Small questions about FT

max1inthesun

5-Year Member
Joined
May 18, 2014
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Hey all! I'm leaving for Max 1 on Wednesday and just wanted to generate some discussion about some bigger and smaller questions I (and I'm assuming other) cadets might have.

Any tips for doing superman drills faster?

Any tips for getting your hair up faster? I'm at 20-30 seconds, but I'd like to improve that speed. If a little piece of your bun falls out during the day, are you allowed to adjust it?

Did you use blousing straps for your ABUs, or was that a hassle? I know last year they weren't allowed, but I have not found anything in FTM 14 that bans the use of blousing straps.

I am unable to fold my second set of blues in a manner that will 100% prevent wrinkles -- is there time to iron them at FT?

Any tips for managing periods at FT?

Maybe a stupid question -- but how often do you have time to go to the bathroom?

How many days did it take you to adjust to FT? (When the constant "oh **** oh **** oh ****!" stopped going through your head every waking second of your day.)

And what do you think separated the cadets who succeeded during FT from those who didn't?
 
I'll answer what I know:

Any tips for getting your hair up faster? I'm at 20-30 seconds, but I'd like to improve that speed. If a little piece of your bun falls out during the day, are you allowed to adjust it?

You can sometimes adjust during the day and you'll have slightly more time to really cement it down when you're getting dressed for the day instead of rolling out of bed for PT, but all the girls in my room slept with their hair in a pony tail (shhh) and just did a quick twist bun with a second tie first thing in the morning. If you have any layers or bangs or whatever that makes your hair not in regs in a twist bun, get rid of that now and treat yourself to a salon visit as soon as you get home. You really do need to be able to get your hair up as quickly as possible- I'd say <10 seconds for those groggy 04 wake-ups.

Did you use blousing straps for your ABUs, or was that a hassle? I know last year they weren't allowed, but I have not found anything in FTM 14 that bans the use of blousing straps.

Brought them, never used them. Wayy too much of a hassle during supermans (and you should always be ready to superman...)

Any tips for managing periods at FT?
Accept the inevitability of your cycle being all out of whack and bring plenty of tampon options (like absorbancy levels and such). Even the girls with the most regular cycles in the world, had been on birth control forever, etc had weird spotting and irregular periods. It's an annoying but not unmanageable part of FT, and if you manage to get lucky and not have to deal with it then your flightmates will love you for having plenty of extra supplies. With this: please, please treat yourself right and don't let hygiene fall to the wayside, regardless of how rushed you feel.

Maybe a stupid question -- but how often do you have time to go to the bathroom?
They can't not let you go to the bathroom. That being said, it's in your best interest to align these breaks with "down time" so everyone isn't waiting on you and pressuring you. You may be intimidated by the amount of water you'll be drinking but you'll sweat so much that an insane amount of bathroom breaks aren't necessary. This will depend on your FTO/CTA, but mine specifically didn't really care about small numbers leaving lessons or lectures to use the restroom so that we didn't hold up transiting. You'll figure out what yours think is more appropriate very quickly.

And what do you think separated the cadets who succeeded during FT from those who didn't?
Fight for it. Don't be a jerk, don't throw your flightmates under the bus, but do not ever forget that you are there to prove yourself and that you are being evaluated not by how good you are but by how good you are compared to others. Getting top 1/3 isn't about being a strong cadet- it's about being stronger than 2/3 of the rest of your flight. With few exceptions, especially with the budget cuts, you should expect that your flight will consist of high speed cadets. Like have fun with it, be friendly, make friends, that's all important for your sanity- but don't forget that you need to prove yourself to your FTO and CTA.

Realistically, your FTOs each only have a few days in order to rack and stack 25ish of you, so make a strong first impression. Find out what they value in cadets (like by asking during initial feedback) and make sure they see you emulating that. Take their corrections at midterm feedback to heart and make sure they see you fixing those too. The FTOs aren't perfect and they aren't mind readers; also, the system is sort of naturally geared towards bold, outgoing leadership styles that draw the FTO's attention. Don't do these things in a two-faced way or a fake way because everyone can see through a suck-up, but make sure that you are visible.

This may be unpopular, but- as a female cadet you will unfortunately have a few males in your flight who do not respect women and will call you bossy, say that your voice (command, jodie, or otherwise) is annoying, roll their eyes when you speak, rank you low because they're uncomfortable with you, call you emotional, call you a know it all when you know things, etc- don't let it get to you. Hopefully your FTOs will see it for what it is and not hold their negative perspectives against you. One of our DGs was consistently ranked bottom third by the males in our flight because they thought she was annoying, when she wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary or excessive. Be sure to be cognizant of your actions and find an honest flightmate with good judgement to keep you in check, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with being strong, confident, and assertive.

Basically:

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Good luck!
 
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