FBI

Love it. Thanks!

Uniform question:

I am looking at the 5.11 tactical pants and wondering which version was most recently being used/issued. After looking at the academy website and watching some videos it looks like some are the cotton canvas tactical style, and some look more similar to the taclite pro. I can use these outside of work and don't mind purchasing a pair before arrival for sizing purposes and to have an extra pair in rotation. Does anyone know which style would be right?

Like other posters indicated, visible tattoos are OK as long as they are not offensive. I have full sleeves and there were a lot of other students with visible ink. To my knowledge nobody was asked to cover them.

I brought 5 navy blue moisture-wicking shirts (Under Armour heat-gear knock-offs) just in case. I wore them a couple times on the range to keep the sun off. Some folks had the same in black. No issues with either.

Has anyone with an upcoming academy class reached out to Theresa with questions they’ve had? If so, and you’ve received a response, please share any information you’ve received. I’ve been compiling a list of questions I have about the academy (and after), but I’m not sure when is a good time to pose those questions and if they should be to her!

Things are ramping back up after COVID; here's how it was as of September:

-Yes, you have roommates. They might room you separately for a 2-week quarantine, but then you get roommates. No, you don't get to pick your roommates. Rooms are 2 single beds, and you share a bathroom with another room. Bathroom is 1 toilet in a stall, 2 sinks, and a 2'x3' shower with a curtain. You will only be roomed with other IAs in your squad of the same gender.

-The internet situation is decent. The wifi is free, and you can connect up to three devices to it, including your bureau-issued devices. The cell signal is very spotty. Sometimes it'll be normal, sometimes you won't even get notice that someone is texting/ calling.

-Bedding is provided: fitted and flat sheets, a pillow and pillowcase, a light blanket, and a bedspread-type cover. The rooms are kept fairly cool, so if you get cold easily, bring your own blanket or budget to grab one from a nearby store.

-I was there toward the end of the lockdown, and we still did one or two field trips. You're probably not going to go to museums or 9/11 yet, but we went on at least 1 day trip.

-Yes, classes end at 5pm unless there's a presentation that they will tell you about ahead of time; on most nights, you have time to head out to the MCX on-base or local stores in Stafford. There will be days where you are slammed with homework, but those were not the first few weeks.

Yes, as of mid-October, you can leave overnight.

I'm chuckling at your coffee comment over here because it's a question I wanted to ask but didn't! I wouldn't say I have a crippling coffee addiction (I'm really just a morning drinker - afternoons only if I'm really struggling), but I do enjoy a 20oz mug full every morning. I thought that I could always do press pot, but even then I need nice, hot water and would have to forego the coffee grinder. Better start adjusting now if I will be paring it down to a 6-8oz cup with breakfast. I don't mind, but do want to be prepared. 😁

No problems. I had a ton of questions before I went, too, so I get it. PT is in the morning, and I think it is M/W/F (IAs don't have PT), but you'll be doing physical stuff throughout the day. You can go workout again after class; very few people I know of felt the need to do so. From what I heard, it varied from class to class, but mostly it was "grab a weight, we're gonna do stuff with it" rather than "here's a deadlift station, here's squats, here's curls" type thing. There were people in my class who came in having done little to no training beforehand, and they passed the physicals easily.

Coffee is available at each meal in the cafeteria, but I wouldn't say it's quality. There is a Starbucks in one of the buildings that you can frequently hit between classes; pretty sure they take cash and cards. Once you're in the shared dorms, you can have a coffee maker in the shared kitchens unless people start being dumb about it. Several people I know went with cold press or powdered, and one particular afficiando brought their own bean grinder and fancy french press. There are ways to deal with coffee dependency.

You can bring a laptop/ tablet; it is not necessary to do so. They issued us tablets during quarantine, and there are computer labs if you want a desktop to do homework on. If you want to do personal stuff like check your emails, stream videos, etc, bring your own. One thing to note that you may or may not care about: streaming gaming services and some overseas websites are blocked, including games that you have to have internet connection to play. Be aware, if that's your thing.

I have AT&T, but honestly, everyone was complaining about the service. You'll find areas where the signal is good, because people will hang out there and make calls. In the dorm rooms, it i***** or miss.

1. To the best of my knowledge, under-gear had to be either black or dark blue during business hours.

2. That's a tough one. Personal 2 cents, I'd say bring it and see. There are empty classrooms after hours, but I truly don't know how they'd feel about music practice. Might be perfectly fine, might not be. Stress relief is important, but honestly, you're not going to have a ton of free time.

3. There are a couple punching bags available, yes. No speed bags, but the large ones.

4. There are desks for each person in the dorm rooms, but a desktop computer would be a tight fit. For security reasons, everything you need to do for training will be on a Quantico device - either the computers in the labs or a tablet (if they're still issuing those; they were necessary for quarantine when I was there). Any personal device you bring will be for personal use only: email, social media, gaming, etc.

For people who did the October class. What were the holidays like? Did you get to go home for Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Years?







Also, very random question and I doubt anyone will know.... Anyone ride horses? any boarding barns near Quantico that would be relatively easy to go to after classes?