For what it is worth, DS is USMA Class of 2025 and we recently asked him, on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being highest) how happy was he to be at West Point--He said an 11. Cadre asked him recently how he was doing and he said GREAT. Cadre asked why, he said because I am at West Point and I am a .......... (he stated his company and mascot). Cadre asked if there was anything else and he said, No, that was enough for him. He loves the boxing class, his company and the military aspect of being there. Now, I don't exactly know how he is doing grade wise, but he seems to like the classes. He says the work is not that difficult, just a lot of it and many late nights.
The happiness factor may depend on the company and the motivation for being there. DS only applied to WP, VMI and the Citadel--so he was all Army and all about being a cadet. So for at least one plebe so far, he is not depressed but really happy to be there.