One point I think we all should remember for DCOIC and all the other stuff is that we are (will be) officers when we go. The military is very distinctive in its treatment between enlisted and officer and I've seen both sides fairly well. Again, I haven't been yet but I don't imagine it as some sort of GI Jane type thing :icon_tong
You hit the nail on the head. While the Class chief is in charge for training reasons, he'll always say 'sir', and you'll always be treated like an officer. While most people probably have an over-hyped sense of what it'll be like, it's probably good because you'll get more out of it. My take on a lot of the online posts detailing the experience are a little bit exaggerated, but for the previously stated reason, I don't think it's a bad thing.
As for the female experience, you definitely don't have anything to worry about. We had at least one female with hair to her mid-back. Not an issue at all. The females I made friends with said that during inspections, Chief asked for "permission to touch" after finding IPs, even when it was on their back.

EDIT: just saw the post on the May DCO class. If anybody can get in that class, do it. Newport/Boston is awesome in May. Friday night in Newport in May...fantastic. Saturday in Boston, really great. Colleges may still have some lingering students....average age of Boston is mid-twenties...If you go in May, liberty will be amazing. And PT outside won't suck. But focus on the liberty.
