Bears day program (in detail from a parents perspective)

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Flint41

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Dec 11, 2020
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Reason for posting, we searched and search for specific information regarding Bears day and really could not find on what to expect from the parent side. I wasn’t sure on what to wear, are we just dropping off student and leaving. So I wanted to recap the Bears day program in-detail, from a parents perspective. As a parent, did not have a clue what to expect as the online description pertained more for the student and not the parent.

Dress:
Students - On the CGA website states business casual. I observed everything from athletic wear, jeans, to khakis. Our DS wore khakis, collared shirt and tie (tie might have been overdressed, but said he received a lot of compliments for being dressed up). Some sort of khakis, collared shirt, and dress shoes seemed to be the majority.

Parents - look presentable. Jeans / khakis (weather dependent). Wasn’t about us, but we did tour the facility and walked in some classes and met with the faculty.

Athletes - Be communicating with coach prior to arriving. Request to meet, workout with team and or observe. This coordination is between DS/DD and the coach. Our DS carried a backpack with him all day and had workout clothes packed. We did not see him until we picked him up around 6:30pm. If not pursuing sports, still have the opportunity to participate during the athletic period pending on who DS / DD gets paired with.

Bears day event (parents side)
Approximately 4-5 days leading up to the event, DS received a email detailing the event from admissions.
0815 - 0845 - check in
8:45 - 9:50 - Briefs with both parents and DS/DD.
9:50 - 10:00 - Students and Cadets pairing. I believe most if not all cadets was 4C. To my knowledge, admissions already has a cadet paired with a student. I am not sure if student can request a cadet in a certain major and or in a certain sport. The cadets came in and called names of the students and they were gone.
10:00 - 12:15 - Parents stayed in the room and received various briefs regarding the admissions process, medical, etc. very informative.
12:15 - 1:00 - Parents attended lunch ($15 cash PP). The admissions officer for your region sat at your table for open conversation.
1:00 - 2:30ish - Parents had a tour of the facility (cadet led).
2:30 - 4:00 - Free time to walk around
4:00 - Link back up with Student if not participating in an athletic event. If participating in an athletic event, that time will be coordinated between DS/DD and parent. We didn’t see our DS till 6:30 that night.

I am not going to go in detail regarding the day for the student because not wanting to ruin the experience. I will say our DS said this was the most fun he has ever had. The only thing I will say if DS or DD has the opportunity to stay beyond 4pm, take full advantage.
 
Thanks for sharing Flint41. Very helpful. I just wanted to follow on to your post to share that my parental experience and my DS's Cadet for a Day (CFAD) experience was very similar, albeit with an overnight component, PFE exam the next morning and final briefing.

The initial day 8 AM - 4PM schedule is pretty much the exact same from the parents perspective. My times below aren't as precise as yours but rest of CFAD was as follows:

Prospective students matched with cadets and also gone by 10 AM and attend classes and lunch with their cadet. CFAD's differences begin at 4:00 where all prospect students go and can even participate in afternoon sports period before family dinner. They stayed with their assigned cadets overnight in Chase Hall and saw the nightly study routine. Up by 6 AM to take their on campus PFE exam before showering and meeting back up for breakfast with parents around 8:30 AM. The admissions staff put on a final briefing with staff and officers sharing their career paths and answering any questions. Wrapped up by 11 AM. Great experience and insight into USCGA for parents and student alike.
 
To briefly explain the cadet pairing process:
A few days before the program, the cadets receive an email to sign up for a beansprout (which is what we call prospective cadets). Attached is a spreadsheet with all the attendees’ names, intended majors, home state, and interests. The cadets then pick a student who is similar to themselves.
In short: admissions doesn’t pair cadets with your students, so it is very important you make sure they fill out their interests, because it helps us make the right choice.
That said, once we pick up our beansprouts, we can pass them to other cadets. So if you know someone at the academy, just coordinate with them, and they can spend the day together.
 
My son really enjoyed CFAD and it helped him really get a sense of what daily life is like at USCGA. He did AIM this summer and enjoyed that too.
 
The sprouts can get passed around like a bad cold. My DD had one once and while she was at practice they found someone on a team he was interested in so he went there, and someone else got him after that. It can get kind of ad hoc if there's nothing to go on at first and students start to state preferences during the day. The goal is showing what life is like in the areas a student might participate, so matching that is more important than staying on some set schedule.
 
JAH2002 said:
To briefly explain the cadet pairing process:
A few days before the program, the cadets receive an email to sign up for a beansprout (which is what we call prospective cadets). Attached is a spreadsheet with all the attendees’ names, intended majors, home state, and interests. The cadets then pick a student who is similar to themselves.
In short: admissions doesn’t pair cadets with your students, so it is very important you make sure they fill out their interests, because it helps us make the right choice.
That said, once we pick up our beansprouts, we can pass them to other cadets. So if you know someone at the academy, just coordinate with them, and they can spend the day together.
Click to expand...
I’ve learned this year from my 4/c that beanies = carry on which is gold! lol
 
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