USMC College to Officer Programs

United States Marine Corps Officer Candidate Eliana Scott, an officer candidate with the Officer Selection Station Riverside, shares her experience in the Platoon Leaders Course while being a full-time student at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in Riverside, California, Nov. 18, 2021. The Marine Corps PLC allows college students who want to commission as officers to attend two six-week summer training cycles at Marine Corps … Continue reading USMC College to Officer Programs

OCS Leadership Tribe December Newsletter

The OCS Leadership Tribe December 2021 newsletter highlights five exceptional leaders. Read their stories of building a career around being true to themselves and embracing authenticity. The OCS Leadership team is honored to share their stories. Download our new iOS & Android Marine OCS Blog mobile app! Access the latest post, articles, and monthly newsletters. CLICK HERE TO VIEW NEWSLETTER Continue reading OCS Leadership Tribe December Newsletter

MEC

Test Your Physical Limits with the Muscular Endurance Course (MEC)

The Muscular Endurance Course (MEC) is a workout candidates will complete 2-3 times during their time at OCS. Many other PT sessions will be similar to the MEC. Complete the circuit twice. Max effort. 1 min 30 seconds per exercise Mountain Climbers 100 Yard Sprint Push Ups 25 Yard Sprint Situps 50 Yard Sprint Lunges 25 Yard Sprint Overhead Press (should be close to 35 … Continue reading Test Your Physical Limits with the Muscular Endurance Course (MEC)

Example Mini OCS (aka OCS Prep Weekend) Gear List (2017)

What is “Mini-OCS”? OCS Prep Weekend, or “Mini-OCS” is a short, realistic weekend experience to expose candidates to facets of OCS before they ship. It prepares you for OCS, simply enough. We’ve written about it here before: My Mini OCS Experience Video Overview of OCS Prep Weekend   Your OCS Prep Weekend Packing List This gear list was shared by a candidate who recently (May … Continue reading Example Mini OCS (aka OCS Prep Weekend) Gear List (2017)

The History of Marine Corps Officer Candidates School

Throughout history, the road to becoming a commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps has generally begun with one of several programs at Officer Candidates School (OCS): Officer Candidates Class (OCC) Platoon Leaders Class (PLC) or The Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) Each course is designed to educate and train officer candidates in Marine Corps knowledge and skills within a controlled, challenging, and chaotic … Continue reading The History of Marine Corps Officer Candidates School

GPS Watches at OCS and TBS

Candidate Question I PT with a GPS watch and I want to know if GPS watches are allowed at OCC. I understand the watches will have to be all black. Thank you for your post and support. Answer No, you cannot use a GPS watch (or usually any watch at all) during OCS. For much of TBS, you cannot use a GPS watch either, just a … Continue reading GPS Watches at OCS and TBS

Q&A With a Successful OCS Graduate

Many thanks to a gracious Second Lieutenant at TBS who took part in a Q & A session with us to share advice after his recent graduation from OCS. Feel free to follow up with any questions or comments of your own below! How would you characterize your overall experience at OCS? My experience at OCS was that of an up/down adventure. There are good days, … Continue reading Q&A With a Successful OCS Graduate

PPPA (Push, Pull, Press, Abs) Home Gym Alternative

This is a recommended modification for a female friend just looking to lose some weight for her wedding by using Marine Corps-style PT. Get some! Instead of PPPA, do a circuit of sets of pushups, crunches, overhead presses, and lastly pullups or curls. So try doing 10 (girl) pushups, 30 seconds rest, 20 crunches, rest, 10 overhead presses, and finishing with pullups or curls, just some … Continue reading PPPA (Push, Pull, Press, Abs) Home Gym Alternative

One Easy Cheat Sheet to See if You’re Physically Ready for OCS

I challenge all candidates to achieve these minimum benchmarks before getting to OCS, and using them as training goals. This will put you in decent standing, but not the top of your class if these are your max sets. MALE Pullups: Max set 18 Pushups: Max set 65 Run: 21:00 3-mile Run: 880 meter sprint in 3:15 in boots (2:45 running shoes) Flutterkicks: Max set 60 … Continue reading One Easy Cheat Sheet to See if You’re Physically Ready for OCS