Thanks for helping me make the decision to apply. A few questions though...

[answersheet]

Hello All!

I wanted to thank everyone on this forum for providing an excellent resource for prospective nukes with honest and factual information regarding the program. In total I've spent 3 days reading countless pages about Navy life both here and on the military.com forums. From these great reserves of knowledge I have been able to make a very informed decision and am happy to say that I've decided to apply for a position as a Navy Nuke. As of right now I can't actually DEP in due to the new weight restrictions (I'm currently 20 lbs over the limit) but I am working on slimming down to be at weight in a little over a month. Right now I also have two recruiters who I'm keeping in contact with, a Nuke recruiter who lives about a half a days drive away, and one a little more local. However, there are a few questions that I am afraid to ask because they may open a bag of worms that could disqualify me from Nuke service. All of these questions have been asked before to current enlisted sailors and even a commissioned officer or two. From them I have received positive answers saying that it doesn't matter whether I tell my recruiters but I would like to ask you all before I go ahead and inform them. What I would like to know is:

1)Whether multiple failed attempts at going back to college will prove detrimental to my enlisting as a Navy Nuke. I've done poorly at a state college and more recently at a community college. From reading the forums it seems that it wont matter at all, but because I did have multiple attempts I was wondering if this would fall under a moral waiver. My second attempt was this past year which is about 5 years after my first attempt (I'm 24 if you're counting). I never really jived with college and how remote it was from the real world (I was a physics major), but my parents wanted me to keep attempting it so I reluctantly went into half-heartedly.

2)Whether seeing a licensed therapist a few times when I initially failed out will require some type of waiver. I was never suicidal or depressed, just confused about what I wanted out of life. My parents thought it would be a good idea to go talk to someone. To be honest, I'm not even sure if this is in my medical records. My officer friend says its no sweat and don't even mention it if its not in my records. I prefer coming clean with my recruiters regardless.

3)Whether taking Vyvanse or Adderall will definitely disqualify me from Nuke service. My family doctor prescribed me a trial dose of Adderall about a year ago to help when I first started attending school again. I never even finished the prescription because I hate the way it makes me feel. The same thing happened with the Vyvanse about 2 months ago. Got a trial dose and never finished it because I didn't like it. Again, everyone I've talked to who is active duty, both enlisted and commissioned, tell me not to worry and don't even mention it since it was a trial dose and I was never 100% diagnosed with ADD (technically family doctors cant diagnose ADD, but can prescribe medicine to combat it??)

4)Whether not being able to find a job for a year will count against me. I live in a place that was hit pretty hard by the recession and my dad recently lost his job and my brother too. I have held a job for about the last year or so, but there is a gap year where no one would hire me. Will this require some type of moral waiver?

5)Whether having about 3k in debt (mostly from school) will require a moral waiver. Again, from searching forums it seems that this wont be a big deal. I plan on paying the debt off with my first two months paycheck if I land a position as a Nuke and I have payment plans worked out.

A little bit about myself if that helps: I am 24 years old, finished high school with a 3.75 G.P.A, Eagle Scout, was ranked Major in JROTC my senior year of high school, AP courses in Calculus and Physics in high school, taken Statistical Thermodynamics and Calc III in college, ASVAB was 96.

EDIT: Woah, didn't realize it was a wall of text
TLDR: Thanks for everyones wonderful help on this forum. Spent a lot of time researching nuke field, decided I wanted to join. BUT... went to therapist three or four times 6 years ago, sucked in college two different times, was on a trial dose of adderall within a year and hated it, no job for a year and 3k in debt. Will this disqualify me?

[spekkio]

1) Pretty sure the Navy will want to see all of your transcripts, so your college one(s) may be detrimental. If you only applied to schools but were rejected, then don't tell the Navy what they're not asking for.

2 and 3) You MUST disclose this to the recruiter and the docs at MEPS, despite that your recruiter may tell you otherwise. It may disqualify you from service, but better to find out now than to be booted a couple years down the line with a dishonorable or other than honorable for lying after you've spent your nuke bonus...oh, and they want the money back.

4) Gaps in employment never look good. There's literally nothing you could be doing right now?

5) 3k in debt is nothing, as long as you aren't in delinquent.

[answersheet]

Thanks for your advice! I suppose I should tell the recruiter about everything. I hear that they do offer waivers for the Adderall and the therapist. Even if I am planning on volunteering for sub service and trying to join one of the most undermanned rating, I want to have all my ducks in a row. Competing against kids straight out of high school for this job in a recession is getting me all worked up.

It was last year that I had trouble finding a job. I'm actually working a couple different jobs right now. Only one is on the record books, everything else under the table (helping little old ladies mow lawns and taking care of a few horses for the summer).

[answersheet]

An acronym that you'll soon learn to loathe:  ATQ:  Answer The Question.  Do not volunteer excess information, just answer the question as concisely as possible and move on.   

This is exactly what my commissioned friend was telling me.  I do feel conflicted about it though. I DO NOT want anything coming back 5 years from now and biting me in the ass. It seems silly that taking 3 or 4 Adderall and a few Vyvanse, or having some woman talk to me for a grand total of 3 hours could completely disqualify me from service. Maybe I am over-thinking this and should just Answer The Question.

[spekkio]

This will be an unpopular but honest response, and by no means am I recommending you ever withhold information...

I agree with you -- hence the answer RE: college apps. However, you do NOT want to withhold medical information they could find out down the line. If you had the flu 2 years ago then sure, no reason to disclose it. But if you have a chronic condition, eg mental illness, you should disclose that on the application. It may not come out, it may come out later...but why risk it?

IIRC, the question goes: Do you now or have you ever seen a mental health professional? Pretty straightforward, I must say.

[tingler25]

Were your H.S grades good? Especially math. Any D's require an academic waiver. You are 24? When do you turn 25? If you turn 25 any earlier than February of 2011 then you will probably require an age waiver. For this they will want all of your college transcripts, take the NAPT, and 3 letters of recommendation. Age waivers are hit or miss, but multiple waivers are generally frowned upon. Thank the economy.

[answersheet]

Were your H.S grades good? Especially math. Any D's require an academic waiver. You are 24? When do you turn 25? If you turn 25 any earlier than February of 2011 then you will probably require an age waiver. For this they will want all of your college transcripts, take the NAPT, and 3 letters of recommendation. Age waivers are hit or miss, but multiple waivers are generally frowned upon. Thank the economy.

I just turned 24, final H.S. GPA was a 3.75 and I finished Calc I my sophomore year with an A. Sorry if that wasn't clear in my original post.

[answersheet]

UPDATE


After some searching and talking to my recruiters I've found some answers to my own questions.

1. Does not look good, but should not matter.
2. According to http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF86.pdf you are not required to list visiting mental health professionals if it was for grief not related to violence by you. EDIT: Not sure if this is the form you fill out... Maybe this is only for security clearance???
3. Requires waiver.
4. Does not look good, but should not matter.
5. Does not look good, but should not matter.