Post-Appointment Class of 2027 Hangout: PTR, I-Day, What To Bring, Leave Periods…all that endless new stuff

Arriving in MD depends on many things. If you live in the general vicinity (i.e., couple of hours away) and especially if you've already seen and done DTA, come in the night before. Unless you live in Annapolis or the IMMEDIATE vicinity, do not plan on driving to USNA on I-Day. DC and Baltimore traffic are awful and unpredictable. Spend the extra $$ for a night in a hotel room. Enjoy a nice dinner.

If you live a long way away, where jet lag is an issue (AK, HI and maybe the west coast), you might want to come a few days early for the plebe tto acclimate to early morning wake-ups.

O/w, it's up to you. I think the day / night before is fine for most.

My personal view (and it's only that) is that you and your mid will have PLENTY of time over the next four years to enjoy DTA, B'more and DC. Not saying you shouldn't do it before I-Day, only that it's not going to be your only chance.
 
I was curious if any parents considered sendingo their kids to an outdoor obstacle courseD trainingweeks facility prior to I-day. Doesthatcmwew sound like some thing that would interest any parents to help build some confidence
/D going into plebe summer? I’m looking for facilities and wanted to know if anyone has ever done this?
High risk for obstacle course at seven weeks out prior Iday. Don't. Do. It.
For our morning track workouts, we added rope climbing / fast roping. We used the goal post as support. DS climb the rope in 2 seconds and fast rope in .5 sec. It's not much but DS learned the proper techniques. Hint: save the Amazon box and use it before Iday 😉.
 
Day or two before. We arrived the evening of 2 days before. There aren’t ‘formal’ activities, but it’s a laid back atmosphere on the Yard. We checked out the Yard, saw some highlights, got the NFCU account opened, and spent quite a lot of time and money in the Mid and Gift stores. No crowds. Not sure if you could also work on getting your DBIDS early or not (we didn’t get one), but that’s another idea.

It’s such a magical time. For sure a top memory. It’s just special. Congrats.
Thanks so much!
 
Arriving in MD depends on many things. If you live in the general vicinity (i.e., couple of hours away) and especially if you've already seen and done DTA, come in the night before. Unless you live in Annapolis or the IMMEDIATE vicinity, do not plan on driving to USNA on I-Day. DC and Baltimore traffic are awful and unpredictable. Spend the extra $$ for a night in a hotel room. Enjoy a nice dinner.

If you live a long way away, where jet lag is an issue (AK, HI and maybe the west coast), you might want to come a few days early for the plebe tto acclimate to early morning wake-ups.

O/w, it's up to you. I think the day / night before is fine for most.

My personal view (and it's only that) is that you and your mid will have PLENTY of time over the next four years to enjoy DTA, B'more and DC. Not saying you shouldn't do it before I-Day, only that it's not going to be your only chance.
DTA? I don't think we've done it haha! (and yes, I checked the acronym list before asking ;))
 
When to arrive in Naptown is a specific decision driven partly by time and funds available, as well as personal circumstances.

We arrived five days early because there’d be no traditional summer family vacation that year. So it was a chance for us to spend downtime together away from home. Also, DW and DS had never been on the Yard, so this was a chance to tour it before the hordes arrived. We also spent time in DC, which has great personal significance for our family (it’s actually where our family began). Finally, we got to have a nice birthday celebration for DD, who turned 18 the night before I-Day.

Do what’s right for your family. There’s no better or worse, as long as the P2B arrives at Alumni Hall healthy and happy, if a little tense and short on sleep. 😉
 
Thank you all for responding to the obstacle courses question. All opinions are very helpful. We appreciate it!
 
I was curious if any parents considered sending their kids to an outdoor obstacle course training facility prior to I-day. Does that sound like some thing that would interest any parents to help build some confidence going into plebe summer? I’m looking for facilities and wanted to know if anyone has ever done this?
I would not wast time or money on that. Your soon to be Plebe Should Be in shape (follow what's outlined in paperwork). Use time to be a kid, enjoy what is left of the Sr year.
 
@NMA88


The PTR contains advice on pre-I-Day workouts.

Entering plebes will be pressured, tested, have their confidence shaken, etc., by design, both physically and mentally. They will learn to dig deep to call on inner qualities of perseverance. They will be helped and supported by classmates, and they will do the same for struggling classmates - the foundation of the bonds the SAs are justifiably known for.

The plebe you deliver on I-Day will not be the same one you see on PPW, and will change even more through the 4 years in the pressure-cooker. They will be more confident, resilient and exude confidence they earned the hard way.

This is also a time of transition for parents. It’s okay to resist that urge to smooth the path in front of a child. As is often said on SAF, you taught them to fly, so now step back and watch them soar. You will also have taught them to get up after falling and try again, so be confident they have that within them.
 
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This thread has been so helpful with other questions so I will ask some more:
When do most arrive in MD ahead of I-Day? Are there activities or events ahead of 29 JUN? Would we be ok to arrive 28th?
Every DC is different, but for our DD, going on to the yard the day before was extremely helpful. Initially she did not want to go, but we wanted to make sure she was all set with NFCU, so went. While at the NFCU tent outside the Mid Store, a group of NAPsters were being shuffled from one building to the next. She got to witness the line of detailers 'urging' the NAPsters along. When they went past, she remarked that seeing the detailers yelling at the NAPster plebes helped immensely with her anxiety of Plebe Summer.
 
Are the math placement exams ever used in the case of revoking an appointment? I did poorly on some of them because it has been a while since I was dealing with topics like algebra and was rusty on using the tools
 
US Government means paperwork for entire career!!

Maybe it was in the PTR packet, but I seemed to remember filling it out separate.
 
Parents, do not forgot that you fill out one item of paperwork to get your base car access so you can just roll onto the campus without having to go through the Gate 1 security building. On I-Day, if you have already submitted it, you will receive a paper pass that is good for the Plebe year, and then you can get the plastic card version later. Do this AFTER the current 1/C graduate! That way, your permanent card will not expire before your kid graduates!

Also, the Mid store will issue you a card that will allow you to shop there any time you visit the campus without your mid present. This can also be picked up during I-Day, or PPW.

(Being local, we actually got both the pass for site access and the Mid store card about two weeks later when there was much less of a crowd).
Where do we get the paperwork for base car access and the mid-store card?
 
Appointees and supporting parents, here is a place to ask those burning questions which come up every year, and you are just not feeling Search mode.

Here’s a link to a vintage thread, which may still have some usable nuggets:
Thread 'Handy Links for Appointees & Parents'
https://www.serviceacademyforums.com/index.php?threads/handy-links-for-appointees-parents.65672/


And go find the “Rollercoaster” series of threads, especially the plebe year one.
Another question. Are the plebes allowed to leave Annapolis during Parents weekend? In other words, if we wanted to go to DC and go sightseeing, is that allowed as long as we get her back before liberty ends? Just trying to plan…. Thanks in advance!!
 
Another question. Are the plebes allowed to leave Annapolis during Parents weekend? In other words, if we wanted to go to DC and go sightseeing, is that allowed as long as we get her back before liberty ends? Just trying to plan…. Thanks in advance!!
Yes. We went to DC.
 
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