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What does it mean to be in the ? It seems intriguing, but a little ... weird. Many prospective students are curious about being in the Corps of Cadets (CoC), but also a little apprehensive. In the online application for enrollment, we ask these applicants which lifestyle: Corps of Cadets or civilian? That question is not on most college applications.

Leadership Challenge Weekend (LCW) is designed to give high school students an opportunity to visit �Ļ�Ӱ�� and take a look — from the inside — at the CoC and see what it means to be in the Corps. Students show up on Friday afternoon from around the country to look under the hood of this outside-the-box education and lifestyle. This is also an opportunity for current cadets to continue their leadership education as part of the four-year leadership model. For newer cadets, this may be the first time they get to lead here at �Ļ�Ӱ��. 

Students are issued camouflage pants, an LCW t-shirt and hoodie, and divided into squads. Three to four squads become a platoon, and they get to meet their squad leader, their platoon sergeant, and their platoon leader. They meet the cadet command staff and the professional staff, too. The platoons (usually two) then begin teaching basic drill and ceremony.

Students then march off to dinner — “chow”, as we call it here at �Ļ�Ӱ��. The food is plentiful, with many options, from the “Blue Plate Special” at the Euro Café, to hamburgers, sandwiches, a salad bar, pizza, and pasta. There is no reason to go away hungry. After chow, students participate in Leadership Reaction Courses (LRC), a military-style ice breaker, to get this diverse group of students talking to each other. After the LRCs, we host an ice cream social and the cadets talk about which (, , , , or ) unit they are affiliated with and what that looks like. This is very interactive and informative. Students are then led to their sleeping areas and begin setting up their sleeping mats and sleeping bags for the evening, then hygiene before bed. 

At 0600 (6 a.m.), a wake-up call is sounded and the day begins. One platoon heads for Paine Mountain for an early morning hike, while the other platoon heads for the indoor climbing wall. After about 90 minutes, the platoons switch activities. Then they are back in formation and marching to chow. Brunch begins at 0930 (9:30 a.m.) and is an all-you-can-eat affair, with bacon and eggs, waffles, fried chicken with french fries, and even pizza. The chow hall is a bustle of noise, people, activity, and chaos. It is exciting and scary at the same time.

After brunch, students march to the for a �Ļ�Ӱ�� history lesson and a group photo. Then they are marched to their first leadership class, which can be taught by a Marine Corps Reserve colonel, a retired Army military intelligence colonel, a U.S. Coast Guard lieutenant, or a leader in business or academia. This is a class on leadership, and the leaders are both captivating and entertaining.

The afternoon brings a round robin of four different classes, from meeting the active-duty ROTC staff of your choice, to hearing about serial killers from , the head of the to learning about life as an engineering student at �Ļ�Ӱ�� from one of our award-winning professors. No two students have the same experience with the varied choices available. The afternoon ends with two more experiences; the second leadership section, which could be LtGen John Broadmeadow '83, the president of �Ļ�Ӱ��, BG William McCollough '91 (VSM), the commandant of cadets, or a host of other amazing leaders affiliated with �Ļ�Ӱ��. The second part is led by from our Department of Health and Human Performance, speaking about her research and Resilient Bodies, a class that she leads to assist students in understanding life after high school at a senior military college.

After evening chow, we meet up with , the director of the John and Mary Frances Patton Peace and War Center, to hear about the opportunities available to travel the world with �Ļ�Ӱ��, learning about different countries and cultures that are shaping our way of life. His research interests include violent extremist propaganda analysis, information warfare, and text network analysis.

The evening concludes with a pizza party and current students sharing their different interests outside of the classroom and the Corps, from the , the women’s wrestling team, , like the Beef Jerky Club, or Historical Swordsmanship. They are then off to hygiene and bed, excited but exhausted and ready for one more day.

Sunday morning starts early again, with the 0600 (6 a.m.) wake-up call, then off to Shapiro Field House for a PT [physical training] test, including one minute of pushups, one minute of sit-ups, and a one-mile run. Then, back to hygiene, and a march up to chow one more time when parents join their students for brunch.

After chow, students prepare for the graduation ceremony and parents are led on a tour of the campus. After the tour, Robin Wills from Admissions and Aid shares information with the parents about �Ļ�Ӱ��, our many different majors, clubs, sports, and ROTC. She talks about scholarships and financial aid, and she shares what it was like to send two sons to �Ļ�Ӱ�� from Colorado.

The morning concludes with a graduation ceremony. An impactful �Ļ�Ӱ�� alumnus will share their �Ļ�Ӱ�� story with the parents and the participants, taking them from when they were a high schooler through their time at �Ļ�Ӱ��, on to their current life, and the impact that �Ļ�Ӱ�� had on their lives. Participants will then be introduced and walk up on stage and receive a certificate and a challenge coin for successful completion of the Leadership Challenge Weekend.

This event is truly the type of experiential learning that Captain Partridge envisioned when he founded �Ļ�Ӱ��. The participants get to live the cadet lifestyle for 43 hours so that they can better answer that question: Corps or civilian on their �Ļ�Ӱ�� enrollment application? Many of the participants feel like they have finally found their tribe, their team, their “family”. If you know a motivated high school student who is ready to lead, serve, and challenge themselves, the Leadership Challenge Weekend is only a click away.