Maybe Scout you just didn't get the knack or you had different shoes. Bullet did it for 20+ yrs, and even on his flight boots. He never had a problem of cracking the leather. He always did have to replace them, but that was to wearing out the sole of the shoe/boot and nothing else.
That being said, I do agree with Scout, if you try to do this on your own without instruction from someone who knows the exact timing of when to remove the heat you will do damage to the shoe.
Polishing shoes will be long and tedious this is why cadets opt for Corframs. However, the det will never give you top grades because Corframs only require Windex. Additionally, anyone who has ever worn them will tell you they are basically plastic shoes, if you go to school somewhere hot, your feet will sweat all day long.
Most cadets will use Sunday night as their shoe polishing night. An old white undershirt also is great, because as Scout mentioned you will want shoe edger. You will need the shirt to place them on to not mark up the floor.
The other thing to take with you is a bag of SAFETY PINS. They come in very handy when a jacket button falls off as a quick fastener. Additionally, if you are like our DS, he wears white t's under his polo's, but no v-necks. He is the typical college kid who goes through all of his clothes before doing laundry. He learned from an AFA cadet a few yrs back that a crew neck t can in a snap become a v neck with a safety pin.
For parents that are military, I would suggest to also hit the Military clothing store during the summer, especially if your child has "fit issues". BUY FROGS!
For example, our DS is 28 X 32 in pants, the det had issues finding him service pants. He landed up with floods because they couldn't find him 32's in his size. We also bought extra PT gear since they wear the same.
Also, you can get him service uniform shirts (at least for the AF)...trust me, it doesn't hurt to get them because they will not wash them as often as you think. The ring around the collar is insane, and yes, even SA cadets put off cleaning their uniforms.
When you go home for a time period that allows dry cleaning, take the uniform with you. Ask the dry cleaner to use HEAVY starch. The first time you wear it will feel like cardboard, BUT, when you wash it some starch will remain and it will only take a few seconds to iron it out because the creases will be there to follow.
Also for fall semester buy a can of Niagara Spray Starch and a Can of Niagara Sizing. Sizing goes on first, it allows the material to relax. Lightly iron, do not start making seems, you just want to iron out any creases that are in places they should not exist. Cool the shirt on a hangar. Spray the starch and now press for seems. If you want to make it like dry cleaning, let the shirt cool after the starch press and spray again. Believe it or not if you hit the steam it will create a knife crease like the dry cleaners.
The wonder hangar maybe great, but I would suggest for the shirts to be placed on wooden hangars. Plastic hangars have a habit of making indentations if improperly hung. Jackets and ABUs don't have the same problem.
Our DS did not buy wonder hangars. He did have a small closet, but his dresser allowed him to fold the majority of his shirts, thus he had room in the closet. Additionally, he took only seasonal clothing with "what if it get's cold" backup. If you are going to a school that you know the weather(heat) is not going to drastically change before you go home, than plan accordingly. For example, you are going to go to VMI and are coming from CA. You know you will not come home before T-DAY, in this scenario Wonder Hangar is something you should look into, because you will need shorts, t-shirts, pants, and sweaters. If you are going to Texas A&M, then you won't need winter gear before T-Day, thus, your closet will not the Wonder Hangar.
Finally, as an ROTC student you know you will NEED more room than the typical student. If you are a guy, think about your closet as a GIRL. If you are a GIRL, will sorry, but you need to start thinking about what you can pitch or fit under your bed.
Not only will you need room for your ROTC crap, but you should start thinking about getting something to keep it in. FROGS get lost very quickly, and if your roomie is not ROTC it is highly unlikely he has an extra frog to give you to pin on your name tag. If you go with a bin that closes, nothing will get lost...remember the shirt needs to be stripped before laundry and that is how frogs get lost.