This is partly explainable, however, in that '02 showed up with ten medical disqualifiers that should've been caught in the pre-appointment medical screening process. When you subtract these ten out of the '02 attrits, '02 is nearly on the even-year average for swab summer attrition. Thus, we continue to examine swab summer attrition in pursuit of systemic improvements. Moreover, we intend to persist in our attempts to understand and improve overall retention, and we need parents' help. Let me turn now to some of the common 'pitfalls' we feel account for cadets' difficulties with our program.
Time management is a common failing.
Parents could encourage their cadets to develop effective time-management strategies, identify priorities, set goals, and control how they use time. Cadets' time is less 'programmed', especially in the academic year, than many realize Cadets resist studying during absences from the Academy. Parents could encourage them to study when visiting home, pointing out that successful lifelong learners never miss an opportunity. Cadets are reluctant to use our student support services. We have quite a 'safety net', and our teaching faculty is well known for their interest and willingness to help individual cadets who ask.