Daily life at the academy

djjon22

5-Year Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2011
Messages
68
After having a daily visit to usma and all the info on this forum I feel that I have the army issued answer to what daily life is like at usma.
During the academic year you get up in the morning. What time? go to breakfast, back to your room to clean, go to academic classes and have boxing or military movements and throw lunch, dinner and athletics somewhere in between. When this is all said and done you go to room and prepare for the next day.
If some past or current cadets can elaborate in detail what daily life is really like that would be great.
Some other questions would include the best and the worst things about usma.
 
0600: Wake up and get ready. Some people clean their rooms now (but some are smart and try to start cleaning the night before)
0650-0715: Breakfast formation, breakfast
0730-1155: Classes
1205-1220: Lunch
1250-1335: Dean/Commandant's Hour
1350-1600: Classes
1600-1800: Depends on the day. If you're a corps squad athlete, then you'll have practice.
1800-1900: Dinner
1930-2330: Mandatory Studying Period (ESP)

As a Plebe:
Best Part about West Point: The people
Worst Part: Duties:cool:

Your day depends on you and the activities you decide to join. What I listed above was the basic schedule, but if you join clubs, your day will look a little different, especially after 1600.
 
I called my son today who is in the class of 2015 and asked him this question.
He said that the best thing is knowing you are in an elite military and academic organization with great people (of course there are some who are not as sharp as others).
The worst are the Plebe duties which take time that could be used in other ways.
He said that you just prepare today for tomorrow - do your best tomorrow - then start the process again. He said it was like marching - put one foot in front of the other and keep going and do not look back.
 
What is Dean's hour?

Every other day you have dean's hr, which is when the hr after lunch is reserved for academic labs and lectures. The other days have comm's hr, which are reserved for briefings and ethics education. If you don't have any of these things during that hr you can use it to study or nap.
 
I don't to get off topic but this has something to do with daily life and R-Day. In a previous thread, a question was raised about drug testing right after R-Day. After six pages of responses I never saw a clear answer. Maybe someone with past experiences can tell me what the procedure is for drug testing at USMA.
 
I don't to get off topic but this has something to do with daily life and R-Day. In a previous thread, a question was raised about drug testing right after R-Day. After six pages of responses I never saw a clear answer. Maybe someone with past experiences can tell me what the procedure is for drug testing at USMA.

Urine test at 5am. It continues throughout your 4 yrs at the academy. Cadets names are randomly generated and tested periodically (especially after breaks).
 
Are you asked to sign a form of some kind stating that you have used drugs in the past?
 
Just a question. I did an over night visit for my recruiting visit and I was wondering is Dinner mandatory for Plebes? I know breakfast and lunch are.
 
djjohn - Part of the application asks about prior substance use. Best bet is to be honest about anything that you have done.

lokichaos - Dinner is not normally mandatory for anyone except on Thursday nights (and technically I guess Wednesdays as well but its open seating, not with your company like breakfast/lunch like Thursdays are) or formal dinners.
 
casey- At what point in the application does it ask for prior substance use
 
casey- At what point in the application does it ask for prior substance use

These worries always seem to start popping up this time of year as people receive their appointments.

Haven't you already been asked this on the DoDMERB paperwork? How did you answer that? You will be asked again on your security clearance paperwork. You will also have to provide West Point with a report on yourself from your local law enforcement agencies.

Like Casey said, best bet is to be honest. There have been lots of other discussions on this topic on this site and you may want to hunt those up.
 
All of what Dixieland said essentially djjon. Do not lie on any anything. You're putting your signature on it; its a representation of who you are saying you are. You don't want admissions or later on through your security clearance to find out you started a history of lying because you were afraid that it was a disqualifying factor
 
I understand what all of your are saying, best to be honest. So we are all clear let me shed some light on my situation. When I Completed the DODMERB physical I answered no on the marijuana question because at the point I had never done it. However since then I have tried it once. And when I say once I mean once. Im just unclear of what the security forms ask for when you take the drug test after R-Day.
 
djjon, if you receive an appointment, in order to receive security clearance, you will have to fill out more paperwork. At that point, you will have to describe what and when you used. I would also advise you, if you are serious about coming to WP, leave anything illegal alone. Not only are you running the risk of losing an appointment and getting into serious trouble, but you also need to be ready to hold yourself to a higher standard which you need to do to be a successful officer
 
Urine test at 5am. It continues throughout your 4 yrs at the academy. Cadets names are randomly generated and tested periodically (especially after breaks).

It is ironic that your subtitles say "you never know until you are tested." :smile:
 
Casey- Believe me when I say that I'm am as hard ass as they come. Straighter than an arrow. It was a one time deal to experience the euphoria(just kidding I didnt feel a thing). I've been living my whole life based on the honor code ever since my first visit to USMA. Nothing is eer going to prevent me from showing up on R-Day.Thanks for answering my question
 
To get back to the main topic, what point in a cadet's day is focused on military training? I understand that the summers are focused on leadership development but the academic year seems to be filled with all academic and physical training and very little military training.
 
Actually, the summers are more focused on military training, the first two summers especially. There is leadership involved of course, (the last two years especially) since that is a major premise for West Point's existence. However, the summers are generally used for exposure to military training. The academic year involves a lot of the "leadership" aspect of West Point, with academic year leadership positions, the PME classes and such.

You can join clubs like the Combat Weapons Team or have your Team Leader focus your FCDT (Fourth Class Development Time) on more combat training to enrich your military training during the academic year.
 
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