Throughout my 2 years here, I have had a number of friends and acquaintances leave the Naval Academy due to various reasons. One of the hardest goodbyes I have ever had to say was my very first friend and roommate: Kayla Chappell. Luckily I see her every once in awhile and we are able to catch up on each other's lives like no time has passed at all. In one of our recent conversations, she wanted to tell people about what she actually misses about leaving the place that challenged her beyond her imaginable limits. And so, in the words of one of my best friends, here are the things I miss about the Naval Academy, by Kayla Chappell.
1. SPORTS!!!
I miss being part of a team. It’s true that everything is a little less fun when its mandatory, but having a reason to compete and better yourself at something is never a bad thing. Let’s face it sports are fun. Additionally, everyone at Navy is, at the least, above mediocre athletic, so you don’t get strange looks when you offer up spots for a group run or a pick-up game of some kind.
2. Never Having To Eat Alone
I didn’t always crave what was on the King Hall menu. But if you’ve ever had to sit in a McDonald's booth with only your McNuggets to keep you company, you’ll understand.
3. Being Able To Say “I’m From the Academy”
I know some people are going to read this and think “well if this is the only reason she was here then it’s a good thing she left”. Well to those people, this is a dang good reason to miss any place! It’s impressive. No Midshipman is stranger to the looks of approval or handshakes received when they introduce themselves to someone who knows about that school in Annapolis. Use this to your advantage, but stay humble my friends.
4. Patriotism
Unbridled patriotism. After all, everyone there is in the military. So, no it’s not weird to chant USA like those are your child’s initials and he just threw the winning touchdown pass in the national championship.
5. Everybody Knows Everybody
I never went anywhere on the Yard without seeing someone I knew, had seen before, or had heard something about. If I didn’t know them personally, I was close to someone who did. I go to school with 20,000 people and maybe know 100 of them. In my plebe year alone I had multiple meaningful conversations or personal interactions with at least 400 people. The fallout to this is that everyone knows your business.. but there’s really no such thing as a nobody at the Naval Academy.
6. DRINK TO THE FOAM
I am currently a member of one of those basic sororities at the most notorious party school in the SEC, and I’m telling you nobody parties quite like people who aren’t really supposed to. LOL Roll Goats.
7. Guaranteed Future
I don’t think I have to say more. Supposedly this is why we all apply.
8. Always, Always Having Someone There
I used to roll over in my rack at 3 am and tell my roommate whatever random, and I mean random, thought had popped into my head. My mini breakdowns happened infront of an audience. Inturn, I witnessed many a mental breakdown. A friend was never more than a door away. There was always someone to cry to, to reminiss with, to tell your stupid joke to.
9. The Caliber of People
Shocker, I know. I bet you knew that was going to be listed given that it’s basically drilled into everyone’s head, and here I am to confirm. Take 4,000 of the smartest, most athletic, most dedicated, and most driven individuals and put them all together then tell them they need to rely on each other for the next four years. You can’t ask for a better formula to make friends. Don’t get me wrong. Not every midshipman is the most amazing, praise worthy human. A high ranking marine officer told me over my plebe summer “I have classmates that I wouldn’t piss in their direction..”. That might sound intense, but there are bad seeds in every organization. The point is “the bad seeds” at the Naval Academy are still motivated to do something with their lives and for someone elses. That’s a rare quality for people in their early 20’s and it’s even rarer to find a large body of people who share those values.
Disclaimer:
While listed above are strong reasons I miss the Academy, there are a lot of things I don’t miss, ie practice parades and sleeping on top of my sheets. People ask me all the time if I regret my decision. My immediate answer is always no, but those closest to me know that sometimes this isn’t the case. It’s just like a break up. When you’re in a toxic relationship you can’t wait to leave, but once it’s over and you’ve moved on all you can remember are the good times you had. Ultimately, I know I made the right decison for me. Just because my life went in a different direction doesn’t mean that the United States Naval Academy isn’t anything less than the happiest place on Earth ;)
V/R-
Ex MIDN
"The views expressed, [in this article] reflect personal opinions of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the United States Naval Academy, the United States Navy, any federal agency, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.”
