Why is USNA near the top of the list of “least happy colleges in America”?

Me giggling at the thought of potential common sense changes happening Re uniforms or covers. USNA is a unique entity that seems to occupy a space and time all it’s own in terms of rules, policy and expectations. It is interesting that a 23 year old MIDN could not be able to drive. Or wear civilian clothes. Or hold the hand of a non company boy/girlfriend. The rules here are different. You will not be living a normal civilian or college aged student life.

If that is your cup of tea and you see the trade off as worth it? Get it done.
Just don’t go in seeing only the shiny videos. There is real life happening.

And it’s hard. And rewarding, and frustrating and one of a kind.
And I suggest sending bacon, condiments, good salsa, vitamins and thin mints from the cute little lady who two years in a row has sold over 2300 boxes. She’s a rock star. And her mother is a saint.
 
HighSchoolJunior said:
I want to attend the Naval Academy, and when I visited I thought most midshipmen seemed upbeat and friendly. Why is the academy ranked as one of the unhappiest colleges?

Thank you for your time.
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I'm not gonna lie, you will always hear MIDS complain about something but at the end of the day, almost everyone at the academy is so happy to be here. It is a very stressful environment especially when you are a plebe and are not use to the environment, but the bonds you make with your classmates and company make everything worth it. So yes, people are moody, stressed, and just want an out at times, but in the long run, everything about the journey becomes worth it once you commission. What's the saying "if it were easy everyone would do it". When you do eventually come here, you'll see that article and laugh at it because part of you will say "facts", but then the other part will smile because you are here.
 
My 2/C DS noted this past weekend (we actually got a call) is your time at USNA goes by in a blink of an eye. You'll rarely have time to dwell on anything and when you do, you complain. As fall Firstie billets are starting to get fleshed out, they are realizing that they are about to be in charge (sort of) and people are starting to focus on service selection (especially those contemplating early select subs). There's more thought about being in the Fleet and Corps and what that will mean (and are they ready?). The ongoing change is fascinating to observe (from a safe distance) and as a parent, you realize this is how it's always been.
 
Want to know if mids have fun? See today’s USNA Instagram post of the Trident Brass playing swing tunes while mids hit the dance floor. Looks like they’re having a ball.
 
I wish I could share what DD is doing this weekend and having one of the unique experiences of her life. She had her share of dark ages, a week in SIQ and a defeated soul.

Glad she came out of it, needed a jolt.
Counting days when ‘Plebe no more’.
 
txfwindian said:
I wish I could share what DD is doing this weekend and having one of the unique experiences of her life. She had her share of dark ages, a week in SIQ and a defeated soul.

Glad she came out of it, needed a jolt.
Counting days when ‘Plebe no more’.
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When is the Herndon climb?
 
At the SA or the Prep Schools I realize that unhappy can have a lot more to do with timing or month than the situation or school.

A truly unhappy youngster you see in October can be a now salty complainer looking forward to the next class year in February.
 
For the plebe parents out there, Spring Break is a big milestone for them. Not only does it end the Dark Ages, but anecdotally, there is a mindset shift that occurs across the Brigade. Everyone tends to start to shifting their focus to what is next. Plebes get to not be Plebes , Youngsters get to have civvies and cars, 2/C get to run the Brigade, and Firsties get to graduate, commission, and buy alumni merchandise!

So what does that mean? The hardcore training staff will slowly ease restrictions and their level of scrutiny. Training staff is focused on where they are going next and where the plebes are going next. Focus shifts to getting ready for Sea Trials, summer training, and being a mentor (the traditional role of 3/C).

I always called post Spring Break to finals/0 Block the Thursday of the Ac Year. Almost there, but you still have ground to cover. Be on the lookout (BOLO... if you want to add to your military acronym repository) for waning motivation. Everyone's pack will drop a little and that's okay. Just be encouraging and help keep them positive. While being almost there brings happy thoughts, it also can breed cynicism. The temptation is there to punt the pack off a cliff, but a comprehensive support structure of friends, family, and peers makes all the difference in keeping your DD/DS chugging to the end.

If they are also bummed about having to go to work for two months of summer, tell them/remind them summer training is a blast. You don't have homework and you get to see how the Fleet operates. You are guaranteed to have cooler stories than your HS friends. Plus, some mids get the chance to go overseas for their training. Pretty sweet gig! Me, I went to the Bahamas courtesy of a big grey warship and had a blast and a flow of income while doing it!
 
txfwindian said:
I

The calendar that we have says May 21 ( tentative).
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Just curious, is there a strategy in climbing that rock like the tallest-skinniest climbs last for the final push; similarly the Arnold (Terminator 1-327) types manned the lower portion as a base?
 
That is pretty much it. The base is filled with big muscle, the middle is usually your strong and lean crew, and the finishers are your vertically gifted folks. The rest of the class pushes on the base for stabilization, passes water into the those up against the obelisk, takes collateral damage from the fire hose streams, and will sub in, if necessary.

The iron company (best performing company in Sea Trials) gets to charge the monument first while the rest of the 4/C Regiment fills in behind. I'd say it goes in three phases: figuring out how to establish the formation, removing the dixie cup cover, and then placing the combo cover on top.

The mid who ends up putting the combo cover ends up getting carried by their classmates to the Supe and the Supe gives him/her their cover. They usually have 5 minutes of fame since they get their name/hometown written in the article in the DC/Annapolis newspapers. Their hometown newspaper will sometimes write their own article. Getting awarded the Supe's cover is a tradition stemming from the urban legend that the mid who places the combo cover will be the first Admiral/General in the class. While that has never happened, we still buy into the tradition.

After that, you walk to Bancroft barefooted on the insides of the stairwells, on the sides of the p-ways, blasting music, and talking to your upperclass without the use of sir/ma'am.
 
Usnavy2019 said:
That is pretty much it. The base is filled with big muscle, the middle is usually your strong and lean crew, and the finishers are your vertically gifted folks. The rest of the class pushes on the base for stabilization, passes water into the those up against the obelisk, takes collateral damage from the fire hose streams, and will sub in, if necessary.

The iron company (best performing company in Sea Trials) gets to charge the monument first while the rest of the 4/C Regiment fills in behind. I'd say it goes in three phases: figuring out how to establish the formation, removing the dixie cup cover, and then placing the combo cover on top.

The mid who ends up putting the combo cover ends up getting carried by their classmates to the Supe and the Supe gives him/her their cover. They usually have 5 minutes of fame since they get their name/hometown written in the article in the DC/Annapolis newspapers. Their hometown newspaper will sometimes write their own article. Getting awarded the Supe's cover is a tradition stemming from the urban legend that the mid who places the combo cover will be the first Admiral/General in the class. While that has never happened, we still buy into the tradition.

After that, you walk to Bancroft barefooted on the insides of the stairwells, on the sides of the p-ways, blasting music, and talking to your upperclass without the use of sir/ma'am.
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Ok… is there someone giving the 5-paragraph Operation Order before the event? I watched several YouTube videos and looked like a free fall, anything goes. I also listened to the first women graduates from the 1980s who were not allowed to climb Herndon. Now all can climb.
 
Banzaipipeline said:
I also listened to the first women graduates from the 1980s who were not allowed to climb Herndon. Now all can climb.
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That was not an official edict/order. Sadly, it was their own classmates bolstered by some upperclass cheering them on. In the wilds of Bancroft Hall, there were many blackboards with the acronym "NGOH" which stood for "No Girls on Herndon". Like some other stuff from long ago such as physical hazing, this is something that is a not so pleasant memory.
 
OldRetSWO said:
That was not an official edict/order. Sadly, it was their own classmates bolstered by some upperclass cheering them on. In the wilds of Bancroft Hall, there were many blackboards with the acronym "NGOH" which stood for "No Girls on Herndon". Like some other stuff from long ago such as physical hazing, this is something that is a not so pleasant memory.
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I have many friends and had many colleagues from the Class of ‘80 on, and the female grads shared many stories of male classmates, years later, many with daughters themselves, making a point to apologize for the “stuff” that happened back then.
 
No 5 paragraph order or anything. They just tell you this is your final task as Plebes, where to show up, what time to show up, and what uniform to be in. Part of the fun is the fact that it is a free for all. Plus, there isn't really too much opportunity to plan during the Ac Year or during the time leading up to Herndon.
 
OldRetSWO said:
That was not an official edict/order. Sadly, it was their own classmates bolstered by some upperclass cheering them on. In the wilds of Bancroft Hall, there were many blackboards with the acronym "NGOH" which stood for "No Girls on Herndon". Like some other stuff from long ago such as physical hazing, this is something that is a not so pleasant memory.
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Actually,
[Crossthread] there were even T-Shirts printed and sold by "midship-preneurs" that had the letters N.G.O.H. that were worn by some [/Crossthread]
 
With any of these college surveys, I want to look at how the survey was administered and who they asked to get a better sense of what they were looking for. Surveys are often popular with media organizations/newspapers/magazines/etc. since they can make a big splash with their supposed findings and hope to sell more of whatever their publication is. HOW the questions are worded in any survey makes a BIG difference in the outcome. Asking slanted questions or wording them in certain ways can tend to bias the results. How did they choose who to survey? Was it truly random or did they only choose certain categories of individuals. If you have ask 10 people to get 1 reply, I don't consider that random. Have no specific knowledge of the survey OP is referencing, but those are the kinds of things to consider before getting too wrapped up in whatever their survey supposedly concluded.
 
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