Walter Olsen, West Point professor and alumnus, describes on Quora some quirks of student duties based on year, such as military training at Camp Buckner in the summer between first and second years (Plebe and Yearling), and fulfilling leadership positions between third and fourth years (Cow and Firstie) during Beast Barracks for incoming students.

In a 2015 YouTube video shared with UCLA, Cadet Elijah Contreras reveals some other quirks of campus life. In addition to every other rule that students must follow, such as wearing hats while outside, first-years can’t speak outdoors, have to cup their hands while walking, have to walk alongside walls inside buildings, must greet upper classmen who pass by, and have additional duties: taking care of trash at night, setting up tables at lunchtime, asking permission to eat, and announcing to upper classmen how many days they have left until graduation. 

No matter how disciplined students are on the surface, however, many take issue with some of the university’s facilities and aspects of everyday life. Student polls on Niche illustrate a pretty poor opinion of dorm quality (only 36 percent say the dorms are great) and food options (although burritos are a highlight). Fun and parties are limited (95 percent said that parties simply aren’t possible), but not surprisingly, 100 percent of students say that the campus is perfectly safe and secure. In the end, students graduate as 2nd Lieutenants, and are off to serve in the US Army.