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Female Candidate Question: I will be applying for the OCS class who will enter in June of this year. This is a silly concern- but I’m 5’0 tall-even. I know that everything will be exceptionally more challenging for me considering my size but watching Obstacle Course videos online makes me feel like it will be impossible for me to pass the O course in time … Continue reading Short Female Candidate Question: Obstacle Course
Candidate Question: I am a female hoping to go to OCC this summer. I was hoping you might have some insight as to why so many more women get dropped than men? I have a competitive PFT score, but, presumably, so did all the women that got dropped from your OCC class. I have been trying to focus a lot on upper body strength since … Continue reading Candidate Q: Female drop rate?
If you’ve wondered that, then you’re not alone. In my graduating class, less than 20% of females were remaining. Most of these went immediately to a delay at TBS due to injury. Scary figures, right?
If you are intimidated or discouraged by these facts, STOP! The odds are tough but just let that be motivation. The 1 female in 5 who graduated with us was probably the best prepared and most dedicated. Just determine to be that one and you will become an officer in the Marines. Do not let doubt creep into your mind. You can be the best prepared, and you can do it. Thousands have before you.
I will use this post to answer questions that females have asked before. Â I did not have females in my company, but the “neighboring” company did, and obviously I’ve had plenty of female friends successfully complete OCS. I will only answer questions that I think I can do justice to.
A: Overall, it’s no different from my advice for men. Know the most knowledge you can, memorizing all the general orders perfectly and studying all the pubs I have on the site. Study! Work out hard! If you can keep up with the sample workout on this site, you will be in good shape. Get all the sleep you can before OCS. You’ll lose a ton there.
A: I recommend working on upper body and core especially, as your loads will be similar to the heavy loads carried by the males. Working in heavy squats and lunges will help develop core and lower body strength ahead of time. I said heavy, no 5 lb Jillian Michaels dumbbells here. For running, aim for 15% increase in mileage per week. If you develop shin splints, run on a softer surface, ease back a little, and do stretching and mobility work. Try foam rollers
We didn’t even have a female platoon in our company.  But one of the things I can straighten out is that all pull-ups in my PFT discussions now apply to males and females. Women now do Pullups, not the flexed arm hang.
