**A thread for the Girls**

Great advice for females

This thread answers most of the fine point questions my DD has been asking...thanks
 
Undergarments for blues

Are girls required to wear a white undershirt under blues or just a bra (if it's not obvious)?
 
Hair things

I apologize for being lazy and not going back through the 7(!) pages of this thread to see if I'm repeating anything...

I always recommend finding Bunheads hair pins, look online or in dance supplies stores. Dancers have all the tools to get hair up and secure. I used those pins for 26 years. They come in various hair-matching shades. Bobby pins didn't have the length or strength for my hair. Here's an example:
http://www.capezio.com/products/23803-bunheads-hairpins
Also, I have used these: http://www.amazon.com/Good-Hair-Days-Magic-Grip-Hairpins/dp/B003Y615D8/ref=pd_sbs_a_5

You will learn a lot from passdown from upper class. Watch and learn. Also consult prior enlisted women.

YouTube has videos of military women's hairstyles, including the infamous Sock Bun. Oddly, search on YouTube for Sock Bun, and there will be dozens. Here's one geared toward military women: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIzoqMh1mfI

I was always a fan of BioSilk or similar hair-frizzy-smoothing product that can be used on either dry or damp hair.
 
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usafahopeful1:
Guys are required to wear an undershirt under blues...girls are not. During basic you'll just wear a sportsbra under your blues shirt. During the school year it's really up to you.
 
Hair Info

Just wanted to thank all that have posted information concerning the sock bun. I'm the mom of the Class of 2016 appointee and even though she did a year at the USAFA Prep School this information is still valuable. She did chop off her long hair the last month of her senior year in High School. It has grown out and now she can put it back up. Good luck to all this coming year.
See you all up at the Hill.
 
Underwear (bottoms) question. :) After reading this thread, I feel what we bought is going to get destroyed. They are white but not entirely cotton, and definitely not industrial strength. But there seems to be no alternative other than waist high granny panties! Nothing in-between that we found that isn't an assortment (prints as well as white) Any advice? Suck it up and wear the grannies? Or wear something a little nicer and plan on them not lasting very long? (Falcongirl, say hi to your mom for me! :wink:)

Editing to ask: If there IS an alternative (a 6 pack or so of white cotton bikinis) please post what brand or store carries them and we will continue the "scavenger hunt".
 
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My daughter was able three years ago to find multi-pair packs at Target. But not in a size small enough for her. We ordered through Hanes off the internet (which carried small sizes) and those worked perfectly. Don't go for style -- no one will care. Go for white and cheap -- they will be ruined by the end of Basic and you will throw them in the trash. You will turn your laundry into the laundry in a draw string bag -- it will be boiled (this is not a joke). By the end of Basic, this underwear will be gray and gross. Buy something inexpensive and plan to throw it away once Acceptance is over. You will be able to wear your own underwear (have your parents bring it or mail it to you for A Day) and you will (probably) never wear this kind of underwear again. The same is true of the sports bras -- they will be gray and ugly by the time it is over. You will want to throw them away and wear something else! Cheap but comfortable is the idea. Once Acceptance is over, upperclass girls will be happy to give you advice on what works under uniforms and what will hold up to the laundry.
 
My dd tried several different white panties and found her favorite (for basic, that is) at wal-mart. It is called "Best Fitting Panty", white with a black stripe near waist band. They carry several different styles and she opted for the standard hipster.
 
usafamomma said:
My dd tried several different white panties and found her favorite (for basic, that is) at wal-mart. It is called "Best Fitting Panty", white with a black stripe near waist band. They carry several different styles and she opted for the standard hipster.
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I also bought the "Best Fitting Panty" brand from Walmart. I will definitely recommend this brand! They are inexpensive, comfortable, and seem durable. :)


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USAFA Class of 2016
 
Yeah. That makes a lot of sense. Excellent advice. Thank you. I would also appreciate a recommendation for cheap but comfy sports bras. We purchased 8 at 19.99 a piece and it was a budget buster (no pun intended ;)). Tags are still on so if there is a better choice I'd be grateful to know it. The Walmart selections weren't the right size or color, werent inexpensive either, and the hard to get on pull over the head kind.
 
Also regarding bras, I read on another thread that they do not necessarily have to be white but I would like a solid confirmation on this because I don't want to get in trouble. I was thinking that I would bring four white bras and four black or gray bras. If not then I'll go buy just 8 white bras.
 
ctuma2 said:
Also regarding bras, I read on another thread that they do not necessarily have to be white but I would like a solid confirmation on this because I don't want to get in trouble. I was thinking that I would bring four white bras and four black or gray bras. If not then I'll go buy just 8 white bras.
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Just my opinion here (DD is in class of 2014). Believe it or not, DD still has her sports bra's from BCT(laundry mark intact). They were still in decent condition(no holes or obvious wear), albeit grey from the wash(I have not tried bleach as they are synthetic and I am pretty sure that would ruin them). By the way they were Champion, not on the low price end. I am not suggesting the brand, it is just what we bought. So, I would think that grey would be fine. You might be pushing it with black right now.
 
flyerdreamer said:
Yeah. That makes a lot of sense. Excellent advice. Thank you. I would also appreciate a recommendation for cheap but comfy sports bras. We purchased 8 at 19.99 a piece and it was a budget buster (no pun intended ;)). Tags are still on so if there is a better choice I'd be grateful to know it. The Walmart selections weren't the right size or color, werent inexpensive either, and the hard to get on pull over the head kind.
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I think I got 6 from an under armour outlet at $14.99 each and then I went back and got 3 more at $10.99 each. I don't know if they're online at that price, but if you have a local outlet, like me, you should check.
 
ctuma2 said:
Also regarding bras, I read on another thread that they do not necessarily have to be white but I would like a solid confirmation on this because I don't want to get in trouble. I was thinking that I would bring four white bras and four black or gray bras. If not then I'll go buy just 8 white bras.
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I would highly recommend you just bring the white bras, just to be safe. :shake: I'm working BCT this summer; as far as I know, that's the color you should show up with on I-day to wear with the ABU uniforms you'll receive.
 
Great thread

As the mom of a future female cadet I found this thread very useful and thought it was worth reviving as the appointments for the class of 2018 start to come out. I showed it to DD last night and asked her about her hair, if she could put it up in under 30 seconds. She could in about 10s so I guess she's good :) She's a swimmer so putting her hair up in a tidy bun quickly is something she does daily. Also on her official visit to the Academy she was told to double the amount of underwear listed. She plans on 25 pairs at least and 8-10 sports bras. She refuses to wear underwear from a pack though. Said her nicer underwear made her happy and confident and those emotions would be hard to come by during BCT so she was bringing nice underwear :)
 
Sam2018 said:
As the mom of a future female cadet I found this thread very useful and thought it was worth reviving as the appointments for the class of 2018 start to come out. I showed it to DD last night and asked her about her hair, if she could put it up in under 30 seconds. She could in about 10s so I guess she's good :) She's a swimmer so putting her hair up in a tidy bun quickly is something she does daily. Also on her official visit to the Academy she was told to double the amount of underwear listed. She plans on 25 pairs at least and 8-10 sports bras. She refuses to wear underwear from a pack though. Said her nicer underwear made her happy and confident and those emotions would be hard to come by during BCT so she was bringing nice underwear :)
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I would be very careful with bringing nice underwear to BCT(they pretty much get ruined during Jacks Valley, think more mud than a toddler would play in, covered from head to toe ). Only thing my DD saved from BCT were her sports bras. She is more than welcome to have them after BCT/Acceptance day. Many parents include them in their A-day packages. This is, after all, a military school. They have rules and cadets are expected to follow the rules. Not trying to be harsh, just trying to give you real time information. My DD will be graduating this Spring. As prior enlisted, my husband and I encouraged her to be as "vanilla" as possible. In other words do not bring undo attention to yourself for ANY reason(think non-descript/plain clothing on inprocessing day). Laundry is done "en masse" albeit in laundry bags. If the packing list says to bring white underwear, white plain underwear, that is what it should be. My daughter brought exactly what was on the list, she had no problems with the amount she brought. Everything had her laundry mark visible and nothing was lost during BCT. I have heard of other tales of lost garments, but I guess DD was lucky or just followed the guidelines listed and the directions for laundry to a "T".
 
Sam2018 said:
She refuses to wear underwear from a pack though.
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Not a great attitude to have going in to BCT.

We were out buying DS (a C3C) sheets that are just a bit more comfortable than the issued ones. We got laughing about about the issued pijamas which are anything but comfortable. In fact, "uncomfortable" would be a severe understatement for the pijamas. DS never wore either pair he was issued but he said that Doolies in the squad next to his have to wear them every night until Recognition and that there were regular checks in an attempt to maintain compliance.

A better attitude going in to BCT would be to expect the unexpected, be ready to do as instructed, and to try to fly below the radar as KDC said. "Nice" underwear is not going to be helpful. Encourage her to keep it "vanilla".
 
Just wanted to add another tip regarding sports bras. Old Navy!

My DD, a sports bra snob - Nike only, thankyouverymuch - actually liked the bras I bought at Old Navy, at about 1/3 the price of Nike. They are around $10-$12, comfortable, and do their job well.

Nicole
 
I wasn't trying to start an underwear fight but she was told by the cadets she met on her trip that white was the only requirement and that many of them had white from Aerie or VS with no issues. She knows they will be thrown out at the end of BCT and has plans for me to bring her more on A-day. I don't think she has a bad attitude at all, just a girl that knows what she wants. She's following the rules and I seriously hope her underwear are not that closely looked at. And really, have you worn underwear from a pack...ugh. I certainly wouldn't want to go into something as stressful as BCT and be uncomfortable.

I really just thought this was a good thread with good info and wanted to share.

Thanks for the info on the Old Navy sports bras. We will check those out. :)
 
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