MMI Packing Info

designmom

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May 15, 2015
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DS will be at MMI in Fall. Is there anything he should/can have that is not on the packing list? I have heard they should have an ironing board (he has the iron) and have heard both yes and no to pictures. Any advice?
 
My DS just ordered a wireless printer today. I'm also putting together a little mini first aid kid with band aids and neosporin, Aleve, etc. I have seen several things about moleskin for blisters so we will try to find some of that, too, before August 11th.
 
Put a small fan at the top of the list.. Alabama in the late summer can be brutal!
 
My DD took a sleeping bag - well, actually a lightweight fleece sleeping bag liner - and slept in that in top of her made-up bed. It was easy to shove in her trunk when not in use and that way her bed was always made. I think she kept it taught with bungee cords underneath the mattress.

Also the food isn't that good so she loaded up on snacks. She and her roommate had two huge storage bins of food under the bunk bed! Because of bugs you want to make sure all food is in individually wrapped servings. We ended up buying a water-tight plastic bin (actually a filing bin from the office supply store) for stuff that wasn't wrapped.

Bookends.

Also, keep expectations low with regard to anything to do in the area. Seriously. The highlight of DD's weekends was driving 45 minutes to the nearest Wal-Mart in Selma and having dinner at Zaxby's.

This is more than you asked for, but here is my extra feedback. The town of Marion is very depressed. Some crazy percentage (80%?) of residents are on public assistance. Everywhere I looked was worn-down and neglected. The downtown looked like it was once a charming little square, something you imagine when you think of little southern towns, but now half the stores are empty. It is all very sad.

With that said, she never felt unsafe on campus. The campus is contained so stay there and you will be fine.

MMI prepared my daughter well for life at the academy. However she doesn't care to see Marion, AL ever again.

Nicole
 
Everything Nicole said is true about Marion. It is the saddest little town. But I also must say that my son had an amazing experience this past year. 28 students received appointments to USMA. 23 were AOGs and 5 were self-prep. There were a total of over 100 service academy prep students to all five academies so now my son will have friends at all 5 of the them. His professors were great. They worked him hard and challenged him to be a better student. They often had him over for dinner to their homes. The commandant is one of his favorite people of all time. He made some great friends last year. Since we live 3 hours away from Marion and my son had a car, we had many students at our home for weekend visits. My son and his friends went to Tuscaloosa most weekends and were able to have a more traditional college experience before they had to face the rigors of West Point. We just dropped him off at West Point last week and he walked into farewell ceremony with 4 other very good friends. It made R-Day so much more enjoyable.
I know I haven't answered your question about packing. I honestly can't remember what he took, except it wasn't much. Their life is easier the less they have because of room inspections. I will try to dig up old material that jogs my memory about packing.
 
Everything Nicole said is true about Marion. It is the saddest little town. But I also must say that my son had an amazing experience this past year. 28 students received appointments to USMA. 23 were AOGs and 5 were self-prep. There were a total of over 100 service academy prep students to all five academies so now my son will have friends at all 5 of the them. His professors were great. They worked him hard and challenged him to be a better student. They often had him over for dinner to their homes. The commandant is one of his favorite people of all time. He made some great friends last year. Since we live 3 hours away from Marion and my son had a car, we had many students at our home for weekend visits. My son and his friends went to Tuscaloosa most weekends and were able to have a more traditional college experience before they had to face the rigors of West Point. We just dropped him off at West Point last week and he walked into farewell ceremony with 4 other very good friends. It made R-Day so much more enjoyable.
I know I haven't answered your question about packing. I honestly can't remember what he took, except it wasn't much. Their life is easier the less they have because of room inspections. I will try to dig up old material that jogs my memory about packing.
Thanks so much for the insight. We live about 16 hours away so I know we will not see him much. Good to know the professors are that accessible. Good luck to your son at West Point.
 
What Nigel and Davenportmom said. We also live a long way. We shipped stuff. DS was CGAS three years ago (now cadre for the incoming CGAS). The Chief in charge of the CGAS crew emphasized the need for an iron and ironing board.
There is a Family Dollar General store near the front gate, so if you forget something, they have almost everything right there.
DS also has friends at the other Academies.
Smart move is to hang with the other SAP students. The students facing a service academy have a higher standard to maintain. It is pretty easy to find the party crowd who don't have to worry. It doesn't take much to lose that appointment.
 
DS went to MMI as a Falcon, best preparation for the rigid Academy life. DS had been to boarding school for several years and so transition was not difficult, in fact he spent most time as paid tutor. The surrounding area is, in a perverse way, just the right environment to focus the mind and spirit for the rigors of any Academy's first year. You are not going to have much of a social life as your peers at State U! Guess what, you are not going to have much of a social life at the Academy during your first year especially, and probably not that much more the last 3! Can you survive in this focused, mission driven culture...if not...you will not survive at the Academy. If you immerse yourself in the military culture at MMI, instead of rushing off at every chance to UA, or elsewhere, keep your nose clean with regards to deportment, fulfill your academic obligations to the best of your ability and strive to always improve....then you have prepared yourself for the onslaught that all of the Academies throw at their freshmen and you will have a fighting chance at success!
 
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