DS has a 2nd Class brother at USNA. Got a TWE last year and reapplied to both USNA and USMA this past year. Received an appointment to USMA and had an overnight visit last week. He was excited, thought that WP was probably where he fit better since he is wanting to go infantry/Marines/special forces. However, he came away from the visit very disappointed. Plebes he was assigned to did not give a favorable impression at all. Plebe and roommates were all flunking Calculus, said that despite the briefing saying that they get 4 hours a night to study they only get maybe 1. Told DS that most weekends they just sit in their rooms because there is nothing to do outside the gates. Other plebes "bumped" into him in doorways and were rude (I get plebe life, I know they are bottom of the totem pole, but during a visit?) Obviously the "campuses" are completely different, both in scenery and in location and since he has seen USNA and DTA he knows there are things to do and places to go to get away from the tedium, even if it is a few hours. Do you think he just got paired with a "bad" set of plebes? Are there things to do in Highland Falls when they have walking privileges? It seemed like other than McDonald's or a sponsor family any escape was pretty limited. These concerns seem trivial compared to the educational opportunities and the fact that he wants to serve his country, but he has also lived USNA with us as a family and knows that you have to embrace the suck but we also know that academy life is hard enough if you can enjoy any time - even if it is a day on the weekend. Thoughts about cadet life and his visit? So worried that his impression will influence him to decline and then regret it for the rest of his life.