27 SEPTEMBER 2015 OCS Class

[navygraig]

Hey all! As a proud OCS grad I have a few tidbits of advice, take it or leave it. 1. Bring a brand new to very newish pair of running shoes. 2. Be ready for the IST, if you fail, you roll. No orange belt, you roll. That means 3 more weeks (at least): that being said, be sure you can do pushups with a straight back and that your elbows break 90 degrees when down, be able to do correct sit-ups, be able to run. Go to the OCS website program requirements page to get the specifics on the PRT. Be ready! 3. Eliminate the words "I cant," "I quit," or in OCS terminology "I D.O.R." from your vocab. You have worked hard to get to OCS, don't let a little pain and pressure scare you away. Your future commission is worth it. 4. The required knowledge for verbatim memorization is on the OCS website. Do yourself a favor and learn as much of it as possible before reporting aboard. Your brains are going to get so packed with knowledge while there the more you can prepare, the more successful you'll be. 5. Come prepared with the right items. Go to the OCS website and look at the list under required paperwork/items of what to bring. Part of being a Naval Officer is being prepared which means doing your homework to know what is required. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me. Good luck, and welcome to the best damn Navy in the world.

 

[AJOaks]

Good information @navygraig. A question about the running shoes, I have a great pair of asics that I have not worn that often. They may have a total of 30 miles ran in them, but there is a bit of fraying around the sole of one of them. I see people say to bring 2 pairs of shoes, one for inspection and one to PT in, does that mean we have places to put the PT shoes that you don't want to be inspected? I'm new to this because I am prior Air Force, and in BMT every single thing we had was subject to inspection. No where to hide, haha!

 

[navygraig]

Good question @AJOaks .
My recommendation: bring two pairs of running shoes. You will not have a problem with storage space in your rooms. If I remember right, I too brought two pairs of shoes. Don't worry about for inspection or practical use. Just worry about having a quality running shoe. We have a problem of Officer Candidates getting heel bursitis and shin splints which is credited to poor quality shoes. Though you will not run around base anymore and only on the artificial track, you are going to wear those shoes every day for 12 (at least) weeks. Set yourself up for success!

I'll fess up, I am slated to be one of the Class Officers for Class 04-16. I wanted to see what the discussion is. If there is anything I can do to help better prepare you for success at OCS please do not hesitate to let me know.

 

[LadyT]

Good question @AJOaks .
My recommendation: bring two pairs of running shoes. You will not have a problem with storage space in your rooms. If I remember right, I too brought two pairs of shoes. Don't worry about for inspection or practical use. Just worry about having a quality running shoe. We have a problem of Officer Candidates getting heel bursitis and shin splints which is credited to poor quality shoes. Though you will not run around base anymore and only on the artificial track, you are going to wear those shoes every day for 12 (at least) weeks. Set yourself up for success!

I'll fess up, I am slated to be one of the Class Officers for Class 04-16. I wanted to see what the discussion is. If there is anything I can do to help better prepare you for success at OCS please do not hesitate to let me know.

And the truth comes out...you are trying to scope out who to pick on lol jk. Thanks for all the tips.

So to be clear you are saying we need two pair of running shoes for actual running? Not one for running and one for inspections.

Also, is there anything you didn't bring that you wished you had?

 

[thosefreakinATs]

thank you for the gouge. ive always been a nervous runner during prts but i always do better than i expected once im running with other people and have a bunch of higher ranking people "motivating" me along. i look forward to the challenge

 

[AJOaks]

Thank you @navygraig I am oblivious to the terminology, I am guessing that 04-16 is our class?

Anyways, yeah I was considering going on ahead to buy a new pair of good running shoes and breaking them in some. Bring them with me and use them as backups in case a blow out my shoes I have now. If the old ones hold up, then I at least have my next pair of shoes when needed.

As for setting myself up for success, when I went through basic training, I did not know anything. I learned all of our required knowledge there and was not in really great shape. I ended up being fine, no failures besides weapon disassembly (luckily for me it caused the MTIs trouble as well so they gave me a retake.) Ended up running about a minute and a half faster, added about 20-30 pushups and situps and did fine in my inspections. Point I was making, is that going in blind I was fine. However, I do want to start out on a good foot. I am studying Appendix B as much as I can through writing it down and rereading it daily, as well as staying on a decent workout routine (the gym I have to use now doesn't have crossfit equipment so I am making due.) I have also seen lists of what to bring, like 2 white towels, a pack of white crew tshirts, and a pack of white crew socks. So for the most part I feel pretty prepared. If there is any wisdom you could throw down for me, and us as a class, that would be great.

And as for PT, my last AF PTA was:
1.5 mile 10:12
(1 minute for PU/SU)
pushups:67 (that is our max, I still had like 10-15 seconds left)
situps:58 (same here, but only had like 5 seconds left)

I have yet to try a 2 minute max but I think I will be okay with that. Feel free to critique or advise.

 

[MS21089]

@navygraig , we truly appreciate your guidance. I did have a question about hair - I am planning on keeping my hair in a bun throughout OCS, and had read in one of the "what to bring" lists circulating (not what is on navy.ocs.mil) that we cannot bring oil-based hair products. Is this true? Are there any products that we are not permitted to bring?

Also, for priors, would a print out from the awards section of our ESR suffice for ribbons validation? Can you confirm that we are allowed to wear thin ribbons/pre-set ribbon and medal racks?

Thank you!

 

[bluehens15]

Good question @AJOaks .
My recommendation: bring two pairs of running shoes. You will not have a problem with storage space in your rooms. If I remember right, I too brought two pairs of shoes. Don't worry about for inspection or practical use. Just worry about having a quality running shoe. We have a problem of Officer Candidates getting heel bursitis and shin splints which is credited to poor quality shoes. Though you will not run around base anymore and only on the artificial track, you are going to wear those shoes every day for 12 (at least) weeks. Set yourself up for success!

I'll fess up, I am slated to be one of the Class Officers for Class 04-16. I wanted to see what the discussion is. If there is anything I can do to help better prepare you for success at OCS please do not hesitate to let me know.

Sneaky sneaky haha thanks for all the heads up though! At least we'll know someone of authority going in! Hell more than half of our class is on this thread

 

[navygraig]

Yes the class convening on 27 SEP is Class 04-16.

1. PT Shoes (aka "Go Fasters"): No you do not need a pair of shoes for inspection and another for PT. We have a lot of people only bring one crappy pair. Not a good plan. My personal opinion would be to bring one that is newer but fairly worn in, and then a new pair (maybe that you've had a couple of runs in).

2. Hair products. No oil based products is news to me. As long as you are in accordance with the Navy hair regs you should be fine. There have been some recent changes so ladies, check out the following link for more clarification in that. Gents: Your head will be shaved with a #1 size clipper every 3 weeks.
http://www.navy.mil/ah_online/ftrStory.asp?id=84782

3. Items I wish I had brought but didn't. You will be limited to/from certain items in the beginning which will be allowed as you progress through training. That being said, as you discover things that you would benefit from having that you did not bring (that are authorized), you will make periodic trips to the Navy Exchange on base on the weekends and have the opportunity to purchase them. So, don't worry too much. I also wouldn't worry about bringing white crew shirts as those will be issued. Bring white skivvies (underwear), white socks for your PT shoes, and 1-2 white towels you want to use for hygiene. You will need a towel for inspection and the one you are issued is great or this.

4. Priors: Awards: The awards section of your ESR is fine. A printout from NDAWS is fine as well.

5. General Info: I know that most or all of you are very curious about what the program will be like. Know this: there is a lot of incorrect and flat out wrong info on the internet. OCS has changed drastically in the last few years. That being said, if you've seen the videos about OCS on YouTube... they're wrong. Flat...out...wrong. OCS has changed a lot and these videos represent the way it was before the revisions. That being said, the principles that you need to be prepared for in those videos is the same. Namely, militarization (discipline, intensity, and stressful conditions), attention to detail, professionalism, unwavering dedication and commitment, and physical fitness.

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask more questions as they come up. I want to help each and every one of you be set up for success as best as possible.

 

[bluehens15]

Is there any big ways that it changed? We've all watched the videos, but I'm sure everyone will agree, no one knows exactly what to expect except for the general information we hear

 

[navygraig]

The general structure of the school is the same though some of the evolutions have changed. You all don't need to focus too much on the exact specifics. Just know there have been some serious changes to the program compared to what you see on the videos. I want everyone to just focus on the principles I enumerated above. If you do that, you'll be as ready as you can be for OCS. And ultimately, the most important is to not allow the words "I quit" even be in your vocabulary. In case you're wondering though... RLP is still there.

 

[iFly14]

@navygraig The OCS site seems very clear about bringing original SSC and Birth Certificates for all dependents, as well as Spouses ID card (if not entered into DEERS). I have been told that photo copies are fine. Sir would you be able to provide some clarification? I would rather not take all these documents from my wife if I don't have to in case she should need them while I am gone. Especially my wife's drivers license.

Thank you sir in advance.

 

[AJOaks]

@navygraig Thank you again for the great advice. I think I can speak for everyone by saying that we should understand, by now, that if "I QUIT" is not in our vocabulary and we press on regardless, then we will be fine in the end. Very good advice though. I think the only thing we should be concerning ourselves with is making sure we bring with us the items that we need to have immediately before we are allowed to go to the NEX, as well as bringing all the correct forms, whether we are single or married, and making sure we are already very familiar with Appendix B to relieve some stress we will be facing.

I have 3 questions though and that should cover it:

1. I am prior Air Force. The only have two medals that transfer over, The National Defense Medal (which we all will receive) and the Global War on Terrorism Medal. I have never had to wear my blues since I graduated Technical School, will there be medals and ribbons available for sale near the training complex, or is it imperative that I have them already? I do have 2 full sets of the full size ribbons, but no minis or medals.

2. As for shoes, like I stated earlier, I have a pair of asics that are blue and grey so they go well with the PT uniform. As for a second pair of shoes, I have been wanting to buy a pair of Reebok Nano's 4.0, the all grey pair with black toe and sole, would that be appropriate for OCS? I know out here they are authorized in our PT gear, but I know in BMT they were very strict with PT shoes. I know I am probably overthinking this, but I just wanted a good pair of shoes to have for calisthenics days, as well as a good pair of workout shoes if we end up being allowed gym time during CandiO phase.

3. I also am curious about @iFly14 question as well.

Thank you!

 

[psulaw0929]

Bring white skivvies (underwear)

Not to get caught up in the minutiae but do our undergarments have to be white (aside for if/when we wear whites)? I've read on this site that they do not have to be but that could just be bad gouge. Additionally, the OCS website states "basic underwear," which is ambiguous. I ask because I purchased a bunch of navy (color), Under Armour, boxer briefs and would like to return them if I will not be able to wear them. To echo previous sentiments, I appreciate all the valuable information you've provided.

 

[iFly14]

Not to get caught up in the minutiae but do our undergarments have to be white (aside for if/when we wear whites)? I've read on this site that they do not have to be but that could just be bad gouge. Additionally, the OCS website states "basic underwear," which is ambiguous. I ask because I purchased a bunch of navy (color), Under Armour, boxer briefs and would like to return them if I will not be able to wear them. To echo previous sentiments, I appreciate all the valuable information you've provided.

@psulaw0929 I believe you want white to go with the white uniform. You don't want your black or blue showing through. So just a few pair of white, but the rest can be of your choosing. This is my understanding. Hopefully someone can correct me if I am wrong?
-edited for spelling