question about dreamsheets
 

Can someone clear something up for me? My husband is halfway through boot camp right now and was able to call me today. He told me he met with a classifier and got to tell him 3 places and 3 types of ships he would like to be stationed at. He said he was told that in the next two to three weeks he would be getting his orders for where we would be stationed, but that they could still change by the end of A school. His A school is only two months long. (LS)

My husband and I did a lot of research about the navy before he went to boot camp so I know you usually get a dream sheet that you fill out during the last few weeks of A School. Then the detailer would look at that and possibly consider it when choosing your orders.

Has something changed? Do you always meet with a classifier this early on or is this something new?

We met with "classifiers" in boot camp, but their jobs were primarily to make sure we were getting sent to the correct A school. He will most likely get his official orders to the fleet while in A school. Usually a couple weeks out from graduation. Generally, only the top two or three in the class really get a chance to say where they'd like to go. And that's not very reliable. However, if he gets in good with his chief and has good grades then you'd be amazed at the strings they can pull to get him where you'd like to go. I'm a PS (also went to Meridian with LS's) and this one dude in my class did NOT want to be on a ship. Well, he got orders to a carrier. He met with our chief and basically begged her to talk with the detailer for him. She did. Now he's living it up in sunny California living the shore-side life. So, it is possible to get what you want. But it may takes some begging and crying I get it. As far as being able to choose from boot camp... probably not. Probably just a classifier thinking they got more power than they actually do. But don't quote me on that.

EDIT: BTW, I've come to realize that LS is one of the coolest rates. He'll love it.

Barbazu is correct that the classifier he met at Boot Camp is basically there just to verify paperwork. They just make sure you're getting set up to get to the right places after Boot. They have nothing to do with your eventual duty station or anything like that. You will get your actual duty station orders towards the end of A-school.

Dream sheets are hit and miss. Not everybody uses them and the detailer might not even look at them. It really depends on the rate, the detailer, manning levels, all kinds of things. What you guys need to understand is that you're extremely junior and your orders will most likely be needs of the Navy (ie they send you where you're needed). If they give you options for input then awesome, give it! But it's not a guarantee, so just understand it for what it is. Same thing with the top of the class thing; not everybody uses that. So if they do, awesome. If not, it's not something they owe you or some kind of rule they have to follow.

Hopefully that gives you a little clarity ^_^ Most LS's I've ever met enjoy their job so I'm sure there's going to be an upside no matter where you're assigned!

/r
CTT1

It can also depend largely on your rate. My rate (Yeoman), for example, fills out a dream sheet in A school but it is almost completely inconsequential to where you get sent. Since every command in the Navy has at least one Yeoman, and we are undermanned right now, they are going to slot YNs according to orders priority and pretty much just go down the list alphabetically. You ~can~ get the YNC at A school to help out with your orders, but realistically you are going to get what you get.

However, other rates still get the chance to pick orders in order of class rank, so like I said it can be hit or miss. The best thing to do is accept the fact that you could be placed randomly and be pleasantly surprised when it is somewhere you like.