I just finished BCT, AMA

Like USAFA_86 said congratulations! Hopefully all of us will be at BCT next year with you screaming or "over head correction" lol and us trying not to smile the whole time.
Hardest part for you?
If you knew anyone who dropped, do you know why? ( I hope no one but still interested)
What previous knowledge did you have? ( Drill, how to make a bed, etc)
How did it help?
Any tips? ( Tips tend to be different from someone who just finished vs someone who has been in 3 years)
 
USAFA_86 said:
First of all, congratulations! I hope to be where you are a year from now. Was there any part that was fun?
Click to expand...
Thank you! And definitely. I'd say the majority of it was fun if you just have the right mind set. Some things are going to suck no matter what but like the Assault Course or really all of Jacks Valley I had a blast. And then there's just a lot of moments that happen while you're here that are hilarious. I can't give too many details for the sake of anonymity but I promise you it is fun, just know you'll have a challenge and let the rest play out.
 
FlyFalcon said:
Like USAFA_86 said congratulations! Hopefully all of us will be at BCT next year with you screaming or "over head correction" lol and us trying not to smile the whole time.
Hardest part for you?
If you knew anyone who dropped, do you know why? ( I hope no one but still interested)
What previous knowledge did you have? ( Drill, how to make a bed, etc)
How did it help?
Any tips? ( Tips tend to be different from someone who just finished vs someone who has been in 3 years)
Click to expand...
Haha thank you! I look forward to yelling at you next year too. I'd say the hardest part personally was the isolation from my flight because of COVID but that shouldn't be the same case for you. In terms of non covid things I'd say I had a really hard time with missing home and just letting my mind wander to what I could be doing instead of waking up early and getting yelled at all day. The PT, time hacks, and stuff you have to memorize was difficult but not hard if that makes sense. For previous knowledge I had very little. I did a lot of research on what the experience is like but I had no drill, bed making, or even memorization knowledge coming into this. I will say knowing how to tie knots is actually very useful during Jack's. Just know the seven basic responses and you'll be fine. If you know you're bad at memorizing stuff then the airman's creed and code of conduct wouldn't hurt to familiarize yourself with. Don't worry about drill or bed making, you'll have a lot of time to practice it here. For tips, other than what I just said, don't be afraid to sound off, really yelling as loud as you can makes things a million times better here. Never quit, there will be some times you want to stop but keep going, failure is good, quitting is not. Don't be afraid to go out and get to know your classmates. Everyone here is here due to some pretty amazing character traits and histories, plus a lot of people feel uncomfortable so just make that effort to go out. Bring your own nail clippers. Cough drops are great for keeping you awake. Use cotton balls to polish your shoes when you get them. Use a black sock that's tightly rolled to get smears from cleaning off your mirror. ALWAYS TURN OFF YOUR LIGHTS, get in the habit of doing that now if you aren't already. Also given the fact that you're on here already I bet you are on this but get your applications done soon, I spent a lot of time getting them done late because I would run into something daunting and would put it off but you need to be on that right now. Get your DODMERB stuff done as soon as physically possible. If they need a waiver for something keep your head up, I had to get one too, but it will take a really long time (we're talking like 4 months potentially). I'd say those are probably my biggest tips, if I think of more I will make another reply. Also on the people dropping, I know a couple people that dropped. The biggest reason was they just realized it wasn't for them. I would warn against dropping for that though because basic is nothing like your military career. If you are thinking of quitting because of all the yelling and PT and bed drills, don't, because when you're an officer or even a cadet (after doolie year) you won't have that. Just hang in there and look at the opportunities they have here. Hope that helped!
 
Thanks for the advice! I gave drill as an example mostly because I have some drill experience (JROTC) however I know I'll learn how to do certain things differently. Good tip about knots I know how to do about three thanks to a survival training courses our corps did awhile back. For the DODMERB I just have one thing left to do till I can start it. The problem is it's my SSC( hurricanes like destroying stuff ) and I have to wait to get it in. Thank you so much again! I'll make sure to take your advice and run with it.
 
FlyFalcon said:
Thanks for the advice! I gave drill as an example mostly because I have some drill experience (JROTC) however I know I'll learn how to do certain things differently. Good tip about knots I know how to do about three thanks to a survival training courses our corps did awhile back. For the DODMERB I just have one thing left to do till I can start it. The problem is it's my SSC( hurricanes like destroying stuff ) and I have to wait to get it in. Thank you so much again! I'll make sure to take your advice and run with it.
Click to expand...
Yeah no problem! And if you are good at drill the one thing that that is good for is you will probably be an element leader for your flight or the guide on bearer
 
hopeful25 said:
Congratulations on finishing basic, and thank you for taking the time to answer some questions! Do you have any regrets about your choice to attend USAFA?
Click to expand...
Thank you! And kind of but when I think about them more they are really more shortsighted than anything. There were several nights I was really annoyed because I could be with my friends enjoying summer instead of being in basic but when you look at the fact that your entire future is pretty much set up if you just make it through then things like that look a lot smaller. Other than that there really isn't anything, like my job is to be in Colorado, grow as a person, and serve and lead others, all of which is part of a big picture. I don't think there are many things that are more meaningful that a college kid could be doing.
 
What's the biggest piece of advice you have for a future applicant? Thanks in advance!!
 
dav1y said:
What's the biggest piece of advice you have for a future applicant? Thanks in advance!!
Click to expand...
For your application I'd say try to have as much diversity as possible. The most competitive applicants are the ones who have a wide range of experiences and are really good at one or two things. Once you're here you need to be ready to accept change. There's going to be a lot of times that you have no idea what's going on so just be ready for that and be willing to learn quickly what you need to do.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top