the inner workings: Don’t Give Up the Ship! (Thoughts & Review on US Naval Academy)

A few weeks ago, I had the wonderful opportunity of visiting the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. I participated in a Candidate Visit weekend, which was an opportunity for me to actually spend two days living in the dorms at the USNA shadowing another student, which at the USNA is referred to as a midshipman.

The campus of the US Naval Academy is often referred to as the Yard. I’m not sure why, but regardless, the Yard is a beautiful place to spend four years. As soon as I drove onto it, I saw dozens of midshipmen wearing PT gear, running through green lawns and on russet brick paths. The school itself is framed by the Atlantic ocean, and is full of lush greenery and trees. When I arrived on a late Thursday afternoon, I was ushered into Mitscher Hall for an introduction and briefing. Tired and jetlagged, I bid farewell to my parents after more than an hour of watching videos of plebe summer and listening to the admissions process at USNA.

I was escorted down another wing, and as I lugged on my things – a suitcase and a rather heavy backpack – I was introduced to the company that I would be staying with: first company.

The midshipmen at USNA are assigned to one of thirty coed companies. In my time at the USNA, I would come to learn that one’s company represented one’s family. As one midshipman told me, family is who you’re forced to bond with. I discovered that most midshipmen spent most of their time with their company – which makes sense. As I walked through the Yard, to the housing buildings, and into first company, I found midshipmen joking with each other, plebes sticking their heads into other plebes’ rooms, plebes joking with upperclassmen. As strange and hierarchical as some customs were – such as plebes addressing upperclassmen as Mr. or Ms., and plebes marching around corners and saying ‘good afternoon, sir’ – there was a sense of camaraderie within the company, even across the four classes.

Inside of company one, all the hallways looked the same. All doors were polished wood, labeled with the names of the midshipmen who resided within the room. Every room was clean and tidy on account of weekly inspections, and each room had a single shower and sink. Most rooms housed two or three midshipmen.

As a candidate visitor, I was often referred to as a ‘drag.’ I followed my midshipman into the company and was teasingly introduced as the drag to each room of plebes in Company One. I was shocked by the friendliness in every midshipman I was introduced to; the plebes genuinely included me in their conversations and their discussions, something which I had worried about before. I, of course, wasn’t their first drag that year, but I was treated very well. That first night I and a group of other drags were taken to the USNA’s library, where we settled in at the cafe at the back. When we finally came back, I was exhausted after only an afternoon of learning about the rules and regulations for plebes. Plebes had to refer to upperclassmen by Mr or Ms. Plebes had to wear a complete uniform when in hallways. Plebes always had to carry around a book of professional knowledge – ‘pro-no.’ Plebes had to march around corners. Plebes had to greet all upperclassmen in hallways. All students had to check in at the end of the night for something called ‘taps,’ which was essentially attendance to ensure all midshipmen were in their companies at lights-out.

I brushed my teeth and set up a cot on the floor of my midshipmen’s room and quickly settled in. The room was rather cold – I was forced to wear a sweater to bed – but the midshipmen I roomed with were accommodating and kind. I fell asleep within minutes.

The next day, my midshipmen were awake before I was. They had to follow a very regimented schedule. Here is an example of a daily schedule of the life of a midshipman:

5:30 a.m. Arise for personal fitness workout (optional)

6:30 a.m. Reveille (all hands out of bed)

6:30 - 7:00 a.m. Special instruction period for plebes

7:00 a.m. Morning meal formation

7:15 a.m. Morning meal

7:55 - 11:45 a.m. Four class periods, 50 minutes each

12:05 p.m. Noon meal formation

12:10 p.m. Noon meal

12:50 - 1:20 p.m. Company training time

1:30 - 3:30 p.m. Fifth and sixth class periods

3:45 - 6:00 p.m. Varsity and intramural athletics, extracurricular and personal activities; drill and parades twice weekly in the fall and spring

6:30 - 7:15 p.m. Evening Meal

8:00 - 11:00 p.m. Study period

Midnight. Taps for all midshipmen

That day I went to morning formation with my plebe, where each company stood in formation to report in – in uniform. We went down to breakfast in the enormous hall, where midshipmen of all classes mingled regardless of company, and then to class. In the mornings, the air at the USNA was cool and crisp, refreshingly sharp as we walked to class, surrounded by a sea of midshipmen in their blues.

At the USNA, all midshipmen have their tuition and cost of living paid for; in fact, midshipmen, as employees of the government, are paid monthly stipends. All midshipmen had the same black bookbags and laptops, and they all wore the same black uniform to classes.

The classes I attended were all taught by military personnel of some sort: I went to Cyber, a class on computer security, calculus, and English.

The USNA offers a variety of classes and clubs, but I found the core classes to be rather interesting. Calculus in particular was my favorite class – partially because I could understand the material, and partially because I too learned in the class. The instructor covered Taylor polynomials, teaching the class in a very interactive, hands-on way. The classrooms were well equipped and rather modern.

Unlike breakfast, lunch is mandatory. Midshipmen line up in formation before the meal, and stand at attention before tucking in. At lunch, all midshipmen sit with their assigned company.

After a filling lunch, my midshipman took me on a run through the Yard. Unlike many other public or private schools, during my time at the USNA, I saw many students taking advantage of the beautiful Yard and the physical activity time offered. There were midshipmen running along the bay in PT clothes, midshipmen swimming in an indoor pool, midshipmen fencing, midshipmen doing yoga and midshipmen playing football. I couldn’t help but think, even though their lives are very regimented, they balance between school and sports; midshipmen are required to play sports at their time at the USNA. Even during my short time at the USNA, I came to recognize a certain rhythm in the lifestyle of these students. The midshipmen told me that the first few weeks were always the hardest, but when I visited in October, the plebes had mostly acclimated to the school already; there was a cadence that every midshipmen followed, one that sang of both activity and productivity.

Prior to the candidate visit, I wasn’t really sure what I had expected: perhaps a very regimented school with very serious, dedicated midshipmen.

In part, yes, I did find that the students there were hard-working and motivated. Looking at an example of a schedule is evidence enough. Shadowing a plebe showed me firsthand how intensely these students worked. They went to classes every day, physically worked out every day, and came back to their dorms only to memorize military and naval knowledge for daily quizzes. The stress and the workload of these students – and maybe all college students in general – was unbelievable; one of the midshipmen I dormed with came close to a mental breakdown when I was in the room. She had to turn in an online homework assignment due at 12pm and snapped out at a few of her fellow plebes in the room who were trying to help her. All of the plebes involved in the situation were very kind, but the stress that they were forced to take on often grated their nerves, causing them to lash out at their friends and fellow plebes. Seeing as I visited in the beginning of the year, I can’t even imagine what their lives would be like as finals approached.

I was at liberty to visit any of the plebes in Company One, and I often did. However, most midshipmen in their rooms were on their laptops, working on homework or studying. Lights out is at 11pm but one of the midshipmen in my room stayed up until 2am working on homework assignments. I slept at 11pm and woke up the same time they did, but still was tired. On top of their homework and naval knowledge, the midshipmen were often physically strained as well. Midshipmen are required to pass a fitness test – the PR – every semester; there is no room to slack off at the USNA.

But, there were definitely moments where the midshipmen could have their own fun.

The plebes in Company One ordered out on Friday night. Plebes aren’t allowed to leave the Yard or spend nights away from the dorm (unless they have the liberty, which is referred to as a ‘weekend’), so the plebes in Company One decided to have their own fun. They ordered Japanese yakisoba and dumplings and sat on the floor in one of the plebes’ rooms, sitting around and chatting as they ate. I, along with a few other drags, was included. More than anything, that night I felt like I was part of something much more intimate than a gang of freshmen students; these were plebes, this was a company, this was a family.

That same night I followed my group of plebes to a concert at Alumni Hall. The USNA got Hunter Hayes, Andy Grammer, and American Authors (pop artists) to perform in a concert specifically for the midshipmen. Although no alcohol was allowed at the concert – or on the Yard in general – the midshipmen definitely had their own fun; after a long week of schoolwork, they were allowed to have fun at a concert and let out their stress.

I vividly remember discussing the topic of personality with one particular plebe. She told me that she believed, before attending candidate weekend, she thought that there would be no room for her personality at the USNA. She, as I had, believed the USNA was full of dedicated, hardcore students working rigorously to achieve their goals. And yet, coming to the USNA disproved that notion – for both her and myself.

The regimented scheduling at the USNA may seem like it would encroach a student’s freedom of choice; suddenly, attending the USNA takes away your power to make decisions: your classes are chosen for you, your clothes are given to you, your sleeping and eating times are dictated. I thought that the USNA was only for people concentrated on getting into the military, but many midshipmen told me that they only planned to pursue the mandatory five years of service before returning to civilian life.

Even though each dorm room must follow cleanliness regulations, there were personal touches: corkboards and polaroids, love letters and prom photos. Even though the USNA requires that each midshipman take core classes, the midshipmen are free to choose from a plethora of other extracurricular activities and clubs: Glee club, dance, yoga, Arabic club.

The midshipmen that I was assigned to told me that she believed it was worth it. At the USNA, midshipmen graduate with no student debts, a guaranteed job, and leadership experience. At the same time, it offers a very productive, very balanced lifestyle. I’m not sure if it’s the lifestyle for me, but the candidate weekend has offered me insight into a world that I thought I knew.