Site Rules

Estimated read time 6 min read

Mission Statement

The site is run by OCS graduates and exists to assist those interested in, or preparing to attend OCS. Furthermore, this site serves as a forum for OCS graduates to connect on a professional peer mentorship level. We strive to ensure the site contains factual information from verifiable sources and that rumor, conjecture, and unprofessional conduct is avoided.

The Rules

The rules are not meant to limit speech. They ensure order and decency. Repeated rules violations will result in a warning and/or deletion of your user account. If need be, we will ban your IP. Moderators on this site do just that, they moderate. Do not argue with them. If you want to discuss something they said, do so in a Private Message (PM). State your case and receive their reply. What they say goes. If you have a problem with them take your case to an Administrator. Remember, all Moderators and Administrators are commissioned officers, except a few rare instances of senior NCO’s, or they are actual OCSF Foundation senior members.

  1. This site is not “just the Internet.” We are real Military officers and NCO’s volunteering our time to help you. Follow our rules or do not post on our site. The dress code is semi-formal, and so is the conversation. Imagine you are in the company of a group of your seniors, peers, and subordinates. Act accordingly. Remember what you are here for and who spends time here helping you achieve your goals. Do not get offended if someone corrects misinformation that you have absorbed. If you receive a curt response, consider the source and be thankful your mistakes are made here – where the consequences are relatively painless and very short lived. Many community members come here to give advice, guide you through the application process, and give you a glimpse into the world of a Military Officer from their own experiences. They do so using candor, but without being offensive or belittling.
  2. All registered users must introduce themselves before posting in the Forums. Use the standard format located here. Select the appropriate format for College Op, Enlisted Applicant, or Officer.
  3. User profile information should be filled out truthfully. Misrepresenting yourself is unprofessional, lame, and will result in public humiliation and banning.
  4. No spam. No selling personal gear. Feel free to post OCS items that you will give away.
  5. No discrimination against race, religion, creed, sex, etc. will be tolerated. Your user account will be banned and your hate speech deleted.
  6. Respect your fellow members.
  7. Communicate like a professional. No one expects perfect grammar or sentence structure but you can try. This is not a texting service either. Communicate like a professional. Use proper English, spelling and punctuation.
  8. Stay in your lane. Refrain from rumors and conjecture. This is an important lesson for all Soldiers. Feel free to discuss that which you have first-hand information or can claim expertise. Otherwise, listen and respect the opinions of those who have been there. If you have yet to attend an Army School, you are not in a position to dispense advice on how to successfully complete said school. With that being said, feel free to comment in areas you know something about. If you have a great work out, post it, but do not say it will help you smoke BCT or OCS or Ranger School if you have yet to even lace up your first pair of combat boots. If you have not BTDT then it is better to just keep quiet. One day you too will be able to speak with experience or authority on many of these subjects, just pay your dues first.
  9. Politics are fine; we all pay attention to them, or should. So, discuss the latest musings of the madmen we elect, but refrain from political discourse that can be construed as inflammatory. These types of posts and threads may be locked or deleted by the site staff.
  10. News items are fine also, but if you post an item for discussion you should be the first to add your thoughts on the issue. No posting just to stir the flames of controversy. Arguments should be cogent; solutions feasible.
  11. Do not ask for assistance in beating or cheating on standardized testing, training evaluations, or anything else. This is a violation of honor code. Your posts will be deleted by the site staff.
  12. No thread jacking! If you want to make a bunch of wisecracks post a thread in the Miscellaneous Forum and enjoy your banter, but thread jacking is unprofessional, disrespectful to those trying to gain information, and clogs our site with mindless drivel.
  13. No nudity or sexually explicit images of either sex. These images are defined as: images of bare breast(s), genitalia, and images that are sexually suggestive and/or of a specific sex act. Actually, outside of The Picture Thread, there is not much need for photos at all.
  14. No profanity or vulgar language. STFU, s***t, f&^)K, and other intentional misspellings all mean the same as the words they replace and all are equally wrong. Profanity is not allowed. Refer to Rule #7 when in doubt.
  15. Do not post private information in the public forums. Even though we require registration on this site, we have no way of limiting who sees the information. Therefore, be wise! Use PERSEC at all times.
  16. Do not post information that may compromise operational security (OPSEC) or national security. For example, do not post or ask where individuals or units are/have been deployed. CNN is a good source for this type of information; or, your chain of command if you need to know.
  17. Images will not be larger than 120×120 pixels. If you want to post large images, please link to them. We do not host avatars, link to an image no larger than 90×90 pixels. Also, avatars should be in good taste. Remember, this is a semi-professional atmosphere and your avatar speaks for you. One warning and then we’ll change it ourselves.
  18. Just because you are on the Internet does not mean that you are anonymous. We require introductions for a reason. We will extend as much respect to you as you extend to others. There are rules and guidelines for use to make everyone’s experience as fruitful, efficient and beneficial as possible. Expect that you will be witness to, and involved in, candid and frank exchanges. This is not the place to get a warm and fuzzy feeling for failures or stupid decisions. Our members are real Service Members (Commissioned Officers, NCOs, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airman, and others) who have been, will go, or want to go to the Officer Candidate School of Officer Training School. We are here to help, do not waste our time, and we won’t waste yours. Follow our rules or leave