I have tried to do some research on the Academy, but there just isn't much info online so I have a few questions. Please feel free to answer ones that you feel comfortable answering, thanks!
1- At Navy I know they have quirky rules for freshman like squaring corners and making chow calls. How similar is the 4/c experience to that? Any other rates for 4/c that are important to know?
2- What are the dorm rooms like? What is in the rooms?
3- Is there summer training? And if so what is that experience like?
4- Is there time in the busy class schedule to play a varsity sport AND be in a few clubs?
5- What are free time privileges like? What do you do on the weekends? Can you go out into the town?
6- A little about Swab Summer?
Sorry for all the questions, especially the broad ones, but I recently got accepted and need to make my decision by next week. I haven't had the opportunity to visit. Please be as honest as possible, thank you!!
Grevar pretty much covered it but I'll add a few things.
1. 4/c year at CGA is very similar to Navy. Freshman are required to square their corners and their meals for just about the whole year. Instead of chow calls, 4/c do "clocks" which is the same concept. You double-time (run) everywhere when in gym gear. You march in section, also known as bussing, everywhere you go when outside during the academic day. There are several other "quirky rules" you'll have to follow but it's all a part of the experience.
2. Compared to my brother's dorm rooms at Clemson and now Ohio State, I got a much better deal. Honestly, the rooms are nice and they're a decent size. There's plenty of room for two. Each person gets a rack, a dresser, and a closet. Some people share a bookshelf while others have bookshelves mounted over their desks. Anyone at CGA who would complain about their room should stop and think about the "rooms" the people they are training to lead live in on a ship. I'll take my standard size 2 person room to 21-man berthing with beds stacked 3-high any day.
3. Grevar was spot on with this one but I want to add a little bit more to 1/c year. They've been cutting down on the number of cadets that stay to be on Regimental or Company Staff for the summer b/c they want more cadets to experience the fleet. I've heard from several cadets that the companies will go back to the older style X-ray, Yankee, Zulu platoons that LITS experienced when he was cadet (all those years ago
). Most cadets will be in the fleet for the entire summer. Some cadets are assigned to cutters for 12 weeks. Some are sent for 5-6 weeks but then have the opportunity to experience other programs such as internships in places like NASA, Capitol Hill, the NSA, science research centers in Alaska, study abroad experiences in Prague or Hong Kong, and so much more. You can also apply to spend 6 weeks at an air station if you want to be a pilot. Simply put, the summers are packed with events but they have been the best summers of my life.
4. Absolutely, I would say about 80% play a Varsity Sport and participate in multiple clubs.
5. As a freshman, you are only granted liberty from 1200 PM - 1 AM on Saturdays and then 7 AM-6PM on Sundays. There is a liberty shuttle that will take you around New London and Groton to places like the mall, Target, the movie theater, a bunch of restaurants, etc. During swab summer, you can also request a sponsor family which is a great way to get off base and relax in a more private setting. All cadets are granted long weekends during holiday periods like Columbus Day, Labor Day, MLK weekend, etc. For those weekends, you can leave when liberty is granted on Friday and then return by your class designated time on Sunday. Don't worry, you'll find plenty of ways to have fun.
6. Anything specific? It can be intense. There will be pressure and stress. There will be screaming and there will be physical training. It will be hot and humid and you will be tired. But, thousands of other people have made it so you will too. The videos on YouTube will show you some of Swab Summer but there are definitely things that are kept secret. Take it seriously but not too seriously. Learn to laugh at yourself (in private) and play the game.
My biggest advice is to write a letter to yourself before you show up about why you decided to attend USCGA. Take it with you and read it when you are at your low points. Trust me, you'll have plenty of those during the four years but that letter, combined with the support of your family and Coast Guard family, will get you through anything. I graduated nearly two years ago and it's impossible to describe the bonds you form with people. The hardest part about graduating was moving from a place where you lived in one barracks building where it was only a few steps to your closest friends to a place where your friends are more than a few hundred miles away.