Navy Nuke and Me

[FatDaddy1]

Hey guys. I've been lurking this site for a while now and I am impressed with the people here. For the most part you all seem pretty nice, and it is good to see people willing to toss some advice to the newcomers.

So right now, like a lot of others here, I am working on getting into the Nuke program. I am currently a Sophomore in college majoring in Math Education and totally hate everything about that major, the school I'm attending, and the area of the world in which I currently live. It's peaceful here but after 20 years of the same I'd like to see something new.

When I was a junior in High School I was considering the Nuke program, along with other branches of service. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and the military seemed exciting. I took the ASVAB then and scored a 98, qualifying for Nuclear. The problem was, once my scores came through I was hounded non stop by recruiters of every branch and it turned me off to the service. Additionally, when I was a senior I suffered a pretty severe patella dislocation. I had surgery on it shortly after the injury, but unfortunately it wasn't fixed. Months went by and I was still hobbling around like a crippled old man. I ran the quarter mile for my school's track team, and from my junior year to my senior year there was an 8 second decrease in my best time. So, basically, even if I still wanted to join the military the chances of me passing any sort of physical test were slim to none.

Naturally, injuring my knee my senior year and being unable to preform in my favorite activities demoralized me, and any motivation I had to do anything was completely destroyed. It was fortunate, though, that I was gifted enough to still do well in school without really doing anything. I graduated with a 3.7 GPA, and scored a 5 on the Advanced Placement Calculus test.

Going into college I still had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, and I was still carrying that incredible lack of motivation. Before my injury I was a pretty decent athlete and was constantly active. Afterward, even the basic task of climbing the stairs caused me nearly unbearable pain, and although I still had interest in sports and staying active, I never really wanted to go through the pain I knew it would give me. My first semester of college ended up being an embarrassment as I failed two classes, got a D in two more (including Trig) and scraped by with a C in the only class I had any interest of attending.

The next semester I transferred to a small school only a few miles away from where I grew up, and although my grades were much better, it was not because of any increase in motivation.

At the start of the new year my parents got a new health insurance plan through my Dad's work (government employee) and we began searching for another doctor to look at my knee. Midway through the semester I had another operation and was out of school for multiple weeks. I went from not being able to run without pain to not being able to run at all, and the few weeks I was in an immobilizer damaged my moral even more. I passed all my classes (received a C in Elementary Statistics because I did no homework but did fine on the tests) except for Calculus 2. My knee surgery allowed me to take an incomplete for the Calc course, and at that time I was completely content with that.

Over the summer I started some physical therapy and began to see that the second surgery did wonders for my knee. Even without yet being 100% I could do things without pain that months before I could not. It sort of gave me a spark and I got to thinking about the military again, knowing that in a few months my knee would be back to what it was before my injury.

I've spent a lot of time considering the Nuclear Field, done a lot of reading about, talked to a few sailors who have been through it, and even drove halfway across the country to visit the Naval base in San Diego, California. I know 100% Navy Nuke is where I want to go, and I am definitely excited about it. I took the ASVAB again a few weeks ago, and although I didn't score the same 98 I did the first time, I got a 93 and still qualified for the Nuclear. Sometimes I find myself just sitting in my room daydreaming about joining, and each time I fall deeper and deeper in love with the idea.

The problem is, I seem to have woken up in this my third semester of college with some less than par grades in my math classes. I am currently retaking Calculus 2 and have a 2 credit hour Matrix Algebra along with it. At midterm I was failing both of them. I have been able to find the motivation to rehab my knee: I see a very clear goal in successfully strengthening it, and in a few weeks I should be able to easily pass the physical at MEPS. On the other hand, I still have the incredible lack of motivation to study the math I'm taking.

As a Math Education major at this school, the curriculum only requires some basic concepts and theories and there is absolutely no practical applications to the math I'm supposed to be learning. I have finally found what I want to do with my life, at least for the next six years, and it is not this. Yeah, the Calculus I'm working with is complicated, but I wouldn't say it is challenging. I understand everything when the instructor goes over it in class, but I have no motivation to do the homework, and since I don't ever actually work with the problems, test time comes and I don't really know what I'm doing. I know I need to get my act together and there still may be time to raise my grade to at least a C, but I am still having troubles getting myself motivated. It helps not that I completely despise the school and my instructor, and I see absolutely no end goal to learning this math here.

Frankly I'm worried that, if I end up failing my Calc 2, this along with my past knee issues will turn the Navy off to me for the Nuclear program. I know I am an intelligent person and I know that I have motivation to do the Nuke program, and I know that if I am accepted I will do well in it. I consider myself a skilled leader and honestly believe in as humble form as possible that I am exactly the kind of person that will strive in the Nuclear Field, but I am worried the Navy won't look past my grades and my knee.

Both of my surgeries were arthroscopic and since I am recovering very well I foresee no issues getting waivers. I am, though, very worried about the grades.

I apologize for the length of this. Hopefully my life is entertaining enough that perhaps one person will read this and comment, and if so, I thank you in advance.

[Fermi2]

Hey bud do you want to be an officer? If not, a C in some level of Algebra will get you in.
Also ask yourself, can your knees handle hours walking on some very hard decks and going up and down some very steep ladders/stairs?
If there's a steam leak or fire your knees have to be able to get you out of there (or into there) and you might have to go up or down steep ladders in the dark in order to do so.

Think about that first. Passing the PT isn't the point, having functionality after 30 straight hours awake with your bud relying on you to be able to save his life is the point.

[HydroDave63]

Frankly I'm worried that, if I end up failing my Calc 2, this along with my past knee issues will turn the Navy off to me for the Nuclear program. I know I am an intelligent person and I know that I have motivation to do the Nuke program.

Fail, see below:

On the other hand, I still have the incredible lack of motivation to study the math I'm taking.

, and I know that if I am accepted I will do well in it. I consider myself a skilled leader and honestly believe in as humble form as possible that I am exactly the kind of person that will strive in the Nuclear Field, but I am worried the Navy won't look past my grades and my knee.

Skilled leader?!?! You don't even have your OWN ducks in a row, much less be in a spot to give someone else direction. BTW, the Navy has roughly 3x10⁴ points of empirical data gathered over half a century regarding which test scores and physical impairments are predictors of failure. Study habits also play into that 

have finally found what I want to do with my life, at least for the next six years, and it is not this. Yeah, the Calculus I'm working with is complicated, but I wouldn't say it is challenging. I understand everything when the instructor goes over it in class, but I have no motivation to do the homework, and since I don't ever actually work with the problems, test time comes and I don't really know what I'm doing. I know I need to get my act together and there still may be time to raise my grade to at least a C, but I am still having troubles getting myself motivated. 

I'm not telling you this because I'm one of those Navy Nuclear Program superhero action figures you may have seen out here. I struggled through boot camp, lower 1/3 of most every class, etc. It was miserable hard work. Right now you would fail, period. The standards are high for a reason, because nuclear power plant operations is an unforgiving zero-defect environment.

Take some time, and focus on completing this college year in a motivated and successful manner. You will then be honed and ready to be a success in Nuclear.

Good luck!

[zoomies]

Fail, see below:


Skilled leader?!?! You don't even have your OWN ducks in a row, much less be in a spot to give someone else direction. BTW, the Navy has roughly 3x10⁴ points of empirical data gathered over half a century regarding which test scores and physical impairments are predictors of failure. Study habits also play into that 
I'm not telling you this because I'm one of those Navy Nuclear Program superhero action figures you may have seen out here. I struggled through boot camp, lower 1/3 of most every class, etc. It was miserable hard work. Right now you would fail, period. The standards are high for a reason, because nuclear power plant operations is an unforgiving zero-defect environment.

Take some time, and focus on completing this college year in a motivated and successful manner. You will then be honed and ready to be a success in Nuclear.

Good luck!

I was a complete moron before I joined the navy, getting waivers for failing high school algebra and pretty much being a waste of space before I joined. I got good grades all through 'A' and 'P' school (although I almost always put in extra hours) and I recently was one of the first to qualify out of prototype and I am looking forward to getting to my first ship. Oh, and I also tore my ACL before joining the navy and always had bad knee problems but I run my PFA in 10:30 and just try to stay in good shape. What I am saying is I pretty much am a completely different person than what I came in as, so if you go in with the right attitude, you will do great. It is completely up to you.