I just got word that my conversion packet was approved so it looks like I'm just waiting on orders now to head out to DLI. I have a few questions, it seems much like everyone else on this board....

1. My wife graduates from college in December, so she won't be joining me until then. Will they let me stay in the barracks until then? We don't have kids.

2. I speak a little arabic and scored a 110 on the DLAB so do I have a pretty good shot at it? How often do they class up?

3. I already have a clearance, so will they need to do anything else with it?

4. Do they treat fleet returnees like crap? I should be coming there as an MC3.

Talk with the detailer regarding language. Yes, you may be able to stay in the barracks as a GEOBACH. Call the barracks and ask.

Is your clearance Secret or TS. If only secret your command should begin initiating a TS background check, which is much more thorough.

My clearance is TS. Also is it cool if I just "call up" the detailer? As far as I know I'm just waiting on orders to be cut for school but I'm not 100% on that.

Should be just fine to give the detailer a call. But for more info, you could try the CTI Community Manager (they seem to have a little more info) you can get that info by logging into the NPC website. From either one of them, you can probably get the relevant numbers at the CIDD Monterey so you can talk to someone there.

As a 3rd, all the booters are going to treat you with some sort of awe. It's a little weird. Otherwise, being a fleet returnee certainly has a lot of perks - just don't forget to call for muster, or you'll be lining up with the booters at 0700 every morning .

I'm at DLI now, so I know a little about what is going on and might be able to help.
1. You should be able to live in the barracks, but room is pretty limited right now. Being a geobachlor they may want you to move off post, it just depends on available room when you get here.
2. If you want Arabic you will most likely get it, esp if you have some background in it and you got the DLAB score so it should be pretty easy to get. Arabic classes start fairly regularly and they are willing to hold people for a few weeks/ months to get them into a class if they have other bodies available to take seats.
3. Don't know about the clearance thing.
4. Fleet returnees get treated pretty nicely here. For normal muster you can call in, once a week you have to come in for quarters. You will probably stand 1-2, 6-8 hour watches a month.

Overall life at Life is really easy compared to what it could be, class is intense but the Navy tries to help out as much as possible.

If you have anymore questions send me amsg and I can try to answer them.

Whether POs get treated like crap is hard for me to say because my entire Navy career has been limited to DLI thus far, but they don't seem to have it too bad. You might be asked to be the LPO of the division which basically entails conducting muster in the mornings and reading off what the LCPO wants the division to know, but that's only if you're the highest ranking PO in the division. LPOs aren't usually students though. We used to have a student as our LPO, but then her grades started falling so I think she requested to be relieved of that.

The Navy has it the easiest of all the branches at DLI. They have the least amount of military duty, so you shouldn't find it too difficult.