Tips for BCT 2009

USAFA hopeful

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Thought it might be useful to start a thread on this since we only have a couple weeks left. Our parents club gave us a packet full of advice.
My favorite tip was to learn to have a bowel movement at night, craps after taps
 
how about the part where it says, "repeat 50 times right now in your head: first day of BCT is the worst."
 
Hmm, take it each day at a time... try your best... do what your told... try to have fun.. :)
 
Hopeful; "If the military wants you to have a Crap; they'll issue you one".

TIPS:

1. ANY feelings you have when you get there or during BCT, relax!!! There's 1300+ other trainees who have the EXACT same feelings as you. No matter what they are!!!
2. Most important thing is to remember that you are a team. Most activities and such are designed to force you to work as a team. You can only survive and succeed if you do it as a team.
3. There's 1300+ "A-Type" personalities. You're no longer a Big Fish in a small pond. The Cadre "Upper Class men"; are the "Whalers". If you try to be the "Big Fish", you will be the one that gets harpooned. Fish survive by swimming TOGETHER in a school. See #2 above.
4. In line with #2 and #3; don't speak about all your accomplishments in high school. Everyone there had similar or same accomplishments. Definitely don't talk about Scouting and CAP; especially with the attitude that it somehow has prepared you for what you are about to experience.
5. Each person in your team has skills they learned up to this point. Get to know your flight and learn who is good at what. Don't be afraid to say you "Suck" at something. Encourage those who have certain skills to use them to benefit the flight. (Team).
6. Learn to "Look Through" your cadre. Simple terms: Don't let them see you are scared, but also don't let them see you are "OVER Confident". When they are in your face, let them forget who you are 5 minutes from now.
7. Encourage you flight/team mates. Don't tell them cliches like "It will be OK". Help remind them, and YOURSELF when needed; how TOUGH you were to beat out every other person to get to where you are. And focus on the goal and price at the end. Getting accepted to the academy should not have been your GOAL. It is a means of REACHING your goal. Focus on that goal/prize.
8. Write home often, but DON'T use your family/friends as a way to vent. It will come across a lot worse than it really is, and it will put stress on your family/friends. In other words, tell them the good things and keep the crap there. Your family/friends will have no way of understanding or empathizing with you anyway. Confer with your bunkmate, flight, etc... Talk to each other about the hard times.
9. SLEEP and REST are 2 different things. You don't need as much SLEEP as you need REST. Find a mantra or some SIMPLE picture or thought to focus on when you go to sleep or have time to rest during the day. Try not to think of people. Maybe it's a mountain scene back home; ocean waves; flying a kite; an aquarium; etc... something simple and peaceful. Think about this for a couple minutes when you close your eyes to go to sleep. It will clear your mind; reduce ALL stress; you'll fall right to sleep; and you'll wake up as if you slept in for 10 hours. But if you go to bed thinking about tomorrow, friends, family, pain, and other stress; you'll burn yourself out and become a zombie.
10. Finally; remember how special you really are. Not only have you decided to serve your country and defend our way of life, but you've chosen to do it in one of the most prestigious places in the world. The United States Air Force Academy. 10,000 people initially applied for where you are at. 6500 were considered qualified to be called applicants. 2800 were qualified enough to be called Candidates. And eventually 1300-1400 were considered the best of the best to be called Appointees. And on August 5th, you'll be ACCEPTED and qualified enough to be called CADET!!!!

Best of luck to all of you. Don't forget to come back and say hi to us once in a while. Visit some of us at the Home Falcon Football games. (Thudgate). And THANK YOU for being willing to serve. Later... Mike.....
 
Listen to welcome to the jungle before you arrive. ;)


Try to get as many people to write you letters as you can, that always helps out a ton while in beast.
 
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Another tip that stood out to me is as follows:

Even if the cadre tells you to leave someone behind, don't. never,never, never leave someone else behind.

Just to reiterate the theme of teamwork lol
 
Another tip that stood out to me is as follows:

Even if the cadre tells you to leave someone behind, don't. never,never, never leave someone else behind.

Just to reiterate the theme of teamwork lol

I remember there was something mentioned about this with breaking or something. But how do we as basics know when to ignore a cadre telling us to leave another behind and when do we do exactly as they say?
 
To answer the question about when to ignore the cadre and stay with a struggling teammate--listen for buzzwords. My squadron used phrases like "that's an order" etc. You'll figure out your cadre's buzzwords pretty quickly.

If you are going to quit, fine, get out...if you intend to graduate and be an officer, NEVER quit.
BCT is a mental and physical race. Don't drop out. It's not that tough. (It is a bit of grind.)
 
Is it better to stop and think before they tell you to do something, or jump in right away without really thinking about what you're going to do? I get this feeling that everything they tell us to do we're supposed to do in a heartbeat...
 
...and either way, you will be wrong.

This is what will get me the most. I hate when things do not follow rules. This is why I like math. When 2 + 2 = 4, it should only be 4!
 
PFT and AFT during basic training?

I saw on the schedule from last year's BCT that they took the PFT the first week during bct.

Will they make 2013 take the PFT and AFT during BCT this year? I assume most people do terribly on it, considering the altitude? If you do bad, does it affect anything?
 
What test determines if you get put on Recondo? I take it that it is the one you take at the end of BEAST?
 
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