At STP, who will be our form of "government" or authority? Not saying I'm going to stage a coup, but I'm just curious. I would think It would be some of the returning cadets instead of having the professors babysit us. Can anyone lend some knowledge? Also, how exactly will that work? (They escort us to class,etc.)
Sorry for the delay... I vaguely remember seeing this question when it was first posted, and I remember thinking I would come back to respond to it, but clearly I forgot.
They have a number of cadets who will serve as STP Counselors. If they're rising Firsts, many of them will be rat shopping. A few of them will inevitably be Cadre members for next year, and they'll be watching everyone to gauge the attitudes of the incoming ratmass.
There was a situation a couple summers back where an STP student cheated on an exam. He was not drummed out since he hadn't signed the Matriculation Book or received any Honor Court training, but he chose not to matriculate in the fall (at the
strong encouragement of the Commandant of Cadets). This was a very wise decision since the entire Corps would have known within a week of matriculation who he was and what he had done. While this is an extreme case, it's a great example of how the decisions you make during STP will follow you.
To anyone who is going to STP, I have one piece of advice:
always be mindful of your reputation. By all means, have fun! Get to know your BRs, become familiar with the facilities and layout of the Post, and ask all kinds of questions to try to prepare. But the STP Counselors will be watching you and they will form opinions based on the behavior they see. Perhaps more importantly, your future Brother Rats will be forming opinions of you. You won't make it through without them, so you don't want to burn any bridges before having a chance to cross them.
Whatever you do,
do not start dating a future BR, or even flirt with them! For those with "naturally" flirty personalities, take great efforts to curb this behavior. You do NOT want to begin your cadetship with a reputation for having come to VMI for all the wrong reasons. Always be respectful to the STP Counselors, and never give up during morning PT sessions. The reputation you build during STP will last far beyond Matriculation and the Ratline.
Good luck,
Jackie M. Briski '09
First Class Private (Ret.)
). Sizing the corps is kind of an inexact science anyway- You clearly won't be in D company if you are 6'3 but by observation -you might be a 5'9" female in A company as you would be a relatively tall female. Thee's always a lot of variety in sizes no matter how they sort you initially which is why you always size the platoon before the start of a parade. The real deal: whatever company you are in will be the best company as a rat and then after that you won't care that much which company you are in unless you are a Cadre member or in the band