Preparing for matriculation day at an SMC

[Devil5891]

I then showed up at Norwich and hated it at first (it is challenging as a rook). But after the snow melts in the spring, I absolutely LOVED it. I mean, ABSOLUTELY loved it.

"Welcome to the Suck"

This reminds of a rook arrival day story from this year. Now on Rook Arrival Day after you are marched outt and away from your parents the Officers will give you a modified PT test, well the day before I was attended the OpOrd Brief by one of the commandants as the NCOIC of Medical Operations. Well Rook Arrival Day Weather was scheduled for heavy rain, and it was asked if it was raining, should the rooks wear full PT gear. The Commandants response was great, "hmmm, No, Half PT Gear, Welcome to Norwich." Half the "injured" new Recruits I talked to that day were hating life, right now, as the weather decides to be bi-polar, Recruit Moral is pretty high and most of them dont mind it here anymore.

 

[bruno]

Even more sadly, my cadetship at The Citadel predates Bruno’s cadetship at VMI, which predates Reagan’s presidency. So, I’m certainly short on up-to-date advice for soon-to-be Knobs headed to Charleston. But, the one thing I can add relates to what Bruno calls “mental fortitude.” It’s just as important to be ready mentally as it is physically and academically. You may be ready for Div-I sports and Ivy League professors. But, if you’re not ready for the ways in which cadet cadre will challenge your mental toughness and make life somewhat – shall I say – “unpleasant”, then you’re simply NOT ready.

If you plan to attend an SMC, then you should know that the “system” you’ll face as a Rat, Rook, Knob, etc., will be mentally challenging, and that having a “quitting is not an option” mindset will help you make it through that system. So, while working to improve your physical conditioning and academic readiness before you go, work on your frame of mind, too. Repeat the “quitting is not an option” phrase as you do your physical conditioning exercises, and keep it in the forefront of your mind as matriculation day approaches and especially after you’ve entered the crucible. Oh, just one more thing – QUITTING IS NOT AN OPTION! Make it your mantra.

I should amend my first post because where I used the line "the key to survival is to not standout..." btexino used the above. His is dead-on.
It's 99% mental- whether at VMI, the Citadel, Norwich, (not to mention the even more physical challenges you might face later at Quantico or Ranger School). All of those places have tens of thousands of graduates who made it- and the one thing that they had in common was an unwillingness to giveup. They all made it despite sometimes really challenging circumstances- you can too-IF your head is in the game and you possess the personal pride to stick it out. To succeed at anything challenging you have to have some personal pride and a competitive spirit- in this case an unwillingness to let "Them" beat you.

My advice to anyone going to a Senior Military college is to follow Btexino's mantra. If you finish your 4th class year and you decide that you don't want to make this your college for the next 3 years- that's not the same as quitting- that's changing and you have already shown that you can handle the challenge and have seen enough of the rest of your cadetship to make a decision based on something other than your momentary stress.. But if you give it up before then - you have let it beat you.
When we dropped off my son almost 3 years ago there was at least one kid with parents who stayed in the same hotel as we did the night before. The next day when we left that same kid was in the hotel parking lot crying and going home with her parents- having given up the night before. The body and the things demanded of it on matriculation day didn't beat that kid- her head did. To go to VMI, The Citadel, Norwich et al... you have to be honest with yourself-You "gotta want to" be there. Part of wanting to be there is to prepare before hand for all of the challenges, physical, social, academic and mental. And when you succeed you have something to truly be proud of and as you get older- something to be grateful for having done. To be an honorable person who has demonstrated to yourself and to others that you can succeed under adverse conditions, is to be a better person. It will make you a better officer, a better businessman, lawyer, engineer, teacher, father or mother etc... But it all starts with Btexino's mantra: "Quitting is not an option".

 

[patentesq]

The "system" at an SMC serves a dual purpose.

The first objective is to provide a unique education to members of the incoming class and to teach them things beyond academics such as mental perserverance, integrity, the importance of being a team player, etc. It is primarily designed to make them tougher individuals, NOT to "weed" people out (the SMCs actually DO appreciate the tuition payments). This is an aspect of the unique form of education at an SMC that is probably the most important takeaway upon graduation. And it will probably help the graduate of any SMC the most down the road as they reflect upon and navigate through the variety of challenges that life will present, regardless of the grad's ultimate career path. Unfortunately, cadets at an SMC will not receive academic credit for any this training, but it is By FAR the most valuable lessons learned at any SMC. In this respect, it is really worth every penny spent on tuition, uniforms, etc.

The second purpose of the "system" is to provide leadership training for the upperclassmen. If you are like me, you will find that you go through various stages that will evolve during your subsequent three years at the SMC. The least experienced leaders are the sophomores (3d class), and the most experienced leaders are the seniors (1st class). Typically, the sophomores (3d class) are the most aggressive about the "training", while the seniors (1st class) are more laid back. It is for this reason that I understand the sophomores at Norwich no longer have direct contact with the rooks as "rook cadre" (they did in my day, but Devil5891 can advise if this is correct).

In any event, being in shape physically will help a lot to deal with the mental challenges that folks will face. I'm not sure how the chemistry works, but being in shape strengthens the mind The one thing to remember is that an overwhelming percentage of matriculating freshmen who want to be there will make it through the program without much problem.

PARENTS AND PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS: Yesterday, I watched the movie "Officer and a Gentleman" with my DS. There are some important lessons from that movie (warning: movie contains foul language and adult scenes/concepts), notably the importance of "wanting to be there" (as bruno points out), "never quit" (as btexino points out), being a team player, etc. I don't want to spoil the movie for those who haven't seen it, but one of the main characters eventually figures out that he doesn't want to be there (he was doing it because his father and brother went through the "system") and takes certain action in conformance with that lack of desire. The main character (Richard Gere) learns valuable lessons as well.

 

[Devil5891]

The 3/c Cadets here do have a sort of Limited direct contact with a small number of Recruits. Implemented this year They have a program called the Corporal Academic Mentor (CAM) which takes Sophs and and pairs them with 3-4 Recruits and your duty is to teach them skills that will improve test performance, study skills, etc. However, as much as the CoC would like to deny this next statement, the move was a total flop. The CAMs are told each week what they need to teach their freshman and how to do it, as a class we have no imput but to relay information and most CAMs admit to just talking to the freshman after relaying the info (which takes about 5 minute out of 30 required) and asking them how their grades are. The Training for the next year I am going to assume is mostly just preparing for the 3/c cadets to be Cadre when they are 2/c Cadets, so there is a total separation between 4/c and 3/c.