I along with approximately 600 other rising seniors in the program were assigned to one of the various groups. There were five companies – Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, and Echo. Within these companies were 4 platoons. Within the platoons were 4 squads. And within these squads were about 7 people. 

During the week we went to highly interactive classes. My favorite class was the seamanship navigation class where we were able to drive a ship for a few minutes.

We had to wake up at around 6 a.m. daily for physical training, and participate in team challenges.

We were also given a sheet to study that we were tested on, on our last day. This sheet had different naval songs and responses. It gave me flashbacks of the Freshman Overnight. However, the only time we were being yelled at was during this test.

During the test we were all lined up in a hallway, instructed not to move or look at anyone in the eye. They use the idea of “Whatever hurts my brother hurts me” in scenarios like these. For example, we were yelled at for 30 minutes and told to do push-ups even if we knew all the sayings. This was the hardest time at the program, but it was done to give us a small taste of what the first year at the Naval Academy would be like. 

My favorite part of doing programs like these is interacting with people from different parts of the United States the world. But I gained much more than that from this experience.

Attending the Naval Academy had always been in the back of my head, and although it was a challenging week, this experience made me want to go to the Naval Academy even more.