GoNavyPro
5-Year Member
- Joined
- May 24, 2014
- Messages
- 93
Alright as y'all are about to be within two weeks of I-day and lose all of your hair, I have a few pointers I wish I had known or at least thought about before my plebe summer.
1. Don't take the detailers too seriously
During the times when you have a detailer in your face insulting your worth and trying to make you feel like absolute garbage, there's going to be that one day where nothing is going right and you're going to feel like the detailers are singling you out. Don't take personal offense to it, understand that's their job. They're trying to stress you out and have you and your fellow plebes come together as a family. Don't take anything they say personally cause they'll do it to everyone eventually.
2. Take advantage of your NAPsters and Prior Enlisted
There are going to be plebes in your company that has gone through NAPS and have been prior enlisted. They are going to be your saving grace during plebe summer because while you're trying to figure out how to fold your clothes right, how to make a proper bed, how to handle the stress, etc., they have already been through that for at least a year. They can show you the ropes of how to get things done and the tricks to getting them done efficiently. On a different note, don't be that one kid that thinks they're better than the NAPster because you got into the academy directly from high school. They've put in just as much work, if not more, to get to the academy.
3. Just because you're a Plebe, doesn't mean life has to suck
Plebe year gets a bad rep that everything is going to suck. Is it the best year, no. But it's the year you'll make better friends than you ever did back home, make memories that you'll be recalling with each other for the rest of your time at the academy, and go through events that only plebes get to go through.
For example, myself and a few company mates made videos of certain things like Sea Trials and 100s Night and other events that you'll never forget doing as a plebe like Army Week.
Sea Trials for the Class of 2017: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epQx0Rn688w
Hundreds Night: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeAKkBZQ3-s
Sure you can't control the circumstances of your situation during plebe year, but you can control your attitude towards it. Plebe year is what you make of it and it can be fun or horrible, you decide.
4. Lastly, Always remember why you decided to go here
Everyone goes to the academy for different reasons but there should be a underlying reason to serve your country. Train harder and suffer now so others and those serving under you won't later. As my plebe summer detailer put it, "If that's not a good enough reason, then I'm sure one of the other 16,000 kids who applied to the Naval Academy and didn't get appointed would be more than happy to take your spot."
Just keep things in perspective and remember that they can't stop time. It'll all be over eventually.
Take this as you will. Hope it helped. Good luck '18, look forward to seeing how y'all do.
-Mid Class of '17
1. Don't take the detailers too seriously
During the times when you have a detailer in your face insulting your worth and trying to make you feel like absolute garbage, there's going to be that one day where nothing is going right and you're going to feel like the detailers are singling you out. Don't take personal offense to it, understand that's their job. They're trying to stress you out and have you and your fellow plebes come together as a family. Don't take anything they say personally cause they'll do it to everyone eventually.
2. Take advantage of your NAPsters and Prior Enlisted
There are going to be plebes in your company that has gone through NAPS and have been prior enlisted. They are going to be your saving grace during plebe summer because while you're trying to figure out how to fold your clothes right, how to make a proper bed, how to handle the stress, etc., they have already been through that for at least a year. They can show you the ropes of how to get things done and the tricks to getting them done efficiently. On a different note, don't be that one kid that thinks they're better than the NAPster because you got into the academy directly from high school. They've put in just as much work, if not more, to get to the academy.
3. Just because you're a Plebe, doesn't mean life has to suck
Plebe year gets a bad rep that everything is going to suck. Is it the best year, no. But it's the year you'll make better friends than you ever did back home, make memories that you'll be recalling with each other for the rest of your time at the academy, and go through events that only plebes get to go through.
For example, myself and a few company mates made videos of certain things like Sea Trials and 100s Night and other events that you'll never forget doing as a plebe like Army Week.
Sea Trials for the Class of 2017: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epQx0Rn688w
Hundreds Night: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeAKkBZQ3-s
Sure you can't control the circumstances of your situation during plebe year, but you can control your attitude towards it. Plebe year is what you make of it and it can be fun or horrible, you decide.
4. Lastly, Always remember why you decided to go here
Everyone goes to the academy for different reasons but there should be a underlying reason to serve your country. Train harder and suffer now so others and those serving under you won't later. As my plebe summer detailer put it, "If that's not a good enough reason, then I'm sure one of the other 16,000 kids who applied to the Naval Academy and didn't get appointed would be more than happy to take your spot."
Just keep things in perspective and remember that they can't stop time. It'll all be over eventually.
Take this as you will. Hope it helped. Good luck '18, look forward to seeing how y'all do.
-Mid Class of '17
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