NCAA Athlete at USMA?

I was just wondering, if I am already appointed for the class of '23, what does the daily life look like for a ncaa sport athlete as compared to a typical SA student. Will I have free time on top of my academics, military and sport duties? Everybody keeps telling me that I will have zero time to do anything I want, just wanted to make sure this was the case so I can prepare for next year. Also, I saw a post regarding food for cadets, is the food for sports any different from a typical cadet, such as protein shakes, bars etc. in the gym, or is everybody fed the same to emphasize unity?

All cadets have busy schedules but everyone has some free time. Being a Corps Squad athlete will eat into some of this free time. You will typically have your classes earlier in the day and have practice every afternoon. Most teams practice on the weekends as well. Some people will talk about the athletes getting over as they miss some duties in the company area but this will be offset by the time you spend at practice or traveling to competitions.

Some of the sports teams get larger food rations in the mess hall. So, depending on your sport, you may experience this. Food is the same, just a different quantity.
And yes, plan to be incredibly busy. Learning time management (quickly) and developing the ability to memorize will be key to doing well at WP.

The other thing that Varsity athletes deal with, is missing liberty or leave BC of team requirements. For example, some of DS’s (USNA) friends had a shortened leave over Christmas break. I know of others that will have shortened spring break leave. I have mad respect for student athletes!

DD is a corp squad athlete. She is very busy but so is everyone else. She is excused from some duties due to travel and practice in season that non core squad cadets do not get out of. Training is almost year round so the physical toll is a little greater in some cases. I say some because there are other clubs like Sandhurst that bust their ass in training year round as well that are not core squad. Time management and communication with professors is key to success. She does lose out on leave in season but we also get to see her more because we are are only 3 hours from Post and usually no more than a 5 hour drive of her away games. It was a massive benefit during her first semester because we saw her more than most parents get to see their cadet. Having a team supporting you can also make the first year a lot more bearable. Fall athletes have different schedules for there summer military training and are released early from Beast (right after the March out to Buckner) and also get CFT1 session before YUK year so it will not interfere with summer camp. They also try to work your MIAD schedule around athletic camps. DD could not apply for an AIAD she wanted this year because it ran 2 days into the start of the team camp and the coach cannot make allowances for one athlete and not all. My opinion as a parent would be the net gain is a positive; especially if you love the sport and thrive on competition. Keep in mind once you are admitted you are in no way obligated(outside of your word to the coach and some would say that is a priority) to participate in D1 athletics. You are there to get an education and become a world class soldier first so after your first season if you find it too much to participate in Core Squad and succeed at everything else you can decline to participate in subsequent seasons and some do just that. My daughter seems to always be busy but she fills the limited free time with church, FCA and the occasional Netflix movie. West Point is a completely different experience than traditional college and whether you are a core squad athlete or not you will be busy with academics, military training, duties more than the average college student. DD is up at 5:30 am every morning and usually does not shut the lights out till 11pm/midnight. Weekends out of season are a little better. Hope this gives you a little insight but perhaps winter and spring athletes have a different perspective. Go Army! Beat Navy!