Post-Swab Summer Transition
As I made the transition from Swab Summer to the academic year, I realized that I needed to undergo a very significant mental shift of focus in order to be successful in a new environment. There was no longer a need to be on hyper alert to external stimuli like yelling from the cadre – […]
Swabs and Sailing – My Cadre Summer
Cadre Summer was a really exciting time for my class, marking the transition from being a follower and underclassman to a leader. Our summer started out with MCTC, Mid-grade Cadet Training Course, where we got to work with our cadre sections, learning about leadership theories as we developed our own leadership styles. We also had […]
Ella Stolarzyk: Post-AIM Interview
Describe your initial impression of AIM in five words or less. My initial impression of AIM was: tense and competitive, yet motivational. Did all your physical fitness preparation pay off? My physical fitness preparation and training prior to AIM proved to be highly worthwhile! On the second day of AIM, we were given the opportunity […]
Cadre Season is Coming up!
All the 3/c are talking about which cadre they want to be now that cadre summer is slowly approaching. Whether they want to be the cadre who scream their heads off in Chase Hall at Swabs, or waterfront cadre who get to sail around all day, or AIM cadre who get to boss around a […]
Second Family
It’s hard to adjust to new places when you don’t know anyone. That’s usually how it is for most people that come to the Academy. However, one of the benefits of prep school helps that issue by giving you a year to make friends before you attend. Luckily, I met one of my closest friends: […]
Sailing Aboard Eagle on My Third Class Summer
Last summer I was on first phase Eagle for five weeks. This was my second time on Eagle because we spent one week on Eagle over SWAB summer. We departed from New London CT a few days after the end of finals, so it was a very fast transition from the school year to the summer. We packed our sea bags full of […]
Two Cutters, One Summer
The Coast Guard Academy is about the school semesters and the summer training periods. After two long semesters of assignments and homework, people are anxious to go off to their summer assignments. And for a good reason, I loved my third-class summer! It was the most motivational eleven weeks of my cadet experience. Over third-class […]
The Government Major at the Academy
The government major, or “Gov” as it as referred to at the Academy, is the largest major, making up nearly one-fifth of the Corps of Cadets. The government major focuses on history, political science, and the humanities, while still taking most of the engineering prerequisites, working towards earning a Bachelor of Science degree, and fulfilling […]
College in Connecticut
When I applied to the Academy, I knew it was the place for me and would enthusiastically list off the many, many reasons I wanted to attend to anyone who would listen. But I always maintained one exception: New London, CT. Growing up and sailing around Annapolis, it never matched up against the allure of […]
Commonly Asked Questions (Part 2)
Hey, I thought of serval more questions that I often get asked. I also threw in some questions that I think people should ask. What makes the Coast Guard Academy different from other Academies? This biggest thing that sets Coast Guard apart is that is really small. I know all the cadets in my class […]
