Hello,
I am writing this as a plebe. I just finished beast and I remembered all the struggles I went through as a cadet candidate looking through these forums. Here is a thing of things I recommend. (the beginning is geared towards girls)
Things to remember:
During beast you will be issued underwear, but not bras. Laundry will not always be done and you might quickly run out of items. I know I personally brought extra pairs of socks, underwear, and bras. This was a life saver. Another trick many girls used was using panty liners while you were in the field. It is not the cleanest but when you run out of underwear you can use a panty liner to prevent yeast infections. Just change it out once to twice a day.
Bring a watch with an alarm clock. Some mornings you will be expected to be ready as soon as you wake up.
Wear your boots in to the point you can carry upwards to 40 lbs on your back for 3-6 miles up hill. West Point has endless hills, if your boots don't fit this will be even worse for you.
Oxfords should also be relatively worn in. Because my oxfords were not that good I actually sprained my ankle a few days in. I had ankles the size of grape fruits and I was in so much pain. So please if you do anything take care of your feet now and during beast.
If you can not do a pull up now do not fret. You have tons of time to work on it. Try your best to be able to knock out at least 3 by beast.
Push ups are also another thing you will be assessed on a lot. When you mess up you often get dropped. During first detail they can only drop you for 21 push ups. Second detail 40. This may seem small but they can make you hold it in the down position as long as they want. Being able to maintain strength while pushing will help you positively stand out among your peers. If you have not started already do push-up work outs varying from wide grip, close grip, and diamonds.
Hills are everywhere at West Point. If you even visit West Point you can find yourself walking up a hill and feeling winded. During beast you will be running these. I was a cross country and track athlete and placed well where I was from. When I got here I felt like I never an a day in my life. We did our APFT and immediately after ran up a hill back to our barracks where my company was on the sixth floor.
Heat training- this summer was terrible. If we were not in Heat cat 5 all day we had terrible rain. Most of the new cadets were in barracks with no AC and plenty of kids actually were heat cat victims in their sleep! Start training wearing outrageous layers of clothing a few months before going.
I wish I had bought a better multi tool before coming. Try to get one with a sharp enough blade to cut wood.
Positive attitude- everything will feel terrible. You will be tired, hungry, and feel overloaded(especially if you can not meet physical demands). Try to always be positive- this may be harder when you are forced to be silent and look at a crest every meal, but you should build a bond with your roommates.
Journal! I had a rite in rain notebook and would write a letter home daily. At the end of the week I would send them home. This helped so that when my parents called me we got to talk and not just explain everything I have done. (writing letters home during LONG boring briefs also keep you awake.)
Leave your phone with cadre. You will not see your family for a while and when you finish march back you get your phone- unless you make the same mistake as me and have your parents mail it.
Do not bring civilian clothes. A kid in my company literally brought four days worth of civi's and got pushed for it. (he also wore them one day in his room- another BIG no no)
If you have friends also going through beast meet up with them at chaplains time (unless you have a specific religion) Chaplains time is a great time to socialize and connect with other cadets, and to see how the USMA churches differ than the ones you have back home.
FEET! Bring food powder, blister pads, mole skin, and band aids. I never got a blister, thankfully, but all of my friends did. Many did not bring things to help their feet. So even if it is not for you bring it.
Bugs are crazy here bring a good bug repellent.
You have a 50% chance of ending up in the barracks with no AC. Buy a small fan.
If once you are done with beast your roommate has no A-day plans and you do invite them. With my dad deployed I had no one for A-day. My roommate invited me out and let me buy room supplies.
This barely skims the surface but it is all the things that come to mind.
Besides the physical portions such as fitness do not go out and purchase anything until your acceptance is confirmed. Remember even if you get a rejection letter you still have a chance of getting in. My best fried got rejected and then on april fools day got an acceptance. We both made it through beast together. Do not let a rejection deter you. If you want to go to USMA it will require determination. Many people here are priors, or even have a year of college. Most top grads are not straight out of high school. Best of luck on your applications. Hopefully next year I can see you walking around with cupped hands. Remember the easiest thing about USMA is getting in. The hardest part is staying in. So once you get that acceptance do not stop working hard. Maxing the APFT here is an A-. So imagine just passing.
I am writing this as a plebe. I just finished beast and I remembered all the struggles I went through as a cadet candidate looking through these forums. Here is a thing of things I recommend. (the beginning is geared towards girls)
Things to remember:
During beast you will be issued underwear, but not bras. Laundry will not always be done and you might quickly run out of items. I know I personally brought extra pairs of socks, underwear, and bras. This was a life saver. Another trick many girls used was using panty liners while you were in the field. It is not the cleanest but when you run out of underwear you can use a panty liner to prevent yeast infections. Just change it out once to twice a day.
Bring a watch with an alarm clock. Some mornings you will be expected to be ready as soon as you wake up.
Wear your boots in to the point you can carry upwards to 40 lbs on your back for 3-6 miles up hill. West Point has endless hills, if your boots don't fit this will be even worse for you.
Oxfords should also be relatively worn in. Because my oxfords were not that good I actually sprained my ankle a few days in. I had ankles the size of grape fruits and I was in so much pain. So please if you do anything take care of your feet now and during beast.
If you can not do a pull up now do not fret. You have tons of time to work on it. Try your best to be able to knock out at least 3 by beast.
Push ups are also another thing you will be assessed on a lot. When you mess up you often get dropped. During first detail they can only drop you for 21 push ups. Second detail 40. This may seem small but they can make you hold it in the down position as long as they want. Being able to maintain strength while pushing will help you positively stand out among your peers. If you have not started already do push-up work outs varying from wide grip, close grip, and diamonds.
Hills are everywhere at West Point. If you even visit West Point you can find yourself walking up a hill and feeling winded. During beast you will be running these. I was a cross country and track athlete and placed well where I was from. When I got here I felt like I never an a day in my life. We did our APFT and immediately after ran up a hill back to our barracks where my company was on the sixth floor.
Heat training- this summer was terrible. If we were not in Heat cat 5 all day we had terrible rain. Most of the new cadets were in barracks with no AC and plenty of kids actually were heat cat victims in their sleep! Start training wearing outrageous layers of clothing a few months before going.
I wish I had bought a better multi tool before coming. Try to get one with a sharp enough blade to cut wood.
Positive attitude- everything will feel terrible. You will be tired, hungry, and feel overloaded(especially if you can not meet physical demands). Try to always be positive- this may be harder when you are forced to be silent and look at a crest every meal, but you should build a bond with your roommates.
Journal! I had a rite in rain notebook and would write a letter home daily. At the end of the week I would send them home. This helped so that when my parents called me we got to talk and not just explain everything I have done. (writing letters home during LONG boring briefs also keep you awake.)
Leave your phone with cadre. You will not see your family for a while and when you finish march back you get your phone- unless you make the same mistake as me and have your parents mail it.
Do not bring civilian clothes. A kid in my company literally brought four days worth of civi's and got pushed for it. (he also wore them one day in his room- another BIG no no)
If you have friends also going through beast meet up with them at chaplains time (unless you have a specific religion) Chaplains time is a great time to socialize and connect with other cadets, and to see how the USMA churches differ than the ones you have back home.
FEET! Bring food powder, blister pads, mole skin, and band aids. I never got a blister, thankfully, but all of my friends did. Many did not bring things to help their feet. So even if it is not for you bring it.
Bugs are crazy here bring a good bug repellent.
You have a 50% chance of ending up in the barracks with no AC. Buy a small fan.
If once you are done with beast your roommate has no A-day plans and you do invite them. With my dad deployed I had no one for A-day. My roommate invited me out and let me buy room supplies.
This barely skims the surface but it is all the things that come to mind.
Besides the physical portions such as fitness do not go out and purchase anything until your acceptance is confirmed. Remember even if you get a rejection letter you still have a chance of getting in. My best fried got rejected and then on april fools day got an acceptance. We both made it through beast together. Do not let a rejection deter you. If you want to go to USMA it will require determination. Many people here are priors, or even have a year of college. Most top grads are not straight out of high school. Best of luck on your applications. Hopefully next year I can see you walking around with cupped hands. Remember the easiest thing about USMA is getting in. The hardest part is staying in. So once you get that acceptance do not stop working hard. Maxing the APFT here is an A-. So imagine just passing.