My son is struggling academically in his Freshman Year....

LineInTheSand said:
I don't think I looked forward to going back until my 2/c or 1/c year. Through my first two years I felt sick crossing Gold Star Bridge.
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The mids we sponsor can be boisterous and relaxed on Saturday night at the dinner table, calm on Sunday as they knock out problem sets. All are quiet the later on Sunday it gets, and if we are driving them, the car is silent on the way back to the Yard. Ditto driving from BWI to Yard. At various points in my career, I had stomachaches on Sunday night, depending on who I was working for. No walking away in the uniformed life!
 
Capt MJ said:
The mids we sponsor can be boisterous and relaxed on Saturday night at the dinner table, calm on Sunday as they knock out problem sets. All are quiet the later on Sunday it gets, and if we are driving them, the car is silent on the way back to the Yard. Ditto driving from BWI to Yard. At various points in my career, I had stomachaches on Sunday night, depending on who I was working for. No walking away in the uniformed life!
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I only ever went back twice: after winter break, and again after spring break. I vividly remember the shuttle into Naptown in early January. If I had not been with other people I would have been wailing and gnashing my teeth and rending my garments. I felt sick. When I returned after spring break, I knew I'd be separating after the end of that semester, I knew it was the right decision, and I knew where I'd be going, too, so my attitude was "Bring it." I decided to play at the final seven or eight weeks as a game (I don't mean messing with people). You know: see how much I could get done, how much I could put up with, how much I could take, how much I could surprise myself. In hindsight, USNA was really where I began to learn and practice self-regulatory talk.

When you are a teen/young adult, especially one at a SA/SMC, you start to figure out that, in life, "The List of Things I Can Control" shrinks and shrinks and shrinks until it really contains only one item: "my internal conversation." It is a really, really hard lesson to learn - and I think one of the most valuable to earn.
 
I rarely got to go home because of basketball so I didn't have the normal leave periods everyone else does. Most 4/C will struggle to varying degrees going back. 3/C it's a mix. Most 2/C and 1/C are fine with it. A lot of them
Probably made plans with friends over Xmas anyways. As they progress leave and home usually because less and more trips with friends and significant others. It varies for everyone though.
 
No. I don't think he's looking forward to going back. After the long break, he's dreading it. He hasn't talked about jumping ship, so that's something. He's changing room mates, so maybe that will help. He's 18 and his room mate now is 23 and likes to drink and party a lot. I think they are getting on each other's nerves.
 
Wonderfulmom said:
No. I don't think he's looking forward to going back. After the long break, he's dreading it. He hasn't talked about jumping ship, so that's something. He's changing room mates, so maybe that will help. He's 18 and his room mate now is 23 and likes to drink and party a lot. I think they are getting on each other's nerves.
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His roommate is 23 and a 4/c? That's not too common.
 
Wonderfulmom said:
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He's 18 and his room mate now is 23 and likes to drink and party a lot. I think they are getting on each other's nerves.
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I don't mean to take us down a rabbit hole, but at USNA the rule was, plebes could not drink at all during plebe year, even if they had reached 21 and even on libo (although I suppose 21+ - year-olds could drink while on leave...). Is this rule different at CGA?
 
Granted there isn't much liberty, but I don't remember a rule like that at CGA…. I also don't understand why that rule would exist…. what could happen 4/c that isn't likely to happen 3/c-1/c years?
 
Even if there isn't a rule against drinking, I'd hope it isn't that common since they have to be in uniform within 75 miles of the academy and they aren't supposed to be in bars in uniform. I think the only benefit to that rule would be to reduce the likelihood of an underage drinking charge...which would be against the rules.
 
wvgoldcamp said:
Even if there isn't a rule against drinking, I'd hope it isn't that common since they have to be in uniform within 75 miles of the academy and they aren't supposed to be in bars in uniform. I think the only benefit to that rule would be to reduce the likelihood of an underage drinking charge...which would be against the rules.
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No restrictions for drinking in uniform. Of course, there are rules to proper conduct (which can be influence by alcohol).

I don't understand the last point…. the question is can someone of age (in this case 23) drink 4/c year…. being under age isn't the issue (many people are still underage into their 3/c or 2/c year).
 
My 4/c believes they are not to be in bars in uniform. Of course this may just be something that was suggested or implied to keep them from getting into trouble. Which was essentially the point I had with regard to a rule against 4/c's drinking - since virtually all of them are underage. That said, you are certainly correct about 3/c and even some 2/c also possibly being underage.
 
I wish they would ban all drinking, but that's not going to happen. Alcohol is the most abused drug in our nation right now. It is considered a poison by the medical community.
 
Wonderfulmom said:
I wish they would ban all drinking, but that's not going to happen. Alcohol is the most abused drug in our nation right now. It is considered a poison by the medical community.
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I respect the fact that you nor your family drink alcohol, that is your choice. But if I would like to have a beer, am of legal age and do it safely why would that matter to you?

The article is misleading as it includes harm to others (As in injuries from drunk driving) when determining the harmfulness of a drug. Alcohol does not drink and drive, PEOPLE drink and drive (Which IS against the law) and are the killers. Drinking and driving is a choice and alcohol did not make the choice. Using their logic Automobiles are the biggest killers in the world.

By the way they DID outlaw alcohol in Chicago once upon a time. It made the city famous for a man named Al Capone.

Should your DS graduate, he may very well be in charge of enlisted members who legally drink. He will need to accept that and deal with it in a non-biased way.
 
Rocko said:
I respect the fact that you nor your family drink alcohol, that is your choice. But if I would like to have a beer, am of legal age and do it safely why would that matter to you?

The article is misleading as it includes harm to others (As in injuries from drunk driving) when determining the harmfulness of a drug. Alcohol does not drink and drive, PEOPLE drink and drive (Which IS against the law) and are the killers. Drinking and driving is a choice and alcohol did not make the choice. Using their logic Automobiles are the biggest killers in the world.

By the way they DID outlaw alcohol in Chicago once upon a time. It made the city famous for a man named Al Capone.

Should your DS graduate, he may very well be in charge of enlisted members who legally drink. He will need to accept that and deal with it in a non-biased way.
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Calm down. I said "I wish." Not that I was wishing that for everyone. I realize my viewpoint is considered radical. I just don't think the cadets need that distraction. How many young college kids do you know that drink 1 drink when they go out drinking? As a matter of fact, a cadet had to be sent to the hospital because he got alcohol poisoning a couple of months ago. He could have died. Binge drinking and student deaths are a big problem on college campuses nowadays.

My husband doesn't drink and he is retiring as a Master Chief in the Coast Guard for 26 years, this month, so supervising people who feel otherwise isn't a problem. No one in this country is going to try to make drinking illegal, no worries about that. BTW: I was a bartender in college, however I gave up drinking 18 years ago. (Not that I drank much back then anyway). Besides, if you want to start a new thread about alcohol feel free. This is about academics, not drinking.
 
Wonderfulmom said:
Calm down. I said "I wish." Not that I was wishing that for everyone. I realize my viewpoint is considered radical. I just don't think the cadets need that distraction. How many young college kids do you know that drink 1 drink when they go out drinking? As a matter of fact, a cadet had to be sent to the hospital because he got alcohol poisoning a couple of months ago. He could have died. Binge drinking and student deaths are a big problem on college campuses nowadays.

My husband doesn't drink and he is retiring as a Master Chief in the Coast Guard for 26 years, this month, so supervising people who feel otherwise isn't a problem. No one in this country is going to try to make drinking illegal, no worries about that. BTW: I was a bartender in college, however I gave up drinking 18 years ago. (Not that I drank much back then anyway). Besides, if you want to start a new thread about alcohol feel free. This is about academics, not drinking.
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This is an interesting but tragic website:


http://compelledtoact.com/Tragic_listing/Main_listing_victims.htm
 
LineInTheSand said:
I don't think I looked forward to going back until my 2/c or 1/c year. Through my first two years I felt sick crossing Gold Star Bridge.
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I always hated going back no matter what, even if I was excited to see my friends. Since I've graduated, I've actually gone back several times to use the ship simulators, the range, and to attend Career Night and a memorial service. The feeling hasn't changed. In fact, my Operations Officer was with the JOs on my ship when we went to the simulator the last time. As we were going over the bridge, he turned to us and told us he felt sick... and he graduated 10 years ago!

wvgoldcamp said:
My 4/c believes they are not to be in bars in uniform. Of course this may just be something that was suggested or implied to keep them from getting into trouble. Which was essentially the point I had with regard to a rule against 4/c's drinking - since virtually all of them are underage. That said, you are certainly correct about 3/c and even some 2/c also possibly being underage.
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I don't believe there is a specific rule. I do think the unofficial rule was that if you were in uniform, you couldn't sit at the bar so if you were at a restaurant in a booth or a table and drinking, that was fine. I think it would be ridiculous to restrict 4/c from drinking just because they're 4/c, especially if you're talking about a prior enlisted 23 year old.

Wonderfulmom,

Your son will be fine, I promise. The feelings and struggles he is having are the same ones thousands of graduates have had. As a 3/c, I had an F at mid-term in Physics II. At the end, I knew I had not done well on the final. I was therefore extremely surprised when I received my final grades and was given a C- in the class. Why did I have that C-? Because I worked with my instructor on an individual basis at least 2 times a week for the majority of the semester once I realized I was struggling. At the end of my 3/c year, my GPA was somewhere in the mid-2s. Two years later, I walked across the stage as a government major and graduated with honors. My strengths definitely made up for my weaknesses after my 3/c year.

As others have pointed out, what do you call an Academy graduate with a 2.o? An Ensign. What do you call an Academy graduate with a 4.0? An Ensign.
 
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