Marine corps officer candidate

An Officer Candidate in the United States Marine Corps is a person who is contracted to attend, is currently attending, or who has completed (but not yet commissioned) either the Officer Candidates Course (OCC) or the Platoon Leaders Class (PLC) at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia. After successful completion of either course, the Candidate is commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, and will go on to attend The Basic School.

election

Officer Candidates must pass a series of tests before being admitted into the Officer Candidate program. An Officer Selection Officer (OSO), usually a Captain, meets with a prospective Officer Candidate. Upon completing a satisfactory interview, the OSO then makes the decision to move the prospective candidate onto the next step. The prospective candidate then must complete a short essay about why they want to be a Marine Corps Officer, provide a birth certificate and social security card, pass a background check, provide five letters of recommendation from college professors and former employers, and pass the Military Entry Physical (MEP).

After successful completion of these steps, the OSO may then pass the Officer Candidate onto the Physical Fitness Test (PFT). Upon reaching a score on the PFT that the OSO deems to be acceptable (usually in the range of 225 and above), the Officer Candidate then signs their contract (including their contract to attend the course, the fraternization policy acknowledgement and the Marine Corps drug policy acknowledgement).

After all of this information is compiled into their "package", it is sent to a review board of five Captains, who vote to decide if the Candidate should be accepted to the next installment of Officer Candidate School. These review boards generally convene only once a month. After receiving a minimum of three out of five votes of acceptance from the review board, the Officer Candidate is officially accepted into the Officer Candidate Program.

Training

The Platoon Leaders Class is the most common course for Officer Candidates and is for college freshmen and sophomores. It normally consists of two six-week training sessions taken between consecutive school years. The main alternative is the Officer Candidates Course, which is for college seniors or graduates and consists of one ten-week training session. Officer Candidates on both courses receive a salary while in training and have related expenses (including travel to the Officer Candidate School) paid for them.

References

*cite web|url=http://officer.marines.com/ |accessdate=2008-01-26
title=U.S. Marine Corps Officer Candidate's Guide
publisher=United States Marine Corps