Just a note, this page was written in consultation with several successful Citadel, West Point, and Annapolis alumni.
As a result, there is some profanity. We've edited a lot of it out, but you'd better get used to it...
As a result, there is some profanity. We've edited a lot of it out, but you'd better get used to it...
Military Colleges
In summary: don't be an asshole.
Attending a military college (whether it's a Service Academy or a Senior/Junior Military College) is very different from attending a "normal" college. ROTC is a different experience altogether, and so we won't discuss that here (although much of the advice will apply). All of the previous tips and tricks (as well as G.O.A.T.) still apply as well).
Above all else, your reputation is the most important thing at a military college. People who don't know you personally will know your reputation, so if it's shit (like you screwed someone over, avoided taking responsibility for something, or you broke the honor code) people will judge you HARD.
Give it All, Nothing Less
Be Honorable.
Be Genuine
Random Tips
Attending a military college (whether it's a Service Academy or a Senior/Junior Military College) is very different from attending a "normal" college. ROTC is a different experience altogether, and so we won't discuss that here (although much of the advice will apply). All of the previous tips and tricks (as well as G.O.A.T.) still apply as well).
Above all else, your reputation is the most important thing at a military college. People who don't know you personally will know your reputation, so if it's shit (like you screwed someone over, avoided taking responsibility for something, or you broke the honor code) people will judge you HARD.
Give it All, Nothing Less
- You will never get to go back and do this again. If you don't give it your best, there's no point in doing it at all. You *will* regret not doing your best (going the extra mile, helping that classmate, etc.), so don't give yourself anything to regret by doing your best. It'll be exhausting, but worth it. You can sleep when you're dead...
- Always put your classmates first, unless they're a taker. In his book Give and Take, Adam Grant posits that there are three different types of people: givers, matchers, and takers. Givers actually do better than the other two types in the long run because others around them recognize they're not just in it for themselves and genuinely want others to succeed.
- If you're a giver and you encounter a taker (many of whom go to military colleges and think they're hot shit), you should act like a matcher (it'll stop them taking advantage of you if you switch to a tit-for-tat model). That way you won't burn out on their bottomless pit of self-centered neediness.
- How you do anything is how you do everything. Aim to exceed expectations, not just pass. Whatever bar you set yourself (low, high, whatever) you'll probably meet, so set a high bar and don't settle for anything less.
- Embrace the suck. Don't find ways to get out of things, especially PT (physical training). For example, don't take any breaks you have totally off from PT. You've committed to a lifestyle change, so lean into it, and lean into it with the people around you. Be uncomfortable, because that's where most learning happens.
- Shared suffering creates shatterproof bonds. Your classmates are the ones who will make it all worthwhile, so spend time with them, always be there for them, and make mistakes together.
- "Whole shoe, whole man." AKA Don't just shine the tip of your shoe, shine the whole thing. How you do anything is how you do everything; the point of a military college is to be holistically developed, and you need to push yourself to improve in EVERY area (academic, military, physical, etc.). If you're the kind of person who only shines the tip of your shoe, then you only care about appearances and not what people can't see too. To succeed, you need to be a whole-shoe kind of person, and you need to do your best.
Be Honorable.
- Honor *should* actually mean something at a military college (looking at you, service academies). Follow the honor code. If you lie, cheat, or steal, YOU are the asshole because you know full-well that someone else will have to turn you in. Don't put them in that position; don't be a blue falcon.
- You will make mistakes, that's the point. If you're not making mistakes, you're probably not learning. You are not perfect, the sun doesn't shine out of your ass just because you got into one of the academies or you got a big fat scholarship. In fact there are good arguments that Senior Military Colleges and ROTC produce better, longer-lasting officers BECAUSE they weren't told they were God's gift to humanity.
- When you make a mistake, accept responsibility and be accountable. If you don't acknowledge the fact that you messed up 1) prevents you from fixing yourself and 2) creates the environment of finger-pointing and scapegoating. In the military, either of those could get someone killed, and make everyone around you hate you. Do the following:
- Understand that a mistake WAS made, and WHAT mistake was made. This might take some drilling down, so ask yourself "why" a bunch of times. For example, your shoes weren't shined at formation. Why? Because you woke up late and didn't have time to shine them. Why? Because you went to bed too late. Why? Because you were cramming for a test today. Why? Because you didn't start studying until the day before. What mistake was made? You didn't start studying for something until the day before...
- Understand that YOU made the mistake. You are accountable for your own actions, and that requires that you recognize your part in a mistake.
- Understand what you can LEARN from your mistake. Pick 1-3 things ONLY! Again, make sure it's the root cause/illness you're learning from, not a symptom.
- Move on. Apply those lessons, and don't let it happen again!
- Saying "sorry" doesn't mean you were wrong. Apologies are pretty helpful to move things along, so apologize early and often (even if it wasn't your fault).
Be Genuine
- Be the follower you'd want to lead, and the leader you'd want to follow. Don't be that asshole who becomes an upperclassman and then holds people to a standard you never followed. Your classmates will remember (and judge the shit out of you), and that counts as being an asshole.
- Standing out for something you're good at isn't a bad thing. In fact, it doesn't really matter what that thing is as long as you've got something. Whether it's PT, academics, something extra-curricular, or anything in between, being good at something usually brings with it a measure of respect (as long as you don't rub it in peoples' faces).
- Don't try to be someone you're not. Unless you're an asshole... Don't be an asshole. The amount of time you spend with the people around you will be inordinate, so if you try acting hypocritically or you're seen to be putting on airs they will know.
- Know what your values are. When your values are clear, your choices are easy. Stick to your values, even/especially if it's not the popular thing to do. You have to live with yourself forever, and if you compromise those values that's going to be tough to do (unless you lie to yourself, also a no-no).
- Take your job seriously, but not yourself. Just because you have rank does not mean you have carte blanche to recreate the Stanford Prison Experiment. Don't take yourself too seriously!
Random Tips
- Spend leisure time with your classmates, because you'll regret it when you no longer live 40 feet from them. You should be in a good enough academic position that actually spending time with them won't cause you to fail a class.
- Punishments attract more punishments. Avoid getting punishments in the first place, as they tend to compound for some reason.
- It gets harder every year. It may not seem like that's possible when you're a freshman, but it absolutely is. Freshman year is the easiest year, all you have to do is exactly what you're told. Do that, lay a solid foundation for yourself (especially physical fitness-wise), and you'll be in a good spot.
- If you want something done, give it to a busy person. If you want to succeed, BE that busy person.
- NEVER touch a subordinate. Physical hazing has no place in good training and is used by small people to feel big. Plus it's a crime.
- "Cadating" (cadet dating) is often negatively stigmatized. Largely because it's tough to make it work in a military environment. As long as there's no fraternizing (dating a subordinate)... Sometimes it works out and results in marriage!
- Seek out every opportunity you can, and take advantage of them! Whether it's getting some certification with a foreign military, a specialty school (like Airborne, Air Assault, etc.), study abroad, fellowship application prep, community service, or leadership training (rank, etc.).
- Don't be afraid to be the first. For example, it may not be traditional for people in your major to study abroad. You might hear, "Oh you can't do that, nobody's done it before." The best question to ask in response to that: "Is there a rule that says I can't?" Usually it's just "tradition" that stands in your way. To that there's an easy response:
