16. Personal Tips to Prepare You For Plebe Summer (Boot Camp, OCS, or ODS)

You've just committed to the most challenging, exciting,
intimidating career-path of your life: the Navy. 





Now that you've committed + enlisted, you've comissioned + are
heading to ODS, maybe you're selected for an Officer program + on
your way to OCS, or maybe you're heading to the most incredible
University in the country (I'm not bias), The US Naval
Academy--now how do you prepare?!





That's right, you have to PREPARE before you ever arrive. Signing
the dotted line + committing was the hardest part, but from this
point forward, it doesn't exactly get easier. YOU chose to
challenge yourself, you CHOSE to set yourself up for a better
life. So now, you've got to take the heat if or get out of the
kitchen (or insert another navy metaphor). You absolutely MUST
start preparing for boot camp, plebe summer, Officer Candidate
School (OCS), or Officer Development School (ODS) or the culture
shock will have you floored + worse, acting like a "civilian"
upon arrival.





In this episode, I'm laying out what you need to know. I'm
consistently asked: how do I prepare for Plebe Summer? How do I
prepare for boot camp? So I wanted to recap a few of my tips +
list your priorities before you ever step foot in a Navy
installation. I graduated from the Naval Academy so our plebe
summer (our version of boot camp) is different that OCS, ODS, or
boot camp -- but I've worked as a recruiter for the last 4 years
+ the concept of becoming a sailor and Officer is still the same.
You need to focus on what will make you an asset to the Navy +
uphold our core values of honor, courage, + commitment. 





Like this episode? Follow me at @missunderstood.podcast for
epsiodes, updates, + more. 


For more information on the Navy, check out my IG at
@lieutenanthall or www.navy.com. For information on USNA, check
out the Naval Academy admissions page.