While nuclear fission is a “blast,” it’s probably not as exhilarating as hunting pirates or as poignant as some moments overseas (USNI bloggers are all over the globe these days!). Nuclear power school has certainly proven to be the most competitive academic environment in which I have been. We’re learning three technical subjects at once with at least one test per week.
The first test, covering the basics of the reactor, fell on the Wednesday following Labor Day Weekend. Before the schedule had been released I had booked a flight to DC, arriving back in Chucktown (Charleston) on Monday evening. One of my roommates had a similar predicament.
Let me tell you, the basics of a reactor aren’t really that basic.
As I would be gone all that weekend, my roommate and I put in some extreme hours starting a week out from the exam. 0530 wakeup, returning to the house around 2200+ a few times. Upon arriving at the airport, we found our flights were delayed…giving us a perfect opportunity for one more hour of studying.
Gotta head to bed; physics exam on Wednesday. If any NUPOC/ROTC/Academy/prospective nukes stumble upon this and have any questions about power school, feel free to ask in the comment section.
