I've posted this in the past, but I'll repost now for the benefit of anyone who might find it the least bit beneficial. I penned this seven years ago for two kids I knew who were going to Beast. One is aviator now, just back from OEF, and the other is an engineer. I personally believe that my advice is directly responsible for none of their successes.
I edited and updated it a bit. Take it all for what it's worth. They say free advice is worth every penny...
You are about to embark upon the great crusade (apologies to GEN Eisenhower). So this is it. You're packing the bags, maybe running one more time, saying goodbye to friends and loved ones, and generally freaking out at the prospect of starting this new life. Good. It's part of the system, and it has served many graduates well.
I've thought a lot about my experiences in Beast. (Twelve years later, I still do.) I thought perhaps I could help you to some great degree - be the wise Grad whose littany of mistakes could somehow come in handy for you as you traverse the threshold from high school kid to cadet. As I reflect on it, though, I now think that Beast is something you own, and everyone's experience will be tailored to wear on them in the spots that need work.
I was a very egotistical but very scared New Cadet. In my mind, I was one of the best. There was nothing I couldn't do. Then the bell rang and reality came out swinging. I discovered there was a multitude of things I was terrible at. From personal relationships to the first APFT, I was sucking wind in a lot of areas. For the life of me, I couldn't understand it. I was a three-sport athlete, at the top of my class, accepted very early via an LOA in August. I thought I was going to be the poster child for West Point. After two days, I felt more like the dumb kid who had to be seatbelted on the school bus than a potentially successful future officer.
You, too, will fail. You'll be told you're a screwup. Maybe your platoon leader will tell you your attitude sucks. Maybe the XO will give you some "special attention." Maybe you'll lose your rifle card 5 minutes after they give it to you, and your Tac Officer will find it. Maybe all of that will happen to you, as it did for me. Take heart in knowing that it's a part of the system, and that you are not the first person to make whatever mistake you might have made. If you doubt that, tell yourself that I probably made that mistake, too, and you'll most likely be right.
Despite my potentially skewed views on life, West Point, and the world in general, I thought I would nevertheless boil down the essence of Beast survival into three tips, as I see it. Remember, of course, that in those days the uniforms were green, the boots were black, the rifles were long, and everything was as hard as it ever could have been and the Corps has become leaps and bounds easier since the day I left (or that is how each grad views the institution in his or her own mind )...
1. Never feel truly sorry for yourself. The number one killer of the mind in situations of difficulty is self-pity. Ask anyone who's been to Ranger or SERE or a SOF assessment. Self-pity leads to a whole nest of destructive thoughts that you as a young man or woman of recognized potential have no business wasting your time on. When you do start to feel sorry for yourself, remember that 9 kids are working at Taco Bell this summer while you have that slot. Remember that there are kids your age deployed for a long tour in Afghanistan.
Most of all, remember that you were chosen for a reason. You have demonstrated the ability to succeed. So shut out the bad thoughts, wipe away the tears, and go succeed. I advise you against these thoughts because self-pity was my forte, and it will be among many of your classmates...especially those who do not survive it.
2. Never fail your squadmates and your roommate. If one of you is screwed up, everyone else needs to fix the screwup or screw themselves up to match. Always insulate, never isolate. Don't ever leave your buddies dangling. Servant leadership starts with the idea that you are the last man by choice.
Listen to the differences in people. Your squad will be a mix of race, religion, and origin. Love them all like siblings, even the screwup. The role of the screwup changes from day to day, and more than once that screwup will be you. You'll want your squadmates to grab you by the drag handle and pull you along when you need it. You had best be there for them when they need it, too.
3. Never give in. Fight for every inch, because you are fighting for yourself and all the good and difficult things your country will ask of you. Push yourself just that much harder. Do everything you can to make your family and yourself proud. As Solzhenitsyn said, "the bitter doesn't last forever." It's true, so make it count. You only get one life.
Speaking of which, don't let your old life get in the way of your new one. I went to WP with a girlfriend of four years, very much in love with her. She's married now and it's not to me. I'm married now, and not to her. I went as a selfish teenager, but I think I left as a decently generous adult. Don't fear the change. Embrace it. Worry about what you can change, forget about what you can't. (If you succeed at that, please tell me how.)
It's always a great day to be an American fighting man. So, in the words of Chief Dan George, "Endeavor to persevere." In the words of my departed classmate and friend Paul Pena, "keep on keepin' on." You all have what it takes. Someday, a decade later, you'll go to a Founder's Day dinner so that you can simply look back fondly with others who've shared the experience...and laugh.