NUPOC interview question

[Goofball]

Hi everyone, this is my first post on these forums, however I've been reading the information on it for about a year now.  I'm a junior at Kettering University and I am trying to get into the NUPOC program.  I'm a mechanical engineer major with an electrical engineer minor, and I'm scheduled to graduate in 2014.  I currently have a 3.65 GPA.

The question I have is: during the technical interviews, do the interviewers ask you major-specific questions based off of classes on your transcript or based off of the study guide?  The reason I ask this is because the study guide covers heat transfer and fluid dynamics and I have yet to take either of those classes.  So should I be prepared to solve those kinds of problems, or should I be focused on reviewing material covered in classes I've already taken.

I've read through most of the info on this site and others about the DC interview and though there is alot of information about the technical interviews I've haven't seen this question get asked yet.

Thanks for any input.

[HydroDave63]

So should I be prepared to solve those kinds of problems

Only if you want to succeed.

[drayer54]

http://www.artikel-software.com/file/thermo-v2.pdf

http://www.artikel-software.com/file/thermo-v1.pdf

http://www.artikel-software.com/file/thermo-v3.pdf

[Gamecock]

You can be asked anything. 

[Fermi2]

The Nuclear Corollary of course is you'll learn it in the classrom or you'll learn it in the plant, or you'll learn it on the test!

[HydroDave63]

The Nuclear Corollary of course is you'll learn it in the classrom or you'll learn it in the plant, or you'll learn it on the test!

So you're saying the desire to learn is innate ?   

[Fermi2]

Not by a LONGSHOT though the Nuclear Industry tends to think it is.

[Goofball]

Thanks drayer for the links, I will definitely make use of them.

Alright, so be ready for anything and study study study.  Go figure

Thanks for the quick replies everyone.

[ToadSuck]

The question I have is: during the technical interviews, do the interviewers ask you major-specific questions based off of classes on your transcript or based off of the study guide?  The reason I ask this is because the study guide covers heat transfer and fluid dynamics and I have yet to take either of those classes.  So should I be prepared to solve those kinds of problems, or should I be focused on reviewing material covered in classes I've already taken.

They really can ask you anything, but from my experience in the guys we sent up to interview...

They ask questions from topics you have already had, but they will take you to the edge of your knowledge to see how you handle the pressure.

[War Eagle]

I'd brush up on topics from courses you may have struggled in.  Pick your class with the lowest grade; at least that was my experience in 1994.

[Gamecock]

I'd brush up on topics from courses you may have struggled in.  Pick your class with the lowest grade; at least that was my experience in 1994.

That's good advice.  When I was doing these interviews, if you had any "C" on your transcript, I would always try to ask at least one question from that subject.

[Goofball]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the advice.  I'll be sure to review classes I struggled with, though thankfully I have not had to endure a C on my transcript .

I'm slotted to go on the Feb. 1-3 VIP trip, so hopefully I'll be interviewing sometime early this spring.

Goofball

[Llewellyon]

I was just interviewed on January 19th, and this was my experience:

I was interviewing for NR engineer and as a senior in college, I have taken almost all courses that I need to graduate. Since I am majoring in mechanical engineering and physics, I studied difficult integration problems (partial fractions, u substitutions, integration by parts), proving various surface area and volume formulas for geometric shapes, mechanical/electrical oscillators and the differential equations that describe them, RC, RL, and RLC circuits, and everything else from the NUPOC study guide that I could.

Come interview day, these were the sorts of questions I was asked:
Parabolic motion
Friction forces
Combining resistors in series and parallel
How do you find maxima/minima of functions
One fluids/heat transfer problem (qualitative, not quantitative though)

In short, virtually all of the questions I was asked I could have answered in high school. In addition, all of the interviewers were extremely nice to me and seemed genuinely enthusiastic that I was there interviewing.

On the other hand, other people interviewing were asked these sorts of questions (especially those going for subs it seemed):

Here is a circuit design problem that usually takes about an hour and a half. You have five minutes.
Complex geometric proof problem that I didn't even understand upon hearing it (and this was asked of a chemical engineering major)

In other words, I believe that the difficulty and sorts of questions you will be asked is very hard to predict. It is very dependent on who is interviewing you, what your major is (it seems electrical engineers may have had a more difficult time with their problems), and what your grades were in those classes. As a previous poster mentioned, if you got a bad grade in a class, study that especially. If you're going over the study guide and see a problem you think is easy, still do it. One person who was interviewing with me had a terrible interview because he had skipped over what he thought was an easy problem in the study guide, then couldn't do it when it was asked of him. Finally, rely on your fellow applicants when studying. Everyone knows something better than someone else, don't spend hours trying to figure out a problem when a fellow applicant can teach the concept to you in five minutes.

When you're interviewing, I have only one piece of advice: smile. The interviewers all want to see how you perform under pressure. In fact, they may ask you questions that they know are beyond your understanding just to see how you react and at least try to solve them. If you look enthused to be there interviewing and seem to be having a good time, even if you are struggling with the material and not getting questions right, it looks much better than staring at the problem with a sad face, hoping for a tip. The most useful words I uttered during any of my interviews were, "well, I DO know...."

In short, be confident. Be prepared. Look happy. And whatever you do, NEVER say the words "I don't know."

[Gamecock]

I was just interviewed on January 19th, and this was my experience:

I was interviewing for NR engineer and as a senior in college, I have taken almost all courses that I need to graduate. Since I am majoring in mechanical engineering and physics, I studied difficult integration problems (partial fractions, u substitutions, integration by parts), proving various surface area and volume formulas for geometric shapes, mechanical/electrical oscillators and the differential equations that describe them, RC, RL, and RLC circuits, and everything else from the NUPOC study guide that I could.

Come interview day, these were the sorts of questions I was asked:
Parabolic motion
Friction forces
Combining resistors in series and parallel
How do you find maxima/minima of functions
One fluids/heat transfer problem (qualitative, not quantitative though)

In short, virtually all of the questions I was asked I could have answered in high school. In addition, all of the interviewers were extremely nice to me and seemed genuinely enthusiastic that I was there interviewing.

On the other hand, other people interviewing were asked these sorts of questions (especially those going for subs it seemed):

Here is a circuit design problem that usually takes about an hour and a half. You have five minutes.
Complex geometric proof problem that I didn't even understand upon hearing it (and this was asked of a chemical engineering major)

In other words, I believe that the difficulty and sorts of questions you will be asked is very hard to predict. It is very dependent on who is interviewing you, what your major is (it seems electrical engineers may have had a more difficult time with their problems), and what your grades were in those classes. As a previous poster mentioned, if you got a bad grade in a class, study that especially. If you're going over the study guide and see a problem you think is easy, still do it. One person who was interviewing with me had a terrible interview because he had skipped over what he thought was an easy problem in the study guide, then couldn't do it when it was asked of him. Finally, rely on your fellow applicants when studying. Everyone knows something better than someone else, don't spend hours trying to figure out a problem when a fellow applicant can teach the concept to you in five minutes.

When you're interviewing, I have only one piece of advice: smile. The interviewers all want to see how you perform under pressure. In fact, they may ask you questions that they know are beyond your understanding just to see how you react and at least try to solve them. If you look enthused to be there interviewing and seem to be having a good time, even if you are struggling with the material and not getting questions right, it looks much better than staring at the problem with a sad face, hoping for a tip. The most useful words I uttered during any of my interviews were, "well, I DO know...."

In short, be confident. Be prepared. Look happy. And whatever you do, NEVER say the words "I don't know."

Since you were interviewing for NR Engineer, your interviewers were very senior members of the Admiral's staff.  Those guys have been doing interviews for many years and know how to gleen what they need to make a good recommendation to the Admiral.

As far as the other candidates and their questions.... be careful what you believe.

When I was doing these interviews, I always asked the same first question of any applicant, regardless of major.  It was a simple question.... but one in which less then 50% of the candidates got right...  Why?  I think because they tried to make it harder then what it was. 

Nobody conducting those interviews wants to fail a candidate by asking ridiculously hard questions.  We do have a responsibility to the program to ensure that those we recommend to the Admiral have the capacity to succeed. 

Cheers,

GC

[LaFeet]

I seem to recall one question...."Define the Universe,  give three examples."

[Gamecock]

I seem to recall one question...."Define the Universe,  give three examples."

That is not a question that gets asked