To the OP, if you do get the admittance letter, then along with that letter will come a shopping list worth at least $1500.
You don’t need to buy 15 pairs of white and black socks, each. Just buy 6 pairs of white and 2 pairs of blacks. That’s all you need.
You’ll be asked to buy 15 pairs of white t-shirts. All you need is 6 pairs max.
You’ll be asked to buy 7 pairs of thermals. All you need is 1 pair to wear on a ship (if required) and you don’t even need to do that.
You’ll be asked to buy 3 pairs of gym shorts. 2 pairs is more than enough.
You’ll be asked to buy 3 locks. 1 is sufficient and that too one with a key and not the combination lock as suggested by them.
Laundry in the school (once a week and during galley days, everyday) and on ships (whenever you find the time) is free. Save yourself the money and don’t literally buy as their list wants you to.
Buy a good LED flashlight. That you’ll require, even in Phase 2. Batteries on ships are free, buy carrying rechargeable batteries with a charger will save you a lot of grief.
Don’t go cheap on steel toe shoes. Red Wings, Timberland, Wolverines and Keen are good brands. Buy half a size larger or else, you’ll regret it with blisters on your feet. Your feet will swell up, especially as you’re going to be wearing them for at least 12 hrs a day.
If you smoke, consider e-cigs and/or carrying a few cartons with you. VA is cheap for cigs, before you enter the school. Just don’t buy from Walmart.
Don’t carry more than 2 pair of civvies with you, including the one that you’ll be wearing to school. You’ll need the civvies in Phase 2. In the school, you are in uniform at all times.
Carry a night dress & a sufficient amount of toiletries to last you 3 months.
In the 2nd month, you’ll be offered various jobs. Gate Guard followed by Library Asst are the most paying jobs. As Gate Guard, you’ll have access to your own TV+Cable, a refrigerator and a microwave and you’ll be left to your own devices for 4 hours. As a Library Asst., you’ll have access to the internet and left to your own devices. The rest of the jobs are all ok.
During Vessel Ops and vessel Fam class, pay attention to the structurals and knots. Just those 2 will put you way ahead of the class.
If, for Phase 2, you’re sent on a cargo vessel, then chose galley month last. It’s full of free time and will allow you to complete your sea project. During the engine month, forget the theory part (it’s 2 days worth) and concentrate on finishing the drawings first. If, you’re sent to the Pride of America, then request galley first and get it out of your way. On PoA, there will be at least one SIU UA, who has the whole sea project on a flash drive. Just copy it, instead of re-inventing the wheel.
During the last 2 weeks of Vessel Fam class, pay attention to your knots and how to feather a paint. The Bosun on your Phase 2 ship will love you for this.
At sea, if on a cargo vessel and if you intend going Deck, then ask for and get as much time as you can get on the helm, especially in choppy seas and rough weather. That experience will be invaluable to you when you leave Phase 3 as STOS and head into Phase 4.
Don’t hand over your wallet. Keep it hidden under your clothes. They’ll ask to inspect your wardrobe. Remember that, all they can do is look and not reach inside and touch your stuff.
Try to buy whatever that you want with cash in the sea chest. They have a nasty habit of inflating the final bill and since, no bills or accounts given, when you leave Phase 1, you’ll find yourself short of money given. I was short by $27. The Ch Bosun by more.
If you can, switch over to AT&T. They have the best reception. With others, you’ll be struggling.
Lastly, on your first 3 days in the school you’ll be ragged for making up your bunk as per regulation standards with 10 push-ups in between (At least, that’s what the latest UAs tell me). Memorize this video and you’ll be fine. What they’ll be looking at is:
How accurate is your 45degree angle
How fast do you do it
How well you communicate with your partner and others
How well do you help others?
You’ll be given 10 mins. The trick is to take charge, tell the slow learners to do the pillows to put the finishing touch & have the fast learners follow you. You’ll be made the bosun of the class.
Or, you could not waste a year and a half of your time to get an AB endorsement, and just go out there and look for a deckhand position with a coastal cruise ship company like uncruise, or on a fishing vessel. Work for a few months for a real wage and submit your app to get an AB endorsement. No push ups or bed making contests required.
Maybe laws have changed since then but when I was there our apprentice wage was less than the national minimum wage, I think it was even lower than the commonwealth wages which at the time was somewhere around 5 dollars an hour. I dont remember exactly how much it was but remember it was crazy low (like maybe $3 dollars an hour?) Maybe it was like prison wages? I did question the legality of it but did not complain at the time because I was convinced that the establishment of the union was training us young folks out of the goodness of their hearts to give us young people opportunities for advancement and a better future. I did not realize that they were actually government subsidized and that they make it intentionally harder for people to advance and that its really just a big racket. Why else would they have an apprentice program? They already have more members than they can provide jobs for. It is a racket, that is why.
I would highly reccommend just trying to get an entry level job somewhere first, that way you will be locked in somewhere, earning a living wage the whole time and wont have to compete for jobs in a rigged system. If that fails, then yea go to piney point, but dont say I didnt warn you when you’re 10 years deep, and when you look left and look right and ask yourself where did the time go, and you’re trying to figure out how to get your 8 months in every year (when there are few jobs) for 30 consecutive years to get your $700 dollar a month pension, which you will have to hire a lawyer to ensure you get.
If you can’t find a job on your own, then yea…go there but try to get out and get employed somewhere else as soon as you can. With the acception of a few companies they deal with it is a huge waste of time.
[QUOTE=cajaya;181520]
Look, my damn phone has auto correct. I can’t argue with it over everything. When I went back to change it It’s changed it to both perodite and peroxide before I could go back and get the correct word in there. I don’t even think perodite is a word. And just now, it changed the word “change” to “hang” and I had to go back and edit it again. Gimme a break.[/QUOTE]
Turn it off. I don’t know what kind of phone you have, but all smartphones have that function. I can’t stand autocorrect.
Now, back to whatever you guys were squabbling about.
[QUOTE=smoker;181528]To the OP, if you do get the admittance letter, then along with that letter will come a shopping list worth at least $1500.
You don’t need to buy 15 pairs of white and black socks, each. Just buy 6 pairs of white and 2 pairs of blacks. That’s all you need.
You’ll be asked to buy 15 pairs of white t-shirts. All you need is 6 pairs max.
You’ll be asked to buy 7 pairs of thermals. All you need is 1 pair to wear on a ship (if required) and you don’t even need to do that.
You’ll be asked to buy 3 pairs of gym shorts. 2 pairs is more than enough.
You’ll be asked to buy 3 locks. 1 is sufficient and that too one with a key and not the combination lock as suggested by them.
Laundry in the school (once a week and during galley days, everyday) and on ships (whenever you find the time) is free. Save yourself the money and don’t literally buy as their list wants you to.
Buy a good LED flashlight. That you’ll require, even in Phase 2. Batteries on ships are free, buy carrying rechargeable batteries with a charger will save you a lot of grief.
Don’t go cheap on steel toe shoes. Red Wings, Timberland, Wolverines and Keen are good brands. Buy half a size larger or else, you’ll regret it with blisters on your feet. Your feet will swell up, especially as you’re going to be wearing them for at least 12 hrs a day.
If you smoke, consider e-cigs and/or carrying a few cartons with you. VA is cheap for cigs, before you enter the school. Just don’t buy from Walmart.
Don’t carry more than 2 pair of civvies with you, including the one that you’ll be wearing to school. You’ll need the civvies in Phase 2. In the school, you are in uniform at all times.
Carry a night dress & a sufficient amount of toiletries to last you 3 months.
In the 2nd month, you’ll be offered various jobs. Gate Guard followed by Library Asst are the most paying jobs. As Gate Guard, you’ll have access to your own TV+Cable, a refrigerator and a microwave and you’ll be left to your own devices for 4 hours. As a Library Asst., you’ll have access to the internet and left to your own devices. The rest of the jobs are all ok.
During Vessel Ops and vessel Fam class, pay attention to the structurals and knots. Just those 2 will put you way ahead of the class.
If, for Phase 2, you’re sent on a cargo vessel, then chose galley month last. It’s full of free time and will allow you to complete your sea project. During the engine month, forget the theory part (it’s 2 days worth) and concentrate on finishing the drawings first. If, you’re sent to the Pride of America, then request galley first and get it out of your way. On PoA, there will be at least one SIU UA, who has the whole sea project on a flash drive. Just copy it, instead of re-inventing the wheel.
During the last 2 weeks of Vessel Fam class, pay attention to your knots and how to feather a paint. The Bosun on your Phase 2 ship will love you for this.
At sea, if on a cargo vessel and if you intend going Deck, then ask for and get as much time as you can get on the helm, especially in choppy seas and rough weather. That experience will be invaluable to you when you leave Phase 3 as STOS and head into Phase 4.
Don’t hand over your wallet. Keep it hidden under your clothes. They’ll ask to inspect your wardrobe. Remember that, all they can do is look and not reach inside and touch your stuff.
Try to buy whatever that you want with cash in the sea chest. They have a nasty habit of inflating the final bill and since, no bills or accounts given, when you leave Phase 1, you’ll find yourself short of money given. I was short by $27. The Ch Bosun by more.
If you can, switch over to AT&T. They have the best reception. With others, you’ll be struggling.
Lastly, on your first 3 days in the school you’ll be ragged for making up your bunk as per regulation standards with 10 push-ups in between (At least, that’s what the latest UAs tell me). Memorize this video and you’ll be fine. What they’ll be looking at is:
How accurate is your 45degree angle
How fast do you do it
How well you communicate with your partner and others
How well do you help others?
You’ll be given 10 mins. The trick is to take charge, tell the slow learners to do the pillows to put the finishing touch & have the fast learners follow you. You’ll be made the bosun of the class.
Good Luck![/QUOTE]
thanks for all the heads up info,i am slated to show up there Aug 8th,providing i pass the final SIU physical in july