Great place to be from, but not at?

[hello-there]

I was just wondering if there was any truth to the saying that USCGA is "a great place to be from, but not a great place to be at". Is it really that bad while you're there?

 

[GirlGeek]

I was just wondering if there was any truth to the saying that USCGA is "a great place to be from, but not a great place to be at". Is it really that bad while you're there?

That sentiment applies to every rigorous college. What are you hoping to hear from grads or current cadets? No reputable college will be a cake walk. Also, define 'bad'.

 

[hello-there]

That sentiment applies to every rigorous college. What are you hoping to hear from grads or current cadets? No reputable college will be a cake walk. Also, define 'bad'.

I totally understand that, and know that in the end it is more than worth it. I was just wondering if current cadets and grads overall enjoyed their experience at the Academy.

 

[GirlGeek]

I totally understand that, and know that in the end it is more than worth it. I was just wondering if current cadets and grads overall enjoyed their experience at the Academy.

I will share the advice I've given kids, including my own: Know yourself and understand your goals will require so much work and commitment. Find a school that resonates with your values and your aspirations.
I hope your college or Academy/SA brings you fulfillment AND joy.

 

[ekb1398]

Overall enjoyed my experience? Yeah. I'll lay it down for you as best I can, unfiltered, but know that nobody who hasn't been through it can really fully grasp it.

The saying "A bad place to be, but a good place to be from," in my opinion, goes extremely well in tandem with my other favorite saying about the Academy - "The days are long, but the weeks are short." It isn't wrong that it's like that at other reputable colleges, but... having done both, it's not really right either.

I have always said, and will stand by, that what makes the Academy hard isn't the academics. The academics are indeed, in my opinion, on par with other top schools in whatever given field of study you choose. What makes it hard is the other things you have to worry about - getting your uniforms ready. Completing training requirements. Getting up early to go do drill. Feeling like you always have to be looking over your shoulder to make sure you won't get in trouble (side note: I was a pretty decent Cadet. The reason I felt like this isn't because I was constantly and willfully doing stupid stuff to get me in trouble. It's a combination of juggling so much that you're worried something will slip through the cracks, and the fact that, unfortunately, some people are out to get you or uphold ridiculous standards.) I could go on. It's also different from regular college in other ways. Woke up late? Regular college, you throw on some sweats and head to class, no big deal. Academy - you better figure it out and do it quick. Better yet, had a long night last night? You can sleep through that 8 AM every here and there at regular college, no big deal. At the Academy, you better be up and in uniform by 8, even if you don't have class. You don't possess any freedom to go out in the evenings, even if you want to, or even to wear civilian clothes in the evenings.

The flip side is that you'll forge amazing bonds and friendships with all of the other people going through the same thing - way better than you're likely to make at other schools. You feel a sense of purpose and pride in what you're doing. The summers are amazing, and you spend them doing things your peers at other colleges could only dream of doing. You make enough money to ensure that when you do get to go out on the weekends, for spring break, etc. you can afford to go have some fun without money being a big concern.

In conclusion, I wouldn't trade my experience for the world (although no COVID would have been cool ).

 

[hello-there]

Overall enjoyed my experience? Yeah. I'll lay it down for you as best I can, unfiltered, but know that nobody who hasn't been through it can really fully grasp it.

The saying "A bad place to be, but a good place to be from," in my opinion, goes extremely well in tandem with my other favorite saying about the Academy - "The days are long, but the weeks are short." It isn't wrong that it's like that at other reputable colleges, but... having done both, it's not really right either.

I have always said, and will stand by, that what makes the Academy hard isn't the academics. The academics are indeed, in my opinion, on par with other top schools in whatever given field of study you choose. What makes it hard is the other things you have to worry about - getting your uniforms ready. Completing training requirements. Getting up early to go do drill. Feeling like you always have to be looking over your shoulder to make sure you won't get in trouble (side note: I was a pretty decent Cadet. The reason I felt like this isn't because I was constantly and willfully doing stupid stuff to get me in trouble. It's a combination of juggling so much that you're worried something will slip through the cracks, and the fact that, unfortunately, some people are out to get you or uphold ridiculous standards.) I could go on. It's also different from regular college in other ways. Woke up late? Regular college, you throw on some sweats and head to class, no big deal. Academy - you better figure it out and do it quick. Better yet, had a long night last night? You can sleep through that 8 AM every here and there at regular college, no big deal. At the Academy, you better be up and in uniform by 8, even if you don't have class. You don't possess any freedom to go out in the evenings, even if you want to, or even to wear civilian clothes in the evenings.

The flip side is that you'll forge amazing bonds and friendships with all of the other people going through the same thing - way better than you're likely to make at other schools. You feel a sense of purpose and pride in what you're doing. The summers are amazing, and you spend them doing things your peers at other colleges could only dream of doing. You make enough money to ensure that when you do get to go out on the weekends, for spring break, etc. you can afford to go have some fun without money being a big concern.

In conclusion, I wouldn't trade my experience for the world (although no COVID would have been cool ).

Thanks for the input! This was super helpful!

 

[Bash On]

DD completed her first year. Maybe she's just odd, but though she didn't like everything about swab year, she enjoyed it overall, loved her summer cruise (11 weeks on a cutter vice Eagle/small boat station), and told me she's looking forward to getting back to campus next week. Then again, she felt her NROTC year wasn't intense enough. Like I said, perhaps she's just odd.

 

[LineInTheSand]

I'd say it was an unpleasant experience that I'd do again. Man, if I could do it now, with my knowledge.... oh wait, I have that dream every couple of years and it's terrifying.

 

[shiner]

It is common to shrink your focus/awareness to the immediate visible area during moments of struggle and challenge. During most of your SA life, the area of laser focus is the common struggle you and your classmates are facing. In those moments of shared suffering, it can be difficult. It is quite common for us to believe the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence during challenging times. Why wouldn't it? You are suffering/struggling and they (people not at the place you are) are not (at least in the fantasy we make in our mind).

FOMO is real, and "normal" college can sound appealing. HOWEVER, when you are standing atop a mast on Eagle looking out on the open ocean with no land in sight... you may have a moment of enlightenment to understand that you are in a very special place that few people will ever experience. How many people ever set foot on a tall ship? How about a tall ship that was captured as war reparations in WWII? How about sailing off the coast? How about being tasked with rigging this historic ship? When you think about it, the numbers put you in an exclusive group of people who had the opportunity to do this one thing. Similar things can be said about unique experiences at any of the SA.

We take for granted much of the SA experience because we are in the middle of it, surrounded by it, and 99% of those we engage with are going through the same thing. This narrow focus makes us lose perspective on just how special of an opportunity we are provided by attending these schools and having the opportunity to participate in activities the rest of the world would find fascinating - yet they are just commonplace to us because it is all we know. Our perspective is limited to that of which we have experienced and it is quite difficult to understand where that fits in relation to the experiences of others. All we know is that this place is friggin' hard. Harder than State U friends have it for sure and we all leave with a bachelor's degree. Why is this place so hard? Why do we chose to make it so difficult?

In the rear view, the answers to these deep questions are clear. We grow as people and expand our own understanding of what it is that we are capable of. Unless forced under stressful conditions, we would never stretch ourselves as hard as a SA asks of you. It does not make sense in the moment, but it really makes sense once your perspective is broadened upon graduation. Once you leave the 24-7 environment elite peers, you begin to see the differences. As you begin to see the differences, you start to appreciate how you got to where you are.

Many quotes illustrate the same principal that are not SA specific, but share the idea of short-term pain for long-term gain. Here are several that capture how I view it:

“Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won't so you can spend the rest of your life like most people can't.”
"Today's hard work leads you to tomorrow's success"
"Sore Today - Strong Tomorrow"
"The struggle you are in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow"
"Laziness pays off overnight, however, hard work pays off throughout your life"

Service Academies are a special place and those who complete the journey have an appreciation for the path to get there. It's hard to appreciate when you are in the middle. If you wanted to climb a mountain, the summit accent typically starts in the dark and is filled with many low points. It is not until you reach the summit that you appreciate what it took to get there.

This picture was taken by current 4* at USAFA from a recent morning climb to the top of the highest point in the Cadet Area. A neat place to reflect.

 

[Hockey10]

"Sweat today so you don't bleed tomorrow."

 

[camo-it]

It is common to shrink your focus/awareness to the immediate visible area during moments of struggle and challenge. During most of your SA life, the area of laser focus is the common struggle you and your classmates are facing. In those moments of shared suffering, it can be difficult. It is quite common for us to believe the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence during challenging times. Why wouldn't it? You are suffering/struggling and they (people not at the place you are) are not (at least in the fantasy we make in our mind).

FOMO is real, and "normal" college can sound appealing. HOWEVER, when you are standing atop a mast on Eagle looking out on the open ocean with no land in sight... you may have a moment of enlightenment to understand that you are in a very special place that few people will ever experience. How many people ever set foot on a tall ship? How about a tall ship that was captured as war reparations in WWII? How about sailing off the coast? How about being tasked with rigging this historic ship? When you think about it, the numbers put you in an exclusive group of people who had the opportunity to do this one thing. Similar things can be said about unique experiences at any of the SA.

We take for granted much of the SA experience because we are in the middle of it, surrounded by it, and 99% of those we engage with are going through the same thing. This narrow focus makes us lose perspective on just how special of an opportunity we are provided by attending these schools and having the opportunity to participate in activities the rest of the world would find fascinating - yet they are just commonplace to us because it is all we know. Our perspective is limited to that of which we have experienced and it is quite difficult to understand where that fits in relation to the experiences of others. All we know is that this place is friggin' hard. Harder than State U friends have it for sure and we all leave with a bachelor's degree. Why is this place so hard? Why do we chose to make it so difficult?

In the rear view, the answers to these deep questions are clear. We grow as people and expand our own understanding of what it is that we are capable of. Unless forced under stressful conditions, we would never stretch ourselves as hard as a SA asks of you. It does not make sense in the moment, but it really makes sense once your perspective is broadened upon graduation. Once you leave the 24-7 environment elite peers, you begin to see the differences. As you begin to see the differences, you start to appreciate how you got to where you are.

Many quotes illustrate the same principal that are not SA specific, but share the idea of short-term pain for long-term gain. Here are several that capture how I view it:

“Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won't so you can spend the rest of your life like most people can't.”
"Today's hard work leads you to tomorrow's success"
"Sore Today - Strong Tomorrow"
"The struggle you are in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow"
"Laziness pays off overnight, however, hard work pays off throughout your life"

Service Academies are a special place and those who complete the journey have an appreciation for the path to get there. It's hard to appreciate when you are in the middle. If you wanted to climb a mountain, the summit accent typically starts in the dark and is filled with many low points. It is not until you reach the summit that you appreciate what it took to get there.

This picture was taken by current 4* at USAFA from a recent morning climb to the top of the highest point in the Cadet Area. A neat place to reflect.

View attachment 9930

Overall enjoyed my experience? Yeah. I'll lay it down for you as best I can, unfiltered, but know that nobody who hasn't been through it can really fully grasp it.

The saying "A bad place to be, but a good place to be from," in my opinion, goes extremely well in tandem with my other favorite saying about the Academy - "The days are long, but the weeks are short." It isn't wrong that it's like that at other reputable colleges, but... having done both, it's not really right either.

I have always said, and will stand by, that what makes the Academy hard isn't the academics. The academics are indeed, in my opinion, on par with other top schools in whatever given field of study you choose. What makes it hard is the other things you have to worry about - getting your uniforms ready. Completing training requirements. Getting up early to go do drill. Feeling like you always have to be looking over your shoulder to make sure you won't get in trouble (side note: I was a pretty decent Cadet. The reason I felt like this isn't because I was constantly and willfully doing stupid stuff to get me in trouble. It's a combination of juggling so much that you're worried something will slip through the cracks, and the fact that, unfortunately, some people are out to get you or uphold ridiculous standards.) I could go on. It's also different from regular college in other ways. Woke up late? Regular college, you throw on some sweats and head to class, no big deal. Academy - you better figure it out and do it quick. Better yet, had a long night last night? You can sleep through that 8 AM every here and there at regular college, no big deal. At the Academy, you better be up and in uniform by 8, even if you don't have class. You don't possess any freedom to go out in the evenings, even if you want to, or even to wear civilian clothes in the evenings.

The flip side is that you'll forge amazing bonds and friendships with all of the other people going through the same thing - way better than you're likely to make at other schools. You feel a sense of purpose and pride in what you're doing. The summers are amazing, and you spend them doing things your peers at other colleges could only dream of doing. You make enough money to ensure that when you do get to go out on the weekends, for spring break, etc. you can afford to go have some fun without money being a big concern.

In conclusion, I wouldn't trade my experience for the world (although no COVID would have been cool ).

How many people ever set foot on a tall ship? How about a tall ship that was captured as war reparations in WWII? How about sailing off the coast? How about being tasked with rigging this historic ship?

How do you know these details shiner? Very impressive.

 

[shiner]

How many people ever set foot on a tall ship? How about a tall ship that was captured as war reparations in WWII? How about sailing off the coast? How about being tasked with rigging this historic ship?

How do you know these details shiner? Very impressive.

My son joined Eagle for a week and sailed with them from Boston to NYC as a member of the BSA Sea Scout program. A pretty amazing experience for anyone, but especially as someone interested in attending USCGA. CGA cadets do a week during their INDOC period and then longer stints as they progress through the Academy. It is common for CGA cadets to sail Eagle all over the world- you can see the annual schedule for Eagle here: https://www.uscga.edu/eagle-schedule/

I have seen this vessel in person a number of times and it is quite a special lady! Jealous that I never had the chance to personally sail aboard.

 

[ekb1398]

How many people ever set foot on a tall ship? How about a tall ship that was captured as war reparations in WWII? How about sailing off the coast? How about being tasked with rigging this historic ship?

How do you know these details shiner? Very impressive.

Funnily enough, is this one of the things I always brag on to people! We get paid to do for a few months what people will pay thousands of dollars to do for a couple WEEKS.

 

[rjb]

We get paid to do for a few months what people will pay thousands of dollars to do for a couple WEEKS.

DS was recently on temporary duty helping to move a new FRC from Key West to Guam. Some of my boating friends remarked, "and he gets paid to do that?"

 

[LurkingQuietly]

My DS affectionately refers to it as a "prison camp".