Thank you so much! My questions are in regards to your daily life as a plebe (during the semester, not during plebe summer). Can you tell me some specifics regarding your limitations as a plebe vs. an upper classman? Do you have to square corners inside and out? Can you eat at ease? Do you have limitations as to where you can/can't walk on campus? Are you allowed to talk with your fellow plebes other than in the classroom? Do you have any freedoms? What time do you wake up every morning and what are you required to do each morning before your first class? Can you ever sit or lay in your rack other than lights out? Of course only provide as much information as you are permitted or feel comfortable in doing. Any information that you can provide would be very much appreciated!
Limitations as a plebe--we chop around Bancroft hall, square our corners, do chow calls for morning, noon, and evening meal, and must have our doors open at all times until 2200. We can't listen to music or watch movies during the week. We don't rate our rack during the day, though you can get special permission from your squad leader to fall asleep early if you need it. Most companies let you rate media and your rack on Saturdays, and occasionally on Sundays by the grace of the firstie on duty. Once you become a youngster you can nap, keep your door closed, and rate all the media you want.
We square corners and chop inside company areas in Bancroft. King Hall, the basement, and the midstore are all square-free. It's only indoors; I imagine the tourists would look at us funny if we squared around them outdoors. When we eat, we sit on the front four inches of our chair. Some squads will be more relaxed and allow plebes to sit back. Most squads allow their plebes to speak freely, maintaining proper courtesy. All upperclass are sirs or ma'ams.
The only limitation on walking is that we can't use curved walkways on Stribling, which is an upperclass privelege. There are other small rules you pick up over plebe summer; the second class doors are off limits, and to get anywhere in King Hall, you have to go back out to the center walkway. Yes, we can talk with our fellow plebes. You can study together, go on liberty, walk to class together, visit each other's rooms, etc.
Freedoms? We are free to order food from Annapolis, come and go from our company spaces as we please, etc. We are generally free to do what we want, so long as we meet our obligations (there are quite a few, such as watch, formation, or sports). I wake up at about 0610 every day, unless there's a company workout led by upperclassmen. My company has a workout for the plebes 2-3 days per week, in which case we are on a bulkhead at 0530.
We have chow calls starting at 0645, which is where you announce "important" information about the formation. After a quick indoor formation at 0700, most people go to breakfast. Class starts at 0755. Any more questions? I'm happy to answer.