BDCP questions- I'm a college student

[NavyLonghorn]

You are going to be an officer, and they are going to be enlisted. I really wish you would stop talking down to them though, its kinda rude. The SEAL officers that train side by side with enlisted personel don't seem to complain.

 

[Laxanation]

I would like to know where I am talking down and "complaining" about enlisted. Those are some harsh accusations. Are you serious? Enlisted is not mentioned anywhere in my writing. If you are talking about the "high school kids" I am referring to, they could be on their way to being officers too, you don't know that. What I am talking about is that as far as education, I would be four years ahead of them, you can't deny that. Other than that I am an equal with them. All I am asking is where does my degree fit in at Nuke school. It may not at all, it may be useless...that's all I want to know.
Furthermore, much of my fammily was enlisted and I would be the first officer, so I have more respect for enlisted than you can imagine. I am very proud of my family history. Please be more careful choosing your words, especially when you don't know anything about the people you are talking to on this forum. I don't think anyone is their right mind would come on a military forum and insult any type of military personal!

 

[Spin]

A college experience is beneficial for a number of reasons not limited to academics. "GENERALLY", someone who has had the "college experience" is a little more mature and has had different experiences that have molded the individual. Just my 2 cents but I know that I was a very different person before college than after in certain aspects. I guess to sum it up ... it's a time for you to grow.

Kinda like someone playing college ball then going to the pros as opposed to someone going pro straight outta high school. Ok I'll just shut up now ...

 

[JGalus]

Laxanation,

The differences between enlisted nukes and officer nukes are in the very roles that they perform in the Navy. Es and Os don't even attend school together. As a nuke officer you have a major responsibility to monitor and maintain the plants of which you are working on, not just performing a specific function. As a nuke officer you can either go subs or surface. You will be looking at about two years of intense study, so intense ALOT wash out. If you go sub nuke you go straight to school, often via OHARP if you are lucky. If you go swo nuke, then you go out to the fleet to get your SWO pin then to nuke school. The one thing that you need to keep in mind besides the training and money while in college is the very fact that you will be given the opprotunity to serve as an officer in the world's finest navy. I hope I gave you some good info.

Cheers,

Jamie

"I will graduate eight! No, hell no! I will graduate six!" SSgt Reyes

 

[Integer]

You'll have a college degree.. I've looked at the bios of the commanders of different carriers and bases. Some are pilots, many are NFOs. They have bachelors and masters. And at some point in their 25 years before becoming commander, they even went through nuclear school. Actually, going through Aviation and Nuke school are the requirements to apply for commander... So clearly, you would be all set on your way for promotions academically, the way I see it. It would seem to me that although this would blow for the guy now, they would 1) be retaking those calculus and physics classes they already took in college, so you would be way better off than your classmates. Finally, if you and this other guy were competing for a promotion, who would get it? I'd guess you since you would be older and have a bachelor's, even though you both might have the same Nuke grades and the same exact years in the service!

I'm just guessing here.. can someone more qualified support my logic?

 

[Laxanation]

I really appreciate everyone's response I'm getting some good info here. (More than the recruiter told me!)

 

[JGalus]

Pat,

I am in Norfolk. I am the Repair Division Officer on the USS Shreveport (LPD 12). She is an old ship, but I have a great bunch of guys in my division and the wardroom is pretty good also. What is up with you? What about the other fellas in my alma mater (GTX)? If you got time shoot me out an email, jsg1973US@yahoo.com.

Jamie

 

[jaerose]

Originally posted by Laxanation
Again, does anyone know....say I did take the BDCP option for Nuke...what is the point of my 4-year degree when I'll be sitting in school with kids just outta high school?

OK, I think the way you put it sounds very short-sided and a little arrogant, but I don't think you meant it to sound that way. Just because they're enlisted doesn't mean that they're less intelligent (no, you didn't say that), or just out of high school. I signed up for enlisted NUKE and by the time I was supposed to go (I did 1 year in the CASH program) I had 3 years of college, with 1 year of calc-based Physics and calculus (of course now I have the BS in Physics=). Also, some of those kids might not want to be an officer for whatever reason and also may not be able to afford college, since you have to have some college completed already for BDCP.

The differences for officers and enlisted NUKES is 1) the level of knowledge about the reactors (enlisted have a specialized job...mechanical, or electrical etc.); 2) since your job is management of the enlisted personnel, as well as overseeing the reactor, I would assert that you would need a more extensive knowledge of the reactor and the science behind it in addition to your management/officer skills; 3) you might be asked to teach some enlisted personnel someday, much like my current OPO who is a NUKE, so you need to know your stuff (which is why they get huge bonuses and awesome pay).

Those reasons and probably more are the differences between the enlisted and officer NUKES. Also, as far as the GPA goes for engineering and NUKES, if a designator is over-saturated with applicants, they have to increase the fine mesh...hence the higher GPA. NUKE probably has less applicants and, in my humble opinion, is probably much more rigorous and difficult during the school. Trust me, you're not going to have a 2.7 GPA and waltz in to play with a reactor. You're going to prove your knowledge and ability over and over until they are confident you can handle the responsibility. Also, a 2.7 GPA doesn't mean someone's unintelligent, maybe just unmotivated, or other circumstances. I would think a 2.7 in a technical field would be better than a 3.6 in underwater basket-weaving =)

OK, for the rest of my book please log onto www.amazon.com =)

Good luck,
JR
www.jdroseberry.info (<--under construction)

BTW, now I'm going SNA and my OCS date is 18OCT03

 

[Laxanation]

Sorry for sounding short-sided and arrogant. If you knew me I am the exact opposite. Another question now though. Can I use any recruiter to go in the Navy or does it have to be closest to my hometown? And is it also true that there are only officer recruiters in the major cities pretty much? (Which limits my options even more) I went ot Navy.com and put in my location. It gave me a recruiter and then a number to call for officer positions. I put in a few locations in the northeast, usa and got the same major cities each time for officers. If I want to work closely with a recruiter I'm trying to cut my travel down, especially being in college it's sometimes hard to get away.

Also...Thanks to a little help from Wink...I think I have narrowed my choices to SWO, SWO-Engineering Duty or Oceanography, and NFO...not necessarily in that order. A couple people have told me SWO slots are filled by USNA and NROTC every year because that's what pretty much everyone wants to do. Any truth to this?

 

[Laxanation]

'nother question.
What's it like for rooming on the ship. I know there is a lot of talk on this board about life while underway but how do the rooms vary from rank to rank? I assume ensigns and such get smaller rooms and the higher-ups get the delux suite haha. Like what's the typical size, what's in the room, what can you bring with you, is it comfortable living conditions (for the most part)?

 

[jlinscott]

Enlisted berthing spaces hold anywhere from 17-120 racks (depends on the ship though). My last ship (Spruance class Destroyer) the CBS berthing held 92 people, but the Deck division berthing held 17.

Officer staterooms usually go like this: Junior Officers staterooms hold 4 people (everyone called it JO jungle). The CO and XO each had there own staterooms (which had a private head and office area). All other officer staterooms were 2 to a room. Everyone except the CO and XO share heads.

 

[jaerose]

So what happens if two people need to use the head at the same time? Wouldn't that be problematic? Oh, wait a minute, you mean bathrooms (to us lay-people)...now that makes more sense =) J/K...sorry for the cheesey humor, but I've had a long day!

JR