3 Keys to OCS Success

[Indeejordan]

Hey guys,
I am going to OCC-198 30 May 2008. I have been working out and studying in preparation.

I am trying to come up with 3 main "Keys to Success" to memorize and always fall back on while I am there.

Right now I am thinking of something like:

This Candidate will...
1. Never Quit Anything.
2. Never Lose His Bearing.
3. Never Feel Sorry for Himself.

For those of you who have survived OCS, any suggestions?

 

[bubba716]

I would be realistic, you will lose your bearing, and you will feel sorry for yourself, everyone does at one point or another. It's about how you handle those situations that determines whether or not you will succeed. I would say the biggest factor to OCS is staying focused on the task at hand, take it day by day and evolution by evolution. Best of luck. Semper Fi.

 

[BACONATOR]

Hey guys,
I am going to OCC-198 30 May 2008. I have been working out and studying in preparation.

I am trying to come up with 3 main "Keys to Success" to memorize and always fall back on while I am there.

Right now I am thinking of something like:

This Candidate will...
1. Never Quit Anything.
2. Never Lose His Bearing.
3. Never Feel Sorry for Himself.

For those of you who have survived OCS, any suggestions?

For Navy OCS, what worked for me was:

"I will suck LESS today!" (Don't let them brainwash you into referring to yourself in the third person in the privacy of your head...candidate)

 

[Lonestar155]

One must not forget to stay confident. Unfortunatly those who had the "POW look" did not make it later down the road. The staff would get on those who had "the look" and make times harder for those candidates. No signs of weakness might save your butt a few times.

 

[vetteboyva]

What has always worked for me is remembering if the guy beside me can do it, then I sure as hell can do it. Good luck

 

[UORBulldog]

Ya the first thing I thought of was confidence, with everything, whether your getting grilled by a SI, talking to your platoon commander, standing in front of the CO, or any of the instructors. If you mess up, do it with confidence, don't go internal or freak out. Also, staying positive is pretty big, especially dealing with your peers and helping to keep morale as high as possible. It's a shitty place to be, so try to see things in a positive way.. if you bitch and complain it's not going to help anything and just make the sit. worse. And lastly, have as much fun as possible, find someone near your rack that you can joke around with quietly every night.

Haha or ya, what the guy above me said.. find the biggest sh@t bag in your platoon and just always know that you're probably better off than he is. Or better yet, help him out and raise up his level to everyone else's.

 

[Harrier Dude]

1. Never quit.
2. Never viloate your integrity.
3. Never be late coming back from liberty.

That should work for you. It's not a bad recipe for success in general.

 

[usmarinemike]

Indee, your list is kind of whiney.

HD's list is right on. I would probably put number 2 on top. Any penalty for being jacked will be way less nasty than that for lying about it. This is opposite of what you learned in kolledge.

 

[lacasera]

I just graduated from OCC-197 where my platoon had over 50% attrition. My advice - don't be an integrity violator, accept responsibility for everything, especially on chits, KNOW you can get to the end and never give up. I'd also avoid medical if at all possible. OCS is going to suck a lot, but its almost 100% mental.

 

[Cobra Commander]

Haha or ya, what the guy above me said.. find the biggest sh@t bag in your platoon and just always know that you're probably better off than he is. Or better yet, help him out and raise up his level to everyone else's.

Shitbags are awesome! Watching them get destroyed every single day all day makes for some memorable OCS moments. As for getting them on par with everyone else...helping who's behind is one thing, but you aren't doing anyone any favors by carrying shitty candidates. You just have to let some candidates die. It's natures way.

 

[joemcspeed]

Shitbags are awesome! Watching them get destroyed every single day all day makes for some memorable OCS moments. As for getting them on par with everyone else...helping who's behind is one thing, but you aren't doing anyone any favors by carrying shitty candidates. You just have to let some candidates die. It's natures way.

Hehe... Im glad you said it first. Ive always been motovated by the fact that this life is not for everyone. Singing "hit the road, jack" when they step off deck reminds you that you are just one day closer. Its a necessary evil to ensure the Elite, stay just that.

After the reread I sound so evil, please take note once the title is earned.... my hand is forever extended to you.

 

[Lonestar155]

Shitbags are awesome! Watching them get destroyed every single day all day makes for some memorable OCS moments. As for getting them on par with everyone else...helping who's behind is one thing, but you aren't doing anyone any favors by carrying shitty candidates. You just have to let some candidates die. It's natures way.

Wouldn't carry that mentality very far. There might be shitbags in the fleet under your supervision. That doesn't mean you let them kill themselves because they suck. Never once did I let any potential brother of mine go down the crapper without me knowing I helped him out. My staff saw it and wrote it down in my evals. Hell it made me look good.There is time for the those that do not want to be there that will DOR. Yes I have seen guys busting their butts, but just don't have the Marine mentality, yet they still suck. We had a recon guy in our platoon that would go out of his way to help "the big sucks" every single time. Even mentored them. Every candidate looked up to him as a leader and role model. Remember "Lead by example"...

 

[Indeejordan]

Thanks for the advice. I like these.

Bearing.
Integrity.
Positive attitude.


The Leadership traits are probably a good route to take, but I want to focus on a few that will help me the most.

 

[Harrier Dude]

I just graduated from OCC-197 where my platoon had over 50% attrition. My advice - don't be an integrity violator, accept responsibility for everything, especially on chits, KNOW you can get to the end and never give up. I'd also avoid medical if at all possible. OCS is going to suck a lot, but its almost 100% mental.

Good gouge. Know the difference between "hurt" and "injured".

OCS is one of the times to suck it up and press.

 

[Herc_Dude]

1) Smartly fly under the radar - then when you get a chance to stand out, kick ass. You will soon find yourself safe under the radar once again. In NO WAY do I mean slack off or be lazy, just don't be doing things to get yourself any extra unwanted attention. If you do well in your chance in the spotlight, there is no need for them to give you extra time as PltSgt, etc... It's always the guys who were questionable who got to be PltSgt, then Plt Commander, then Company Gunny, and then found themselves across the tracks.

2) Never lie/steal/cheat or put yourself into situations where you might think of doing these things - your will might be weak.

3) Never quit - keep your eye on the prize. As long and shitty as OCS might seem, its such a small fraction of time in the big picture. There is much more shitty time awaiting you at TBS, so go GET SOME!!!