Following PPW and before the academic year begins (8/23), what is on the agenda in terms of PS? What else occurs before the academic year begins? Do Plebes get any other Liberty prior to the beginning of the academic year? When, typically, do Plebes get their first Liberty once the academic year begins? Is it typical for Plebes to use some portion of that first Liberty with their new sponsor families?
PS - What typically occurs after PPW?
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After PPW, PS wraps up running smack up to Reform, when the rest of the Brigade returns from summer leave and training. It will be PS routine, but ac year preps, issue of more stuff, move to ac year company area rooms will occur, admin stuff. Detailers turn over control to regular company staff.
If past years follow the usual pattern, there is no town liberty for Plebes the first weekend after Reform. They will be far too busy with the massive avalanche of ac year requirements unloaded on them plus their plebe Pro Know and other fun plebe training activities in company. Fun is written in the irony font. They will also be in a duty section rotation which will eliminate some weekend liberty on a regular basis for the next 4 years.
When they do have liberty, it is entirely up to the plebes as to how they use it. They may prefer to walk into DTA with friends, or spend it how they would wish. It is not mandatory to go to sponsor’s home. I send an email to our sponsor mids every Thursday evening, letting them know if we are open and available for mids that weekend, and ask for requested pick-up times, are you in for dinner, do you need a ride to the Mall or a stop at a store (a favorite is when I launch them into Naval Bagels with $20-$30 and wait in the car for them, ditto sending them after ice cream in the Navy Commissary), are they bringing a friend, etc. They know they can say “thanks, have got other plans.” It’s all fine.
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Plebe summer continues. Briefings and trainings continue. It’s also oriented to the AC year about to begin. To include getting books and schedules. Whatever that looks like. Still trainings, moving to whatever rooms they will be in for the school year. It’s for sure a different vibe according to my Mids.
Who knows about liberty this year, but typically no in the past during that timeframe. It’s a future event for plebes. And when they do have liberty awarded, it’s up to them how they want to use it. With sponsors or no. Typically, DTA is full of plebes, enjoying their time with friends, eating from the area. They will have set hours to follow.
Brigade reform is on 8/19. That will be when plebes are ‘Introduced’ to their new company mates.
*posted at the same time as @capt MJ…pretty much the same story*
Who knows about liberty this year, but typically no in the past during that timeframe. It’s a future event for plebes. And when they do have liberty awarded, it’s up to them how they want to use it. With sponsors or no. Typically, DTA is full of plebes, enjoying their time with friends, eating from the area. They will have set hours to follow.
Brigade reform is on 8/19. That will be when plebes are ‘Introduced’ to their new company mates.
*posted at the same time as @capt MJ…pretty much the same story*
SDpolo
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Is that Hello night (Hell O Nite)
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Sure is!! All in good fun. My boys both had a good time.
If you are fortunate enough to belong to a company, whos PAO posts on company FB pages, you will probably get a glimpse. I saw great company pics of my (now) firstie. My ‘24’s company didn’t share to pages. Maybe they didn’t have hello night bc of Covid. Idk. But paid photo programs that show so much of plebe summer don’t roll into this period.
If you are fortunate enough to belong to a company, whos PAO posts on company FB pages, you will probably get a glimpse. I saw great company pics of my (now) firstie. My ‘24’s company didn’t share to pages. Maybe they didn’t have hello night bc of Covid. Idk. But paid photo programs that show so much of plebe summer don’t roll into this period.
Is the expectation that the PS companies remain intact and they are only being "introduced" to '22s, '23s, and '24s? Which of these classes have just shotgunned?
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Yes, that’s the understanding. The plebes and Firsties are the same companies. So your company plebe summer training staff you met that are Firsties, will be there. The ‘23’s and ‘24’s are all new to that company. Generally. Due to the shotgunning.
‘25’s can switch companies. But not as a general rule, en masse. Rather on an individual basis. At least traditionally.
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Along with Christmas music, the day after PPW the plebes will be very gently reminded that a few days of plebe summer still remain.
Finally, we were beginning to think they'd never bring the pain.
From everything reported to us, it is like "a walk in the park," "lot's of fun," "much easier than expected," and "love my Detailers."
And yes, I read the fine print. Sincere thanks to Capt MJ, who always tells it like it is.
USNAhopeful2025
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how do roommates work for the AC year? Do the plebes get assigned or can they pick? Thanks!
I think at least for the fall semester the plebes are assigned room mates and some companies might let them choose in the second semester but from youngster year onwards they can usually choose their roommates.
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It’s company-dependent. In DD’s company, the plebes got to write down their preferred roommates, and then the company’s midshipman leadership made the actual matches. Arrangements are more limited for females, since there aren’t as many of them. The process is also affected by the availability of room configurations, i.e. doubles, triples, quads.
Usnavy2019
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I'd say Fall Reform as a Plebe was more stressful than Plebe Summer. Totally up to you to read the POD, be in the right uniform, be at the right place at the right time (usually 15 mins early was the Plebe time hack). Plus you might have classes in places you haven't seen a lot of. For example, one of my good friends and current flight school roommate had Naval History in Preble Hall (the Academy museum). Didn't know there were classes there until he got it. A pro tip is to walk your classes to get an idea of where they are and how long your "commute" takes. If you're from swimming/wrestling to Luce... good luck and walk fast!
Buying school supplies was also a big stress thing for me. I was pretty much told through high school exactly what was needed and you more or less had that in PS. You had almost everything and if you needed something else, you were given it or given time to buy what you needed.
Long story short, there is literally zero transition time between having everything in your day planned out for you and having to be a full on adult. However, it is awesome to watch yourself become more independent!
Buying school supplies was also a big stress thing for me. I was pretty much told through high school exactly what was needed and you more or less had that in PS. You had almost everything and if you needed something else, you were given it or given time to buy what you needed.
Long story short, there is literally zero transition time between having everything in your day planned out for you and having to be a full on adult. However, it is awesome to watch yourself become more independent!
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Great post.
I will never forget the Christmas Music playing walking out toward gate one. Hope that has not changed.Old Navy BGO
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The day after .... I still remember more about Sunday night of PPW than I day. They played "White Christmas" as we marched back into the Hall, and SHTF pretty quickly after.
Reform was stressful... Plebe summer is pretty carefully planned and choreographed, and the ratio of Detailers to Plebes is actually relatively low. Reform brings that number to 3 Upperclass to each Plebe, which gives the Plebes plenty of opportunity to excel. Throw in the first few days of college level academics, and the first few weeks of Academic year make Plebe summer seem like a walk in the park.
usna1985
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You think PS is hard . . . until you hit Ac Year. "Hell Night" started off miserably. Lots of yelling. However, after a couple of hours of that, our detailers gave us "swim call" in MacDonough. When it's mid-August and there's no AC in Bancroft, it was like heaven. We could just splash around in the cool water for about an hour with no one yelling at us (in our regulation bathing suits, of course). It's weird -- a tiny act of kindness that I remember to this day.
I don't remember much of reform week. I do remember that the non-detailer upper class weren't allowed to talk to us until a specified day / time. It was eerie having them watch us for several days knowing that that hammer was coming down soon.
Most of it was getting issue for books, buying school suppliers in the MidStore, moving rooms, cleaning the old and new rooms, getting uniforms tailored, doing new company bulletin boards and windows, learning to wear the class uniform (WUB"D") meeting the new Company Officer, Dant's call and Supe's call, etc. The worst part was the anticipation of having 3X as many upper class ready to yell at us.
Ac Year itself is hard b/c you still had much of the plebe stuff -- chow calls every other day, come-arounds 3x per day, meals which were just another opportunity for upperclass to yell at you, pro knowledge, Company Officer time, afternoon sports, watch / duty, PLUS academics. In our day, 10-15% of each class was lost for academics, so it was a greater . . . challenge . . . to stay SAT than it appears today.
That said, we all survived it -- seems insurmountable at the time but if you couldn't hack it, you wouldn't be there.
I don't remember much of reform week. I do remember that the non-detailer upper class weren't allowed to talk to us until a specified day / time. It was eerie having them watch us for several days knowing that that hammer was coming down soon.
Most of it was getting issue for books, buying school suppliers in the MidStore, moving rooms, cleaning the old and new rooms, getting uniforms tailored, doing new company bulletin boards and windows, learning to wear the class uniform (WUB"D") meeting the new Company Officer, Dant's call and Supe's call, etc. The worst part was the anticipation of having 3X as many upper class ready to yell at us.
Ac Year itself is hard b/c you still had much of the plebe stuff -- chow calls every other day, come-arounds 3x per day, meals which were just another opportunity for upperclass to yell at you, pro knowledge, Company Officer time, afternoon sports, watch / duty, PLUS academics. In our day, 10-15% of each class was lost for academics, so it was a greater . . . challenge . . . to stay SAT than it appears today.
That said, we all survived it -- seems insurmountable at the time but if you couldn't hack it, you wouldn't be there.