line.</p>
<p>BCT Story...
One night, after taps (on the hill, during 1st BCT), I woke up my roommate to shine boots. Our boots looked awefull at this point. I tried to wake up my roommate, but all he would do is use the seven basic responses! </p>
<p>"<strong><em>, hey, wake up!", ..."Yes, sir."... "I'm your roommate, you don't need to call me sir." ..."Yes, sir."... "</em></strong>, are you ok?" ..."Sir, may I make a statement?"...ROFL</p>
<p>Spirit Mission from the other night: CS39 broke into Mitch's at midnight, took the Wing Staff's tables and moved them outside to the fountain. "Operation Dining out" was completed by 0200. They also had a sign posted with large duc tape letters: "Wing Staff will be eating in Mitch's fountain courtesy of CS39." It was a good mission because it was somewhat daring but also easy to undo -- which is pretty important and it didn't "cross the line."</p>