Recent content by MidCakePa

Back in '97, DW and I did a Central European tour: Munich, Vienna, Budapest, Prague. Budapest was the highlight, so much so that we extended that portion two days, at the expense of Prague. A huge part of it was that we stayed at a family-owned pension, where the proprietors were so gracious and...

At a minimum: Calculus, Chemistry, English, some version of U.S. History. All at legitimate college level, not remedial. Throw in a leadership role and ROTC participation (with or without a scholarship). Show that you can handle the academic load while juggling other obligations. Best wishes to you.

@Academician, you passed up a great opportunity! 😉 So let me step in: "The air is rare, so it wouldn't be fair, but don't despair, as it will save some wear and tear." 🤣

Don't know the current details, but I can report that when DD attended USAFA SS several years ago, the fitness sessions led to a bit of barfing into trash cans. DD said the sessions weren't very strenuous. It was simply the effects of high elevation (7000 feet!). DD is a high-elevation kid, so...

DS, as part of ROTC training, will be in Vicenza for four weeks this summer. Wish we could meet him there for a vacation afterward, but it’s not practical to do so, unfortunately. When he’s there, it will mark the 20-year anniversary of his very first haircut. It happened in the small town of...

Off to France soon for my annual trip with college students -- a week in Paris exploring the startup business culture. Not a vacation! But afterward I need a vacation. 😉 So once again DW will join me for five days in Paris -- never gets old -- followed by five days in Madrid. Madrid is the...

Make this easy: Go to the USNA website and find the annual class profile. It'll show you middle 50% ACT/SAT scores for the latest class (and maybe past ones). Far more reliable data than anecdotes you'll find here. You ask what's more important, math or English. The answer is "yes."

If you attend USAFA, you're getting yourself into a military life that means you'll have limited opportunities to "visit home." To be sure, officers get a good amount of leave -- more than the average amount of vacation for a civilian. But you'll be subject to the needs of the military, and you...

Shin splints (and stress fractures) are among the most common injuries during plebe summer. They're typically caused by doing too much too fast, e.g. a dramatic increase in running mileage. Your best bet is to back off and heal up. The last thing you want is to show up on I-Day nursing shin...

Bolting off the line seems to epidemic among Tesla drivers. The likely issue: "Because I can." 🫣😬🙄 @USNA_STEM_Prof, yours is the most balanced and thoughtful review of EVs I've read recently. I'm not there yet. But then again, I'm a classic "late adopter." (It does say something that...

A side effect that's now coming to light -- and may counter some of the "sustainability" argument -- is the enormous wear and tear on tires. This results in greater use of tires and greater rubber remnants and residue on the road. It's tied to the weight of EVs -- about 1/3 more. See the recent...

Based on DS's own experience plus anecdotes posted here, your request is likely to be approved the first time. A second time...not so sure on that one. In fact, I'd count on the second request being rejected.

Sounds like DD. Entered USNA with zero intention of commissioning as a Marine. Her company SEL, Staff Sgt. _____ was influential. So were two Marine officers with whom she spent significant time as part of big billets that she held. When it came time to submit her preferences, she had 100%...

I teach at our flagship state university, and each term about 5% of my students are D1 athletes. As a group, they regularly outperform the rest of their sections. Typically a section's average grade is 79% - 80%. The D1 athletes, collectively, come in around the upper 80s. They tend to sit in...

Do you have his permission to post his email on this forum and to identify him as the source? If not, you posting it seems unseemly at best. BGOs are volunteers, and I'm guessing they don't appreciate their private communications being made public.