After you pass your Class III, they'll ask if anyone wants to try for the Class II... you've gotta have perfect form on the strokes though or they'll tell you to hit the showers.

Whay strokes do they want?

- American Crawl (Freestyle)
- Breast Stroke
- Sidestroke
- Elementary Backstroke

They have you hop in at the far end and swim about 10yds doing the breast stroke and sidestroke before you test; if it's not 100% perfect, they kick you out and send you to shower off.

I know how to do those, but maybe not perfect do they show you how are expect you to get it from the get go

What if you missed 3 questions
 

on Weapons computer based training. You complete the course and print out the certificate. You must score 100%.

Is it considered passing if you miss 3 questions on this test

this was the best info ever...thanks!!

I ship next week, this has been really helpful. Ive been reading it over and over so many times.

Hey, thanks for the information, this is sooo useful!!

BUT, could anyone tell me more details about Fit For Full Duty stuff? What exactly do they check? Dental was done at MEPS, what else are they looking for?

Everything. What do you have to hide?

Yes, they will explain the strokes and show them to you on a powerpoint (true navy style) before you even change for the pool. If you do strokes incorrectly you will be told to fix it and then told to switch to the backstroke the rest of the way. (For the third class swim)

2nd class swim the strokes must be perfect as per the same powerpoint or you are done.

Challenge coins are really cool, but tradition dictates you can't buy one for yourself, they have to be presented/awarded to you by someone. If you are at a bar and someone challenges you, you need to show your coin, if you don't have a coin, you're buying. If everyone has a coin, then the person with the lowest coin is buying (based on the rank of the person who awarded you the coin, so if you get one from the CNO you are golden haha).

Nothing to hide, i just like to be educated, i'm really serious about career in the NAVY and i want to be fully prepared, i'm taking ASVAB on thursday and then should get scheduled for MEPS.

Does anyone know how long it takes to get a spot at MEPS and then average Leave for BootCamp, i'm soo excited, just worried that they will find something that will disqualify me. I guess i just worry too much.

Your MEPS date depends entirely on your recruiter's willingness to bust his own ass, your persistence in reminding him to do so, and how many other people in your area are in the pipeline with you. I got MEPS done 11 days after the ASVAB, and that was after a delay because the MEPS was trading at heavy volume at the time.

As for your ship date, that likewise depends on your rating and how crowded it is. When you sign your contract, they're scheduling you for boot camp and your rating's required schools all at once, and locking in that amount of time means a bit of a wait beforehand. Expect a couple months at least. Some ratings get you moved a lot faster, but make sure you don't pick based on that unless you really want to do THAT job. Good news is this: When you sign your contract and DEP in, you are a member of the Inactive Reserve, and your contract clearly states that if nothing else happens, you WILL be ordered to active duty in 1 year.

Tip: At MEPS, don't make them "find" things to DQ you for...if there's something big lurking in your record, tell them. Disclose everything. They can forgive a lot of things, but you have to offer them up.

Most challenge coins are very hard to get..you have to kind of be a stand out to get one..you wont really get any in any school. Most challenge coins are given out while you are in fleet. My navy son got one while on deployment from the Army of all things from the commander of the Iraq command..he came on the ship to do re-enlistments for the Marines on board and hand picked some sailors to give coins to. Now my Army son has numerous coins..his highest is from the Vice President, has one from the Navy even from Admiral Mike Mullen when he was the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs..in total he has 26 coins in his 4 years in so far.

Awesome post

Great Info
 

This is great info- thanks

This all really good information. I'm mostly just worried about making the weigh in and passing the initial PFA.

Fantastic post! This really helps a future sailor get a great idea of what to expect during their time at RTC. Thank you :applause:

Everything gets issued to you but you need to bring your SS card and birth certificate (and Driver's License?).


I'm wondering about when you shave each day though myself...it would be so much better for me if I could shave at night and not have to worry about that in the morning, if that is possible?

Quick question... Do people under the AECF(ET/FC) get a special briefing for more on criminal records?

I have never done anything wrong, I am just curious.

Great post!

I'm so glad I found this site, and found this post. I have multiple friends who recently got back from boot camp and couldn't give as much detail as you did in this post. I'm confident that boot camp is going to be cake for me now that I know exactly what to expect, and exactly what I need to study in my two months left here! Thanks so much!

Omg Viagra hackorz :nono:

Thanks for the break down!

I am leaving soon and I am just trying to get everything in order. I am going to bring an address book along with me to RTC. I was wondering if I could write down a short version of this list of day to day life to help keep me prepared for whats coming while I'm there.

They didnt check my little composition book, so I would think you would be alright but do so at your own risk. Worst case is they rip the page out?

It says that if you are on P Hold it doesn't count towards your time at bootcamp. What do you do on those days and do they pay you extra for those days?

P-days refers to "processing days" you do paperwork and medical inprocessing. You also wait for the right number of people to form a division. You are paid from the day you ship.

Great post and this is wonderful information to know! Here is something I don't think a lot of people think about, how often do you get to use the restroom. I know I have to pee all the time and reading this it sounds like you have to drink lots of water. I need a potty break darnit!

Also, in the mornings when you are woke up, about how much time do you have to get ready? Is it a wake up and yelled "you have 20 minutes to $hit, shower, and shave!" I know in the mornings I can't be that fast!

thanks

My brother was there in 2010, and he said his RDC's would make head calls all the time. They know you're going to have to go after pounding water all day long. And as for the morning thing, I'm sure you'll adapt after being there for a few days

My fingers are crossed taht I'll adapt soon! I'm a decent morning person, but I fear I'll be late on time.

Yeah I carry a gallon of water throughout the day and usually end up drinking even more then that. So probably every 30 minutes, I'm pissing. So I really hope that it doesn't become an issue because I heard the recommended amount of water to drink during a day is 2 gallons at bootcamp.

friend of mine has a son in boot camp for the Marines and she has pictures of him while at bot camp. Are there pictures and things taken to send home?

I'm not exactly sure, but I heard you can buy pictures of graduation.

There are occasionally pictures taken (besides your portrait), but it's not a regular thing.

Thanks for the info. More helpful than anything else I have read.

Thank you!
 

Thank you for posting this. My daughter just shipped yesterday, 85 days before she was scheduled. :(
I am a member of Navy4Mom's, and an admin directed me here before she shipped, but then, she shipped quickly. I love seeing this to know what she is doing and going to be doing.
I also went to eBay and found her job coin and purchased a challenge coin directly from PIRgifts, says they help you. It'll be nice to have it before she tells me about it. :)
:yourhonor: Thank you so much for all you do!!

I know this is an older post, so Im wondering if anything has changed since 2009? LoL

Not really.... lol