<p>thats what i shoulda worked! lol. don't worry redhead, we still have our ways... mwah ha ha</p>
<p>so about these meet your classmate bbq's. i'm assuming people are going to have to drive a ways to get to the same spot...after all aren't the 1300 future cadets spread all across the nation?</p>
<p>sorry, but the bbqs are for (what will be) the upper 3 classes only. since 2011 will move into different squads next eyar, its a chance for them to meet the '09 and '10ers in their new squad, and vice versa.</p>
<p>as far as 2012 is concerned, we won't hand with you and be your friend until a long time from now</p>
<p>Aren't we lucky!?!?!?...That would be an oxymoron...lowerclassmen and upper-classmen being friends...it just doesnt sound right does it? lol</p>
<p>:) redhead can educate all the 2012s on that point. lol</p>
<p>no hugs, eh? :)</p>
<p>ookay. i didnt know upper class squads comprised of cadets in different classes. in fact, i dont know much about squads, flights and what not.</p>
<p>for lots of pretty good info go to the USAFA folklore wiki:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.usafatoday.org%5B/url%5D">www.usafatoday.org</a></p>
<p>they have lots of info (some pretty funny) about cadet life, structure, history, etc.</p>
<p>Everything is entirely integrated. Upperclass and 4 digs, men and women, all live in the same areas and are in the same squadrons.</p>
<p>Good news is that new squad assignments should be out this week (hopefully for '11)....</p>
<p>Even better news is that '11 takes over @ CQ for the next year!! I am officially retired from CQ!</p>
<p>how long are cq shifts up there?</p>
<p>depends. our shortest time slot was 45 min, longest was 4 hours. we just sign up for a given # of hours throughout the week</p>
<p>And yet all I can think is that if I make it through the prep school I am going to be in the unluckiest class in a century...</p>
<p>we lost so many priors this year lol</p>
<p>good luck to ya! they just lost sight of the big picture and got tired of all the bullcrap</p>
<p>I talked with a Capt here where I work that did the prior-prep-academy thing and that is something he warned me would happen. As far as I am concerned the prep school is my means to the academy and the academy is my chosen means to a commission. I refuse to lose sight of that, not after all I have done to get this chance.</p>
<p>I will admit that being a 4-dig and having them the upperclassmen yell at me about what will cut it in the real air force is going to require all my strength not to laugh. Any current cadets that are priors that have advice for this situation, I am ALL ears.</p>
<p>ive heard advice from so many cadet priors and they all pretty much say the same thing. Yea its all bullcrap and it sux having someone probably your age or younger barking orders at you, but you just have to drop all of your stripes and put it all behind you and look at the bigger picture and what you came there for. Just keep your head up. Plus, the prep school is a fun year (except when your in trouble). Priors get paid alot more than us and have a blast every weekend haha.</p>
<p>in the end its all worth it.</p>
<p>Thanks Mateus. Congrats on making it through.</p>
<p>no problem, if you have any specific questions i'll be more than happy to ask some of the priors here and get back to you.</p>
<p>Remember, use the academy to become the best leader you can. Encourage those around you to do the same. If you do that, keep you goals in sight, and let the BS run its course, things will work out 99.99% of the time.</p>
<p>There is a lot of BS at the academy. I've heard some people say that one of the best assets they recieved here was a highly tuned BS detector. Don't let it get you down. The academy's rules and operations (at least the ones that don't work/make sense) are constantly changing...so, if you don't like something, wait a semester or two.</p>
<p>You will have a huge advantage in experience (even though not everything translates to the academy). Use that experience to help those around you. The prior/preppie in my BCT flight was the one who kept the rest of us sane. He saw the bigger picture at times when the rest of us were stuck in the details.</p>
<p>Bluesuiter my daughters roommate is a prior, and there is another from my last AD squadron there now. It is a hard road, but worth everything you put into it. No one would want to go through Basic 3 times, much less recognition twice. The things you will bring to you squadron at the Academy though are priceless. The understanding of how the Air Force works will be lost on many of your classmates. You have that going in. Congradulations and good luck.</p>