2007 Plebe Parent Weekend

wpmom2011 · Apr 10, 2007

I'm trying to plan flights to WP for PPW in October and could use some guidance on what the activities usually are for families.

The dates posted are Friday, Oct. 12 thru Monday, Oct. 16. My choices are flying in Thursday to be at WP first thing Friday, or flying in Friday morning and getting to WP around 1:00 pm (if flight's on time). What would I miss Friday morning if I came up Friday?

Also, how many activities are usually scheduled for Monday. The latest flight I could get on Monday to go home is at 12:15 pm, so would I have any time for D on Monday because of security check in, turning in rental car, etc? Would a Tuesday flight be better? Is she going to need most of Monday to get ready for classes Tuesday or are there things planned for families?

I don't want to miss any time that I'd be able to spend with my D.

Thanks for any advice.

nosmileysforme · Apr 10, 2007

You'll definately want to go to some of your daughters classes; it's one of the best and most interesting things to do. To do so you should probably arrive Thursday and be at West Point Friday morning.

WAMom68 · Apr 10, 2007

The following information I got from our local parents club and is based on what occured last year, things could always change.

On Friday you may or may not have an opportunity to go to class with your plebe. We were told that sometimes parents aren't allowed in class, it depends upon the instructor. On Monday there are no classes and cadets don't have to be back until accountabilty formation at 7:00 pm.

Most likely you will get to spend most of Monday with your daughter if you stay.

nosmileysforme · Apr 11, 2007

The instructors will let your daughter know if parents are invited. In the case of my son this past PPW we were invited to all of his classes and the instructors were happy to have us.

wpmom2011 · Apr 11, 2007

Thanks for all the information. I'll start making reservations.

momoftwins · Apr 16, 2007

The biggest mistake we made was flying out on Friday morning. We missed too much. You definitely want to be there on Friday for the tours and whatever festivities are planned. If at all possible, fly out on Thursday.

bkf · Apr 18, 2007

Please forgive my ignorance. We are so new to this forum and the WP experience. Could you tell me where you got the information on PPW? I have been waiting for something so that I too can make reservations but I thought it was Aug 18. Thanks for the help.

WAMom68 · Apr 18, 2007

bkf said:
Please forgive my ignorance. We are so new to this forum and the WP experience. Could you tell me where you got the information on PPW? I have been waiting for something so that I too can make reservations but I thought it was Aug 18. Thanks for the help.

WELCOME!! Don't feel bad about asking these type of questions, the only reason I know the answer is because I was asking the same type of questions over the last year.

PPW in October is different than Acceptance Day which is Aug. 18th. You can find important dates on the USMA master and academic calendars, here is a link to the page: http://www.dean.usma.edu/sebpublic/usmacalendars/. This calendar can also be found on the USMA website under the search option.

Acceptance Day (A-day) is when the new cadets are officially accepted into the corp of cadets and become plebes. After the morning parade plebes will be released by their companies when duties are completed. Saturday afternoon and part of the day on Sunday they will have walking privileges only which means they cannot go far from West Point.

Plebe Parent Weekend (PPW) is a 4 day event in October. On Friday you may get to go to class with your son/daughter and there are tours of certain things on post. On Saturday is more tours/open-houses and in the evening is a formal banquet and hop (dance). On Sunday and Monday your son/daughter will be able to leave and travel as far as 75 miles from West Point, but they will not be able to spend the night with you. From all advice I have been given, if you can only go to one event during the year, PPW is a must.

If your state has a West Point Parents Club you can contact them for information also. The one here in WA has been a big help to me. They have a meeting in April or May each year just for parents of accepted candidates. At that meeting they gave me a binder with all kinds of info on R-day, A-day and PPW.

You can also post your questions here and we'll do our best to help you.

bkf · Apr 18, 2007

Thank you so much for the information. I still do not know my way around the WP site and your link helped a great deal. I am still in the process of contacting the parents club for our area but that will also be a great benefit.
GO ARMY!