Summer Seminar Activities

[stella]

I read in an older thread, on another board, that the SS at the Air Force was a lot less physical and demanding that that of the other academys. Some felt this was an advantage, but others said that though they had a great week, they wished they had been kept a bit busier and been given more of a real taste day in and day out.

For those of you that attended SS more recently, can you tell us if you felt that it was challenging and helpful, more like a camp, or something in between?

Thanks!
S

 

[kdc246]

Many people who attend USAFA SS are not acclimated to the altitude. For this reason they do not push as hard physically as USMA and USNA who are at sea level. It was challenging for both my cadets when they went to SS. For my DD, she was not in as good of shape as she should have been, however DS is a swimmer, but the altitude kicked his butt. He tried as hard as he could though, to make it as realistic as possible, in other words, he pushed himself.
Realize too, that this is a recruitment tool for USAFA, they don't want to scare everyone away

 

[raimius]

Well, part of it is because cadets don't normally have organized PT on a daily basis, outside of BCT. Squadron training for the 4 degrees is not the end all, be all of the academy. Simulating BCT or 40-days isn't the point of Summer Seminar.

 

[hannahNP11]

I went to summer seminar this summer, and I personally thought it was both challenging and helpful. You have PT every morning at about 5 am to 6 and there's extra conditioning on Doolie day, as well as a practice CFA and intramurals . Those of us who weren't acclimated to the altitude had a hard enough time with that. If you think that morning PT won't be hard enough for you, stop worrying. They keep you busy the rest of the day with activities that are more like what goes on during the school year. Then, there's time to hang out and get to know everyone. It was a great experience and I highly recommend going if you have the opportunity.

 

[Red_Fox]

I went to the USAFA SS last year and had a blast! You wake up every morning around 5 or 6 to have morning PT which consists of sit ups, push ups, flutter kicks, and running. The hardest thing, as many have said, is adjusting to the Academy's high altitude.

I remember the third day of morning PT, funniest thing, there was one kid in the front row who refused to do a single push up because he said it was too hard and it wasn't necessary. This was a fit kid too, really built guy. Long story short, don't be that guy or you will regret it. Just man up and you will be set to go.

Alright, after PT you go back to your dorm and dress into you seminar uniform and go to breakfast. After that you go back to your dorm to lock up and grab anything you need. Have an activity, then lunch, then another activity, then dinner, and then taps/bedtime. Each activity was different for us: Doolie day one day, academic fair the other, and a tour of campus the next. They are all great activities and it is fun no matter how sore you are.

I think my favorite thing to do at the Seminar was to just hang out with my element and talk and drive our cadre nuts. But I HIGHLY recommend going, I am 100% committed now. Class of 2017 Good luck!

 

[navygirl89]

I've heard that USAFA is the only one that does a whole day where you see exactly what it is like to be a freshie.
I think it's called Doolie Day, I think that's be pretty cool

 

[Invisibility]

I attended last year. +1 with the other posters - it was a great time, though not too physical. I was pretty sure that I was going to want USAFA, so it was a bit of a final check. No big surprises; we got up relatively early and did some PT each morning. If you're in good shape, it will be no big deal. I would guess that the pressure level is not at ALL the same as BCT, since, hey, it's only a few days, and it doesn't count for anything.

I definitely felt that it was more like a camp than a military experience.

Doolie for a Day was, in my opinion, not terribly helpful. Yes, it was more demanding, but only up until about 11:00. After that, our element leader announced that he didn't feel like being mean to us anymore. All the other elements appeared to reach approximately the same consensus at about the same time. If you've got no experience with having people in your face and not very nice about it, it would probably be much more helpful.

Basically the best part was getting a sense of the academy as a whole--the people, the campus, etc. I stayed with 2 other girls in my room, so I got the chance to think, "Could I see myself living here for 4 years?"