Let me tell you about some aspects of the Academy you may not know about. At least, these are some of the things I didn’t know before I started the school year a few months ago. Knowing some of these could make your life a little less stressful when you get here.
After Swab Summer, your standards will still need to remain pretty high – perfect racks and stowage, squaring meals and corners, and greeting everyone you pass. And if you thought the cadre role was over, you would be mistaken. Every company has what is called a Guidon Bearer. They don’t yell at you or drop you, but essentially watch your every move.
Then, there are indoc exams almost every Sunday for the first semester. That means you only have about a week to study so you need to be efficient. You should be aiming to pass every exam as there are consequences for failing too many. The first three or so don’t have terrible consequences but when you fail more than that, your cadet life will start getting a little more difficult. Indoc tests have a range of what will be covered. Our very first indoc test was about the cadet command: every company’s commander, executive officer, and guidon bearer. Other indoc tests have been on things we learned during the summer like nautical flags. There’s also a few where we didn’t learn it during the summer like lights or nautical dictionary.
Life at the Academy is pretty good, though. A lot of your friends will make your life here much better. Yes, you do want to get all your work done well and on time. However, you need to make sure to have fun while you’re here. Get off base and go on liberty when you can. Hang out with people in the company dayrooms. Every now and then you need to get your mind away from the stress of the Academy. At the end of the day, I enjoy it here and am pretty glad this was my final decision.
