Officer Candidate School

Midshipmen who plan to be future Marine Officers are required to attend OCS at Quantico, VA, for six weeks in the Summer between their Junior and Senior year. OCS is a right of passage for all future Marine officers and requires that each candidate has the physical and mental strength to handle the demanding career that lies ahead of them.

So much activity occurs at OCS that it is near impossible to sum it up in a few paragraphs. At OCS, a candidate must be prepared to endure tough physical exercise that includes running long distances and conducting timed assault courses. Candidates will also be required to do long conditioning hikes up to 15 miles.

Much of OCS is designed to see whether a candidate can not only endure the physical strains of OCS, but that a candidate can lead future Marines under such stressful conditions with little or no rest. Leadership evaluations are often conducted at times when the environment is the most chaotic. Sergeant instructors are trained to create these environments of chaos and evaluate how candidates lead under such conditions. OCS is one of the most challenging yet rewarding experience Marine Option midshipmen will have.

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