things people don't tell you about beast

congratulations on getting into west point & i am so excited for you!! beast will be the best of times & the worst of times, but it will go by as fast as it came. beast is like a long marathon you wish you weren't running, but the people really make it the best experience. below are some tips & tricks i picked up and learned during my beast!!!

Good Luck!!

1. you’re going to stand for a LONG time for MANY days

your first two weeks are going to full of briefs & waiting around. it’s worth investing in shoe inserts & DON’T GET THE BOTTOM MAKER LOW QUARTERS (they don’t shine well). while you’re waiting, you’ll probably be learning knowledge, take the time to actually memorize it then so you don’t have to spend your free time in the hallway passing off knowledge

2. protect your health

west point WILL out process you if aren't physically well enough to finish. i had a lot of prepsters & directs get out processed during beast for injuries & sicknesses. there are only so many days of quarters a new cadet can take & if you’re on profile for too long they can out processed during beast. it pays to watch your step, stretch, & be careful. you don’t want to get out processed in the middle of beast! with that being said, if you need to take a day of quarters because you're on your death bed, go to sick call!!!

3. sacrifice carrying more weight on r-day so you can have an easier time during beast

i am an overpacker by nature, but it benefited me this summer. bring the extra socks & underwear, bring the band aids & Neosporin, bring more envelops & stamps. there are so many things you can bring to make beast a better experience for yourselves. i have my amazon storefront linked down below that you can use the gauge what you can bring. i will also have my full packing list at the bottom to refer to !! PREPSTERS BRING YOUR APFUS & YOUR SUMMER OCPS YOU’LL THANK ME LATER

4. have things ordered to your p.o. box so you have them for reorgy week

a-day is at the end of reorgy week, which means you’ll have six days until your released to see your family. have your family or buddies back home order some necessities. think of things like a blanket, pillow, cleaning supplies, a water bottle, chargers, tide pods, headphones. these are all things you can have mailed to you so you can start to make your room feel like home (in my amazon storefront is my post beast list of things i bought that made living in the barracks better)

5. in a ziplock bag have your phone, headphones, & chargers

after beast is over, all you’re gonna wanna do is turn your phone on & call someone. the last thing you want is to have a dead phone when you get out of beast. be proactive & put all those things in a ziplock bag to turn into the cadre on r-day.

6. during briefs, write someone a letter

briefs are death. by. powerpoint. they are boring & you’re sleep deprived, & it genuinely is a dog-eat-dog world. cadre are going to be watching you like a hawk so do whatever it takes to stay awake. during ccbt (prep school beast) we were given packets of hoist (powdered electrolytes—think gatorade powder) & we used to eat it without water to keep us up. during beast, people were putting hand sanitizer under their nose & doing other crazy stuff to stay awake. i wrote people letters during briefs; it looks like you’re taking notes & it’s giving you time to reflect on your time…just don't get caught, some cadre members are true haters & will wanna kill any of your joy

7. go to religious services & mass athletics

most religious services will have snacks for you & it’s time away from the barracks & cadre. i always looked forward to religious services because i got to sit with my friends & i got yummy snacks. my prepster friends & i would reserve a full bench just to make sure we sat together. if you fall asleep during the service, don’t sweat it, everyone in that room understands how you feel. mass athletics is super fun, you get to be normal for a little & see your friends. pre-coordinate with your friends on which sport you want to go to for mass athletics. a bunch of people in my squad went to women's volleyball & had a blast.

8. BEG YOUR SQUAD LEADER TO DO YOUR LAUNDRY

i’m telling you, the last thing you wanna do is smell worse than you already do during beast. begging your squad leader to do laundry might be desperate but just do it—& do it TOGETHER. squad leaders are paying for laundry out of pocket so it might be worth offering to give them cash or tide pods to help, but it doesn’t hurt to ask them to do it. if worse comes to worse, do sink laundry. Buy Tide Pods or detergent from the c-store when you’re able to go & do some laundry by hand. some of my friends had dissolvable detergent that they brought with them, which was super helpful to them

9. utilize your ccu

ccu (cadet counseling unit) will be your best friend during beast. they are the one stop shop for motivation, ranting, & encouragement. they’re sole duty is to take care of their new cadets. don’t be ashamed to ask to talk to them, i saw my ccu all the time & he got me through some of my hardest days. ccus can also deliver mail so you can ask your ccu to give a letter to one of your fellow new cadets in a different company (prepsters this one was huge for us during my beast).

10. things to get from the c-store

two or three weeks into beast, your company will go to the cadet store (c-store). fair warning, the c-store is so expensive, so keep that in mind!! some things i bought last summer from the c-store war spray on deodorant, duct tape, compact mirror, loofah, LIQUID SOAP, detergent/tidepods, chaffing stick, foot powder, face paint, baby wipes, 550 cord, gallon zip lock bags. this def cost me my left kidney, but it was worth it.

11. BRING A TOWEL

it doesn’t say this in the packing list because they give you this wimp brown towel, but bring your own personal towel to use. nothing sucks more than drying yourself off with a micro towel that literally feels like hay.

12. bring hot hands

nights in new york get really cold, especially when it’s raining out. during my beast, people were cold catting & we were all cold wet & miserable during field trainings. bring hot hands with you just in case (MAKE THE SACRIFICE)

13. DSG WHITE SOCKS are the BEST in the game

i have put so many people on to dsg white socks. they have no logo on them & they’re just so comfortable. genuinely the best pairs of socks i own, please go get you some & pack many!! the issued white socks they give you during beast are horrific & feel horrible. DSG white socks from Dick's

14. while packing for beast, put everything in a ziplock bag & then put it in a packing cube

packing cubes are the ULTIMATE hack to r-day & beast. packing cubes make bag transfer so much easier & they will help you stay organized while packing your ruck & during the school year. i see a lot of people give tips for bag transfer about putting your stuff in ziplock bags, & while, yes, that'll make everything easier, go the extra mile to put them in packing cubes. instead of having a billion ziplock bags, youll have three or four packing cubes to move!

15. you’re not too cool for sunscreen

do i need to say more? wear. sunscreen & reapply. i'm gonna have no sympathy for you if your face is all red & you can't have anything touch you because it hurts. i told you here & i hope you have my voice in the back of your head telling you to apply sunscreen. BOYS PUT SUNSCREEN ON YOUR BALD HEAD!

16. bring a rubberband or hair ties for your PC

when you get your patrol cap (PC) use rubber bands to start shaping them. you’ll get two PCs during issue, so have one always in the rubber bands& whenever you’re not using the other put the rubber bands on. try to find something circular you can use to shape your PC. don’t let your PC make you look like a dork, you'll thank me later!!!

17. beware of prickly heat

i thought i was invincible against prickly heat because i kept drinking a ton of hoist, & i didn't get it. but week 4 1/2 of beast i got prickly heat BAD & so did a bunch of people in my platoon. one kid in my squad got prickly heat right from the jump & had his roommate take a debit card and hand sanitizer to scrape his back. he said it worked lol. i've never had prickly heat or heard of it until i got to beast, so i feel like it's my obligation to warn people!

18. if you think you packed enough underwear & socks...you didn't

genuinely, if you think you have enough socks & underwear in your bag, you don't. you need to pretend like you're going to pee yourself five times a day every day. here's a few reasons why you should consider bringing more:

1) you're going to change a lot. i was showering almost three times a day & i'm glad i was able to change into a fresh pair of clothes

2) you don't know if your squad leader is gonna do your laundry regularly. luckily for me, i had squad leaders who did laundry regularly, but i had many friends who didn't & wish they brought more underwear and socks.

3) doing sink laundry is inconvenient. carrying more clothes on r-day is inconvenient, doing sink laundry is inconvenient. choose your inconvenience.

19. DON'T BE LAZY, TAKE A SHOWER

MANY people will be too tired to take a shower or the hit time will be too short to take a shower. regardless of your excuse, take the shower. do not fall for the baby wipe propaganda. people got incredibly sick, and staying clean will make the difference between you staying healthy & you getting sick. for PT mornings, you'll always to PRTs (warm-ups) & you'll be rolling around on the grass. the grass, both on the plain and south dock, have animal dookies on it, so think of that when you think you don't need to shower. wash your hands whenever possible, and carry hand sanitizer.

20. wear your issued boots on days you know you're just going to briefs

you're going to get boots issued to you & they're gonna suck. just the way it is. make your life a little easier by wearing them on days you know you're not doing anything crazy. i wore my issued boots on days i had briefs & only was walking around campus, which broke them in. there were days the boots i brought with me were wet & couldn't be worn & i was glad i broke in the issued boots a little.

21. your experience is completely dependent on your cadre & schedule.

unfortunately, beast is a different experience person to person. you won't have the same experience as someone else in another company or even another platoon. having a good cadre will make the worst situation something you look fondly on. your schedule also plays a role in your experience. i went on a 3-day ftx when the weather was PERFECT! it wasn't too hot and wasn't too cold, & it didn't rain. my boyfriend was scheduled for this ftx a few days after me, and when he was in the field, it POURED. regardless of whatever cards you are dealt, stay positive & keep smiling!

22. hating one someone who's trying their best is lame

don't be a hater. no one likes a hater in general, but especially in these situations. casting hate or negativity onto someone during beast is low. encourage those around you & i promise you they will return the favor on days you're not motivated. if someone is falling out of the runs, don't leave them behind. if someone is falling out of the ruck, don't leave them behind. truly truly truly, especially on physical events, do not leave anyone behind. the saying "if you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together" is so true. building that camaraderie during beast & a culture of everyone crossing the finish line together is so important & will pay dividends during the school year. i am so grateful for my squad leader, walker blackmon, my beast 2 psg, mia bonsignore, and my squadmates for being there for me on days that i didn't believe in myself & those are the memories that have stuck with me.

23. the crucible was the worst army experience i've ever had, but you will get through it. don't give up.

at the end of beast, you'll go through the crucible. the crucible is a 3 day ftx where you're doing infantry tactics, but trust me it gets so gritty. the crucible itself was not difficult, but the weather made it HORRIBLE. it was cold, wet, & miserable & it'll definitely teach you what you're made out of. during the crucible, you'll to infantry tactics, take fireguard shifts, and get very little sleep. keeping a good attitude during the crucible will be the best way to make the experience fun. hopefully, during your crucible, the weather is more forgiving, but you can get through it. when you're scaling a mountain for an hour and a half or your platoon gets lost, mentally go to your happy place & keep putting one foot in front of the other. not to mention, how amazing is it that you get to do hard things with your best pals?!

24. whenever you get the chance, change out your socks

on the packing lists you get, it'll always tell you to bring an extra pair of socks. i used to think it was dumb and that i wouldn't need to bring it. BUDDY WAS I WRONG. we were doing land nav, and our platoon got the chance to change our socks, & i was debating not changing them because they were already wet. we were about to do another movement where my shoes were going to get wet again, so i thought it was stupid to change wet socks for dry socks that were going to get wet again anyways, our platoon cadre dedicated time to stop and change our socks, so i just changed them because why not...changed my life. the relief you get from having dry socks is euphoric & i would recommend it for everyone. west point during the summer is just so wet and gross, so staying dry is such a morale boost.

25. fill your camel back up the night before

the mornings are a blur during beast. be proactive & fill your camel back up the night before & tell your platoon to do that too. it'll give cadre less reason to get mad at you & you'll be glad you did it while you're standing on the wall with one less thing to think about at 4am!

things i packed for beast (all of this fit in one army duffle/flight bag):

• full size shampoo & conditioner

• full size leave in conditioner

• huge tub of gel

• baby wipes

• bug spray

• tampons & pads (girlies)

• razor w/ extra blades to switch out

• band aids

• Neosporin

• floss picks

• shower towel

• wash cloth towel

• bathing suit

• summer ocps (2, but i'd bring more if you have them)

• ocp belt

• ranger handbook (you'll get one during beast but i had one from when i did rotc at fsu)

• ranger beads (for landnav)

• extra patches (name tapes, us army, us flag)

• heavy duty carabiners (2)

• tan t-shirts (bring a ton)

• boot socks (bring a ton)

• journal

• eyepr

• 550 cord

• black gloves

• combination lock

• black underwear (bring a ton)

• fan (i didn't really need this)

• dummy watch

• black/white socks (bring a ton for PT)

• shower shoes

• envelopes

• rite in the rain notepads

• nike pros

• boots

• low quarters

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beast was one of the most rewarding things i've ever done & glad i did!! have fun, take care of others, be a good teammate, & never give up!!

with all my love,

♡steff