<p>Aspen wrote, "The plebes will parade Saturday morning in one of two occassions when a given Class gets to parade as a separate group (other time is graduation day)."</p>
<p>Not strictly true. The new cadets do march out separately as a class on Saturday morning and line up in front of the reviewing stand and bleachers, facing the Plain. The upperclassmen then march out and line up facing them across the Plain. The Class of 2009 then will march across the Plain to take their place in the ranks of the Corps. At that point, they become cadets and plebes. Then the whole Corps will pass in review for the first time. However, the Class of 2009 will parade three other times as a class, not once.</p>
<p>The first will be in the parade over Plebe-Parent Weekend. Any upperclassmen unfortunate enough to be on post that weekend will not participate.</p>
<p>The second will be the Graduation Parade the day before Graduation, which is a mirror of the Acceptance Parade. The whole Corps marches out and lines up facing the reviewing stand and bleachers across the Plain. The graduating firsties then leave the Corps and march across the Plain to line up in front of the bleachers. They then about face to face the Corps. Command of the Corps is then transfered to the cow class, and the Corps passes in review, paying tribute to the soon-to-be-grads. For me, those two bookend parades were among the most emotional moments of our sons' four years on the Hudson. Don't miss the Acceptance Parade if you can help it, as it sets up special resonances at the Graduation Parade.</p>
<p>The final time a class marches alone together, of course, is graduation itself.</p>
<p>I stand corrected, I assumed the gynastics was in place of English---one of the other courses she is taking must be the replacement course---anyone care to guess what it is, because I have no clue! :)
?</p>
<p>I think I mixed my acronyms. I believe the Indoor Obstacle Course is not referred to as IOBC, but rather as IOCT for Indoor Obstacle Course Test. Sorry ... if it is still confusing to me after four years, you certainly don't have to be steered wrong during these early days. And my sons' class was the first to have to take and pass the IOCT all four years!</p>
<p>Momoftwins wrote, "I found out that the girls are taking a semester of Combatives and a semester of Gymnastics. That will be equivalent to their PE class."</p>
<p>Gymnastics and Combatives are the plebe women's required PE courses ... and you must pass to graduate. Gymnastics trains plebes to pass the IOCT by the end of the semester.</p>
<p>Boys take Boxing instead of combatives. </p>
<p>The notion is not that they will ever use their boxing or martial arts skills per se, but rather that many boys and most girls these days have never learned to absorb a blow and keep on going. Getting hit on the schnoz really gets your attention. My sons say that the violence in boxing is much different from the violence in, say, football. One was ambivalent but still did well ... the other loved it. The instructors watch especially for aggressiveness and resilience after being "hurt" (they wear all protective gear and are schooled in defending/slipping punches before sparing begins in earnest).</p>
<p>As I suggested above, the IOCT is yet another story! I was not confused about Arvin Lung.</p>
<p>Actually the Plebe year PE is divided into 4 sessions (2/semester). One session turns into a free time for study, work out, etc. The others are: Men - Swimming, Boxing, and Gymnastics; and Women - Swimming, Combatives, and Gymnastics. Swimming is affectionately known as Plebe Drowning. You'll hear about this later from your soon to be Cadets and be amazed at the things they do and survive. The Gymnastics includes sessions on how to scale buildings, swing from gutters, etc. This is to help teach the Cadets how to maneuver in urban combat situations. Boxing is self explanatory. Combatives is like a self defense course on steroids. All will be explained in detail at the PPW briefings.</p>
<p>I have heard previously that the parade on R-Day is considered as a "Class Parade" although technically the upperclass Cadre are also part of the group.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I think you'll find it's "Corps" squad, not "Core" squad. Just sounds the same!</p></li>
<li><p>You might want to double check with D. Looks like she's missing an academic class - possibly foreign language. My understanding is that all plebes take 5 academic subjects plus PE plus military science. Core curriculum here (although this is a year old):</p></li>
</ol>
<p>wow- leave for a few hours of boating and come back to an evening of reading! </p>
<p>bossf51: thank you for sharing that journal entry...hope my son gets to write like that someday....we have seen the Eagle....tour while docked, and under full sail in the sound...she is magnificent and beyond words....what a great expereince to share with the cadets/mids from the other academies....</p>
<p>can you share how your son got to expereince time at the USCGA? What year are they able to go, and how competetive is the process?</p>
<p>best of luck to your son! hope he continues to write his thoughts down...what a lovely memory they will become in the years ahead!</p>
<p>Kate
I'll ask her next time we talk if she left anything out--not sure what it would be if she isn't taking English as she has a science, math, and history class in addition to gymnastics, military instruction (whatever that is) and I.T. Total number of classes she gave was 6. </p>
<p>"corps", "core", "smore", spelling never was my strength!</p>
<p>After looking at the USMA Dean's website it appears she was allowed to sub the English which she validated for an elective, either the gymnastics or the Military Science (probably it was the Military Science since another poster reported their new cadet was enrolled in gymnsatics as well). Therefore she is taking 4 academic classes (core courses) instead of the normal 5, plus gymnastics plus one elective (Military Science) in place of English.</p>
<p>"Validation of core courses allows a cadet to substitute an additional elective in place of a core course." from the Deans webpage on course validation.</p>
<p>Military Science is not an elective class (it is after all a military academy), nor are the PE classes, all are required of every Cadets. The Cadets will take at least one MS class each semester, plus have another on their "schedule" which they will receive a grade but not credits. This is for the out of class time with the Company and other summer training opportunities such as Beast, Buckner, Cadre participation, etc. The second category will count towards their overall class rank but not in their QPA or Quality Point Average similar to the GPA only more complex calculations are involved.</p>
<p>The way I understood it from the academic briefings I attended there is that cadets end up taking mostly all the same classes the first two years, and the spot opened through validation would not be able to be filled with an elective until the junior or senior year. (Validating calc 1 would force you into calc 2 freshman year, etc.) Keep in mind that your daughter has 2 semesters to think about...she may be taking gymnastics this semester, and something else next semester. By looking at your daughter's schedule she more than likely won't be taking IT both semesters. Nothing she is taking is an elective. By the way...I would imagine USMA does scheduling by credit hour just like any other college or university. For instance, I just registered for classes at a state university. My roommate is only taking 4 classes, but I'm taking 5. I'm taking 18 hours and so is she. Different classes (labs, math classes sometimes) are worth more hours. I don't think the number of classes she's taking has to do with anything. That might be why she's taking 6 classes instead of 5. (If I remember correcly, combatives only meets twice a week). It also could be because she's a smart girl...she's in advanced everything. They probably think she could handle it.</p>
<p>GEB, corrected me with, "Actually the Plebe year PE is divided into 4 sessions (2/semester). One session turns into a free time for study, work out, etc. The others are: Men - Swimming, Boxing, and Gymnastics ..." </p>
<p>I had forgotten all about swimming because our sons didn't take it. Because construction at Arvin severely restricted pool time, they were allowed to validate out of swimming based on their swimming performance during Beast. I don't know if that option is available now that the Arvin rebuild is completed.</p>
<p>I'd like to wish everyone safe travels for those going to their prospective academies for the ceremonies! Wish it were me..... 37 days till USMMA! So atleast let me live through your pride until then! Be safe and leave kiss marks! Congrats too! Hope ya'll are enjoying those few precious emails that are starting to trickle in. They do get better. I hear from mine everyday now. Sorry laxdad probably didn't have this luxury AND digital cameras.....</p>
<p>We are going to the shoulder board ceremony on Monday for our coastie, Steve. He along with 275 other swabs(I know we're small) will officially become 4/c. It's said to be a brief but touching ceremony. He will hopefully get Labor Day libo and come home for at least a day or so(we're just an hour away!).</p>
<p>While it is easy to get excited about the plebes/cadets who are finishing their respective basic training programs, please include a special prayer for all those young men and women who did not finish basic, have left their academy programs and must adjust to a major change in their lives' plans.</p>
<p>I bring this up since I just saw the July 31st Composition numbers for the Naval Academy Class of 2009 and noted that of the 1227 starting members(don't know why this differs from the 1220 number posted in the Class of 2009 profile unless their were 7 holdbacks from the Class of 2009), 34 had dropped out during the month of July (23 men and 11 women). Don't know the numbers for the other academies but certain they have had attrition as well.</p>
<p>As tough as is it to stay in the academy programs, I've got to believe the dissapointment and stress of coming home after leaving the program early are incredible. My prayer is that they (and their families) find new hope in whatever path they choose or, if they intend to return to the academy, that they find the strength needed to persevere.</p>
<p>Aspen thanks for bringing this up...at the CGA they started with 307 and have lost (approximately) 32...fairly high number compared to the size of the school. Most were DOR...20 I think...7 flunked the physical, many of which were for color-blindness of all things...and 5 for failing the PTE. My son mentioned one poignant case of a kid everybody liked and rooted for but just couldn't pass the PTE.
It's heartbreaking to put so much time and effort into getting into an academy and either finding out it wasn't for you in the first place or you didn't quite measure up. There was also at least one kid who broke a leg just prior to R-day and has to apply all over again.
So yes let's say a prayer for those who had to leave.</p>
<p>So true, aspen. I have often wondered how those individuals who voluntarily choose to leave in the early weeks of that first difficult summer feel just a few weeks later. They can see the smiling faces on web sites. They hear the accolades and kudos. They went through a long and difficult admissions process. They hear about highly qualified candidates who did not receive appointments and know that their own spot could have been filled easily. I am convinced that some of them will be conflicted for a while. </p>
<p>There was quite a bit of publicity recently when (Chicago) Mayor Richard Daley's son enlisted in the Army. He attended West Point for a year (perhaps 2) then left to attend a civilian college. He has worked and also earned an MBA from a top business school. However, he said that he always regretted leaving West Point. He mentioned that it was not WP's fault but his as he was not really ready for WP when he was there. Interestingly enough, he had the opportunity to attend OCS, but chose to enlist as he felt this is where he belongs. This is how one individual handled the internal conflict years after leaving West Point.</p>
<p>I love how West Point (and I assume the other academies) continue to consider anyone who leaves still a part of the class. I also love how WP provides counseling to anyone considering leaving. And I also give the students credit for leaving even when they know there will be negative feedback. That's one of the most difficult things to do in life.</p>