Risking continuing a dead thread, I am going to reiterate what I said in a different thread, STUDY.
Congratulations on all of you joining the nuclear pipeline, it is an extremely tough but rewarding school, and you will be forever changed because of it. In between A school and Power school I was on T-track due to only having an interim security clearance. These are granted on the CO level (I believe) In order to go into NPS, you actually had to have the clearance. But don't fret, it is not a bad thing to be on T-track, it is a chance to take a break from school and enjoy things for a little bit, you can explore the area, go to the beach and go find those College of Charleston girls! After NPS, there is prototype. One thing I have not noticed in earlier posts is that nobody has mentioned the oppurtunities for students to be a Staff Pick Up (SPU). This is very good oppurtunity, especially for those of you who are looking to get into an officer program and who may have not made it the first time around. As a SPU, you are an instructor at the Prototype, and you are the low man on the totem pole, but you also very quickly become the technical expert in a lot of areas of plant operations since you end up doing everything. Being a SPU myself until a year ago, I have some advice for those of you going into prototype. First off DO NOT data dump everything you learned in NPS and more importantly "A" school, and while I am at it, try to not just memorize everything in those previous schools. If you have a good working understanding of the rate specific information, you will be able to understand the integrated plant a lot easier...therefore get better grades. Second off, use every oppurtunity you have to learn where valves, switchboards, etc... are. There is always a half hour "end of shift" cleanup, while cleaning, figure out what it is you are cleaning. Physically touch (if you can safely do it) every component that you are studying to get it into your head. DO NOT be intimidated by the instructors at prototype, they are there to help you even though they may be a little gruff at times (hey we're in the Navy). And if you want to be a SPU, it's simple, show some initiative, spend QUALITY time studying, don't be cocky, and review, review, review. If you don't, you will forget stuff that you didn't realize you forgot. And I will dispell this myth also, where I was (s8G), the speed of qualification of a student had absolutely no bearing on whether or not he/she was picked up as a SPU, it was knowledge, test scores, leadership ability, and personality. The most important part of the whole pipeline though, maximize liberty! This is extremely important! I am not saying go get s$&t kickin drunk all of the time (although it may happen every once in a while, oh the stories I could tell) I am saying go out and have a good time, go to the beach, go hiking, waterskiing, whatever floats your boat.
Fair winds and Following seas.