Indoc schedule for parents - what to expect

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Flint41

5-Year Member
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Hello all,

Good luck to everyone getting ready to begin their journey to KP. Quick question regarding the drop-off and parents schedule. We have the indoc schedule. Do the plebes get yanked out of the car during drop-off of do we park and go with them for check-in.

Trying to figure out what we do from drop-off time till 11am. Are we on the academy grounds the whole time, do we have time to go back to hotel and clean up before coming back at 11. Will the drop off time be the last time to say good bye or will there be another time to say goodbye.

Trying to figure out what the day will look like from a parent standpoint.

Reporting Date and Time

Plebe Candidates will report to the Academy on Thursday, July 9, 2026, 0700 - 0830.

0700-0730 Plebe Candidate Drop Off (Last Names A thru I)
0730-0800 Plebe Candidate Drop Off (Last Names J thru R)
0800-0830 Plebe Candidate Drop Off (Last Names S thru Z)


  • Plan to arrive within 15-30 minutes prior to your report time, so that you may be better prepared for in-processing.
  • ONLY those who have received Orders to Report can sign in to the Academy on the above date at their specific designated time.
  • Please note, you will report with your designated group. Athletic recruits will not be permitted to report in with their future teammates at a time outside their designated group. Absolutely no exceptions will be made.
  • No late starts will be permitted.
  • You should eat breakfast before you arrive.
  • Note: Athletes may bring equipment IF they have coordinated with their coach for a drop off prior to the reporting schedule.
FAMILY INDOCTRINATION SCHEDULE

Thursday, July 9, 2026
0700-0730 Plebe Candidate Drop Off (Last Names A thru I)
0730-0800 Plebe Candidate Drop Off (Last Names J thru R)
0800-0830 Plebe Candidate Drop Off (Last Names S thru Z)
1100-1145 Family Brief in Ackerman Auditorium
1150 Family View Plebe Oath on Barney Square
1200-1300 Welcome Lunch hosted by USMMA Alumni Association and Foundation (USMMA-AAF)
1300 Campus Closed to Visitors
 
I'm not sure how much it has changed since I've been there, but usually families are allowed to walk their kids up until O'Hara hall where they get dropped off. That's your goodbye time, after that, they're a bald head in a crowd all wearing the same thing that you can try to see from a distance (good luck).

I can't speak on what to do between drop off and the brief, but from what i've seen parents can hangout on campus and sometimes athletics / other groups will do briefs.
 
You should be able to walk your kid into Vickery Gate. Once there they will join a line to enter. They neither want to be the first nor the last in line. Once that line starts moving you will not talk to them again during drop off. You may be able to catch a glimpse of them as they move across the grinder and to their company and as they enter at lunch, where they will take their oath and then turn to wave to the parents (you may or may not see your candidate at that point).

There are usually a few things for you to do once they walk in the gate until the lunch after the oath. Usually there are state or regional parents and alumni associations there and there is typically a parent briefing. Do not be surprised if at least one or two candidates end up going home with parents. This could be due to them choosing it is not what they want or not being able to make height, weight, etc. It tends to happen each year.

My advice would be to complete your goodbyes in the parking lot of the hotel. It can be very emotional and best not to have that as the very last moment. Once your candidate reaches Vickery Gate their fight or flight response is going to kick in and anxiety will ramp up. They will be focused on where they are going and what they need to do, not on you. Campus is pretty locked down. You won't be able to see much of it. You won't be able to access the NEX or the waterfront for example, that will wait until parents weekend in September.

Be ready for the roller coaster! It is long, and it is real. Welcome to the Zoo!

I'm just a parent, and others I am sure will add more. If I can help or answer any questions, please let me know.
 
@Servicehopefuldad is spot on about how the day starts. Many parents stick around trying to get a glimpse of their PC running from place to place. It’s bound to be very hot & humid. We attended the family brief (in A/C!). We didn’t stick around much after the Plebe Oath - it was too hot, we were too tired & emotional. We ate lunch off campus - at that point I was done socializing. I’m not sure I would suggest leaving campus in between drop off and the Family Brief. Maybe bring chairs as there are places to sit in the shade. We wrote our PC letters, read, I’ve taken a cat nap in certain shady areas on some
Parent Weekends…. Then you pack up and leave campus. The morning goes fast.
 
This might be a dumb question but should I bring my wallet with me during indoc
 
kiwi said:
This might be a dumb question but should I bring my wallet with me during indoc
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Yes! They will have tables set up from various stare parents association for you to walk around and visit. They will be selling merchandise that you might want to buy. Also, be sure to find the Alumni tent first! They will have a nice packet of information for you that will also list your plebe candidates company and PO Box. You'll want to know the company so you can watch for your plebe candidate before lunch when they line up.

Enjoy!
 
Piece of guidance for parents. Don't add to the stress of your DS/DD as they prepare to enter Kings Point. Be calm. Be encouraging.

Tell them what they need to hear, which is this:

1. Stay calm, stay focused, take the training seriously, but don't be "too serious". By that I mean, be focused on what they are doing, but don't let the situation stress them out.
2. The cadre know what they're doing, and they know how disorienting INDOC can be.
3. INDOC sucks, but it is also a great time. It will be challenging, but it's also a great time to learn, bond with one's classmates and be "in the moment".
4. Do NOT let your DS/DD make a lifetime decision based on the next 3 weeks of INDOC, nor even the next 12 months of Plebe Year. It WILL be hard, but tell them to give it a year and to CHOOSE to have a positive attitude about it. Remind them that even if they graduate KP and serve their commitment, they are NOT signing their whole life away. It's a GREAT START to ANY career choice.
 
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Things to remember:

It's "Indoc" and less than 2 weeks of your life and not "Boot Camp".

KP is a "service academy" and not a "military" academy.

The Indoc Cadre have only spent 1 or 2 years total in The Regiment and they reported for Indoc training just 2 days ago.

The Indoc Cadre may be yelling at your for being late or not fast enough but the reality is THEY are late getting you to where you need to be and they are running on far less sleep.

What I'm trying to say is that KP does the best they can with what they have. They are not professional Drill Instructors even though there will be a few of those on hand. At the end of the day the regiment marches more similarly to a large JROTC unit than the USMC Drill Team. At the end of Indoc you will have more questions than answers about KP but like everything else at KP you will have to figure it out and solve those problems as they present themselves while taking on an academic firehose.

The only Indoc guarantee is that it will be miserably hot and humid, the food will be basically reheated off a Sysco truck and that you will remember it vividly for years.
 
bones92 said:
Remind them that even if they graduate KP and serve their commitment, they are signing their whole life away. It's a GREAT START to ANY career choice.
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“….they are signing their whole life away.” Is that a typo? I’ve never felt I signed my life away. KP was just the beginning of what has been a wonderful life, much of it made possible by what I experienced and learned at KP.
 
kiwi said:
This might be a dumb question but should I bring my wallet with me during indoc
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assuming you’re an incoming candidate you will, but it will be placed in a bin with your other personal belongings that are not on the indoc packing list until the end of indoc.
 
My son just completed Plebe year; say your goodbyes at the hotel. All of you will be pretty mesmerized/overstimulated and likely nervous by the time you get in line, and at that point you are shoulder to shoulder with others. Try to get your Plebe candidate to eat something early on that morning. Best Bagel in Great Neck opens at 5:30am. Once through the gate you will be able to pick up a folder at the Alumni table (look in the parking lot for tents) with your Plebe Company number, mailbox number, and lots of interesting materials. Take note of that Company number; when you get to see him/her (from afar) after the Parent Meeting in Ackermann, all the parents will get over to Barney Square (in front of DeLano-Food Hall). The Companies are lined up, with the 1st Company closest to the water and the 5th Co. closest to the buildings. Looking at Delano, 5th is on the left and 1st is all the way on your right. This will help you possibly pick out your Plebe. After that, try to make some new friends, exchange numbers and Facebook. This will become your support group; you will quickly realize how much you need each other. Find your local parents' club page... join the group and follow along on the other FB pages and the Flickr page for "Where's Waldo" spotting. Indoc goes by fast, and the first year even faster! Be excited and encouraging; it helps them stay calm if they see your confidence. I can't believe we dropped him off last year on July 3rd, and on this July 1st he left for Guam on his first Sea Term. Take it all in as much as you can, go for visits, volunteer for Cookie Cafe, get involved with your local parents' club, and know what is going on at the Academy- it's an outstanding place that only a small number are privileged to attend and experience!
 
Hello All,
My daughter just completed 1st year.
1) I strongly recommend that you register with the Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1232675265012961). During the indoc, you will wait 24 hours a day for photos in the hope of seeing your child.
2) As you know, there will be two 15-minute calls on Sundays. Don't faint if your child calls before Sunday, it means he/she's coming home or in the hospital.
3) Find out the mailbox number in advance and send the mail as soon as possible. Send letters (cards, pictures) as often as possible, it is very important and helps to feel and know that the Plebe candidate is not alone in such a difficult time.
4) Don't cry (easy to say.....). Be proud!!!!!

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!
 
I cried the whole morning - slow leaky tears, sometimes fast, sometimes through laughs. DS was fine, dad was fine... Hard to explain how proud and sad you can be in the same moment. I felt like it was the hardest thing I ever did (leaving him a million states away) until it was the next thing, and then sea year, then the next thing and in a blink of an eye our DS will ship off again for 2nd sea year. Everyone has survived, even mom..... KP makes everyone resilient, even if you didn't sign up for it. Only you know your kid, respond/react/cry/be stoic/ accordingly. There will be things you can do and tables to visit for parent associations between drop off and oath... you will likely be ready to leave by the end of the oath. Soak in that day, enjoy the moment as best you can becasue it WILL fly by.
 
Servicehopefuldad said:
…Kings Point tends to be like that sometimes…
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Quite true! Back in the summer of ‘89, I made the trip alone. Parents drove me to Little Rock (~ 3 hours) and I boarded a flight to LaGuardia. Ironically, one of the Members of Congress (Senator Dale Bumpers) who had nominated me was on that flight and I was able to express my appreciation, again, in person for the forthcoming opportunity. Stayed the night in Roslyn at some forgotten establishment and the next day commenced one of the most defining experiences — second to family — of my life!

For parents, I would offer that the only thing more emotionally taxing (for me) than crossing the threshold of Vickery Gate the first time…was the contemplation, while on my inaugural visit home, of an impending return to the Zoo!

Save some empathy and support for that second separation — you might not need it, but your son or daughter will certainly appreciate it!

Godspeed and Good Hunting, Always
 
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JohnPAKP65 said:
“….they are signing their whole life away.” Is that a typo? I’ve never felt I signed my life away. KP was just the beginning of what has been a wonderful life, much of it made possible by what I experienced and learned at KP.
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@JohnPAKP65 yes, you are right, of course. It should read that they are absolutely NOT signing their whole life away. Thanks for the catch. I think I originally was going to write "it's not like they are signing their whole life away".

We just got back late last night after having dropped DS off for INDOC.
 
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