Miscellaneous Questions

[BumSkillet]

1. What's Plebe Summer like? What do you do and how long is it? Worst/best part?
2. Marine Transportation vs Logistics and Intermodal Transportation?
3. Traditions during Plebe Year and beyond?
4. Differences between Naval Academy and Merchant Marine Academy?
5. How's the food and the barracks?
6. How good are the sports teams?
7. Favorite part about academy life?
8. Tips for success at academy?

 

[beyond]

1. What's Plebe Summer like? What do you do and how long is it? Worst/best part?

Learn how to be a functioning midshipman. How to wear the uniform, clean your room, march, and a basic exposure to the maritime component.

2. Marine Transportation vs Logistics and Intermodal Transportation?

I think under the new curriculum they're both called something else. It is really about what you want your diploma to say.. it certainly won't matter when you go to sea... and I doubt it matters if you decide to come ashore after 5 years at sea.

3. Traditions during Plebe Year and beyond?

So broad I don't know where to start.... so I'm not going to.

4. Differences between Naval Academy and Merchant Marine Academy?

Apples and oranges. Navy makes Naval Officers... we make Merchant Mariners.

5. How's the food and the barracks?

Food isn't great... but you won't starve... you might gain some bad weight if you aren't careful. Barracks are all plenty nice, and way better than lots of the ones I've stayed in at major state universities.

6. How good are the sports teams?

Some are better than others. It's DIII, people are doing it for fun. Don't expect to be on ESPN. Football is kind of terrible, swimming is always good, soccer is usually pretty solid. There are more... look for yourself.

7. Favorite part about academy life?

The waterfront... getting thrown the keys to a big expensive boat... full of diesel and going on a trip somewhere. Often times with a midshipman being the most senior person aboard, and taking responsibility for what happens.

8. Tips for success at academy?

Yeah. Don't be stupid. Conduct trouble just seems to snowball into academic trouble and people find themselves in a hole they can't dig out of.

 

[BumSkillet]

Learn how to be a functioning midshipman. How to wear the uniform, clean your room, march, and a basic exposure to the maritime component.

I think under the new curriculum they're both called something else. It is really about what you want your diploma to say.. it certainly won't matter when you go to sea... and I doubt it matters if you decide to come ashore after 5 years at sea.

So broad I don't know where to start.... so I'm not going to.

Apples and oranges. Navy makes Naval Officers... we make Merchant Mariners.

Food isn't great... but you won't starve... you might gain some bad weight if you aren't careful. Barracks are all plenty nice, and way better than lots of the ones I've stayed in at major state universities.

Some are better than others. It's DIII, people are doing it for fun. Don't expect to be on ESPN. Football is kind of terrible, swimming is always good, soccer is usually pretty solid. There are more... look for yourself.

The waterfront... getting thrown the keys to a big expensive boat... full of diesel and going on a trip somewhere. Often times with a midshipman being the most senior person aboard, and taking responsibility for what happens.

Yeah. Don't be stupid. Conduct trouble just seems to snowball into academic trouble and people find themselves in a hole they can't dig out of.

Which class were you in, and from the post, I presume you went the Merchant Marine route? Could you perhaps describe the Marine Ops program?

 

[beyond]

Which class were you in, and from the post, I presume you went the Merchant Marine route? Could you perhaps describe the Marine Ops program?

Graduated last year. 2015. Yes I'm sailing.

Marine Ops exists. I don't really know what they do. Gunny Sargent Harper yells a lot. They were really hurting for aviators this year. I think everyone who was eligible and wanted a Marine Corps commission got one (...two people that I know of)

 

[KPEngineer]

1. What's Plebe Summer like? What do you do and how long is it? Worst/best part?
Two weeks – Nothing particularly bad or good … it just was.

2. Marine Transportation vs Logistics and Intermodal Transportation?
Neither … Go Engine or go to the unemployment office

3. Traditions during Plebe Year and beyond?
Best when discovered for yourself. One word of caution … Don’t think the mob offers any protection.. Yes, they can restrict everyone.

4. Differences between Naval Academy and Merchant Marine Academy?
USNA teaches you how to be a part of a system. USMMA teaches you how to excel despite the system.

5. How's the food and the barracks?
I’m too old to offer anything constructive other than to say you won’t starve and you will have a roof over your head.

6. How good are the sports teams?
Meh … Don’t expect to turn pro if you are an athlete.

7. Favorite part about academy life?
Sea year. Even the other Maritime Schools don’t have the same sea year experience across the board that KP does. Sea Year alone is worth the price of admission.

I wish I had taken more advantage of the waterfront beyond my plebe year.

You can’t beat the brothers/sisters you will gain. They are friendships/family that will last a lifetime no matter how little you see them in the intervening years.

8. Tips for success at academy?
Go LoPro, as in Low Profile. Stay under the radar and get good grades. Whatever brownie points you think you will gain from being the Pride of the Regiment in truth you don’t want anyone other than other Mids and your Professors (maybe) to even know your name. Attracting attention to one’s self is the equivalent of drawing a target on your back. Bad Juju will find you.

 

[cmakin]

Yup.. . . . .engineering gives you a whole lot more opportunities both at sea and ashore. . . .

 

[Mman5247]

Unemployment as a transportation major? Not true by any stretch. A playful jab at the rival department, perhaps.

 

[KPEngineer]

Unemployment as a transportation major? Not true by any stretch. A playful jab at the rival department, perhaps.

 

[cmakin]

Unemployment as a transportation major? Not true by any stretch. A playful jab at the rival department, perhaps.

Not really. . . .

 

[Mman5247]

I haven't heard of anyone recently who had any serious trouble finding a job. Are you trying to discourage (non-engineer) applicants? Would they do better somewhere else?

 

[KPEngineer]

A playful jab at the rival department ... nothing more

 

[beyond]

A playful jab at the rival department ... nothing more

Oh no. It's impossible for us deckies. I'm hoping to get promoted to be the day shift at McDonalds by the end of the year.

...but really I had more than one employer make offers the week after graduation. It wasn't hard, but networking is super important.

 

[BumSkillet]

Great insight, folks! Thanks.

 

[cmakin]

I am not saying that Deckies don't get employment, and very good employment at that (just look at what pilots make). . . but I have found as an engineer that there are a wider variety of shoreside jobs. . . I came ashore as a Class Surveyor and have been working for the last 18+ years as an energy/offshore/marine loss adjuster. . . .