After the 3rd week of OCS you get libo on the weekends. Well, that's how it works for the 6 wks...I'm pretty sure it's the same for the 10wk program. Until the 3rd week you have training on the weekends and church on Sundays. Libo can be shortened if the instructors keep you around...or you may have to come back early for inspections. You'll also have duty on some of the weekends.

As far as the buddy system, I'm not exactly sure what you specifically want to know. You get a buddy and you look out for him/her. You don't have to hang out with them all the time but you're responsible for knowing where they are and how to get in touch with them. If you're buddy gets in trouble, you still have a part of responsibility even if you weren't with him/her at the time they got in trouble. Basically, just Marines looking out for Marines. Does that answer the question?

I was talking to a friend of mine in the Marine Reserves and he mentioned the Summer Officer Program. I'm not sure if that was the exact name, but it's where you can go to OCS and then promise to finish your degree. I couldn't get exact details from him, can someone please explain the program?

He was probably talking about how you can do OCS in the summer in two sessions, one between your sophmore and junior year and one inbetween your junior and senior year.

For the guy asking about the buddy system, do you mean the thing where you enlist with someone else and both go to bootcamp at the same time/place? Not sure if you can do that for OCS, and even if you can, I wouldn't. You're just making yourself a target for extra attention from DI's and the like...

What months does PLC take place for Freshmen?
Also when do you take the pft for entrance into it?

Thanks

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 7733282,

May Have Been Answered In Another Way, So Apologies If Reposting. I Have 12 college credits to my name with a 2.6 GPA for them and i want to become an officer or at least start on the path to officer for my military career. Any Ideas on How To Begin? I haven't even left for Parris Island yet so i am not even a marine yet. anything I can do to setup something for post Basic?

The videos and articles at this link contain great insight regarding what OCS is like. They give you a concrete image- Enjoy

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/class186/videos.php

Hi am aged 18, currently studying for a higher level leaving Certificate in my last year of school, Also I am serving in the Irish Naval Service Reserve, I am trying hard to apply for the Marines as a cadet, But as I am an Irish Citizen I am finding it hard to get information on Irish Citizens, Can anybody please give me some advice on a good way of applying, any help would be usefull,
Thank you,
Anthony Quinn
O/sea

I was wondering if I could get some information from you guys who have been there and done that. (Please don't mind the FTRSOLDIER name, I can't figure out how to change it to Marine). I was accepted to Michigan State, but this is only my second ambition. I want to be a Marine and then a Marine officer. I was wondering if it would work well to go through the Reserves to Incremental Initial Active Duty for Training, complete that, and then apply for Platoon Leaders Class. After I graduate would I be able to switch to Active Duty with my commission. I truly appreciate your help on this matter. Thanks again.

Kurt

find your oso and talk to him, he will answer everything

oh yea, keep in mind he is selling you something

Candidates,

I can't emphasize enough how much you will get out of the following websites:

http://www.marineocs.com
http://www.ocs.usmc.mil
http://www.marineofficercandidate.com

Nearly all of the questions asked in this thread have been answered (particularly in the forums at www.marineocs.com ). Take some initiative and inform yourself first. Good luck.

Semper Fidelis,
Lt Shim

P.S. For general prep:
http://www.ocs.usmc.mil/New_Web_Format/Candidate_Inform...Candidate%20Prep.htm

P.P.S. For the official regulations that will govern your life as an officer candidate, check here (it's a BIG pdf file -- some 50mb's): http://www.ocs.usmc.mil/New_Web_Format/Candidate_Inform...te%20Regulations.pdf

quote:

Originally posted by 6021523:
to get into ocs do you have to go to college or no

Yes.

quote:

i got a question, how does the buddy system works??? anybody plzzzz

There isnt one for OCS.

quote:

What months does PLC take place for Freshmen?

In the summer only. Unless you are a college senior or graduate.

quote:

May Have Been Answered In Another Way, So Apologies If Reposting. I Have 12 college credits to my name with a 2.6 GPA for them and i want to become an officer or at least start on the path to officer for my military career. Any Ideas on How To Begin? I haven't even left for Parris Island yet so i am not even a marine yet. anything I can do to setup something for post Basic?

Yep, talk to an OSO. That's the ONLY way to begin.

quote:

oh yea, keep in mind he is selling you something

You may be surprised at how low-pressure your OSO is. They are VERY busy and a lot of the intiative will rest upon you to get things done. You aspire to be officers and they will expect you to show the motivation and committment necessary to accomplish that goal without them breathing down your neck.

Best advice possible: TALK TO AN OFFICER SELECTION OFFICER and go to MarineOCS.com

quote:

Originally posted by 0302marineva:
OCS isn't hard at all, but yeah, you need to know your general orders, rank structure (focus on the enlisted since the officer ranks are easier, and everyone is sir or ma'am). also study the code of conduct and any other facts that you wish.

Eh, I found it pretty hard. Most people do.

----

General info:
(Disclaimer: I apologize for this being slightly disorganized. It's 2:50am and I have been adding to this post periodically over the course of 2 hours as I thought of more info)

Mentally it's not too hard. If youve been to boot camp, I wouldnt worry too much about the mental aspect. A large part of the mental portion, though, deals with leadership qualities, as I will discuss later. Physically, it's a real kick in the balls (even people with 300 PFTs usually agree). I had about a 285 and found it difficult.

Remember: OCS is not TRAINING you to become a Marine. It's a SCREENING PROCESS to see if you have what it takes to become a Marine. You get your training after OCS (6 months at TBS and then X months/years at your MOS school). In order to see if you have what it take, they basically put you through the grinder and see if you can hack it. Anywhere from 20%-50% cannot - and that's after being selected to attend OCS in the first place, of course.

As I said before: If you are going the PLC Jrs/Srs route, try and shoot for 240 MINIMUM. And if youre going to the 10 week course, I would say try and get 260 MINIMUM. Of course, the OFFICIAL minimum is 225. OCS is basically ALL running/humping. So as long as you can run (with or without boots and utes, pack, etc), you should be okay.

I ran a 20:50 or so on my final PFT at OCS and I was in the bottom 1/3 of my company. It was pretty humbling. I believe that average PFT for the company was 275 or so - but I'm not sure how that breaks down in terms of run/pulls/situps.

Your body will break down over the course of the training, so it's important to be well rounded. A twig who can run 16:30 on his PFT may snap like the twig that he is once you put a pack on his back. Or his feet may fall off when he runs with boots on. Likewise, the body builder may be able to bust out 35 pull ups with ease, but he probably cant run 3 miles in less than 22 minutes. Towards the end, most of your runs are done in boots so it's about balance and being able to stay healthy.

-Shortest run = 3 miles (3 times)
-Longest PT run = 5 miles (2 or 3 times)
-Longest hump = 13(ish) miles (once)
-Longest 'unofficial' run is during SULE II where you basically run from one 'tactical situation' to another and it can vary between 6 miles and 10 miles apparently. This is after 0 hours of sleep and a 13 mile hump.
-Average hours of sleep = 3-5 in the first half; 4-6 in the second half. I think I got 7 hours of sleep a couple of times. That was a luxury.

Instead of getting 'thrashed in the pit' like at boot camp, they give us essays. Sounds pretty p_ssy, I know, but I honestly think it's worse (though I've never been to boot camp, that notion is supported by many priors). Theyre usually 300 words and you have to underline each word. Typically they are on some asinine topic too. And the ONLY time you get to do it is 30 minutes after lights out. And if you have firewatch that night, chances are good that you'll only get 1-2 hours of sleep. Have fun the next day. Depending upon your staff, you can get anywhere from 0-3 essays a night. My buddy just got back and said that in the first 2 weeks he probably averaged 1.5 essays a night.

I would say that OCS is 40% physical and 20% mental. The other 40% is leadership. Throughout OCS you will be given 'billets' where you will expected to lead. They will evaluate you the ENTIRE time. In fact, they evaluate you non-stop whether you have a billet at all. That's partly why OCS sucks: you are constantly in fear of getting dropped or doing something dumb. Examples of billet include: fireteam leader, where youre in charge of 3-4 candidates; platoon sergeant, where youre basically in charge of the entire platoon (INCLUDING marching them to and from everywhere; and it can go all the way up to company commander. You must preform well or you WILL be sent home.

Towards the end, you will gain more and more autonomy. The staff will become easier on you, per say, and will begin to evaluate you from a distance. In the beginning, they watch you like a hawk and point out everything that's wrong. Then they start to ease up and see how you react. By this point, you should know what to do and not to do. If you had a rough couple of first weeks, then this is your time to make up for it and shine, so to speak.

In terms of the f_ck-f_ck games that are apparently so popular at boot camp: You will play these, especially in the first half. A large part of it, though, is staff dependent. My buddy just got back and his staff was torturous on them the entire time. My staff was not too bad.

Important: You WILL fail. OCS is designed to have you fail some things, whether it be a run or a leadership billet. They do this in order to see how you react. We had one candidate just stop dead in his tracks and refuse to move because he was failing so poorly and getting reamed for it. That's a good example of reaction INappropriately. He was kicked out the next day.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: IMJ345,

I've almost finished the book One Bullet Away by Lt. Nate Fick and the first chapters describe in detail his experiences in OCS. It's an entertaining read and very informative.

im coming straight from college and im wondering if there is a required/minimum GPA to get into OCS.

or does the PFT scores only matter?

You must have a minimum 2.0 GPA, but that's not very competitive.

For the record, I wont lie... I partied a ton in college. My GPA was kind of sour. So I got my PFT to a 295 to make myself competitive for selection. As long as you have that 2.0 or higher, just find other stuff to make yourself look good. Find some community service or something, PT your *** off, and dont stop applying if you don't get in the first time. Once you are in, that GPA means NOTHING. NOTHING at all. Your past is history. I know some kids who slacked in college who rocked flight school (which is the hardest damn school Ive ever been in) because the Marines teach you how to learn fast.

Something to add to my previous post. Dont ever think that if you slacked in college that you will be able to get away with that in the Marines. If you did mess up in college and work hard to get in... appreciate that fact and continue to work hard. Youll be putting in 110% everyday, all the time. TBS sucks, MOS school is worse, and everyone remembers how you do. Your reputation will follow you.

quote:

Originally posted by reapergm:
Once you are in, that GPA means NOTHING. NOTHING at all.

Hey Reap, good to see you again!

Anyways, that's very true! I had fellow candidates at OCS who were smarter than me and had advanced degrees, but washed out of the program!

After OCS selection, it's about mindset and determination. Past achievements is just that, PAST. How you apply the discipline to your quest for gold will see if you get results.

Don't let anyone tell you OCS is "easy". They will find the thing you're not so good at, and that will get to you. You will fail at SOMETHING while you're there.

It's certainly doable if you're prepared and determined. But by no means is it easy.