<p>I remember your posts from last year (daughter was an applicant, now at NAPS). Remember the old saying "That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger". It is true. You will make a much better officer in the long run because you know what it's like to be at the top and the bottom. Hang in there. The end is in sight for this plebe year.<br>
NAPS05mom
P.S. Be kind to my daughter next year. :)</p>
<p>Just curious on the topic, I went around to about a couple of shipmates in my company and asked them about whether or not you should memorize reef points ahead of time. All of them said that you shouldn't for these reasons. </p>
<ol>
<li> The point of plebe summer is to develop skills such as memorization in a short, stressed period of time, if they had wanted you to memorize them on your own, they would have gotten rid of that aspect of plebe summer and given it to you with your acceptance package. Memorizing it before hand only hurts yourself and your experience to training.</li>
<li> Memorizing it before hand won't necissarily help you repeat it in a stressfuly situation, which leads me to my next and final point...</li>
<li>If its not going to help you that much in the first place DON'T MEMORIZE RATES AS A CIVILIAN!!!! You will have plenty of that in the next year, take the time to relax your brain and harden your body.</li>
</ol>
<p>Hey, isn't it lights out for plebes at 2300? Or did that rule get thrown out the window with ties on your winter working blues? Or are you not a plebe?</p>
<p>DeepThroat</p>
<p>Midrightnow, thanks for that perspective. You're right...the civilian life will end soon enough anyway!</p>
<p>I plead the fifth...hey and the ties aren't gone completely...we still wear them to formation and inspection...</p>
<p>I know you still wear your ties from time to time---the alumni were all over the Supe for making the change. Oh yeah, that and the backpack thing. You can't even use backpacks in the fleet! At least not on the green-side. </p>
<p>DeepThroat</p>
<p>Correction on the backpacks....The academy was very hesitant to approve backpacks, but we got them because the CNO approved them for use in the fleet. Solid Navy or Black. As for rates, don't screw yourself. Enjoy yourslef, but PREPARE. They send you rates in your permit to report package. "Message to Garcia" help yourself out. I turned down a lot of advice and really regret it now because my situation could have been a lot easier.</p>