Has West Point met your expectations?
The short answer, yes. The longer answer is that I personally had a very hard first couple weeks of Beast as I struggled to assimilate into the culture of West Point. The challenge of Beast is not psychical, as you are never asked to do anything impossible, it is mental. Many, like myself, have a hard time the first couple weeks, but once you find you're place it can be one of the most rewarding places in the world, especially during the academic year. My friend and I, when really bored and feeling philosophical, summed up the experience in a sentence. Really high highs, and really low lows. It's not always easy, but I have had some of the best experiences of my life that I wouldn't trade for anything. I will say this though, don't come here expecting it to be easy, expect a challenge and you will do amazing.
How are the courses? What have been the most difficult ones?
The courses are not necessarily challenging if you have taken AP courses before, as they are very similar in subject matter. I have some classes that are very easy and others I struggle in. I personally found my largest challenge in Military Movement and Chemistry. That said it is not the subject matter that is difficult but finding a balance of all your responsibilities, which range from a large amount of classes to military duties and athletics. If you can find that balance though they often aren't too hard. Another challenge some cadets have is acclimating to the Thayer Method as we will have to teach ourselves the lesson the night before and then come to class the next day to essentially make sure we understand it. The Thayer Method isn't hard as long as you put time into studying.
What are the most popular extracurricular activities among plebes?
Cupping our hands and walking on the walls. In a more serious answer, the variety of extracurricular activities here is one of the best parts as there are truly an infinite amount of things to do there is no resounding most popular one. I am personally a runner and find a lot of time to go for long runs with friends and also spend a lot of time in Arvin. You will ultimately find the extracurricular activity that fits you individually though.
How many hours of sleep?
Enough. Really though, this is largely dependent on person. I normally find myself waking up anywhere from 0530 - 0600 depending on my particular duty (ie: trash, minutes, cleaning), so it depends on the amount of homework that night. My roommate normally gets about 8 hours of sleep a night, where as I get about 5. It is really dependent on how productive the particular person is.
Beast Recommendations: Enjoy your time in high school and your summer. I am guilty of being someone who wasted their summer away preparing for Beast and studying knowledge, while I could have been spending more time with my friends. Be reasonable and prepare to a good degree. Practice for your APFT, stay in shape, and make sure you have all the necessities packed. Otherwise, you will be taught everything during Beast and given AMPLE time to study knowledge, so enjoy your freedom and friends while you still can. Don't stress about Beast it is more of mental challenge than a psychical one, and as long as you are here for the right reasons you WILL make it through.
