< Back

Officer Candidates School: Academics

Academics is a vital part of becoming a Marine Officer.

There [are] three main areas that we look at; your physical fitness, your academics and your leadership.

A good Marine Corps Officer is an intelligent individual, able to assimilate information quickly, manage his time, with what little time that he has at the end of the training day refocus on the academic.

And if they're physically in shape, they tend to be able to focus on the academic tier.

The things that you learn in the classroom are things that will actually start to come into play once you find yourself in the field.

[Officer Candidate 1]:
We just came from the field and we've been doing exercises all morning. Now we've got to put our thinking caps on.

The class that I'm about to give is Land Navigation 3. The purpose of this class is to provide the candidates with the knowledge of how to read a topographical map.

[Marine 7]:
You always have to trust that compass.

Throughout your career as a Marine Officer, you're not just leading your Marines in the field, you need to constantly be educating yourself so you can better instruct your Marines to become better leaders.

Officer Candidates:
Yes Drill Sergeant.

The things that you learn in the classroom, I would say are all very much military oriented from history to basic concepts.

[Officer Candidate 2]:
So, 96 degrees magnetic.

[Marine 5]:
In the classroom it's all on paper but when you actually have to apply those things that you were taught, that's when everything starts to come together.

Officer Candidates:
Yes, Corporal.
That's why we're here, to try to develop their mind and their body.