NUPOC hopeful

[goldenjmu07]

Hey all, first post here.  I have been reading and you all seem to know tons of information so I thought I might post.

Here is a little background info on myself.
Good physical condition - Run 20-30 miles a week and lift weights 2-3 times a week. 6'0/195lbs
HS GPA was around a 3.8.
Attended James Madison University in Virginia and finished with a 2.65 and got a BS Physics with a 3.1 GPA for my major classes.
I am not currently in grad school working on my MS Physics at Virginia Commonwealth University and finished with a 3.6 GPA.

I am currently talking with a recruiter from Virginia Beach and have already filled out some paper work.  He was saying that I might need a waiver on a couple of my undergrad classes.  The reason for my low GPA at JMU was due to the fact of laziness and having too much fun.  However, I have cleaned up my act and finished with an A in EM, A in Math Methods, B in Solid State, B in Quantum Mechanics, and an A in Classical Mechanics for grad school.

I have the study guide from the recruiter that I have been studying but I seem to be rusty in some of my areas as I have no seen some of the info since Freshman year.  I guess I am somewhat scared of the interview (if I am even accepted for it).  What is the success/failure rate of the interview?  What happens if you fail the interview? Do they give you other options for the navy?

It seems my only fear is the interview, as I know once I get into nuke school I will succeed.  Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[Harley Rider]

The Navy is hurting so much for Nuke Officers right now that you could go into that interview tomorrow wearing a sombrero, cowboy boots, Bermuda shorts and a bright green t-shirt with the letters F-T-N emblazoned across your chest and they would put you in. Don't sweat it man just throw your shoulders back, act confident and answer the questions the same way. You'll be fine and your credentials are fine. Be safe and stay cool.

BTW: Behind every successful lazy Officer is a great Chief !

[withroaj]

The Navy is hurting so much for Nuke Officers right now that you could go into that interview tomorrow wearing a sombrero, cowboy boots, Bermuda shorts and a bright green t-shirt with the letters F-T-N emblazoned across your chest and they would put you in. Don't sweat it man just throw your shoulders back, act confident and answer the questions the same way. You'll be fine and your credentials are fine. Be safe and stay cool.

BTW: Behind every successful lazy Officer is a great Chief !

For the uninitiated:  "F-T-N" means "Fight Terrorism Now."    

[Keln]

For the uninitiated:  "F-T-N" means "Fight Terrorism Now."    

I thought it was Free The Nukes 

[still_in]

Hey,
Just thought I would offer what I know.  I just interviewed with NR this past summer.  My interviews covered sophomore and junior material, mainly physics.  I am an Mechanical Engineering major in STA-21.  My interviews were not extremely difficult, Im not sure if my prior enlisted experience had any thing to do with it.  During the 2 morning interviews, the technical ones, the interviewers helped guide me thru the questions if I was stuck.  They didn't do the work for me but if I was stuck on something small they moved past it to see what else I knew.
The afternoon interview is with Admiral Donald.  It is awkward to say the least.  It is scripted for the most part and you can bet he will ask about grades if any are questionable.  Anyway, most of the people that I interviewed with got accepted, even with questionable grades.

Good Luck

[NukeNTO]

The pass rate at interview this past year was roughly 88%.  This is down from the 92% it has been at for the last several years.  Not entirely sure what to attribute this to, but the point is that if you get invited you should feel very good about your chances.  That being said, you don't want to be one of those few who fail, because I know for a fact that they have a miserable time the rest of the trip.  I've had to tell people they failed and it sucks because it crushes them.  So take advantage of the time you have and go over the study guide, especially math/physics.  The stuff isn't all that hard, but it sounds like it's probably been several years since you had these classes so knock the rust off now while you have the chance.  That way when you go up there you can put your best foot forward.  The guys/gals who assume that they can just show up and pass are the ones who typically go home disappointed.  Just my two cents. 

[thebutteryone]

The Navy is hurting so much for Nuke Officers right now that you could go into that interview tomorrow wearing a sombrero, cowboy boots, Bermuda shorts and a bright green t-shirt with the letters F-T-N emblazoned across your chest and they would put you in. Don't sweat it man just throw your shoulders back, act confident and answer the questions the same way. You'll be fine and your credentials are fine. Be safe and stay cool.

Why is the navy hurting for NUPOC officers now when it was so competitive in years past? Especially in this economy.

My recruiter told me NUPOC surface is currently full, partially because of all male subs, but I thought subs were where the action was. Has something changed about the program that I should know about? My interview is in a month.

Thanks

Great site. Highly informative.

[CaseEEStud]

As a heads up, make sure that you study that basic physics and math that you probably haven't had for a couple of years (as already mentioned). When I was there, a HIGHLY qualified candidate got stuck on some of this stuff. Go through the study packet and be prepared to answer any of the questions. Just make sure that you can answer any projectile, conservation of energy/momentum questions (using calc), and calculus questions. The calc question will most likely be on integrating objects up to 3-D in any coordinate system. It is pretty easy to forget a lot of this stuff, but I'm sure that you will do fine.

If you do poorly on the interview, you will either be invited to reinterview, or rejected. A rejection means thanks for playing, try something else.

The officers running the program will be able to give you more details on the process. As mentioned before, they will ask you about your grades, and any other short comings that show up on your application. You are already qualified by virtue of being invited, now you just have to prove it. Nobody gets invited that can't make it in to the program.

Best of luck!

[NukeNTO]

Over the past couple of months we've gotten a ton of applications for NUPOC, I imagine largely due to the economy.  We're still in need of submarine officers and instructors if you're graduating by this May.  If you're going to be in school longer than that all programs are currently open.  NR has been rejecting a MUCH higher percentage of applicants so far this year than in the past.  We're currently down in the 75% range for acceptance this fiscal year.  I think a large part of it is that our goals went way up so instead of being picky and only taking 50-60 people, we now need to find 130+.  And since we're still drawing from the same applicant pool, it doesn't take a genius to see that we should probably expect a few more failures provided NR hasn't dropped the standard (which I don't think they have). 

The point is that while I don't think I'd say we're desperate (we have a backlog of applications to fill several months of interviews), we do still need a lot of qualified people.  But realize that the standard is still the same as in past years, so don't think that our need for people is going to make your interview any easier or you're likely to be an NR casualty.   

[HydroDave63]

I thought it was Free The Nukes 

Back on my cruise boat it was " Fun Time Navy "

[NukeLDO]

Just remember, it's "Yes Admiral" and "No Admiral."  Not "yes sir, no sir"........Admiral.  And you don't want to find yourself saying "Yes Admiral, but...."  But doesn't belong in the interview.