<p>Hey… BCT just ended Saterday… the doolies just got our computer today… </p>
<p>any questions about BCT I’ll be glad to answer…fire away!</p>
<p>Was it so tough that you forgot how to spell? ;-)</p>
<p>Congratulations on conquering the Beast!</p>
<p>Once bct is over, what "techno-luxuries" are allowed in your dorm room. For example, are you allowed a personal laptop or small printer? Thanks.</p>
<p>They're issued a very nice Dell laptop with docking station and external HD. They can have a printer. C4Cs can't (as of yet) have CDs, DVDs, or MP3 players. They can have cell phones, but there are some restrictions on use.</p>
<p>thanks doc...</p>
<p>The restriction on cell phones is that they can only talk on them in their rooms when their doors are closed (meaning during academic call to quarters), unless it's official business or an emergency.</p>
<p>I attended the Acceptance Parade and we (husband and I) "hung out" with our new C4C on Tuesday. Got to meet a lot of his new friends----and have to say I was very impressed. What a great environment USAFA is-----What incredible opportunities lie ahead for these exceptional young men and women!</p>
<p>O9----It truly is.....YOUR TIME! </p>
<p>justanothermother</p>
<p>I thought parents didn't have any visits with 4 digs until Parent's Weekend - is this something new this year? Guess I misunderstood the significance of PW.</p>
<p>Yes---a new tradition was born this year! Parents were allowed to view the acceptance parade, and even witness the "pinning on" of the new shoulderboards! Afterwards, there was some much earned and deserved "down time" for the newest members of the wing as they were allowed to briefly celebrate their tremendous accomplishment for a few hours with their parents. KUDOS to the Academy for preserving tradition while being open to change for the good! </p>
<p>momma---Not sure what you mean about the significance of Parent's Weekend---I'd be willing to bet that most 4 degrees believe that Parent's weekend will be no less significant to them just because their parents were included in the Acceptance Day. Besides----isn't Parent's Weekend for ALL the cadets, and not just the 4 degrees?---This day clearly belonged to the doolies, and ONLY the doolies! Congrats to all of them!</p>
<p>I was just under the impression that for prior classes there was no parental visits until PW and that was the significance. Did a large percentage of parents attend? How did the upper class respond? It sure poked the beehive over at Edodo - but again - most things do.</p>
<p>What is Edodo? I don't know about it being the first year as I know last year a friend of mine said parents attended the Acceptance Parade.</p>
<p>My S has been reading the Rumor Mill on the message boards for a couple of years. He also loves the cartoons. It will definitely give you a different perspective about the Academy (among other things). It's <a href="http://www.edodo.org%5B/url%5D">www.edodo.org</a> Doc France probably knows more history about the original dodo paper.</p>
<p>It's some interesting reading - especially when it involves change at the Academy.</p>
<p>Hmmm. I checked it out and it's trash; that's all I'll say.</p>
<p>I actually find it quite interesting. Ever seince I've been interested in the academy I've lurked on the edodo. Gives you different prospectives on things.</p>
<p>Lurking is by far the safest thing to do at edodo. I think the grads and cadets have earned a place to blow off a little cynicism. Sometimes it reminds me of the old National Lampoon. I think it was Fred Sanford that said "one man's trash is another man's treasure" - or maybe not. Nothing wrong with getting a different perspective when you're trying to make such huge life decision.</p>
<p>"Lurking is by far the safest thing to do at edodo."</p>
<p>Definetly True</p>
<p>Personally, I would highly recommend the edodo to anyone considering USAFA. True there may be some (okay a lot) of junk on there, but in-between that junk there is a lot of sound wisdom to be seen. With all the sugar-coating of "academy life" i've seen that was the first real taste of the other side of it. It has definetly been a factor that has helped me make a sound decision that USAFA is somewhere I want to be, and that has prepared me to know what there is to face at the academy.</p>
<p>"sugar coating"???</p>
<p>All USAFA candidates should scrupulously avoid edodo. It should be mandatory for all graduates... and cadets AFTER their doolie year.</p>
<p>My son first began expressing an interest in the Air Force Academy a little over two years ago. Most of his research into what the Academy has to offer, and what it takes to become a candidate, he has gleaned from the official USAFA website, books on the Academy, and a documentary that we found on the Military channel (I think). Since I have no military background, I also wanted to learn more, so I investigated the same sites. As time went by, and his interested remained strong, I expanded my search to find more details about the Academy. Several months ago, I began lurking in Edodo.</p>
<p>If my first encounter with Edodo had come when I was first trying to learn about the Academy, I would have likely tried hard to direct my son away from USAFA. With the balance of nearly two years of other information, however, I found Edodo to be a valid source for the "other side of the coin."</p>
<p>If you ignore docfrance's advice and go there, recognize that the forum is intended to air grievances and cynicism. Balance these posts with everything else that you hear about the Academy. And do not post messages - this is not a parent's forum!</p>