Midshipmen Dating Life - USNA

Summary

In this video, Julia and Philip share their experiences of dating life at the Academy. They discuss the misconception that attending the Academy guarantees finding a spouse, despite the 1:3 female-to-male ratio. They explain the 'no dating within your company' rule, the concept of 'love chitting' for those in the same company, and the 'hate' option for those who cannot get along with their company. They also touch on the serious consequences of breaking dating rules, such as restrictions and demerits that can impact future military careers. The couple shares their personal stories, including Philip's secret relationship as a freshman and Julia's dating experience with a civilian. They emphasize the importance of understanding the Academy's dating culture and the potential challenges it presents.

Takeaways

• 😀 The video discusses the dating life at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
• 👫 The female-to-male ratio at the Academy is one to three, which influences dating dynamics.
• 🏫 There's a rule against dating within the same company during the freshman year, known as 'plebe' year.
• 🚫 'Love chitting' is the process of transferring out of one's company to date someone from the same company.
• 💔 'Hatte' is the process of leaving one's company due to personal conflicts, which is rare.
• 🚷 Freshmen are not allowed to date upperclassmen from any company, reflecting a chain of command respect.
• 🎓 The term '2% Club' refers to couples who started dating in high school and continued through Academy graduation.
• 🏞️ Joining clubs can provide opportunities for socializing and dating outside the strict Academy rules.
• 🚫 There are serious consequences for breaking dating rules, including restrictions and demerits that can affect future military careers.
• 💍 Marriage is not allowed during Academy attendance, leading to long engagements for some couples.
• 📱 Some cadets use dating apps and change their locations to meet people outside the Academy's strict environment.

Q & A

What is the general perception about finding a spouse at the academy?

While it's common to hear that one might find a spouse at the academy, it's not a guarantee. It's important not to apply to the academy solely with the expectation of finding a husband.

What is the female to male ratio at the academy?

The female to male ratio at the academy is approximately one to three.

Is it allowed to date within the same company as a freshman or plebe?

No, as a freshman or plebe, you are not supposed to date anyone else in your company, regardless of their year.

What is the term for couples who started dating in high school and continued through academy graduation?

Such couples are referred to as being in the '2% Club', indicating it's a rare occurrence.

What is the policy on dating after the plebe year at the academy?

After the plebe year, there are no restrictions on dating within the academy, but you still cannot date within your own company.

What is 'love chitting' and why is it risky?

'Love chitting' is the process of dating someone within your own company after your plebe year, which is against the rules. It's risky because if the relationship doesn't last, one of the individuals may have to leave their company.

Why does the academy discourage dating within the same company?

The academy discourages dating within the same company to mimic the military's policy against dating within one's chain of command, to prepare cadets for military life.

What is the term for disliking one's company to the extent of wanting to leave?

If someone dislikes their company to the extent that they want to leave, it's called 'hate chitting', though it's a rare occurrence.

What are some of the consequences of breaking dating rules at the academy?

Consequences of breaking dating rules can include restrictions, demerits, and potentially negative impacts on future career opportunities within the military.

How do cadets meet potential dating partners outside the academy?

Some cadets use dating apps like Tinder, setting their location to nearby college areas, and then travel to those areas on weekends to meet people.

Can cadets get married while attending the academy?

Cadets are not allowed to get married while attending the academy; they must wait until after graduation.

Outlines

00:00

🎓 Academy Dating Life and Regulations

The paragraph discusses the dating life at the Academy from the perspective of a married couple who are alumni. It clarifies that while it's not guaranteed to find a spouse at the Academy, the female-to-male ratio is skewed, which can influence dating opportunities. The Academy's structure divides students into companies, and dating within the same company is discouraged for freshmen and plebes to prevent complications similar to dating within a chain of command in the military. There's a mention of the '2% Club' for couples who started dating in high school and continued through Academy graduation. The paragraph also touches on the concept of 'love chitting', where dating within the same company is risky and might require one to leave their company, and 'hate chitting', a rare process for leaving a company due to severe dislike or issues with company members.

05:02

🚫 Navigating Dating Rules and Personal Experiences

This paragraph delves into the personal dating experiences of the speakers during their time at the Academy. It highlights the strict rules and potential consequences of dating, such as getting caught dating a sophomore as a freshman, which is against regulations. The paragraph also discusses the impact of dating on one's future career prospects within the military, emphasizing the seriousness of adhering to Academy rules. The speakers share their stories of dating, including joining clubs to meet people, the challenges of keeping relationships secret, and the risks of getting caught. They also mention how some students use dating apps to connect with people outside the Academy and the lengths they go to meet their dates, such as driving to nearby cities.

Keywords

💡Academy

The term 'Academy' in this context refers to a military academy, which is a college or university that provides higher education and training for officers of the armed forces. In the video, the presenters discuss their experiences and the dating culture within such an institution. The Academy is central to the theme as it sets the backdrop for the rules and social dynamics discussed.

💡Plee

In the context of the video, 'Plee' is short for 'Plebe,' which is a term used in the United States Naval Academy and other military academies to refer to first-year cadets or midshipmen. The script mentions that as a 'Plee,' one is not supposed to date upperclassmen, reflecting the hierarchical structure and dating rules within the Academy.

💡Company

A 'Company' in the video refers to one of the 30 groups that make up the student body at the military academy. Each company consists of approximately 30-35 people from all four class years. The script explains that dating within one's own company is discouraged, highlighting the social structure and regulations within the Academy.

💡Love Chit

A 'Love Chit' is a term used in the video to describe a formal request to change companies within the Academy due to a romantic relationship. It is considered risky because if the relationship does not work out, one still has to leave their company, which can disrupt the close-knit group dynamics. This concept illustrates the challenges of dating within the structured environment of the Academy.

💡Hatte

In the script, 'Hatte' refers to the process of formally requesting to change companies due to personal conflicts or discomfort within one's current company. It is mentioned as a rare occurrence and is the opposite of a 'Love Chit,' showing the Academy's strict social structure and the potential consequences of interpersonal issues.

💡Chain of Command

The 'Chain of Command' is a military term that refers to the hierarchical structure of authority within an organization. In the video, it is mentioned that dating within one's chain of command is discouraged, similar to the policy of not dating within one's company at the Academy. This reflects the effort to prepare cadets for the real military environment where such relationships can be problematic.

💡Liberty

'Liberty' in the video refers to the free time or permission granted to cadets to leave the Academy grounds for personal activities. The script mentions that freshmen have limited 'Liberty,' which affects their ability to socialize and date, emphasizing the restrictive lifestyle of first-year cadets.

💡2% Club

The '2% Club' is a term used in the video to describe couples who started dating in high school and continued their relationship beyond graduation. It is mentioned as a rare occurrence, indicating the challenges of maintaining relationships through the rigorous and demanding environment of the Academy.

💡Fried

In the context of the video, 'Fried' is a slang term used to describe the consequences of breaking rules, such as dating upperclassmen as a freshman. It implies being put on restriction and losing privileges, illustrating the strict disciplinary measures within the Academy.

💡De Merit

A 'De Merit' is a term used to describe points deducted from a cadet's record for disciplinary reasons. In the video, it is mentioned as a potential consequence of rule-breaking, such as dating violations, which can affect future career opportunities within the military. This term highlights the serious nature of adhering to the Academy's rules.

Highlights

Married couple shares their dating experiences at the academy.

Females are not guaranteed to find a husband at the Academy despite common misconceptions.

The Academy has a one to three female-to-male ratio, influencing dating dynamics.

Academy freshmen are discouraged from dating upperclassmen within their company.

The term '2% Club' refers to couples who started dating in high school and continued post-graduation.

After the plebe year, dating restrictions ease, but intra-company dating is still prohibited.

The concept of 'love chitting' allows couples to switch companies to continue dating.

Dating within one's company is compared to dating within one's chain of command in the military.

The 'hate' option allows individuals to leave their company if they are not compatible with its members.

The Academy's strict dating rules can impact future military careers.

Cadets can join clubs to gain more social opportunities outside the strict Academy schedule.

A story of a freshman dating a sophomore, which is against Academy rules.

Consequences of breaking dating rules can include restrictions and loss of privileges.

The dark side of the Academy includes strict punishments for rule-breaking that can affect future prospects.

The couple met and dated without having to deal with complicated dating rules or restrictions.

Marriage during Academy attendance is not allowed, leading to long engagements for some couples.

Some cadets use dating apps to connect with people outside the Academy by changing their location settings.

The video creators encourage questions and may create more content on the topic in the future.

Transcripts

hi everyone Julia here hey Philip

here so today we want to talk to you

about mman dating life yeah so it's been

a few years since we've been at the

academy uh we're obviously married now

and a lot has changed but just wanted to

give you that uh kind of bird's eye view

of what it was like for us back while we

were at the academy uh or if you're

interested in going to the academy or

you just curious about

it yes so first of all right like as a

female as a girl you're not guaranteed

to find a husband at the Academy like

when I was in high school and I got like

accepted by the neighbor Academy

everyone was like oh my gosh you're

definitely going to leave with a husband

which I did but it's not a guarantee

like don't apply just because you think

you're going to find a husband at the

Academy with that being said right it is

a one to three female male ratio so I

guess just like anywhere else if you're

a good person you know you're

semi-attractive or

you're just you just love who you are

you have a great personality there will

be pursuers everywhere female male alike

okay yeah with that uh at the Academy

it's a little bit different because for

those who don't know you're broken up

into 30 different companies so I guess

it's kind of like a little frats uh but

don't use that word uh they're little

groups of people so you think about it

you have about a thousand people in your

class you know about 30 35 people per

company so in that company you have you

know all four years so you're one year

um you aren't supposed to date anyone

else in your company as a freshman or a

plee you can't date any upper classman

regardless of your company or any other

company if you have like a pre-existing

relationship sure you can kind of work

that in but yeah I mean you're so young

at this point like 17 usually most

people applying probably wouldn't have

one with someone else the they're called

a 2% club like for example if you start

dating someone in high school and then

you actually made it till after

graduation that's called a 2% Club there

is actually a section of the yearbook

dedicated to the tenters that's

regardless of like dating someone else

at the Academy though or someone out in

the like outside of the academy which

it's very rare um but yeah then while

you're at the Academy though

specifically um after your ple year you

can date like whatever there's like a

saying

um uh this isn't the best saying but so

like youngster brass so like you're

you're youngster like uh you're

sophomore so you're no longer a plead

like out to thek it now you know the all

three years um gets like firsty ass so

that's uh yeah I was just saying there

saying that a senior guys just waiting

for the sophomore girls once they're not

freshman anymore just praying waiting

yeah um but anyways so after you're you

still can't date inside of your company

so if you are a youngster and you want

to date another youngster in your

company you have to do this thing called

love chitting which was always like

risky too because you know like uh are

you going to stay together you know like

you don't know so you love it and you

have to leave one of you has to leave

that company it's like the group of

friends that you built your bonds with

you I it's like leaving your frat at a

regular College I just want to expand on

that a little bit so your company so the

reason why the academy don't want you to

date within your company is because

you'll be similar as dating on your ship

right like he it's kind of similar they

try to build the idea of like you cannot

date within your chain of command um

you're not technically supposed to be

dating people like you know like on your

ship your chain of command and that's

kind of what they're trying to do there

it doesn't really make sense but it's

like building those habits and trying to

in their own way show you what the real

military is going to oh we're in college

anyways but like yeah I just thought

okay this is a little bit side note it's

funny on the opposite side of Love chit

there's a thing called hatte if you

think everyone your company absolutely

hates you and you cannot stay there

anymore you can hate out your

company

that doesn't happen very often I

probably seen it like once yeah like

sometimes it's because you know like

someone accuse another person like have

being like sexually assaulted and then

that person have to leave the company

but that's another side note let's get

back to dating it's a little bit more

interesting but anyway so while we were

at the Academy um yeah yeah we had very

different dating experience before we

started dating so you want dat a

civilian and then I I as a freshman

actually dated a sophomore which is like

not allowed not allowed she's a bad

girl you left the academy at night to go

see your girl so I don't want to hear it

before me before me right he left the

academy early to go go outside to meet

his girl something like that

allegedly what were you saying about

your your youngster as a ple okay so I

was a freshman I was towards the end of

my freshman year you can still go out

right A lot of people think the academy

is like a huge prison while you're a

freshman because you only get half day

of Liberty once a week however if you

join bunch of clubs they often host

activities where you can go on so you

know as a little enthusiastic freshman

as I was I joined a bunch of clubs so

like right like I joined chines Culture

Club monian Club like Korean Culture

Club I join all the clubs um and then

inste like I met guy who was a sophomore

on a club trip and once when you're on

like a big mountaineering like multi-day

trip you kind of forget that you're at

the Academy you guys are just bun like

18 19 year old young people you feel

more normal right and we just met and we

kind of just started dating and then we

kept it like on a DL for a bit and it's

kind of bad because we went out and then

his company made caught us and took a

picture and send it to like his company

the group chat so everyone knew about it

we would have got in a lot of trouble

actually especially him would have

probably get fried which means like you

get put on restriction you lose some of

your privilege like wearing civilian

clothes or going Liberty yes muster

three times a day with your rifle and

March around and then you get like

what's it called the black end Society

de Merit oh you get Dem marit so you get

points taken off um that in the future

can affect your service election and

that stuff Academy definitely yeah

Academy definitely has a dark side right

like like something as innocent as that

like you know just like two people

started dating could have messed up your

whole future career so it definitely has

a dark side um I would say over to the

actual military though too like you can

get in huge trouble for dating someone

you shouldn't in the real military you

can get kicked out easily see it all the

time I agree like that is more like

you're an officer dating and listed but

I feel like at Academy you're like an

18yearold dating a 19 year old is there

really that big a deal but anyways what

am I to say I mean 19-year-old enlisted

no fair enough fair enough like I I

definitely see what they're trying to do

but I'm just saying like Academy has a

dark side um before you go you should

also know that um a side that you don't

want to see right um so stay out of

trouble don't be like me um but you know

eventually we broke up um just we wanted

different things like a lot of couples

we just broke cup um and then we when we

met yes all right now your story which

is a lot more exciting and just as rub

breaking as mine not really so yeah

there are a lot of colleges around in

the DC area so you know I met um someone

and we dated for like a year it was like

our youngster year so had a little bit

more privilege U was able to go out on

the weekends more often you can't as a

freshman here sometimes it went out a

little sooner than I should have like

you should you only have Saturday night

as overnight Liberty this guy will go

out Friday night yeah maybe maybe

shouldn't up sometimes but it happened

it is what it is I didn't you know get

caught same as how she didn't kind of

get caught or at least didn't get in

trouble so you know people do dumb stuff

I don't know all the time at the Academy

that at a normal college would be

considered like so normal yeah pretty

pretty standard yeah but yeah it was it

was a good time I think overall it ended

up pretty well for us I mean we met each

other we were in companies didn't have

to deal with any of the love chitting or

moving around or any of the complicated

stuff with that and then you know

obviously you can't get married at the

Academy we didn't want to get married at

the time so it worked out well I know

some people wanted to get married like

because they've been dating someone for

years beforehand they were a little

older coming to the academy and they get

engaged like their youngster Year and

have a three-year engagement and

couldn't get married till after they

graduated so we didn't have to deal with

any of that thankfully right definitely

so like yeah if you're a when I was at

Academy a lot of guys who to pay for

Tinder so they can set their location to

like the DC area to like University of

Maryland um Georgetown American

University there was Baltimore there too

right so they would like pay John's

Hopkins yeah pay to set their ID

somewhere else and then on the weekend

they would like drive to like the

Baltimore DC area to go on date and it's

hard it's a jungle out there isn't it

yes but we made it if you guys have any

questions let us know uh it was fun

making this video maybe we'll talk about

other than just more in the future yeah

all right catch you in the next one bye