Plebe Candidate Status revisited?

Wow - I totally agree with a Naval Academy Guy - Go Figure

Navy1981 said:
I find this entire string very interesting in regards to the purported lack of motivation and demonstrated leadership by the Class of 2013. After 28 active duty years in the Navy and still serving, including a 4 year tour at the Naval Academy (not as a midshipman), I am always amazed at how the old salts view the newbies. And in this case, upperclassmen at USMMA qualify as old salts.

So, let's see if I can impart some light on this situation. The new class of Plebes always has a steep learning curve. Much to the chagrin of the upperclassmen and academy officers. The complaints are common and are the same year after year: "no motivation", "don't really want to be here", "complain all the time", "complain about everything", "lack of leadership", etc. etc. The list is very long and not unique to any one class.

In about another month, the make-up of the Class of 2013 is going to change. The trimester ends in 3 weeks and some plebes won't be back for second trimester. This scenario will repeat again after the next trimester. By the end of the first year, a large number of plebes that showed up on 9 July won't be around. Why not? Because they are the ones that aren't motivated to be there; they fail classes; came for the free education, but not the lifestyle, etc., etc. This is a big part of the reason why USMMA starts about 300 and graduates around 180.

By next year, Class of 2013 will be a smaller, more motivated, better disciplined, saltier group. Because all of the low and mid-level performers that don't want to be there are gone and the remaining classmembers will not only accomplish more with less, but do it better. This is part of what plebe year is all about. It helps define the character of the individual and the class, so that when our DS/DD are out at sea on a ship, we don't have to worry about them being with someone who doesn't care. Because that non-caring, non-motivated individual has already quit and went home to community college.

If you could look into a crystal ball and see the future, you'll see the Class of 2013 as seniors at USMMA complaining about the Class of 2016; that new group of plebes that has no motivation, lacks leadership potential and can't do anything right, etc. etc. And the cycle repeats next year....
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This is indeed right on - in my personal experience I lived this 30 years ago. The Class of 1982 at the USMMA had a little different ratio, better than most, we started with between 310 and 320 and I was told this week we graduated with a few more than 250...that said most of the washout occured for Academics at the end of each 10 week quarter during our Plebe/Fourth Class Year. Back then setbacks were few and far between we picked up something like less than 10 from the Class of 1981 into our Class so yes by the end of the spring of 1979 we were a leaner, more motivated group as a whole, and the Classes of 1980 and 1981 still felt they were better and "saltier" than us - of course we all knew the truth.

Fair Winds and Following Seas to the Class of 2013, Hang in There..
 
Luigi59 said:
No reason to "get miffed" at me, you won't find many outside of the "KP family" who are bigger supporters than I.
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Never any doubt of that by me Luigi, unless of course we are at any sort of USMMA vs. USCGA sports contest...then I'm pretty sure we both know who each of us are rooting for...
 
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