<p>To any current and/or former cadets, I would simply like to ask how much the altitude affects the average person, especially with regards to the BCT and the PT. Also, could you please provide advice as to how to cope with the new environment.</p>
<p>One of the main things you'll experience is a shortness of breath. This will be most evident during the first few days. The effects will vary by person and by the elevation each person is coming from. Your body will aclimate over time, though. Just realize that your fitness will slightly decrease when you reach 7,258 feet. Air is rare there. ;)</p>
<p>My 1.5 mile time dropped by about a minute. I would occasionally realize that I was breathing harder while climbing stairs and such. (I came from about 800ft.)</p>
<p>You will get used to it though.</p>
<p>I don't think it's that way for everyone, though. When we did the practice CFA at summer seminar, I was a few seconds faster than at home, and our elevation here is only about 1200 feet. I run around a 7 flat at home, and ran a 6:54 at seminar. I could be wrong (basic is going to be very demanding physically, which I'm sure affects your scores), but I think it just depends on the person. Did anyone else experience an improvement in their times?</p>
<p>Congratulations, you're an anomaly! ;)
I could be wrong, but I think that any improvement would be due to another factor (i.e. adrenaline); I've never heard of higher elevations being a "booster" for physical performance or endurance.</p>
<p>For your first PFT, try running the mile holding your breath, maybe you'll do even better.</p>
<p>It negatively affects most people. The lower elevation you come from, and the less of a runner you are, the harder it will be.
BCT also took a toll in some areas. A lot of cadets loose weight. (I was on 900-1200 calories of supplements per day to maintain weight, but I was on the extreme side.)</p>
<p>I reccomend being good at push ups, flutter kicks, and running.</p>
<p>I was dying at the end of the 1.5 mile on our 3rd day here. You will feel it no doubt. The average human takes 3 weeks to adjust to a new environment, and you will here. For example, it was 37 degrees F on Friday with sunshine and I was hot wearing t-shirt and shorts, normally I'd be FREEZING with jackets and layers on back home before here. ;)</p>
<p>Does the CFT at the Summer Seminar count?</p>
<p>Probably not. Let me explain.</p>
<p>As I understand it, the CFA administered during Summer Seminar isn't official and can't be used for your application. You'll have to take it again during the fall/winter, possibly even more than once.</p>
<p>But while your SS CFA scores don't directly count towards your application, they could still have an impact. At the end of your Summer Seminar week, your element leader will write an evaluation of you and the other precandidates that he/she supervised. If your element leader thinks your only going through the motions or not putting in maximum effort (during the CFA or anything else), you could get a less than stellar evaluation thrown into your Summer Seminar file, which will definitly be looked at again during the application process. I would imagine that the Admissions people value the cadet's opinion of the candidate quite highly. But as long as you don't really goof off during Seminar, you'll do fine, and it will probably help you later on.</p>
<p>The altitude killed me. I came from sea level and I just died the first time we took the AFT. I added about 2 minutes. Sucked. But you'll get used to it don't worry :) Yeah and like hornetguy, I breathe pretty hard after going up 5 flights of stairs to my room.</p>
<p>(Yes, RTBcadet, but soon you'll have your choice of stair wells and maybe even an elevator!) ;)</p>
<p>hooah!!!!!!!</p>
<p>Air!! :-) haha</p>
<p>Group 2, eh?</p>
<p>Group 4 is where it's at...and you all know it. :P</p>
<p>Oh no no no .... Group 2 is where the party's at. Second to none.</p>
<p>lmao. Second to one you mean. ;)</p>
<p>If you heard a lot of loud screaming around Reveille in Group 2, that was CS-05 in CS-15 training. yay....</p>
<p>I didn't hear anything that morning, but I heard about it. 15's right next to us so.. maybe I sleep like a dead person. Who knows. I heard you guys were like... auto-training or something. LAME!</p>
<p>lmao. We did fine, training wasn't bad at all. Dues and Smith just watched us. So ya, we made them tired. :) </p>
<p>But our uppers killed them I hear.</p>