Hey everyone... If anybody has any questions they want answered, I'm a current Midshipman (3/C) and I'll be happy to answer. I used this site when I was applying and it's a great tool for anyone interested in the Academy.
Hey everyone... If anybody has any questions they want answered, I'm a current Midshipman (3/C) and I'll be happy to answer. I used this site when I was applying and it's a great tool for anyone interested in the Academy.
How hard is it to balance sports, academics, and military training? What have you liked/disliked about the academy?
Thanks!
Did you came from a competitive area and if so, what do you think put you above the other applicants? Also, how much time off do plebes get at Thanksgiving, and did you get more this year? Thanks!
My standard questions for midshipmen :
Hardest and easiest things?
Also, you not being a Plebe anymore, what insight do you now have that you didn't have a year ago?
You get used to balancing everything the academy puts on your plate, to include sports, school, and other stuff like watch and mandatory lectures. As a plebe you're given time every night to do school work, and sports is a good way to let off some steam. As for military training... well that's just part of the Naval Academy experience that every mid has to deal with. To answer your question: it's not that hard.
The friendships you make here will last a lifetime. Also, I enjoy the ingenious ways mids figure out how to have fun, cause that's the key to getting through this place.
I really dislike a lot of the stupid yet essential stuff that they make us do. For example: Watch, mandatory lectures, parades, parade practices, mandatory formations, etc. All of this stuff is important and necessary, I just don't like doing them
Hope that answers your questions!
Hardest thing: staying awake in class and reading 50 pages of a history textbook every night.
Easiest thing: I get to nap sometimes during the week in between classes (Plebes cannot nap or sleep until after 10pm)
Insight as a Youngster: Plebe life is NOT hard! It's just tedious and long and seems to never end. The tasks they make you do are NOT difficult, although at the time they seemed so.
I came from New York, which I believe is pretty competitive last time I checked. The thing you have to make clear is your reasoning behind wanting to come here. If you want to serve your country, you can just enlist and do that. If you want to be an officer, you can go to NROTC and go to regular school. If you want to go to the best place in the world, Harvard and Yale are taking applicants. You have to distinguish the Naval Academy from every other opportunity. Other applicants say they wanna do all the things I listed above, but what set me apart was my specific reason why I HAD to come here.
Plebes (as well as all Midshipmen) have a half day schedule on the day before Thanksgiving, and can leave the yard right after school on that Wednesday. Mids need to be back by 8pm on Sunday night. Last year I think we had to be back by 6 on Sunday, this year they pushed it to 8.
Yes, it does. Also, if you don't mind me asking, what sport do you play?
Did you take the AP Physics test? If so, did you take the B or the C version? Which would help me more in taking physics at the academy, or possibly testing out of it?
What was your GPA/Sat scores? Male or Female? And did you play any sports/ do clubs? Greatly appreciate any response!
Thank you! How's summer training?
My concern is that on I Day my BP will be above 140/90. Will they make me go back home? Do they check BP on I day?
The above quote (in one form or another) has appeared in several strings lately and in different posts.
Can you shed any light on this subject?
Alec,
Thank you for taking the time to share information with others. DS will hopefully be at USNA next fall. He will have taken 9 or 10 AP classes, and has done pretty well on the AP tests. What is your advice on validating classes? I realize that there is no one answer that will fit everyone, but I am curious about your thoughts and experiences for this question.
BTW - Go Navy and Beat Army!
bandad