NASS advice.

The_Animal

5-Year Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2011
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51
I know it's a little ways off, but some of this information is good to know beforehand. Anyone else who's been there, done that, feel free to chip in. I'm sure I'll forget something.

Preparing for Seminar
1. Be in shape, and be confident about the shape you're in. It's only a week-long event, but I saw it wear down on people within 2 or 3 days.

2. Get used to waking up quickly. You will be waking up at 0500-0530 every day and working out. Be ready for that.

3. Bring loads of socks/underwear. Seriously, you will blow through those things like there is no tomorrow.

4. Bring some kind of laundry detergent and a can of spray deodorant. ...In small amounts. By day 3 you're going to want to be anywhere but in your PE shirt. You would do anything to get rid of that smell of 'Liberty' as my roomies called it. It sounds insane, but do your laundry (don't wash your colored shirts, you'll wear those only once) in the sink. Seriously. Everybody will think you're the coolest....or they will have already done it themselves. The deodorant is to muffle the wonderful smell of liberty emulating from the pile of socks in your closet, and from you.



While at Seminar
2. Don't try to one-up anybody. Ohh that should be advice for life. But seriously, you will find yourself surrounded by guys and girls who are just as good as you, if not better. Don't bring yourself down by making your ultimate goal "being the best."
3. Likewise, lift others up. The mids in charge of you won't get much more impressed than the way they do when you help out your squadmates/others who are struggling. My squad had a great girl who was struggling through her run on the CFA, so another squadmate and I who had already finished went back and ran the rest of the way with her. This puts you in a very positive light.
3. Spend as much free time as you can memorizing the rate sheet. At the beginning of the week, you will be handed a sheet with simple things like USNA's vision, several quotes, several names, and the ranks for all the services. It's not that hard of a task, and knowing your rates will keep you and your squadmates off the sweaty floor during mock indoc night.
4. Have fun, darnit. Don't take the week so seriously that you can't enjoy where you are and who you're with. Make friends. Joke around with each other, and not just with other candidates, but the mids too. I nicknamed my squad leader "mom", and made sure all the other mids gave her trouble for it. Some of them have been where you are right now. Keep in mind that these guys will be your future classmates, so make sure that they'll want you to be around come next summer.
 
thanks!

Thhis is great stuff and I'm sure our DS will appreciate every word (he is attending Session 3, after also attending the Navy Swimming Camp the week before -- and no laundry in sight!).
 
My squad leader, we called her mom as well, made sure to make this rule clear. I went to USNA/AFA/MA summer programs in succession (laundry was a hassle, if anyone else has this situation, get a big suitcase), and her advice made each of the programs enjoyable.
Rule: Don't be "that guy."
For example, do your best, but understand that not everyone can do Calc BC material at NASS. Don't be the guy that stands up and recites a Taylor polynomial for sin(x). Everything, even the PT in the mornings, is really fun and even challenging if you do not try to show off. There will always be someone to put you in your place somehow, so be friendly.
 
Be kind, ask loads of questions, and as stated before DO NOT be a know it all or walk around like you own the place.

I had several classes with this one girl who by the end of every class was disliked by most everyone in the room. She tried to one up everyone and act like she knew everything. Just be yourself, acting like a know it all won't get you points with anyone up there.

Here's another story: During the mock sea trials there was one guy in my rotation who did really well with all the physical stuff and was really cocky about it too. One of the squad leaders asked him if he thought he was better than everyone else and he said that he was. Which was a big mistake as he got chewed out in front of the rest of us. They expect you to work together and act like a team. They aren't impressed with showboaters.

It's okay to go up there and do your best but you don't want to stand out for the wrong reasons like those two kids did.
 
Good advice in previous posts - don't show off, don't 'dog' physical training, have thick skin (self-deprecating humor is also helpful), if someone falls behind in run hang back and encourage them to keep running through the finish, etc. Your squad leader will be doing an evaluation, so you want the attention that you generate to be positive. Your best effort is key - don't be a slacker. You may not be the fastest, strongest or smartest, but trying hard and helping/encouraging others is important. If you are the fastest, strongest and smartest, humility is warranted, along with helping others. You will have a lot of fun and meet new friends that you may be spending Plebe Summer of 2012 with, although you won't recognize them with their hair buzzed!
 
How would you dry your pe shirt after washing it? Would it even have enough time to dry indoors before the next days need for it?
 
For the PT shirt:

It all depends on where you hang it in your room and how air conditioned the room is. I put mine on the towel rack and it was mostly dry but still a little damp. It didn't really matter though because I started to sweat pretty quickly into PEP.
 
Try to know your rates and study them when you have time, but do not worry about them. You are there to have fun, do not stress over them because no matter what the detailers will get you or someone on the bulk head near you and punish you however they see fit. Plus in the grand scheme of things the rates are not a big deal at all.
 
Glad to know that my squad wasn't the only one that called our squad leader mom, except ours was with a little Jersey accent and it wasn't until the last day! We do still call her that and she still yells at us for it.

For laundry and pt shirts, wash them in the sink, wring them out, and hang them up. You will be fine as long as you wring them out! I didn't wring them out very well the first night and that meant I had very wet pt gear for the PRT and it was really humid out so that was a quick lesson learned for this desert girl. They give you 3 pairs of shorts, so I would just keep one for class, one for pt, and one that is drying or some system like that. It worked well for my roommate and I.

As for rates, know them! Know your cadre's names, know the mission. Try memorizing them to a song or a tune because that will help. With that being said, don't stress over them too much and let them ruin your time there. One of the hardest questions I was asked during mock indoc was a basic algebra problem. Between my squad mate and I, it took us 3 tries to get it right and I got a perfect 800 in math...not our best moment! Another difficult question, what color are your shoes? The cadre likes to have fun with it too! They will get you hard if you don't know their name, but other than that it is fun.

Looking back on the week there, it was the best experience ever. It confirmed to me that I not only want to go to an academy, but I don't know what else I could possibly do with my life. Soak it all in, ask questions (no matter how dumb they may seem) and help out the person standing next to you. At the end of the day, you are a team and you can't do anything all by yourself. Because of the experiences and the challenges you will face, you will walk out of there with some great friends and a better understanding of all that you are capable of!
 
Thanks for the advice! I'll be at session 3 :smile: Super excited even though it's only March.
 
Just thought I would bump this thread since there is some good stuff in here and NASS will be starting soon. It is crazy to think that it has been a year since I went and I will be reporting in 3 weeks but looking back, that was one of the best weeks of my life. There is a lot of good info on here. Just remember to have fun, help your squad mate out, ask questions, and absorb as much as you can while you are there. It is a great experience if you take advantage of all that it has to offer. You are hopefully future USNA 2016 and be proud of that!
 
Remember the difference between a "Sir" and a "Ma'am." ALWAYS use the right term :biggrin:

Good advice about not showing off. "The chain is only as strong as its weakest link." Your cadre want to see if you candidates try to strengthen the chain, which happens when a person who is best at something makes those around him/her better in that area.
 
Remember the difference between a "Sir" and a "Ma'am." ALWAYS use the right term :biggrin:

On that note, there are pictures on the NASS 2010 page of a young man in session 3 who apparently called a ma'am a sir one too many times. I went to session 2 so all I know from the story is what is on the page but there were quite a few times when a few of the detailers got a little heated by being called Sir's when they were/are Ma'am's. I remember a specific time sitting in my room and hearing a detailer who was on watch yelling at kids for calling her a Sir...and she was around two corners and down a few halls but we could still hear her.
 
On that note, there are pictures on the NASS 2010 page of a young man in session 3 who apparently called a ma'am a sir one too many times. I went to session 2 so all I know from the story is what is on the page but there were quite a few times when a few of the detailers got a little heated by being called Sir's when they were/are Ma'am's. I remember a specific time sitting in my room and hearing a detailer who was on watch yelling at kids for calling her a Sir...and she was around two corners and down a few halls but we could still hear her.

NASS is a double edge sword. You are evaluating the Academy but those detailers are evaluating you. Bust your ass and support your squad mates. Do not quit at anything. At all costs do not disrespect your detailers. The results can vary between unpleasant and potentially fatal to your application hopes.

The above is an example of disrespect. Every group will have "That guy" All mouth and a lot of ego with an attidue of disrepect. The detailers have their ROI and can't do much about "That guy" until they get to Indoc night. There you will see 4-5 detailers focus on "that guy" and they will bring out their A game of how to mind#### someone and will have "that guy" balling like a baby in about 5 minutes. Just saying....

Best of Luck to All
 
any feedback re NASS 2011?

Would love to hear from attendees (and/or their parents) for the early NASS 2011 sessions? USAFA has some good threads re its Summer Seminar -- feedback from DSs/DDs re what they experienced each day, what they liked, what parents heard from their children about the experience, etc.

DS is going to Session 3 and any input would be appreciated! Thanks!
 
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