Academic Waiver Question

[Dart_Fur]

Hello all, I have just enlisted in the Navy. I am trying to get into the Navy's Nuclear Power Program. I have taken the ASVAB and received a 253 (252 is the minimum) so my recruiter said that i did not need to take the APT/NFQT nuclear qualifying test but when they received my High School transcript they saw that I had a D in Pre-Algebra Freshman year. So I took the APT test and passed with a 61 (55 minimum). So they sent out the waiver.

They said that I must apply for a job first and after I enlist they will tell me if my waiver was accepted or not.
My question is: What are my chances on becoming a nuke? Since I already enlisted for a different job, will the navy just keep me there and not even give me a chance on becoming a nuke? Also, should I be worrying about my waiver? I mean, its only one waiver and it's for something very minimal...

Please any advise will help, and thank you. 

[withroaj]

Simple answer: what you get in writing you get in your Navy Adventure.  Keep that in mind as you progress.  You can ask for nuke with no other options on the table, and if you're accepted into the program the Navy will be there. Since you found nukeworker, you may find that a non-nuke enlistment can still get you into the nuclear world post-Navy if you have a goal and work in that direction.

Good luck, and thank you for volunteering to serve.

[crewjobs_too]

Hi there,

I defer to the experts here but can offer some advice from my family's experience with it so far.

My son is a ET student in the Navy nuclear power program now.  I would not worry about just one  waiver for the one math class you got a D in when you were 14.  If your other grades are good you will get in.  You may have to wait a bit for NR to process your waiver from weeks to a couple months ... well that is not a big deal either.  Don't worry about the NAPT either my son had auto-qualified for nuke  well beyond 252 and had a 99 AFQT with no academic or other issues and they asked him to take the NAPT test anyway, he got a 69.  Get used to taking whatever academic/physical/medical/promotion exams  the Navy tells you to take, it is all good and for your benefit as long as you pass it.  A lot of DEPpers seem to fixate on having to take the  NAPT not sure why.

I asked your same question in the forum a while back out of curiosity and Yes  there were some people who enlisted as non-nuke and then got accepted to nuke before boot camp.  So it does happen.  Here is the thread if you are interested:
http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,27173.0.html

   Just remember the final contract you sign on the day you leave for boot camp, is the best you will get.   Also, a person can  be dropped  even during boot camp but they do not add nukes.   

My son will be graduating  Power School  this Friday in the top 1/3 of the graduating class but still has a long road ahead of him.

Good luck to you, you will do fine.

[Fermi2]

If you've only enlisted you are not required to show up. Do NOT go in thinking the Navy is going to do the right thing by you. It's your life, if you want to be a nuke then make them get the waiver first.

Keep this in mind. The staffing shortages for the industry will be a thing of the past by the time your enlistment is over. We'll be reaching a breaking point soon on staffing vs life of the plant. Even with 20 year license extensions most plants have maybe 20 to 30 years left and I doubt you'll see any extensions after 60 years. The new plants so far number 4, arguably 5 with Watts Bar. A lot of the guys hired in today will be the same guys retiring when their plants retire. Soon the job pool will be shrinking and those being hired will be those with previous nuclear backgrounds.

Just a thought...

[Dart_Fur]

Thank you withroaj, crewjobs_too, and Broadzilla. I am hoping for the best. I hope that my waiver will be accepted soon. As I would really love to become a Nuke, with all the benefits and the challenges that come with the schooling and the job. I love challenges. My recruiters said that I should hear back from them about my waiver in a few weeks I will post the result on here when the time comes.

Until then I cant help but to sit and wait and hope for the best! I will continue to look through NukeWorker and see if I can find anymore info to help.

Thanks again you guys.

[dhmielke]

Hi Dart_Fur,

Not sure if you have heard back or not yet, but wanted to give my input as I was in the same situation. I had a D in Algebra 3 my Junior year for one semester, so when I got to MEPS made it an issue. I signed for AECF while waiting for the waiver and it did come back approved for me about two weeks later. So answer is yes it is possible, but not sure how often or likely this situation is to happen.