Yearling Year

Cadets entering their second year at West Point are called "yearlings" or "third-class cadets."

Yearling Year

Cadets entering their second year at West Point are called "yearlings" or "third-class cadets."

Building Strength, Skill, and Identity

As a second-year cadet at West Point, you’ll be known by many names, yearling, third class, or simply sophomore. No matter what you’re called, this year marks a major turning point in your development.

Your Yearling Year begins with Cadet Field Training (CFT), three intense weeks at Camp Buckner. CFT is your first true test in leading small teams, honing soldier skills, and applying everything you learned as a plebe. It’s challenging, high-energy, and unforgettable.

When you complete CFT and other summer requirements, you’ll earn a milestone promotion to cadet corporal. Then you’ll return to West Point ready for another year of academic rigor, personal growth, and building deep camaraderie with your classmates.

This is the year you move from simply following, into learning how to lead.

Cadet Field Training (CFT) / Camp Buckner

Cadet Field Training (CFT) at Camp Buckner is a defining rite of passage for all third-class cadets. During your first summer at West Point, you learned how to be a cadet. During this summer, you learn how to be a soldier in the U.S. Army.

You’ll spend multiple weeks living and training in the more than 13,000 acres of rugged terrain that make up the West Point Military Reservation. The days are demanding, the nights are long, and every challenge pushes you to grow. You’ll build on skills from Cadet Basic Training—like land navigation, rifle marksmanship, and fieldcraft—and take on new levels of complexity with platoon tactics, weapons familiarization, and water obstacles such as the Slide for Life.

CFT tests your resilience and grit, but it also forges unbreakable bonds with your teammates.

Class Flag Presentation

At the conclusion of Cadet Field Training, you will take part in a powerful tradition that connects you with generations of West Point graduates. The 50-year Affiliation Class—graduates who walked your path half a century earlier—will present your class president with a flag embroidered with your class crest.

This flag becomes a symbol of your unity, identity, and shared purpose. In addition to the large crest displayed in Eisenhower Hall, the portable class flag will accompany you throughout the rest of your time at West Point and long after graduation, serving as a centerpiece at class events, reunions, and milestone moments across your career.

It represents the Long Gray Line standing behind you, and the legacy you are now responsible to carry forward.

Yearling Winter Weekend

One of the most memorable milestones of your yearling year is Winter Weekend, a formal banquet and dance that celebrates how far you’ve grown since Plebe year. You’ll have the opportunity to invite guests to this elegant event, where tradition and camaraderie take center stage. At West Point, formal dances are known as hops, and this one is a highlight of the academic year.

The evening begins with a formal receiving line, giving academy leadership the chance to meet your guests and giving you the opportunity to practice military protocol and etiquette, skills that will serve you as a future Army officer.

Inspiration to Serve

Inspiration to Serve is one of the most powerful and meaningful experiences of your third-class year. Your TAC Team will guide you through the West Point Cemetery, where you will hear stories at the gravesites of graduates who made the ultimate sacrifice, those who gave their lives in training or in combat while defending the Constitution and protecting the nation.

At dedicated reflection points, TAC Teams lead candid discussions about the risks, responsibilities, and profound sacrifices of the profession of arms. Standing among the heroes of the Long Gray Line, you will confront the reality of what it means to wear the uniform and lead soldiers.

This moment connects you directly to those who came before you and challenges you to reflect on your own purpose and commitment.

It is designed to deepen your resolve, honor the fallen, and inspire your decision to affirm your place in the profession of arms.

Plebe Milestones

Your plebe year begins your West Point journey and is defined by major milestones, from R-Day and Beast Barracks to the Acceptance Day Parade. Each step pushes you to grow and earn your place in the Corps.

Learn more about plebe milestones

Cow/Yuk Milestones

Your cow (yuk) year is a major turning point. You declare your major, deepen your leadership role and experience milestones like Cow Weekend and receiving your class rings, marking your identity as a class and your commitment to the Long Gray Line.

Learn more about cow/yuk milestones

Firstie Milestones

Your firstie year marks the culmination of your journey. You lead the Corps and experience major milestones like Ring Weekend, Branch Night, 100th Night, and Graduation and Commissioning, where you toss your hat and join the Army as a second lieutenant.

Learn more about firstie milestones