Home / Cadet Blogs / How to be Successful at the Coast Guard Academy

How to be Successful at the Coast Guard Academy

Jonah Lee | September 6, 2023

Because of how much structure there is in your schedule at the Coast Guard Academy, life for me at the Academy is just like high school…on steroids! Since you are a full-time college student, while also being a full-time member of the military, also most likely an athlete or musician of some sort, also someone who wants to socialize, make friends, and be a part of clubs and extracurriculars, time management is absolutely key to this place.

To start off, get organized. If you don’t already, keep a solid to-do list, calendar, or time block to stay on top of all the various deadlines and obligations you’ll have. I try to sit down every Sunday to go over the week ahead and write down everything that I must do that week, and then also try to find time every night to make sure I haven’t forgotten about anything important for the next day.

Next, you want to try and be as efficient as possible so that you have more time to do what you really want to do, this means when you study or work, eliminate all distractions, especially your phone (and sometimes your friends too if you aren’t working together on a project). For more involved efforts, plan in short breaks beforehand to get up and stretch and take your mind off the work, but again, don’t get sucked into your phone and let a few minutes break become a few hours break (trust me, I know from experience). Additionally, make sure you prioritize your health, and in general this means sleeping enough, eating a balanced diet, hydrating, and getting enough exercise. Don’t sacrifice these.

Finally, I recognize that Academy life is tough, and you will have long nights and sometimes still bomb the test the next day. That’s okay. Learn that you can’t win all the battles you take over these 4 years, and don’t wrap up your identity in any one thing, like your academics or your sport, because eventually you will run into failure and need to be able to get back up and try again.

About Jonah

Hometown: Ewa Beach, HI
Major: Operations Research and Data Analytics
Email: Jonah.Y.Lee@uscga.edu

Sponsor Family Application

Thank you for submitting your application to be part of the Sponsor Family Program. Your application will be processed in the upcoming week. Coast Guard Academy’s policy on background screening now requires all adults (everyone 18 and older living in the home) who volunteer to mentor, teach, coach or sponsor cadets, whether on or off Coast Guard Academy grounds, to be screened every 5 years. They are required to provide personal information (name, birth date and social security number) for the purpose of conducting a criminal background check.

The Security Officer at the Coast Guard Academy, CWO2 Gina Polkowski, is overseeing this process. Her email is: Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.

Sponsor Family designations fall into several different categories. Below are the guidelines to help you determine how best to meet the background screening requirement:

If you are Coast Guard active duty you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
If you are a Civilian working for the Coast Guard you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
If you are non-Coast Guard Active Duty, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.
If you are non-Coast Guard civilian who has a current security clearance or National Agency check, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.
All civilians in the families who are 18 years or older and do not have a security clearance or a National Agency Check are required to be vetted through Mind Your Business, the third party vendor hired by the Coast Guard Academy for the vetting process.

After you complete your application, please e-mail the Sponsor Family Program Coordinator at CadetFamilySponsorProgram@uscga.edu. In your e-mail, you must include the e-mail address and phone number of every adult living in the home. The Sponsor Family Coordinator will then initiate the background check process and you will receive an email with further instructions.

Important things to note:

There is a Sponsor Family Training that is a one-hour training which we ask sponsors to attend once every four years. This training is designed to give you an overview of the program, what is expected of you as a sponsor, and what you can expect from your cadets. This training will also help familiarize you with the cadet regulations onboard CGA. You will be notified via e-mail once the training is scheduled.

The matching process of swabs to families will occur during July and August. Please bear with us and remain flexible through this process. There will be a meet and greet scheduled on Campus, typically in late August. This will give families an opportunity to formally meet their cadet if they have not already done so. Details on this will also be via email.