It is during the intensive first week of training that the bonds are formed in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets.
Related: Corp prepares for an intense year
The freshman cadets are forbidden from speaking unless granted permission by the ever-present and often domineering Cadres, or upperclassmen of the corps.
They are forbidden from keeping clocks in their rooms to prevent them from knowing what time they are being roused from their beds in the often still dark morning. They endure hours of physical training in the blazing August sun, and run countless drills over daunting obstacle courses.
Virginia Tech's oldest tradition begins weeks before most students leave the beach. A record number of 293 freshman cadets begin their hardest year of physical training and enter their chosen paths as members of the corps of cadets.
"My goal all my life has been to be a Marine Corps pilot," said freshman cadet Jason Schnitker, a general engineering major. "I feel Virginia Tech's Corps of Cadets, specifically Raider Company, is the best preparation for Marine Corps Officer Candidate School."
This year the corps has seen the largest increase in enrollment since 2002. The number of cadets has grown so much that they too are feeling the pressure of lack of beds. Some residence halls have three cadets in each room.
There has also been a sharp rise in the number of women in the corps.
"There has been about a five percent increase in our female numbers, and I'm really excited about it," said Maj. Rewa Mariger, head of corps recruitment.
"We are trying to show them that the corps and ROTC are not all-male programs."
One of the new female faces in the corps is Mehta, a freshman in general engineering.
"I wanted to be a part of the corps because there is no other way to become a better leader than to join ROTC," Mehta said. "We learn to work together as a class and learn how to lead our country."
The corps has also established itself as one of the top senior military colleges in the United States, holding the highest scores from leadership development assessment camps that all military colleges attend, according to Mariger.
"I think that the word is starting to get out there that we're one of the best senior military colleges to attend," Mariger said. "Applications have steadily been rising as we've gotten the word out more and more."
While Mariger attributes the steady growth of the program to the achievement of the cadets, Lt. Col. Bill Stringer credits the growth to an increase in active recruitment.
Stringer is retired from the Marine Corps, and he serves as a deputy commandant and leads the first battalion.
"We've been holding at about 250, 252 for the past three or four years. This year we have 293," Stringer said. "I think the best explanation for the increase is being a lot more aggressive on the recruiting program. We have a recruiter for the first time, an experienced recruiter, and that aggressive recruiting plus a lot more involvement from corps alumni has really helped."
Many students who are involved in the corps can choose what is called the "civilian track," which entails being a member of the corps, but not the ROTC, and they will not commission after graduation. These students will still hold a minor in leadership and have access to the opportunities offered through the corps' alumni connections.
Scholarships awarded to members of the ROTC, those who are choosing to enter into military service as commissioned officers after graduation, are given through their chosen branch of the military.
"I was awarded a Marine Corps scholarship and was assigned to my top choice, Virginia Tech," Schnitker said. "You give them your top five choices and I just happened to get my top choice."
No ROTC scholarships are awarded through Tech. Most of the scholarships received by members of the corps only cover tuition. The only exception to this is the Army program, which often gives full scholarships that include room and board.
"The cadets are given a monthly stipend of $200," Mariger said. "The stipend increases by $50 each year, and so by the time they graduate they have made a fair amount of money."
The civilian corps program, however, does award scholarships to the cadets in the track.
"Cadets in the corps are given the opportunity to win an emerging leader scholarship which awards $2,000 for in-state students and $3,000 for out-of-state students," said Lt. Col. Gary Jackson, associate director of undergraduate admissions for the corps.
In these uncertain economic times, students are looking for a guaranteed job - a light at the end of the tunnel after college - and military service is quickly becoming a viable option.
Maj. Jimmy Wiley is just one cadet who has chosen a lifelong career in the military. He is currently a student at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.
"It is nice knowing that you have a career after you graduate," Wiley, a '97 graduate of the corps, said. "But it is also a career that teaches you great leadership skills and can prepare you for leadership roles in the civilian world if you choose not to make it a lifelong career."