Recent content by 20USNA23

Agreed for sure, but to be clear, '22 had summer trainings and cruises after their Plebe Year -- '23 has had little or neither. 100% agree with you that there are multiple other avenues, including mentors on the yard (and in ROTC programs) from the various service communities to turn to for...

Brewmeist brings up a very, very real issue facing the current Class of '23 (rising 2/C's) that not all may be aware of. Covid cancelled all summer trainings last summer and beginning this current summer, USNA retargeted/scheduled PROTRAMID to happen after Plebe year (versus summer before 2/C...

For prospective MIDS considering the new Area Studies Major, please know that Dr. Fujimura -- the USNA lead on this new initiative has been a long-tenured USNA Professor -- and is widely considered one of the absolute best, brightest, most positive, supportive, connected and well-regarded...

Lipton_hot_tea -- appreciate your perspective; feel compelled to respond since you quoted my post, but I promise, not trying to provoke a debate or be argumentative in anyway and recognize respectfully, that you and others may feel differently. Couple of quick thoughts: (1) Navy actually...

Current Mid here: From a pure OOM (Overall Order of Merit) context -- your Plebe Summer performance/rankings has ***zero*** impact or contribution. Both Capt MJ and MidCakePA are 1000% correct (as always) -- your effort, teamwork and performance (and even more specifically, your improvement)...

For what it's worth -- I'm a current 2/C MIDN @ USNA who was fortunate to get the chance to spend a semester studying at UChicago long before arriving in Annapolis. No question -- UChicago provides an unparallled, demanding academic environment -- with world-class faculty. But there's a...

While everyone has (and is entitled to) their own opinion about this -- as a Mid, I absolutely feel crushed for Cam (as I do for Charlie and last year for Noah.) For those who haven't lived on the yard the past couple of years, you may not fully understand - and it would be hard to understate...

As a rising 2/C, can confirm that all suggestions above (watches, food gift cards etc.) are truly spot on. Here's one more idea -- a comfortable blanket (weighted, unweighted - personal preference. Here's why -- after Plebe Summer, there is a 98% chance your Plebe won't ever sleep within...

The answer to your question is many do -- but a fair number don't. Importantly (imho) -- any and every Mid can absolutely get through school here with the standard issued laptop, monitor, printer etc,. I know many Mids who do really well with just those tools. But I would also share that a...

Unfortunately, MCAT scores are only good for 2 to 3 years (range is b/c mileage may vary by specific US Medical School); here's the authorative source (AAMC - American Association of Medical Colleges; https://students-residents.aamc.org/mcat-scores/how-long-are-mcat-scores-valid) and no civilian...

tomdoub11 -- first congrats on your appointment! I completely agree with every post above - they are all 100% accurate and super helpful. At the risk of piling on and with apologies in advance for oversharing, I wanted to amplify two (2) thoughts based on my experiences to-date as a current...

MidCake PA is spot on with all advice -- but one warning Peter2025: While definitely a blessing, beware of quiet, air-conditioned rooms during Plebe Summer. I literally fell asleep halfway thru the Chemistry validation test because it was air-conditioned, quiet and most of all, no one was...

Essentially it is permission for a Midshipman to leave the Yard (campus.) Assuming your asking as/for a prospective Mid, so in that case, town liberty as it relates to Plebes is usually just permission to leave the Yard on Saturday. Timing can vary, especially during football season when town...

I know this has been addressed previously in this forum, but I saw this post earlier today (more free time than usual while in ROM) and it reminded me that there are profoundly awesome people (no matter which gender they identify with) at USNA, all service academies and our entire, larger U.S...

Yes -- 100% -- for sure. They were literally the only thing I brought (my folks mailed me some compression shorts the day after I-day) and per the excellent advice from Shiner and Old Navy BGO, less is genuinely better.