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A New World

(The Cadet Experience, Class of 2015) Permanent link All Posts

To say civilian life and life here at the Academy are two different worlds is an understatement. Sometimes it’s weird to think about what I would be doing if I weren’t here. I used to start my day around 10:00 a.m., but here it’s a nice 6:00 a.m. wake-up call. Although it’s tough to get up (especially since we get up in the dark now that it’s close to winter), it’s nice to go at my own pace. Swab Summer was one giant rush to get things done, and it was definitely a relief to be able to go my own speed.

Transitioning from Swab Summer, where someone tells you what to do, how to do it, and how much time you have to do it, to having your own choices to make was not that difficult for me. A lot of my classmates say they missed Swab Summer because swabs don’t think for themselves. However, I like planning my day and knowing what’s ahead. Although the academics seemed overwhelming at first, everyone gradually got into a rhythm. Playing a sport or joining clubs here makes time go by a lot faster as well. My soccer teammates are awesome and offer help in whatever I might need whether it’s classes or advice on how to square meals (soup season just began…). Sports take up a lot of time, but the positives of being on a team definitely outweigh the negatives.

Time management is the hardest thing to deal with here, but planning ahead and sticking to that plan makes the difference.

More about Lindsay.

Posted by Leann Strickland at 2/17/2012 9:08 AM