Getting There

Midshipman candidates traveling to Maryland by themselves will be met and transported to the Academy. There is usually time for them to call home when they arrive, either from the airport or from the Academy. This will be their only opportunity to use a phone for approximately 2-3 weeks, so encourage your Mid to call and let you know about his or her safe arrival. Send enough money for dinner that first night and a little extra for refreshments at the Orioles' game Plebes attend during the summer. All other items will be provided, and there's no opportunity to shop before Parents' Weekend anyway.

Reporting times on Induction Day range from 6 a.m. to about 9 a.m. Candidates should report with only the items on the list in their instruction packet. Everything will fit in a backpack. Plebes are permitted to have watches and electric razors. A wet/dry razor is handy for shaving in the shower. (NOTE: Some Plebes have been allowed to keep their electric razor over the summer; others had it stored for the summer but were allowed to have it for the academic year.)

Women may want to bring white cotton underwear, sports bras, and their favorite brand of feminine hygiene product. Another item that has come in handy is an extension cord in case the cord on the personal fan that is issued does not reach an outlet. (One recent Plebe took an extension cord and was allowed to keep it, but we offer no guarantees.) There appears to be no clear-cut policy about whether cameras are permitted. Some Plebes have been allowed to keep their cameras over the summer, although many say that there was no time to take pictures. We suggest sending an inexpensive disposable camera, so that if the opportunity presents itself, your Plebe has a camera, but you are not worried about an expensive piece of equipment. Items not permitted will be stored with your Mid's luggage and civilian clothes and returned to parents at Parents' Weekend.

Parents accompanying candidates are permitted to wait in line with them until their son or daughter enters the doors of Alumni Hall. Once inside, candidates are issued all their gear, from toothbrushes to uniforms; have a physical exam; get their hair cut (or shorn); and begin the indoctrination process of learning the proper way to address those who outrank them and how to salute.

Candidates will lunch in King Hall and be assigned to a room in Bancroft Hall, the building that houses the entire brigade. At about 5 p.m., the end of a long day, the new class will march into Tecumseh Court (in front of Bancroft Hall) for the swearing-in ceremony, which parents can view from behind the wall. Parents hoping for a seat in the bleachers should arrive on the scene 45 minutes to an hour before. Once the class has been sworn in, Midshipmen are given 15-30 minutes to say good-bye to friends and family, after which they will report back to Bancroft Hall to march in formation to dinner. (It's best if Plebes can memorize an outside route back to their rooms. Inside routes are often manned by upperclassmen who are lying in wait.)

Mids will be given their mailing address on I-day. Most Mids will write home within the first couple of days, sending their mailing address. (Attempts by the Parents' Club to obtain addresses earlier than that have been fruitless.)  In some years, that first note has also included the date of the first phone call home. Parents who go to I-day can usually get their Mid's address from a staff member who is seated around the corner from the main entrance to Alumni Hall during the morning of I-day. There will be a table there with several Midshipmen and a large computer printout.  Distribute this address to grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, and friends so your Mid will get lots of mail over the summer.