Plebe Summer... then what?

<p>Do academic classes begin right after Plebe Summer, or is there any sort of break? I know that there is Plebe Parent Weekend, but other than that I am clueless.</p>

<p>there is p4x,which is the monday after ppw. then during that week is reform, and you will move into your ac year rooms which will be in your actual company areas, which are not where you live during plebe summer. shortly thereafter the brigade comes back, then there is hello night, then the weekend, if i remember correctly.</p>

<p>Thanks Wheelah44, you have been so insightful these past few months. Permit me to "pick" your brain a little more. I understand you will get leave this summer. 2-3 weeks at the beginning? Then back for summer cruise? Exercises? Do you have a time frame?</p>

<p>It varies. Some will get leave first, some in the middle, some at the end, some not at all. It all depends on what you draw.</p>

<p>Unless they've changed things, the summer is divided into three roughly-equal segments. You will have cruises and whatnot during at least two of them, unless you do something like an SSBN patrol, in which case you'll do only one, but it will be just as long (or longer) than the two seperate ones you would have done. If you have summer school, you may go leaveless.</p>

<p>I had 10 weeks of cruise and a whopping 6 days of leave my 3/C Summer.</p>

<p>BTW, you do get some leeway in asking for assignments, based upon your GPA and all that. There are a set number of assignments, and you can pick when, where, platform, etc. You don't have carte blanche, but some flexibility is better than none.</p>

<p>Again, this is assuming they haven't changed anything.</p>

<p>Thanks Z - so much to know, so little brain! :rolleyes:</p>

<p>Have a great day! :D</p>

<p>Not so much little brain, as little TIME to learn it all. :)</p>

<p>Keep checking back. I'm hoping Wheelah or another current Mid will correct, clarify, or confirm what I posted. It's been a while.</p>

<p>There are various "blocks" of time and assignments related to each. Depending on which block the mids get, leave time can be in continuous weeks, or scattered throughout the summer.</p>

<p>My mid got "0" block last year, missing Herndon, sea trials, and the "plebes no more" ceremony. He was then home for 1 week, returned for his next cruise, and returned to about 6 weeks of freedom during which he worked about 60 hours/week at a summer job. This year, he drew a later assignment for the first one, will be home for a week between them, and will have only two weeks before he has to report back.</p>

<p>Plebes who do not fare well in chemistry, calc, or both will spend time on the yard going to summer school
CM</p>

<p>Wow. Seven weeks leave his YOUNGSTER summer?</p>

<p>I didn't pull that off until 1/C summer. when I got 70 days consecutive leave. :D</p>

<p>To pull things like that off, though, you have to do things like miss the Ring Dance, Herndon, etc. Gotta pay somewhere.</p>

<p>I really hate people who's sole purpose is to try to play the system to get as much leave as possible. To me, anyone valuing more leave (over 4 weeks) over the summer instead of educating themselves (via extra training, internships, NAAA, summer school, etc) is not thinking of mission of the Academy and/or Naval service to develop themselves INTO COMPETENT LEADERS (mentioned above). Everyone should get their fair share of leave (unless waived), but every effort should be made to further each individuals education.</p>

<p>To me, the attiude of "I want to maximize as much leave as possible" is VERY SELFISH, unless there is a good justification.</p>

<p>This is my take.</p>

<p>You'd be classified as a "sweat" in my day. :D</p>

<p>jadler03 - I understand your view but, I'm one who, if I've been busting my butt and CAN manipulate my time off without causing grief to another - GO FOR IT!</p>

<p>This is one of the MAIN reasons I have remained a shift worker. I've had several ops to go straight days thru engineering group but I loose sooooo much time off. Right now, without taking one days vacation I have 13 weeks off a year. Tack on my six weeks EARNED vacation and I can "manipulate" the system to get 6-7 weeks off in the summer to spend with my family and STILL have what I consider a huge chunk of time left. </p>

<p>If I went straight days this drops to 9 holidays and 4 weeks vacation, a MAXIMUM of two that I can take during the summer.</p>

<p>But, it's all a matter of what you want.</p>

<p>
[quote]
if I've been busting my butt and CAN manipulate my time off without causing grief to another - GO FOR IT!

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Amen, brother!</p>

<p>candidatemom:
[quote]

There are various "blocks" of time and assignments related to each. Depending on which block the mids get, leave time can be in continuous weeks, or scattered throughout the summer.</p>

<p>My mid got "0" block last year, missing Herndon, sea trials, and the "plebes no more" ceremony. He was then home for 1 week, returned for his next cruise, and returned to about 6 weeks of freedom during which he worked about 60 hours/week at a summer job. This year, he drew a later assignment for the first one, will be home for a week between them, and will have only two weeks before he has to report back.</p>

<p>Plebes who do not fare well in chemistry, calc, or both will spend time on the yard going to summer school
CM

[/quote]
</p>

<p>What? You mean every year there is a handful of plebes that do not get to do Herndon, Sea Trials, and the "Plebes No More" ceremony? Maaann...I'd give up my entire leave for those experiences. So, I'm guessing that the summer blocks are assigned and mids get no say so in what block they want, correct?</p>

<p>
[quote]
You mean every year there is a handful of plebes that do not get to do Herndon, Sea Trials, and the "Plebes No More" ceremony?

[/quote]

Correct. I missed Herndon and my Ring Dance, all so I could deploy on my subs. IMO, it was worth it.</p>

<p>
[quote]
So, I'm guessing that the summer blocks are assigned and mids get no say so in what block they want, correct?

[/quote]

Not quite. The blocks are set up, and then the Mids have a certain amount of leeway to select from among those blocks depending upon rank in class. Go down far enough, though, and your assertion becomes true.</p>

<p>Again, this is assuming things haven't changed drastically.</p>

<p>Man...I don't know about the other 2010s out there, but I've been looking forward to Herndon for years. I would be pretty ticked if I had to miss it. More motivation to study hard...</p>

<p>I realize it's nothing big in the long run...but it's those little moments and victories that stand out.</p>

<p>
[quote]
More motivation to study hard...

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Actually, I volunteered to miss Herndon when I volunteered to do an SSBN deterance patrol. During that patrol, I earned these:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.bessphotos.com/images/Silver%20dolphins--trans-good.gif%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.bessphotos.com/images/Silver%20dolphins--trans-good.gif&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>and one of these (without the stars):</p>

<p><a href="http://www.ssbn655.dreamhost.com/graphics/boomer.gif%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ssbn655.dreamhost.com/graphics/boomer.gif&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>They are hanging right next to me right now, framed in the picture the CO signed and gave to me at the end of the patrol.</p>

<p>I'd rather have those than the memories of Herndon. I EARNED those. :)</p>

<p>Now, if my grades had been better, I would have gotten a Trident boat rather than an older Poseidon boat, but I was happy anyway.</p>

<p>I'm with DMeix! (But, gosh, doesn't Zaphod make a good, tempting case!)</p>

<p>wait....you dont have to be a prior to earn those tridents do you?</p>

<p>Ah, Z, I wasn't implying that you didn't study hard and were therefore forced to miss those events. I intend to study hard so I can have the same choice you did, or maybe other options open, instead of being forced to miss said events.</p>

<p>um..dmeix, you misunderstand. no one is "forced" to miss those events, because most people would kill to get zero block. i wanted it wicked bad. grades, now at least, don't really factor in when it comes to mandatory training, which is what your youngster summer is, unless you're trying to do something out of the ordinary, like give up some of your leave and go to an outdoor leadership school in alaska, like my boyfriend's roommate. and in reponse to the wish to get good grades so that you can pick and have a better chance of getting your desired summer schedule, your youngster summer that isn't really how it works. your grades don't really factor much into anything, since its a pretty generic summer: cruise, csnts, leave, maybe nass if you got it, and very few other things. i've never been told that grades influence whether or not you get the cruises you desire,(or the summer training) rather that you put in your preferences and cross your fingers. although having a merit system might make more sense. anyways, most people want zero block so they can open up their summer to get more leave or do other more interesting training, and as plebes they want to miss sea trials, not herndon. i'm sure some of you motivators are sitting there going, hoo-rah i'd never want to miss sea trials, but believe me, by april when you're starting to train for it, zero block looks quite appealing. (although i am glad that i was there for both!) i have leave first block, then csnts, then cruise, although they haven't seen fit to tell me where my cruise will be out of yet. ohh the efficient navy.</p>