<p>I didnt see a thread for this and I was wondering if anyone here was going. I should have went last year and be with the class of 2011 but some things went wrong. </p>
<p>Some people say I'm lucky enough to go to the prep school and not NMMI or another civil prep program? I think anyone is lucky enough to even get a second shot at the academy like myself..</p>
<p>A CC (cadet candidate) at USMAPS is in the Army. As such, they get to experience the real Army for better or worse. This is a big advantage, imho. As such, as long as you're up to date with classwork, your weekends are free to go into the city (NYC) via the train which is a short walk out the back gate of Fort Monmouth. Unlike plebes, you will have a life! Seriously, you are treated as an adult and expected to act like one. You are taking orders from real soldiers assigned to the school, not youngters just out of high school. These are some of the subtle differences. You'll also get a great chance to brush up on your Math and English before reporting on R-Day. Congratulations and enjoy the ten months.</p>
<p>i guess that sounds like fun. do you know anything about thier physical fitness program? the booklet they sent me doesnt answer much. someone told me they do PT every morning?</p>
<p>Yes, PT every morning. Since everyone is in the Army they take the APFT several times during the year. You'll be very good at doing pushups before you're through! Like West Point, you'll also have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of sports, even if you've never played them. Our son was on the Lacrosse team at Prep even though he was new to the sport. He had a blast playing and we even went up to see a match against Princeton, which was a slaughter.</p>
<p>You'll also be issued the whole complement of Army gear, which you should hold on to, you'll need it when you graduate. Greens, the APFU, several sets of ACUs, PTs you'll wear again, the black trench coat, maybe the new cold weather gear...Don't trash that stuff after you head up to the Academy, put it in storage and pull it out again in four years!</p>
<p>majmatt: i was actually considering lacrosse along with football. does he play for West Point now?</p>
<p>and to bzzzt: APFU and PT's?</p>
<p>No, our son did not play for West Point, just Prep. The guys recruited for the Academy were in an entirely different playing level and they basically used our son as a target. He played goalie wearing body armor which includes a steel plate covering the chest, no joke. He took a couple of point blank shots that knocked him off his feet, and he's a big guy. </p>
<p>Sports at West Point is something totally different than at any other college you might consider. It is such a part of life up there that everyone is very, very fit. Seeing officers doing their morning PT on the Plain makes one realize how ingrained it is in everything they do. It is a "religion" that one takes to heart.</p>
<p>Lacrosse is a real man's sport at the Academies, one of the more violent I've seen, including hockey. The guys who are recruited are super athletes. The sport has recently been introduced in Georgia not too long ago, so when our son went in 2001, it did not yet exist here in high school.</p>
<p>APFU - Army Physical Fitness Uniform - black windbreaker pants, gray reflective jacked, black army shorts, gray t-shirt that says army, gray green fleece cap for when it gets really cold</p>
<p>PTs - physical training uniform, normally just the black shorts and gray tshirts.</p>
<p>This may not sound like much, but the cold weather gear is over a hundred bucks a set, and it's nice having two because then you can wash one and wear one.</p>
<p>The cold weather gear serves you quite well with or without the poly pro. Even when it's snowing, windy and you're in some forsaken mountain in Vermont, you'll be toasty.</p>
<p>I love my black shorts. You'll love them too. You'll be sleeping in them.</p>