Surviving Nuke School

[BunkerQB]

I posted the following originally in January 2011 and reposted by elizabeth77(USS SAN FRANCISCO) on September 21, 2011 with her notes in italic:

My son is a nuke officer on a sub. He went through officer's equivalent of Nuke School and Prototype. It was not difficult for him because his degree was in electrical engineering. Several years ago, I asked him for advice because one of my friend's son was having a hard time. Here is what my son told me off the top of his head over dinner - after a glass or two of wine.

 

1. Don't try too hard. You don't have to pass with flying colors. You just have to pass. Do not mistake this with slacking off, just try to relax a little and do well at the same time.  Perfect isn't a requirement. (my son finds that if he puts in his required study hours, it pretty much keeps him at a level he is happy with for his grades and doesn't get him too stressed out most of the time.)

2. Keep a regular schedule. Try to get a good night sleep every night. If you stay up all night studying - it may not be optimal - a case of diminishing returns - next day you may sleep through the new concepts being presented in class - thereby getting yourself in a deeper hole.

3. Eat healthy - stay with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats (brain food), plenty of fluids. Good nutrition is more important than you think.  Junk foods are easy and tempting, but put effort into eating right (this is a little difficult when I hear the fruits and veggies are either over cooked, under ripe, or over ripe.  I tried to convince my son to go to the store and keep some fresh fruit in his room, but don't think he ever has done it). Wash hands often - avoid getting a cold. Stay warm. Stay away from people who are sick.

4. Do not compare your score with the scores of others - that creates anxiety. Don't stress over ranking stuff.  (just a note here, there is no way to really avoid this.  My son said they post everyone's scores, with their name, so they always know how everyone is doing and what their class ranking is.)

5. Don't be embarrassed or shy about asking for help. Sometimes, it's just one little thing that stands in the way of understanding the concepts.

6. How well you do in Nuke school is not be correlated with how well you do on the fleet.

7. Have some fun (on weekends) but avoid excesses (drinking, eating, playing computer games) because it takes time for the body and mind to recover from those sessions. Be sure to get out of your room.  Socialize.

8. Think positively. Have some faith in the Navy's judgment in putting you in the program in the first place. If you didn't belong, you wouldn't be there. Remember the little victories.

9. Eliminate psychological distractions - particularly family/girl friend issues.

10. Avoid people who are negative - a percentage falls out of the program every years - just the way things are - hang out with others who are have the same positive outlook. And really try to be positive about things.  No sense in dragging yourself down.

11. The material itself is not that difficult (in my son's opinion - for any of the guys who are selected for the program) but the sheer volume of information to absolve in a short period of time makes it difficult.

 12. Divide and conquer. One step at a time. Don't get overwhelmed with the whole scope. Take it one section at a time.

13. Not making it in the Nuke program may be a blessing in disguise - there are plenty of jobs that someone with a "nuke" brain can do. It's not failure in life - just not as able as others to cramp a huge amount of material into the little old brain. NOT A BIG DEAL - just go on to something else.

THINGS CHANGE. FEEDBACK IS IMPORTANT. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ADD/REVISE AS YOU WISH.  BunkerQB January 16, 2013.

[blue mud]

Thank you sooo much for the bump. My son just arrived in SC this weekend, so he is still indoc. I have copied and pasted this and will be passing it along to him.

[Cybermom]

I sent this to my son, who is a bit overwhelmed at the amount of work that's expected, as well as the pressure to function at a higher level than he's used to.  He immediately texted that it was amazingly helpful, and to thank you.

[BevHawkeye]

My son found this very useful. He appreciated all the information as he too, is overwhelmed with all the hours involved. This seemed to help him relax a bit. And he is making some personal changes on how he prepares for getting enough sleep and staying healthy. Thank you for posting these wonderful tips!

[grandmalyons]

So glad for this advice!  Although my real concern is AFTER school is over and he reports for duty.  Math and science have always come easy for him, but this is a field which seems to leave no margin for error in working conditions.  A former Marine friend was so stressed he didn't stay in too long. 

[B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)]

Bump

[UBU'sMom]

I am going to forward this to my son.good info to know. He's in prototype now, wants to get into OCS, has submitted his app. Hoping he'll hear soon.

[B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)]

bump for the newbies!

[BunkerQB]

Posting to "bump" this discussion. #5 is particularly important for guys who have always handled everything on their own (or loners). Moms/dads, give your sons/daughters space to breath, room to make errors and a supportive landing. Don't have to relay to your sailor everything you read on Navy For Moms - keep info to useful stuff. Letting your child make his/her own mistakes is particularly hard for helicopter moms. Sometimes all they need to know (in order to do well) is that if they don't make it, YOU (collective - and his father)will be OK w it and will always have his/her back.

[GeorgiaMom]

A big thank you to all who share here!  My son leaves for basic later this month, and this is all new to me.  The information I have found on this site and in this group has really helped me to prepare myself and to support him.  Looking forward to sharing the journey with you all  :)

[BunkerQB]

It has been over 5 years since my son left the Navy. He was a nuke officer on a submarine. He encountered his share of sailors and officers taking their own lives. One of the issues in his opinion is the over-the-top pride parents exhibit because their son/daughter is a nuke. When the sailor faces difficulties he is so consumed with disappointing everyone/anyone/himself he can not see that life is make up of some spectacular highs but most of the time it is about staying the course. You as parents must put aside the affirmation of one's self worth aspect of having a high achiever for an offspring and reinforce over and over again that failure (I prefer "not succeeding") is a part of life. We all have highs and lows. Not making it in the nuke program should be viewed as just one part of a process of learning where he/she belongs in a profession. If it is too much. Accept it. Find something else. Move on. Good luck to everyone.

[Htownmoma]

Great advice. Will someone be telling the new Nuke student this?