bigdook wrote:congrats Thane, i'm actually going through the process myself. i have my oral review coming up. any advice would be welcome. how is the room and board at the academy?
Congratulations and good luck. We need lots of good men and women on the border, and I'm glad to see others choosing this field as well.
As for how the room and board are, well... The Academy has fully switched over to the 55/40 day program; that is, 55 days of "regular" training and 40 days of Spanish training for non-speakers. During the 55 days, you'll be packed into a tiny room with a roommate. There really isn't enough space to turn around in those little rooms. They're furnished reasonably; it's just that they're rather small. After graduation, non-Spanish-speakers enter the 40-day Spanish program, while those who already know the language go directly to the field. If you go into the Spanish program, they will have you move to a different dorm. These rooms are slightly larger; more importantly, they're single rooms. They're far more comfortable.
Room and board are not charged to you; those expenses are part of your training.
The food is decent, but it won't win any five-star rating (or even a three-star). Even so, it beats cooking for oneself.
Advice? Study well, and don't get hurt. Injury and poor grades are the two biggest reasons trainees have to leave the Academy. We lost two trainees to bad grades in the final two weeks of the regular program.
Neither studied well, if at all.
Oh, and getting sprayed with OC is the worst pain imaginable.
All in all, keep your grades up, don't give up, and keep your nose clean, and you'll do just fine.
Good luck on your application process, and I'll see you in the field.
for all occasions) at the Academy. Yesterday, he earned his badge.
Be safe. 
As for why my head is shaved... well... I lost a bet, and we'll leave it at that. 
