<p>Or in my case, the high math--Calc 3.</p>
<p>You have to use your time. In which case, I'm gonna get off right now and study for my GR. :P</p>
<p>thanks to validation credit from AP exams (take as many as possible!) I am in chem 222, math 253 (calc 3), japanese 221, engineering 100, and comp sci 110h. I will only have 15.5 credits a semester now, maybe 18 for the next two just to finish my japanese minor. The more you validate the better. A) you have your core classes done quicker and B) the upper level classes have much less work and are actually easier in a way. </p>
<p>As far as feeling. this year is the easiest I've probably had since my freshman year of high school. I have less work, more time, almost twice the sleep a night, and more time to relax. </p>
<p>On another note, I declared my major this morning: Biochemistry.</p>
<p>When do you sleep? I get about 5-5.5 hours and its not very good...thank you weekends...</p>
<p>Academics are not terrible. It's different from HS, but not insane.</p>
<p>I usually go to sleep between 9:30 and 10:30, tonight being an exception because I am screwing around lol. It's a friday tomorrow, not too important.</p>
<p>I usually get to bed around 9:30, I am so exhausted in the mornings I don't know how some people can stay up until midnight doing homework, it just wouldn't work for me.</p>
<p>Wow! I was expecting that cadets get 2-3 hours of sleep on a regular basis. That doesn't sound too bad. I have to pull a lot of all-nighters just because teachers don't let us very much advance notice, and with a full AP schedule, it all can add up if they don't tell you early. I can't wait to be a cadet! Am I just a total nerd, or is there anyone else out there who finds the Academy on their minds all the time? It's what's keeping me going this last year in high school, and if it wouldn't annoy people, I would probably talk with people about it all the time.</p>
<p>You sound a bit like me. Yes, I find myself with more time here. I may start volunteering at the clinic soon, so that's fun.</p>
<p>2-3 hours of sleep-people cannot function with that much sleep over a long period of time.</p>
<p>I used to think about the Academy every day (more than once per day).</p>
<p>If you are constantly thinking about the Academy and can't wait to be here, then you have the perfect attitude to make it through basic, doolie year, and all 4 years of this place.</p>
<p>If you are looking forward to coming here, that's GREAT. Keep finding new things about this place to look forward too. You will need it both to get through your own struggles and to battle the constant cynicism that runs through this place. I know that may be hard for you to imagine, but when you get here you'll understand. </p>
<p>Keep your head high, keep loving and looking forward to the Academy, and carry that attitude with you when you come here. You'll be an example to a lot of people who can sometimes whine too much. Bottom line, its a great thing that you can't stop thinking about the Academy and wishing to be here. It means its for you.</p>
<p>Have you guys gotten to explore Colorado Springs at all yet? I love Colorado; it's actually one of the (many) reasons why I prefer USAFA over Annapolis. I'm a really outdoorsy person, and it seems like there's a lot there: hiking, skiing, rafting...</p>
<p>We have to use passes to get off base and we only have 5 till prof (mid semester), so we usually go vege at our sponsers (mine are in Monument, so not CO springs anyways) But you can go hike eagle's peak or hike around here, huge 18,000 acres to roam around on!</p>
<p>I am finding so much cynicism among my upperclassmen and my own classmates. It's difficult to have to listen to, but if you keep yourself on the right path, you will be that much better off in the end.</p>
<p>I would say on an average day i think about the Academy about 40 times......literally.</p>
<p>Do people start to get a bad attitude about life at the academy? I would think that cadets would hate complaining about anything there, since everyone has to deal with it...I wouldn't want to risk losing the respect of my classmates. I don't know. Obviously, I can't speak from experience and maybe it's impossible to come out of the academy without being jaded in some sense, but I really think that keeping a positive attitude and remembering why you're there is important. I guess I'll (hopefully :) )find out. I'm not a pessimist, nor am I a complainer, but maybe it just grows on you...I hope not.</p>
<p>I notice that on several occassions throughout the AF forum I get the feeling that there is a lot of cynicism at AFA but I don't get that feeling reading the threads of USMA and Navy. Is there an underlying reason, is it part of the culture of AFA or is it likely at the others as well but not surfacing?</p>
<p>That's good to hear, AFAbound. At least I'm not the only one. If someone asks me why I have such a full plate this year or what I did this summer, I have to stop myself from babbling about USAFA, because most people don't really know or care how huge it is for me. That's why I love talking with people who are connected with the Air Force Academy, because you can tell that they suddenly get really interested and want to hear how things are going for you.</p>
<p>My cousin just graduated from Texas A&M and according to him, USAFA cadets can be pretty cynical because they get prideful about how smart they are or where they're going in life and they forget what an honor and privilege it is to have the opportunity to serve. Now I know this is a HUGE generalization, and I don't mean any offense by it. Maybe he's just bitter that he didn't get an appointment. ;) Just throwing it out there.</p>
<p>Cadets get cynical for a variety of reasons. Redhead, you're partially right, since most of the cadets here think they're bigshots and tend to whine when something doesn't go their way...then they blame it on USAFA. It's stupid, but true.</p>
<p>Another reason is the more obvious one: that we have a lot less freedom to do what we want, and we have a lot more regulations to follow than normal colleges, many of which can really get you in trouble sometimes, or can be plain annoying. My opinion? Pay attention to the rules and you won't be surprised.</p>
<p>Finally, a lot of them just lose sight of why they're here, and get caught up in the little annoyances of everyday life...having to march in formation every day, having to get up for breakfast (which is a new thing this year), the weekly parades (also new this year), and other things like that. Especially with General Regni's changes, it's been really typical lately for the upperclassmen to start getting annoyed easily.</p>
<p>Ignore it and keep sight of why you're here, and you'll be fine. I guarantee you won't be hearing any whining from me...I'm gonna be that crazy upperclassmen that drives the freshmen nuts cause I don't stop asking them if they love the Academy. :P</p>
<p>I am of the opinion that anyone who goes to the academy should love it. It's meant to be hard; that's one of the main reasons why people who love a challenge want to go there. But it does make sense that the monotony and seemingly pointless regulations could affect your attitude. Everyone suffers together, though. I love that sense of team.</p>
<p>Sometimes you'll get an e-mail from a friend saying something like, "I didn't feel like going the chem. lecture, so I slept until 11:00." Then, "Why did I come here, instead of going to that college?" can pop into you head pretty easily. Stuff like getting stopped for not having a pocket buttoned or not having a zipper high enough on your jacket can be frustrating.</p>
<p>People just get lost in all the little, negetive details and forget all the amazing things they get to do here.</p>
<p>A lot of people come here and don't realize how hard they actually have to work. I am lucky that I came from a ridiculous high school with no time for anything. Here I have time out the gazoo, but again, that's not the norm. Many get bogged down in work and become frustrated. I don't NEED to go outside or go get endorphins to get my mood up, I'm natuarally happy. I also see the importance in what we do. One guy at teh ball on friday said,"I hate this school" because of everything we do including having to do the ball. But it was a chance to learn how to introduce yourself and maybe guests to officers in a greeting line and how to conduct yourself in a formal environment. I would rather learn here than learn by mistake in the op AF. Here you have familiar faces and support, out there you won't know so many people. Get the idea? Or the idea of inspections is to keep yourself and your people in working condition and in order, not for the fun of it. If someone or a group cannot operate, better to find out now than when it could do harm. Understand? Well, many here refuse to. I look through life and this place in a different perspective, how everything we do will help us/me later, not how "gay" and "retarded" it is to do it. That is the bane of most here. Stay positive and you will do better.</p>
<p>The cynicism here comes from the ridiculous amounts of changes in the last few years since the sex scandals. It's stricter now, and more responsibilities are being dealt out, the upperclassmen don't like it. The same isn't happening at WP and Navy. </p>
<p>I love it here, that's how it should be. I admire your attitude redhead, keep it up and you WILL succeed here and in the future.</p>