Since I seem to get the occasional search engine hit for “OCS,” I thought I’d share my advice on the Marine Corps Officer Candidate School: come prepared. Physically, you should be in very good all-around shape. Psychologically, be prepared to block out negativity, because it’s the only thing that will come from the staff, and, at least in my platoon, it’ll come from all the other candidates, too. If you can arrive knowing some of the knowledge, specifically rank structure and general orders, you’ll be ahead in the first week. Most of all, keep your head out of your ass, have situational awareness, and remember the big picture.
PT at OCS is all about endurance, so do circuit training. As for strength, I always suffered on the push/pulls, which is pull-ups, push-ups, pull, push, pull, push (that’s three sets) in quantities around 12 and 30, respectively (they do go higher, though). Also do some tricep dips, abs, and dorsals.
Don’t pack much crap, because you won’t need it (except for 1 inch cloth medical tape; bring about 300 rolls of that). The only things that I really needed for a while were cloth medical tape and ziplock bags. Anything beyond that wasn’t necessary before liberty, or at least the first PX call, at which point you’ll figure out what you need.
Probably the biggest lesson you’ll learn at OCS is “integrity,” or “Doing the right thing not because you’re told to.” That’s remarking your gear, or standing at attention indefinitely, or fessing up to your mistake without anyone having to ask twice, or at all. You’ll realize that the cover-up is always worse than the crime, and that you have to come clean, and sometimes you have to stand up for yourself, too, even when it’s not easy to do.
