How do West Point visits work for Plebes to host

proudpop2

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Feb 16, 2016
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MY DS reports to R-day Monday! (Still doesn't seem real it is here) Anyway, I know Plebe year will have numerous restrictions/ other responsibilities, etc but at his graduation/going away party this past weekend he and we were asked repeatedly by interested friends, neighbors, relatives, etc whom have never been to West Point what is involved in visiting West Point to see our Plebe at some time in the future and hopefully get a guided tour by him?

We live quite a distance from West Point so some of his teachers, etc are eventually wanting to plan vacations around a visit up to that area and West Point in particular. Is this something more feasible his 2nd or 3rd year there?
 
Are you in any of the FB parents groups? You might get quicker responses there. I'm.curious to the answer to. My DD is also on her way! Class of 2021!
 
Visiting a Plebe is certainly doable, but the time available depends on the weekend, and what tasks the Plebe has that weekend. Football weekends, for example, each Cadet will participate in either the review, the stadium March, or working at the game. They may have other duties too, like garbage in the barracks. Each Plebe has a limited amount of weekend passes, where they can take the entire weekend and leave the base. But they may not want to take a pass just to entertain a visitor, because they only have two or three for the semester.

The problem is that sometimes the Plebe won't know his/her schedule until last minute. Visitors just need to be flexible and patient. They will be able to visit, it just may be a bit choppy, and they may need to self entertain for periods.

We visited our son many times last year, and frequently brought friends of his. Football weekends are awesome. Every time we have visited WP we have had a tremendous time, and others have as well. I would encourage visitors, but provide a caveat with respect to your Cadets availability.
 
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It will require a surprising amount of work on the cadet's part to make sure that he is free for a particular visit. It will be much easier to plan on some weekends than on other weekends. Once he is at WP, he will learn what is scheduled for each weekend and he will learn the rules about hosting a guest. Then he can make plans. But surprises can happen at any time, so even carefully laid plans can go awry at the last minute. In fact, even on a weekend like Plebe Parent Weekend when the time is set aside for plebes to be with their families, the plebe may have duties that weekend that mean being apart from the family for a time. The key to remember is Semper Gumby - always be willing to be flexible.
 
MY DS reports to R-day Monday! (Still doesn't seem real it is here) Anyway, I know Plebe year will have numerous restrictions/ other responsibilities, etc but at his graduation/going away party this past weekend he and we were asked repeatedly by interested friends, neighbors, relatives, etc whom have never been to West Point what is involved in visiting West Point to see our Plebe at some time in the future and hopefully get a guided tour by him?

We live quite a distance from West Point so some of his teachers, etc are eventually wanting to plan vacations around a visit up to that area and West Point in particular. Is this something more feasible his 2nd or 3rd year there?
Try to think one event at a time if you can but to answer your question, we found football games to be the best time to spend a few hours and take him to dinner but as someone else mentioned earlier, let them get acclimated and get their schedules organized before planning anything. Sometimes on the weekends when they finally have a tiny bit of down time, the last thing they want is visitors and then other times they may ask for a quick visit regardless of where you live! :) I am sure it's different for every Plebe, but it's a very, very long year (for the Plebe---and the parents!). My advice is let him feel however he needs to feel to get through Plebe year and let the visits from friends, teachers, and others be based on your Plebe's desire. Good luck next week. It was a year ago today we dropped off our DS and I still have a stomach ache thinking about it! My one piece of advice for Monday---say your real good-bye the night before so you don't have to do it at the "60-second good-bye". We made a pact to just do a fast hug in the exit room so that he could quickly move towards that door without a head full of unnecessary emotions. Have a great week with your DS! :)
 
It doesn't always work out perfectly, but I know my son loved having visitors from home. So I would encourage you and others to visit early and often. Just plan, but be flexible.
 
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