redwing00 said:
I really just hope I get accepted (I was late turning in the application becuase I did not consider the military as an option until early this year after being phoned by a recruiter).
I would think you would know by now, but then I haven't dealt with cadets in a while, so I forget what the timeline is. At any rate, if you don't get accepted, you can reapply the next year, or you may qualify for the prep school. If you get in, I'd encourage you to give it a try if you even think you might be interested -- it's a fantastic education.
I'd also strongly encourage you to check out ROTC if the academy falls through. It's too late for a four-year scholarship, but you could get a three year scholarship, which is still a fantastic deal.
How different is the real military life you mentioned? Is it tougher? I thought after graduating from the school you are more of a "technical" person and actually just perform a job (go in at 9 get out at 5....depending on job). At least thats what I was informed. I was told by someone that he had a degree in engineering from the academy, and worked on planes and helicopters the entire day.
Active duty and cadet/midshipman/trainee life are really very different -- life gets much easier, though less predictable, once you're on active duty. The stress is different -- initial entry training is mostly externally imposed stresses to get you to learn and conform, and tends to be heavy on physical stress. Active duty has many more internal stressors if you're a self-motivated Type-A personality (which most folks tend to exhibit after graduating from a commissioning program) -- pressure to perform, responsibility for your people, that sort of thing -- typically more mental than physical. There's no real set answer to your question, though -- it all depends on your branch of service, specialty, the location of your duty assignment. You could have a 9-to-5, 5-day a week office job, or be deployed working shifts 24/7 aboard ship or in the field someplace.
My background: 10+ years active duty (Army -- I'll pin on Major in about three months). I came from a Navy family, but turned down both West Point and Annapolis in favor of an ROTC scholarship -- my fear was that after four years of continuous military academy life, I wouldn't be up for the five-year commitment, and ROTC gave me a bit more flexibility. I lived like a normal college student most of the time. I sacrificed the tighter camraderie and connections that academy graduates have, but it's not the sort of thing that makes a difference once you've been on active duty for a while. Everyone wears the same bars (heck, academy grads don't get automatic regular commissions any more). I've spent most of my career thus far in armored units -- lots of field time -- and did a couple of years in recruiting, though now after getting my graduate degree paid for I'm going into weapons system development, which is much more of a "business-like" atmosphere.
Edit: As to gaming, I'd forget it your first year; after that it's remotely possible, but the daily schedule is still pretty strict. Many more opportunities open up on active duty, but then there's that fraternization issue (which has kept me from active gaming in many places).
EN -- what class were you? I may know some of your classmates.
