Going to college can be a tough move, you have to get comfortable with your new room and schools. As you start to settle in to your new home, you start to learn the spoken and unspoken rules of the School. Norwich University is the nation's oldest, private military academy. As Norwich is a unconventional college to attend you find out the spoken rules as soon as you arrive. After you are recognized by the Corps of Cadets as cadets, that's when you find out the more unspoken rules.
Spoken Rules:
Freshman are called "rooks" or recruits and have to regain all normal privileges. These privileges include being able to walk outside freely and not having to constantly wear a white name tag on your pt clothes. Some privileges can be minor but once they are taken away you start to realize how much of an impact losing those privileges have on your everyday life. As a rook you have to remember tons of information about the school, for example rooks have to remember all important dates and fact that pertain to the school. Uniforms must be worn at all times during the day and rooks aren't allowed to close there doors until 2200 (10 pm). After adjusting to all of these restrictions, life can be easy and relaxing and other days can be hard an frustrating. Rooks are also expected to have a clean and tidy room at all hours of the day. Everything has a place to go and an order it is suppose to be in.
I remember a moment in my early "rookdom" where I was feeling really down in my emotions and I was missing home. I was crying silently in my prison of a dorm room and a few of my rook siblings comforted me. Saying things like "you are so funny, we love you" and "you are my favorite southern belle." That's when I realized that these people surrounding me were no longer strangers they were my new family.
Unspoken Rules:
After a few weeks at Norwich you start to learn tricks to survive "rookdom." An example of this would be while squaring in the gutter put your cover low enough on your head so you could peek out the corner of your eye to see the officers as they passed by so you could salute them. Officers would blouse (frantically scream) at you for not saluting them fast enough or something. Another unspoken rule is to never date your rook siblings (people within your platoon). Showering after 2200 you can shower however long you wish and nobody can bother you during that long relaxing shower. These can also be some helpful hints for incoming freshmen as they haven't had to experience "rookdom." Norwich prides its self for uniformity and expects all students to be uniform.
Every college has its spoken and unspoken rules some colleges just seem to have more than others do. Norwich is an amazing place to experience new and exciting events.
