C school

[Laura]

My son is in the DEP pool now.  He will be going to boot July 14th, then on to IS A school.  Once he graduates A school will he be able to pick his specialty for C school or is it assigned?

[JM-ISmomx2]

He will be able to pick depending on not only availability but his ranking in the class. C school is usually picked on location basis. My daughter who went through A school last January finished second in her class so she ended up with a better pick then others. 1st pick for her group got Hawaii as their choice option. So the better they do in A school, the more likely they will get a location they want. Hope that helps. My son who is currently in Boot camp is also an IS and he hopes to go Ground Intel, or daughter is in the Imagery program.

[Mary (Chris' mom)]

Laura,
Good that you are getting info early and welcome to the Navy life. Your sailor will love the IS rating. School is not easy for them it is competitive for those coveted top ranks in class but he will not have to compete equally with all from his class. There are usually a couple in each class who are full-time active, reserves, and fleet-returnees...they all compete together yet each group is a little separate so out of 15 or 20 in the class he may only compete with 11-15 others. Returnees often get other guarantees with their contract renewals and some are already IS wanting new skills, reservists are often going back home to continue training with their "local" units. So the full-timers are kind of a separate group but they still have to show that they can do as well as those returnees.
Near the end of A school he will be shown a list of upcoming openings, he can then chose either whatever job they have at a place he likes, or pick a job that he really likes and go wherever there is an opening. It does not matter his rank in class, nothing is etched in stone until they have signed orders in their hands. And another thing to look at is the length of the C school, a lot more can happen and change during a 15 week school than during a 5 week school. The Navy pretty well knows 6 months ahead who they will need where. (One reason they have to pick susequent duty stations 6-9 months in advance, it allows the schools and bases to know who is staying, who is leaving and who they need to fill that position)
The big thing for parents to remember throughout school is, if they scored high enough to be there, they can make it....

[Laura]

Thank you both very much for the information.

[Libby(CJs Mom)]

Remember, though, that with C school and duty assignments the ever-popular "needs of the Navy" come first. Our son was 2nd overall in his A school class and first among "booters". He listed Imagery on the East Coast as his first option, and OpIntel second. He is now in Strike C school and heading to a F-18 squadron in California when he graduates next month. Its actually looking to be a great assignment for him.

As always, Mama-Navy Knows Best :)

[Mary (Chris' mom)]

Libby,
Lol...been there, done that.. as well. If they keep an open mind it works well for them. Yes, my son's rank I do not remember but it was high enough that he could choose strike on one of the ships, but a classmate who ranked lower really wanted that job, so Chris chose DC which at the time had openings in OpIntel, so he went to OpIntel school. Soon after classing up they told him he would not be going to DC, but to Korea. He was not at all happy at first, then he decided to make the most of his one year assignment. After 2 months there he loved it enough to sign on for another year! He has done well, and though he looks forward to his next duty station, he has enjoyed his time there.

[Kim]

Hi, all. My son just graduated C school and is sitting right in front of me(on leave). Right now, they give the guys a "dream sheet" in A school to fill out for what they really want, location over specialty or specialty over location. This is just a dream. Rank in class does not mean anything. He said the ranking changed right before he got there so by next summer things could change again. He said just be open to anything .Like Libby said, the needs of the Navy come first! My impression that is is such a great rate that they can't go wrong in whatever specialty they get!

[Laura]

I am so glad that I this forum exists and that I asked this question. I was under the impression that my son's C school was also at Damn Neck. I thought that the class ranking came into play for a duty station after C school, not in choosing the C school. I'm sure he will be surprised to learn this as well. Does anyone have a recommendation for books, journals etc that my son could read that would help prepare him for the IS field? Again, thank you all for your help!

[JM-ISmomx2]

A & C school for IS rate is at Dam Neck. And any study material is considered classified and can only be used in the secure classrooms not their barracks.

[Laura]

Thank you. I am still getting used to Navy terminology. I am an Army wife. When Libby mentioned "Strike C school" in California I thought that the C school training was in California for that speciality. It will take me some time to get used to all of the differences. I am glad I started now. Do you know if my son should study and particular field, math, science, english etc. for IS schools?

[Libby(CJs Mom)]

Sorry for the confusion. Yes, his Strike C school is in Dam Neck and his duty station - after graduation - will be in California.

Between A School, C School and potential hold times before each, they will get all the time they want at Dam Neck Annex. Our son has been there since the second week of May. Now we'll see after all the "DN is so small and nothing is close to it" talk how he feels about Lemoore!

[Mary (Chris' mom)]

As JM says, the books and online resources they might use for class is not even allowed at the barracks, that is one reason that when they have big presentations or tests they may be at the schoolhouse until 10:00 or 11:00 at night. I can't think of any specific things your sailor can do to prepare other than learn professional writing skills. Job specific things he will learn as needed.

Interesting information about class rank no longer a consideration for the assignment choices. Hmm...thanks for the update on it. In reality yes the "dream sheet" is just that, a list of possibilities. When all is said and done, the Navy puts them where they are most needed. As with any other job in life, everyone has their own set of skills and talents and it is a part of the instructor's job to pull out those strengths in your sailor and find a placement suitable for their abilities.

[NMITC Instructor]

Laura,

It looks like the other mom's did an awesome job explaining the "C" school process. The way the students are assigned orders can be complex at times, but the way the basic process works is that each student will fill out an individual "dream sheet". They will have an overall option of NEC (job) or location. Inside the two categories, the student will rank their preference. For example, if a student chooses NEC over their ultimate location, they would then rank what job they would prefer to do (Strike, Imagery, Ground, or OPINTEL). If they choose location over NEC then they would rank their location (West Coast, East Coast, Japan, Europe, etc..). When the billets come out each month, the school will then assign the student a set of orders based upon their dream sheet. But as you've heard before, the needs of the Navy supersede everything.

One thing that I would add in regards for items to study would be to have your sailor keep up with international current events and the news. They need to know whats going on in the world in order to succeed in their rating. Another would be to have them brush up on their skills with MS PowerPoint (they will live and breathe it for their entire career as an IS).

Libby - Your son is doing great in class, I'm looking forward to meeting you when he graduates next month.

Cheers,
IS1