United States Coast Guard Academy

Campus Environment

The Academy lies next to the Thames River in New London, Connecticut. All cadets are required to live on Academy grounds for all four years in the Chase Hall dormitory and wardroom. The Academy grounds are open to the public year-round, and visitors are welcome to take a self-guided tour. (Admissions briefings and cadet-guided tours are held on Fridays; call the Admissions Office for an appointment.)

CGA facilities include some of the most sophisticated labs in the world, such as the Ship Control and Navigation Training Simulator. Waesche Hall contains a state-of-the-art library and is also the home of the Coast Guard Museum. Roland Hall is one of the finest, well-equipped athletic centers in New England. Jacobs Rock, the seamanship center features "watercraft of every size and stripe." The Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, know as "America's Tall Ship," acts as the cadets' main training ship.

One of the best things about being a cadet is getting to travel the world for free. Much of this travel takes place during the four-year Summer Training Program. "Swab Summer," the seven-week traditional military indoctrination before cadets' first academic semester, is notoriously tough ("Be prepared to memorize tons of Coast Guard and Coast Guard Academy information, including the Coast Guard Mission and other facts, such as the daily menu," advises the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Parent's Association). But each successive summer sees the cadets learning and applying new skills in a hands-on environment around the globe.

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