Monster Marine OCS thread: stupid questions answered here!

[Crowbar]

it is parked behind the junior pt field. I personally would not bring your car because you have a bulls eye on your head while you are there on base. If you get pulled over any kind of ticket then you are subject to being dismissed. I walked or took a taxi to places on base. There are a ton of speed traps right there around OCS. There are pleny of people lookin for reasons to send you home, dont give them anymore ammo.

Or you could just obey the traffic laws. Kooky talk, I know. Just like everything else at OCS, it's a test. So if you don't want to take any chances by not driving, should you also play it safe by not going on liberty?

I went one summer without a car, bumming rides, and one summer with a car. Take your car if you can. Be smart while driving, on and off base.

 

[TheFurr7198]

No Im not saying that but there are a bunch of speed traps where the speed changes suddenly in areas of where its not so clear. A car just wasnt worth it to me because I got to go everywhere I wanted for liberty and without the hassle of a vehicle. And when it came time to go home I got to fly instead of a 10 hour trip. Oh and you dont have to intentionally be speeding to get caught speeding on that base because I was riding witha Buddy at Juniors and that happend to him. Late at night and didnt see the speed change from 25 to 15 because it was in not so well lit area. He got very lucky to meet an awesome CPL. But if you do bring your car, tread very lightly because Quantico is one big speed trap.

 

[Ground&Pound]

Cut-throat at OCS?

My OSO told me that OCS was very cut-throat! Basically, if the other candidates see you as weak, they turn on you. Does anyone have any experience with this?

 

[Slammer2]

the peer evaluations tend to be pretty harsh. they're all written in private so nobody else sees them except for your staff so candidates always tear each other apart. if a dude gets labeled one way, it usually sticks the whole time there. you're gonna be closest with your squad but even then, they can write some nasty shit about you. we do 3 rounds of evals. first time i got ranked pretty high in my squad, 2nd time really low (i had some bad injuries then which must have looked as lack of physical ability) and my finals went higher again.

 

[shotcalla10]

And what do they do with these evaluations? How do they affect you?

 

[Slammer2]

the evals dont really seal your fate there, but it puts things into perspective for the staff (whos evaluations really matter). For example, if someone is what they call a spotlight candidate, shines like a star when the staff is looking but then does jack shit when they go away, the candidates will all get pissed and write that down. usually if the entire squad is writing the same thing down about someone, its usually true in part. It gives the staff a little more intel on you. typically they have a good idea how a candidate is and then the other candidates just sort of confirm it.

Or, maybe theres something that your staff didnt pick up on. If a candidate or two point it out, they will be looking for it. This can be good or bad. Usually bad though

 

[Slammer2]

...Basically, if the other candidates see you as weak, they turn on you. Does anyone have any experience with this?

I sort of threak jacked this down the peer eval route. sorry. As I said in the other post, typically the guys in your squad are the ones who you're closest with. You spend the most time with them. Something I noticed is that when someone gets injured (something pretty significant) a lot of the guys in the other squads will "look down" on them and the guys in your squad will sort of "be there" for you. If its something that hurts but really isnt anything too big, then it seems like everyone will jump on you if you make a deal out of it. Shit like a sprained ankle wont get you much sympathy unless its really a severe sprain.

People who fall out of stuff or cant keep up or keep getting the fire teams in trouble will get turned on pretty quick and be labeled as a douche bag. Same with people who complain all the time. Bottom line is everyone is going to have good days and bad days there. My raackmate was one of the top ranked candidates in the company. Everyone loved the guy. But there were also days where I had to help him get his stuff squared away because he just couldnt keep up. Stuff like that doesnt hurt you. Its if you're a continuous pain in the ass.

The staff will put extra attention on candidates sometimes. If they are struggling or seem like they're at a very low point, the staff will come out guns blazing and just destroy them. How you act when this happens really determines how your platoon will view you. At the same time though, you can be the most popular guy in the platoon and get the boot. But as for fellow candidates turning on you, just carry your weight and step up as much as possible. But remember that it is ok to piss people off if you have a leadership billet and need to.

 

[Mustang83]

Don't worry about this now. When OCS is over, none of the eval's are recorded permanently. The OCS records stay at OCS and will more than likely never be seen again. If you want to know if OCS is cutthroat, think about how you'll act; will you stab your rackmate in the back when he goofs, or will you help him out, tell him what he needs to work on and listen when people tell you what you need to work on. Everyone there is going through the same thing you are, so if you think it'll be survival of the fittest your probably going to be left in the mud.

 

[skidkid]

If you are weak it wont be the only the Staff and Marine Corps with an interest in your swift departure from OCS, it will be the other Candidates as well.
If you are a shit magnet who is dragging the platoon down dont expect a lot of help from your platoon. If you are a good guy who is doing ok overall and hit a rough spot expect some help.

 

[skidkid]

Don't worry about this now. When OCS is over, none of the eval's are recorded permanently. The OCS records stay at OCS and will more than likely never be seen again. If you want to know if OCS is cutthroat, think about how you'll act; will you stab your rackmate in the back when he goofs, or will you help him out, tell him what he needs to work on and listen when people tell you what you need to work on. Everyone there is going through the same thing you are, so if you think it'll be survival of the fittest your probably going to be left in the mud.

OCS begins your professional reputation. Someday you will find yourself checking into a unit and I gurantee before you get there the XO or other member of the unit will ask "Hey who knows (fill in your name here)".
And if the only response is yeah I went to OCS with him that opinion will be your pre first impression.

It is a small Marine Corps.

 

[Crowbar]

if the only response is yeah I went to OCS with him that opinion will be your pre first impression.

It is a small Marine Corps.

"I know of him." <-- Always implies good things about a person.

 

[usmarinemike]

Yeah, this thread pretty much boils down to peer evals. Let me give you a story. I got cellulitis in about week 3. Bed rest until my foot wasn't the size and shape of a football. First round of peer evals, mine were garbage. ALL of my scores other were in the top of the platoon and I've been in combat/highly deployed and handled myself as such, but it didn't matter. The "spear evals" reflected the sentiment toward the broke dick that lie in the rack and staired at the ceiling while they were out doing day IMC and SULE I. One difference though was the evals from the guys in my immediate area (my fire team) who REALLY knew me. It was all those other guys that just saw me as they ran in the back hatch and didn't know me yet who were ripping me. By the end, I had them squared away, but some never came around. May God help them because those were the conceited prima donnas who only do well in initial training ad then flounder when they get to the fleet where they actually have to think more than be loud and strong. I saw the same exact thing after enlisted boot camp.

1) First impression is KEY. If you can go the first 3 weeks with pretty much no mistakes, then nobody will be aiming for you when you do suck. The staff is too busy working on putting out the ones that have already identified themselves.

2) PERCEPTION IS REALITY. This canot be overstated. No matter how good you think you are, and how good you really are, how you are perceived in the quick judgment of your staff and peers is how you have performed whether it's in line with reality or not.

In the end, I'm not sure cut-throat is the exact word I would use in the sense that boot camp is cut throat. There, any recruit will throw any recruit under the bus at any time, any place to be better and stay alive. This includes diming others out, hitting each other, and stealing other recruits junk among other things. Those things pretty much don't happen at OCS. The candidates have a lot more to lose and are in a different mindset. You can expect to get a lot of open support from other candidates as long as you show an effort. If you find that you're behind and nobody is helping you, that's a bad sign.

 

[Cavt]

A dude in my platoon went from being ranked pretty high to pretty low cause he took the last cookie in the chow line on the day we did evals...spear evals suck and IMO are not worth anything. Don't get wrapped around that stuff. Scream your lungs out, run till you puke, and don't screw your buddy and you'll be just fine. I never found OCS to be cut-throat. Now on the other hand, if the instructors really want to push someone out they can and will. Anyone remember the "Death Rack" with SSgt. Wright?

 

[Herc_Dude]

You will see spear evals again at TBS as well as being evaluated by 'higher ranking' billet holders if you are a billet holder. It was already stated that this is a way for the staff to gain some insight on a guy who they might not know much about, but it also gives you some experience on evaluating your buds. Someone has to be first, and someone last. When you have a good squad, it makes you really take a step back and think about where to put people and why. Especially when your fireteam leaders are three of your best friends.

Scream your lungs out, run till you puke, and don't screw your buddy and you'll be just fine.

THIS is good advice.

 

[MasterHaynes86]

I ranked rather low on average in the peer evals... each time there was conflicting trash from those that actually actually paid attention and knew me and those who were there, consistently in the moment... My Plt Cmdr told me to look at the bad, and respond to it if i dont agree and why. Then he wanted me to look at the good and respond to it if i agreed. It was really just to make me see that I have weak points and strong points I never knew I had...
Peer evals aren't something to worry about unless "SNC steals... lies... cheats... ect..." shows up on it. Read what Cavt said, and u should be aite...

oh, billet holders that piss of their squad get slammed on peer evals because everyone has a different way to do things... When I was in a plt billet, i tried to ensure the work got spread out, and if anything, my squad picked up the slack because that is just how awesome the men were... And believe me, it pissed them off...

Find a few whose opinion really matters to u, and at the end of it all ASK them what they think of u, where u can improve over the year/at TBS, and why...