How can I best prepare myself for OCS?

The sooner the group learns how to work as a team the better. Also, realize that it's better to be in the middle than at the bottom or the top. Be a good follower when you are required to be a follower and be a good leader when it's time to be a leader.

SGT (Join to see) - Here's my $0.02:
First, the design of boot camp is to forge a civilian into a basic soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine. The intent of the staff is to do everything the can with everyone they got to maximize graduation. The intent of OCS is to screen/evaluate the candidates before them. Conversely to boot camp, OCS curriculum is to maximize attrition. If you head off to OCS with this in the front of your head, I'll suggest you'll do better than most. You had better be in the best physical and mental shape of your life! 'Cause as the ol' saying goes, "If you can run, you can lead."

I would err on the side of a lot of the 2LTs who have recently been to OCS as to what the experience would be like today. I know for most of us who attended during the beginning of "full immersion" had to deal with higher PT scores just to class up - but sometimes that can be class dependent.

Unless it's changed, they wouldn't allow us to attend OCS unless we actually had a Bachelors, so keep that in mind.

I agree with doing the best you can now, and learn from your leadership. A wise NCO told me: "Mimic the good ones, and learn the mistakes of the bad ones."

Also, before the days of RallyPoint most would go to ArmyOCS.com as an additional resource. It definitely helped me get my packet together and understand the timeline. Oh, and the OCSSOP is available online should you want to get an idea of the topics you'd be covering.

"Far across the Chattahoochee, to the Upatoi..."

SGT (Join to see) focus on doing the best you can in whatever field you've joined, complete your bachelor's degree, take every opportunity to learn and grow through military education, continue watching documentaries on leadership, read the Army Officer's Guide, and serve everyone regardless of their rank or position.

Honestly, I would wait a bit. Spend the tenure of your first enlistment contract in your job field, take the time to learn not only how to do the job you have now, but the job above you, and how to lead others (learn from you Team Leaders and Squad Leaders). Then, when your reenlistment window opens up, if you still want to drop the packet, do it as a reenlistment incentive. But the big thing is that you have to determine if this really is the lifestyle for you before you take a commission and end up hating it because it's "not your thing."

PV2 Sword,

You know that if you would have gotten your degree first and not been in the Army, depending on your AOC you could have applied for an AMEDD slot, put in application, get selected, skip basic training, no ASVAB test. Then go straight to your unit. We are authorized to place you as 2LT- COL. But alas you have to go the longer route. I agree with one reader to get to know your MOS first, learn to lead soldiers and then after your degree apply for OCS

Sorry for the misspellings Royce was intended of course to be ROTC obviously the phone keeps doing spelling corrections despite my best efforts my wife likes leaving the auto correction on (groan)

I did USAF OTS in 79 at lackland in San Antonio long before it was moved to maxwell in Alabama I was also 3 yrs army Royce before that on scholarship of which I finished 2 I nearly got into their summer camp at ft Bragg where it was given back then though I have no idea if it still is so having said all that there are or might be many thoughts I might offer you about ova programs generally I have an interest in the historical and or trade off aspects of such things for all the services such minutiae are rather an arcane hobby of mine I would look first and foremost at the website for the OCS Foundation which is actually extremely good with many forum discussions for prospectives for all five services however to be able to answer you in any more comprehensive fashion here what might well help would be many more concrete details about your interests and or ambitions generally e.g. what degree type and or major would you want which service OCS would you prefer your age at least approximately so far as you might explain or care to go into obviously also what type work generally you've done while in though of course only so far as you might deem you'd want to go into when I didn't get to finish the rotc I'd been in my faculty candidly were fairly taken aback that I'd gotten through the USAF ots program thereafter I thus as I said saw many things I think might offer you useful perspectives however as I'd said the more I'd know of your mindset on what I'd explained the easier being able to give you concrete answers might be not merely for me but also for those others on the site here you might chat with about the entire topic generally that's all I'd thought to suggest for now I'd obviously love to chat further if you'd be interested of course and hope certainly that you found any of this of at least some use as well obviously

Another option to OCS.

Take college courses, if you wish, while on active duty. Complete your active duty tour, then get out.

After getting off active duty, enroll and go to college full time, taking ROTC while in school. If you can manage it, you can join a reserve or guard unit while in college (and ROTC) for the extra income and add to your time in service (couldn't do that back in the 70's). This is what I did, but not by design.

You have to want it more than anything and be willing not to give up. Started with 88 candidates, 2 removed for test failures, graduated 28....the rest simply quit. But as others have stated, complete your degree prior to an OCS graduation.

Please take it one step at a time. Using words the " After I Acquire" means you haven't arrived yet. Take things in order and your plan will not become frustrating to you. Don't get the horse before the cart. Get that degree!