Advice for female appointees

AbigailPR2017

5-Year Member
Joined
Dec 28, 2012
Messages
38
Alright, any advice from former or current female Mids for female appointees? Or any advice at all would be appreciated :)
 
Not really, I've read a thread for female cadets at USAFA, so I'm assuming it's pretty similar. Maybe tell me worst day/best day type things. Things to expect during plebe summer?
 
Congratulations on your USNA appointment.
Was USAFA your first choice?
Don't they do exchange for like a semester or two?
 
Congratulations on your USNA appointment.
Was USAFA your first choice?
Don't they do exchange for like a semester or two?

Yes, USAFA was my first choice. And yea, I think the service academy exchange is for a semester, I want to participate in it :)
 
If you recognize that you will be going into a male dominated environment, and are aware of the positives and negatives of that, you will be fine.

Some things that seem obvious, but people mess them up all the time:

-Guys talk about really gross things. Really gross. Get thick skin and don't freak out unless it really crosses a line. Handle this whatever way you feel is appropriate for the situation. For me, I usually just had to say "Too far, guys." and that was it.

-As a related note: a friend from the same company and I that we were, by the definitions they tell you in SHAPE training, pretty much sexually harassed multiple times a day. It's sort of similar to point 1: it's almost never malicious, and you can tell when it is and put a stop to it, but is more often born from guys not really understanding what's appropriate and what's not.
If something bothers you, pull that person aside and let them know (privately and in a non-accusing manner) why what they said/did is not okay. If it's an upperclass, pull your youngster/squad leader/an upperclass you trust in and explain the situation. If they're worth their salt, they'll back you up and help you out. Over plebe summer, you should be able to bring this up with your squad leader in counseling without repercussion.

-Don't cry in front of others. There is no faster way to lose any and all credibility with people in your company. If you get upset (and everyone does), hold that crap in until you can have alone time or vent to a friend. You're 18, get a grip on your emotions.

-Conversely, at first PT is one of the fastest ways to gain credibility. If you're able to hang with the guys, your stock goes up.

-Personal relations: I'm no sociologist, but men and women handle stuff differently. Men, especially dudes at USNA, tend to be aggressive and blunt, and to respect people who are aggressive and blunt. Women don't really do that normally. Tailor how you interact with people accordingly...for most females, this means being more assertive and direct than you would be normally. Don't go crazy and lose all femininity, but be cognizant that the behavior expected of you is a little different than it might be in a "normal" environment.

-Be aware that how you act reflects on all of your female peers. This is a weird, kinda hard one. As a minority (and I say that not to make some kind of "girls are special plea;" it's just a fact), the things you and your female peers do will reflect on girls as a whole. Expect to be confronted by the guys about stuff that other random girls do and asked why it is, just because you're a girl.
In practicality, what this also means is you need to set a high standard for yourself. Make sure your uniform AND YOUR HAIR looks good. Don't pull the "girl card." Work your ass off...but that's the same for everyone.

There's a weird middle ground you need to find--and everyone's is different--between being too feminine and acting too masculine. At the end of the day, you need to figure out how to be successful...but don't give up on being yourself.

Clear as mud?

I know of at least one guy from my class from Puerto Rico. There's probably a couple others.
 
Great advice! Thanks. As far as the guys being gross thing goes, I was a student atheltic trainer for my high school football and baseball teams, so my skin is about as thick as it gets :)

Thanks again, and I'll pm you if I have any questions I can think of!
 
Alright, any advice from former or current female Mids for female appointees? Or any advice at all would be appreciated :)
If you use the search engine on the main page, there are some detailed recommendations from female mids in previous years about what to bring, dealing with laundry, etc. You might try searching on 'female' or 'female mids'.
 
If you use the search engine on the main page, there are some detailed recommendations from female mids in previous years about what to bring, dealing with laundry, etc. You might try searching on 'female' or 'female mids'.

Awesome, thanks!
 
If you recognize that you will be going into a male dominated environment, and are aware of the positives and negatives of that, you will be fine.

Some things that seem obvious, but people mess them up all the time:

-Guys talk about really gross things. Really gross. Get thick skin and don't freak out unless it really crosses a line. Handle this whatever way you feel is appropriate for the situation. For me, I usually just had to say "Too far, guys." and that was it.

-As a related note: a friend from the same company and I that we were, by the definitions they tell you in SHAPE training, pretty much sexually harassed multiple times a day. It's sort of similar to point 1: it's almost never malicious, and you can tell when it is and put a stop to it, but is more often born from guys not really understanding what's appropriate and what's not.
If something bothers you, pull that person aside and let them know (privately and in a non-accusing manner) why what they said/did is not okay. If it's an upperclass, pull your youngster/squad leader/an upperclass you trust in and explain the situation. If they're worth their salt, they'll back you up and help you out. Over plebe summer, you should be able to bring this up with your squad leader in counseling without repercussion.

-Don't cry in front of others. There is no faster way to lose any and all credibility with people in your company. If you get upset (and everyone does), hold that crap in until you can have alone time or vent to a friend. You're 18, get a grip on your emotions.

-Conversely, at first PT is one of the fastest ways to gain credibility. If you're able to hang with the guys, your stock goes up.

-Personal relations: I'm no sociologist, but men and women handle stuff differently. Men, especially dudes at USNA, tend to be aggressive and blunt, and to respect people who are aggressive and blunt. Women don't really do that normally. Tailor how you interact with people accordingly...for most females, this means being more assertive and direct than you would be normally. Don't go crazy and lose all femininity, but be cognizant that the behavior expected of you is a little different than it might be in a "normal" environment.

-Be aware that how you act reflects on all of your female peers. This is a weird, kinda hard one. As a minority (and I say that not to make some kind of "girls are special plea;" it's just a fact), the things you and your female peers do will reflect on girls as a whole. Expect to be confronted by the guys about stuff that other random girls do and asked why it is, just because you're a girl.
In practicality, what this also means is you need to set a high standard for yourself. Make sure your uniform AND YOUR HAIR looks good. Don't pull the "girl card." Work your ass off...but that's the same for everyone.

There's a weird middle ground you need to find--and everyone's is different--between being too feminine and acting too masculine. At the end of the day, you need to figure out how to be successful...but don't give up on being yourself.

Clear as mud?

I know of at least one guy from my class from Puerto Rico. There's probably a couple others.



I'm no lady, but this is EXCELLENT advice (and spot on, as someone who observed the actions of females from the men's department).

Nicely done Hurricane. :thumb:

Perhaps for the encore she'll talk about dating at USNA.... which has been it's own discussion tread in the past...
 
book list

hurricane: would love to see your recommendations. thanks for great advice!
 
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