OCS hints/tricks

[Crowbar]

I agree with Big Worm about the ghost candidate thing. We had someone do that up until the fourth week when he became Cand Plt Sgt. That guy didn't even know how to address the Sgt Instr's and Plt Sgt (a very valuable skill, especially while you are the Cand Plt Sgt). He was getting screwed with the whole time he was in the billet.

Extra stuff I'll be taking to OCS next year:
Foot spray (not powder)
Electric razor
Ziploc bags (big ones!)
Extra shirts, PT shorts (lots of those), and socks
Sharpie Laundry Pen (the one you get issued sucks)

 

[AG]

If you can, pack all of your thing in a large travel backpack. This makes the first few days (when you carry all of your belongings everywhere!) a little easier. Also the extra shorts and shirts are a big help. If you can, keep a few undershirts, pairs of socks, etc. clean and folded (ie. ready for inspection). This will make prep for inspection a little quicker, and every little bit counts.

Good luck, and remember that it's all a head game,

AG

 

[orthaj]

Don't be a Scribe. Everything you need to have the platoon get done is usually jacked up from the start. You have even less time to accomplish your tasks than the rest of the candidates in your platoon. You are usually to busy answering the Plt Sgt and Sgt Instructors during plt free time to accomplish anything meaningful.

 

[HueyHornet75]

Here's my $.02
1. props to Airwinger, ooh rah?
2. the sgt instructors and drill instructors are experts at their job, they've worked with countless numbers of s---bags that went through boot camp. they know who has what it takes through experience. you will leave ocs with a great deal of respect for the staff nco, trust me. they are training the leaders who will lead them into battle, so they are going to know everything about you, so you probably won't be a "ghost candidate", even though that is pretty good advice from Mustangable.
3. sound off, move fast, be motivated, (i can't stress these enough- it will keep the sgt instructors from negatively singling you out, i guarantee it, even if you goober up your billets, a little)also, pray you don't get hurt
4. the sgt instructors have a say in who they want to kick out, but it's the platoon commander's ultimate say on who stays and who goes, so if there are nasties that make it, it's probably because they've got other qualities that the platoon commander saw that could be useful to the Marine Corps. (a guess, i don't really know)
5. there's a million techniques at ocs, a lot of what has been said is good to go. learn from the prior enlisteds. ocs is officer candidate's school-it teaches joe schmoes to be leaders as well as prior enlisted types. so, if you're new to the military, the sgt instructors aren't going to teach you how to dress, press your uniform, etc. it is your job as a leader to learn. pick and choose who you learn from. you'll know what i'm talking about when you get there. some priors like to cut corners, others don't-choose your mentors wisely, nuff said.
6. finally, time management. during the first few days, you won't sleep much as there is just too much to do. however, after a week or so, you can sort of catch up. during the evening, there is time to get stuff done, not just the weekend. do what you have to do to get sleep. i rarely stayed up past 2230, and that was usually just to write letters.
good luck
0CC178

 

[airwinger]

1. Props right back to hueyhornet
2. By Ghost candidate, I'm not implying slack off. I just mean that when you get a billet, be forceful, industrious and take initiative in your billet, but when out of a billet don't whine, sound off when needed and avoid arguing with your peers about how they do their billets(unless what they propose is dangerous)
Remember the two things you want out of OCS are your commission and a good reputation amongst your peers. Like one of my classmates found out, you may get commissioned, avoid going to the same TBS company as your peers but when you show up to flight school, you'll find your OCS reputation precedes you.
semper fi,
airwinger OCC179

 

[FrogFly]

Just don't be the guy who has cammie paint on the back of his head for days after a field evolution!

 

[klostman]

lol, thats a good one.

 

[klostman]

A lot of whats been said is good advice. I just thought I would add a little bit to the pot here. While I have only been to Jrs, I think I can use my personal experiences to maybe help others in the future. The ghost candidate. Well, that was me for probably about the first two weeks. I think it depends on what your definition of that is. Don't volunteer for everything obviously. But if you don't have a billet, be quite. But sound off everytime, stay motivated and pay attention to others who have billets and everything that is going on. Often times, they screw up and the SI's correct them. This is were you watch that and remember that. Recite it through your head or practice the movement in the head after lights out, but be very observant. This I can't stress enough. Pay attention to whats going on. Candidates in my platoon would often drift off and get into a comfort zone. I don't know if they just thought they would never get picked or what, but the instructors are experts at what they do and know the ones who are leaders and the ones who are weak in that area. And they definitely know the ones who are quiet. And when they call you up for the billet, that is one way they test to see if you have what it takes. Well, when time came for the "ghost candidates" to be a leadership position many would just crumble. I was a quiet one right from the get go. My instructors picked that up right away and picked on me because of that. Even my Platoon Commander thought I would quit after the 4th week. Maybe it was one of their ways of seeing how bad I wanted this or not, but it worked. I realized that if I'm gonna make it through OCS and be a leader, I need to change a few things. Adapt and overcome, which I did and ended up with the 2nd highest PFT in the Company and finished very well overall. I guess what I'm tryin got say is, don't be too quiet, stay motivated through all of it, pay attention to detail, and be confident in yourself. I found that at least for me, the more quiet and reserved I was, the less confident I was in myself. A one point I was trying to avoid billets or any duty just to avoid the attention. DON'T BE LIKE THAT! Sorry if I bored anyone, SF.

 

[Citizen]

three words that'll make your life easier:

AYE SERGEANT INSTRUCTOR!!!!!

 

[FrogFly]

Hehe - "Baloon Sarnt" or "Sarnt Nstruddr"

 

[Citizen]

"CANDIDATE PTTN SARNT! REPORT TO SARNT INSTRTR STAFF SARNT X AS ORDERED CANDIDATE!!"

"AYE CANDIDATES, CARRY ON CANDIDATES!!"

"AYE CANDIDATES, KILL!!"

those were the days . . .

 

[klostman]

Goooooooooooooooooddddddddd morning India Company. Goooooooooooooddddddddddddddddd morning PTI. Starting pooooossssiitttions..........MOVE. KILL!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNDDDDDDD STREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[FrogFly]

Originally posted by Citizen
those were the days . . .

Yup, the days that sucked.

 

[itoh]

-bring a pair of broken in MARPAT boots for PT, use the issued ones for garrison and inspection.
-half rack your rack (use one blanket, where you make the hospital corners on the head end and fold back over the olive blanket and keep the other blanket to sleep under, the poncho liner is too warm for the summer and somtimes it's in your Alice pack for a hump).
-perform with peer evaluations in mind (especially in billets, no one likes a candidate Sgt Instructor), follow as you would want them to follow you.
-Don't evaluate the staff (do your job as officer candidate)
-Go familiar with the general orders and 5 paragraph order

I could go on forever, but those are my main tips and there's alot of other good stuff posted here.

make it happen,
-itoh