The biggest change for our DS outside of the surprisingly grueling academics was when the upperclassmen returned to campus. The plebe candidates will have a team leader who is the first level of supervision, with four on a team. Our DS was teammates with his roommate and the two guys directly across the hall. Your team leader can make life easy for you or can make life miserable. Our DS has had both extremes. Some of the upperclassmen actually seem to remember what it is like to be a lowly plebe and give useful advice on both academics and regimental life. Others seem to delight in yelling at plebes and reporting them for the smallest infraction. Our DS's least favorite activity was cleaning stations where he had to clean up the vomit of upperclassmen who had too much to drink while on liberty. Each plebe candidate will have different experiences depending on Company, Team Leader, and roommate, and it will vary from trimester to trimester. Your DS/DD will learn to be flexible just like we as parents have to be flexible. All in all, the good, the bad, and the ugly really provide invaluable leadership experience.
