Our Top Ten Posts of 2017
Over the past year, these are the most-viewed posts on the entire site. Not all of these posts were written within the past year, although many get regularly updated. From least-viewed to most, here are the top ten posts of 2017:
Number 10: Remember a Silver Dollar for Your First Salute
The first salute a newly commissioned officer receives is a special moment. Naval tradition holds that the new officer should return the honor of a salute with the special token of a silver dollar. While at OCS, you should think about who you would like to give you your first salute.
Number 9: The Ultimate OCS Graduation and Commissioning Gift Guide
A perennial favorite, your suggestions helped us update our gift guide in 2017. “What should I get a graduating or commissioning candidate?” is a question asked by many family members unfamiliar with the Corps. We hope this post points you in helpful directions.
Number 8: Officer Candidates School: Sample Schedule
It’s not new, but it gives a realistic feel for the pace and relative timing of various events throughout OCS.
Number 7: Physical Fitness Testing at OCS
Still mostly applicable, this article is a bit dated. We would love recent graduates to volunteer to contribute updates to it!
Number 6: Academics at OCS
For all you super-motivated candidates who would actually like to study ahead of time before hitting the beaches at OCS, here is an excellent opportunity to actually get access to some of the curriculum you will be learning and tested on while there.
Number 5: PFT: Physical Fitness Test
For me, the pull ups were the hardest part of the USMC PFT. If they are giving you trouble, or you need help training for the PFT as a whole, I hope this page will give you some helpful advice and motivation to train! Mastering the PFT will be an essential part of becoming an officer in the Marine Corps.
Number 4: The Ultimate OCS Preparation Workout
Candidates, this is my recommended pre-OCS workout. I would do you a disservice if I only laid out a formula to follow. Instead, I’m going to show the process I worked through to generate this plan, so that you can copy the process and get a personalized workout for yourself.
Number 3: OCS Questions and Answers
What can our team answer for you today?
Number 2: OCS Packing List
Thank you all for your help updating one of our most essential posts on the blog! It stirred up a lot of controversy and opinions, and helped quite a few candidates show up prepared for the rigors of OCS.
This is a recommended, unofficial packing list for Officer Candidates School. This list started as what I was glad I had, or what I wish I had. Over the years, many OCS graduates have helped refine it to its current comprehensive update.
Number 1 Most Popular Post: Challenge Yourself with the MARSOC Short and Long Cards
United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) is the Marines component of the Joint SOC. They’re basically the baddest of the bad in the Marine Corps fraternity, formed straight from the Recon Marines. See if you can keep up with their awesome workouts.
Note: we are looking for someone to model this workout for an exclusive YouTube video for us. Comment below or direct message us if you’re interested!
That’s all for now. What would you like to see covered in 2018? Have any of these posts helped you and your families through OCS? All the best in the new year.
