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.

[BunkerQB]

I posted the following on getting thru Prototype:

These young men and women put enough pressure on themselves. You son/daughter may discover that being a nuke is not what he/she really wants to do. That is OK. It's a big Navy out there. It's a big world. The nukes get a bonus (one of the few rating that still get one), the civilian job opportunities are wonderful after the enlistment term ends,  As a parent, it's a human nature to be relieved, happy and proud when they do well - our sons/daughters are well aware of our feelings, even if we don't express them explicitly. If you talk to your sailor about this, he (most nukes are male) may be matter of fact about it. He may not even want to talk about it. It's almost a defense mechanism. Just reassure him that you have his back. No questions asked.

While we are proud of our sailors, it's important to let them know that "failure" on one test or another is just one of many test in life. There will be many. Having a good life is a summation of many things, which includes successes and failures. We must let them know that we are there for them for the good, the bad and the ugly. The emotional safety net will be there unconditionally - if they ever need it. No questions asked.

[B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)]

BunkerQB - thanks for (re)posting this.  My son just had PIR on 12/21/12 and started briefings this week and actual A school classes start on Monday.  So much of what you said is what we have been telling him!  Glad to see it in writing - I am going to print it out for future reference and will forward a copy to son.  It's one day at a time!

[Sunshine66]

Thanks so much for directing me here. It made me feel better. When he gets ready to head to GC, I'm going to print it out so he can read it. He'll take it better if it doesn't come just from me! I'm beginning to let a tiny bit of my anxiety go :)

[BunkerQB]

Good going. It's important for you to express confidence in him as a person. My son was always quick to detect negative signals. Keep a positive attitude. Know that he'll try his best. If it is not enough, it will be OK. Your anxiety will not help him, so it's good that you can talk it out here. But first, get thru boot camp. If you haven't gone over the survival guide, please read it thoroughly.

[MN Mom of MM]

Just a note.  For all you new moms, this piece was a tremendous help for me.   My sailor now is done with prortotype and waiting to report to his boat.  Thank you BunkerQB for this great info for new nuke moms, and reminders for us not so new. 

[britefuture]

This is great! Thank you for reposting. I'm going to print this out and send it to my son who just arrived at GC.

[proudmom63]

 great info... i think i will print, also!  son is in power school now

[B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)]

bump

[NF Mom]

Bump - for Nuke Mom Newbies.

[proudmom63]

what does BUMP mean or what's it posted for? feel like i am missing something...... just booked flight to attend son's PS grad in Feb 2014 and then he'll be onto prototype so this info in these posts interests me alot.... but not sure of BUMP... lol

[B'sNukeMoM⚓️MMN(Vet)]

proudmom - when you "bump" a conversation it moves it to the top of the discussion group.  You'll notice how the topics change up in order depending on who replied last.....so the "bump" is a reply to move it up!

Yay that you are preparing for PS grad.....ours is coming up on 12/13 - we fly out on 12/11......fingers crossed all goes well!

[MelissaL]

Hi BunkerQB  Thanks for this post.  My son is currently in Phase 1 of A School in GC and I am going to pass this info on to him.  He is trying to get his last few quals completed so he can move into Phase 2 at the end of this week.  This is really great advice!