Looking for a female perspective on OCS

[Bergers2short]

Oh that reminds me. I'm a chapstick fiend. Can I keep one on me in my sock or something? Maybe it's being in the desert after growing up on the coast of VA, but I need chapstick desperately. I have a purse chapstick, a work chapstick, a living room chapstick, and a bathroom chapstick on the shelf with my face products

Edit: rogue capitalization

Caveat: I commissioned in 2011. But I am a chapstick fiend as well and was shocked when it wasn't contraband. I kept some in the pocket of my poopy-suit or NWUs the whole time. Didn't ever try to bring any to PT though. Just be sure to only put it on when you're in your room, the head, or otherwise not "on." There is a price to pay for OCS chapstick--you'll get bruises from hitting the deck wear the chapstick is. But most of us get a ton of mystery bruises from OCS in general...

 

[Bergers2short]

That’s what I meant by not having seen any photos of women wearing skirts at OCS. I was simply curious if it was an actual policy there, since neither of the other two commissioning sources have that rule (I know USNA did in 2016, which they reversed).

Same caveat as above. I remember no skirts at graduation being a constructive policy for 2 reasons. 1) You were only allowed to wear pants as a candidate. Uniformity is a big deal at OCS and it also helped clarify standards. Since you're still a candidate at the beginning of the graduation ceremony, that policy should still apply. 2) Practically, pants make more sense. You're not going to spend your precious Candio free time trying on, buying, tailoring, and preparing a skirt (along with nylons and pumps) just for graduation. They're certainly not going to issue you one when you get your dress uniforms, there's too many candidates they need to outfit in a short time. So save yourself from the hassle. You'll have spent time preparing those pants and shoes for inspection, take advantage of it for graduation. There will be plenty of other ceremonies for you to break out a skirt at!

 

[GlassBanger]

Caveat: I commissioned in 2011. But I am a chapstick fiend as well and was shocked when it wasn't contraband. I kept some in the pocket of my poopy-suit or NWUs the whole time. Didn't ever try to bring any to PT though. Just be sure to only put it on when you're in your room, the head, or otherwise not "on." There is a price to pay for OCS chapstick--you'll get bruises from hitting the deck wear the chapstick is. But most of us get a ton of mystery bruises from OCS in general...

Thank you for this! Bruises I can totally handle. Dry a*s lips I cannot lol. Poopy-suits are apparently back too
Thanks again!

 

[SheetAtom]

what brand or type of sports bras do you all typically use, I need new reliable ones.

 

[GlassBanger]

what brand or type of sports bras do you all typically use, I need new reliable ones.

I really love Victoria's Secret Knockout sports bras. The double bra: the one with the front-clasping underwire one underneath a front zipping fabric one. They're the only ones I've found to tame the beasts while running and Crossfit. These:

https://www.victoriassecret.com/vs-...oria-sport?ProductID=397533&CatalogueType=OLS

Edit: and also they're great when you're super sore and sweaty to get on and off. Front open and close is a god send for that. I have many that have been going strong for 4 years

 

[Opuntia]

What about treatments / medicines for non-medically necessary things ? Male-pattern baldness runs in the family (and I'm female and like being so, and don't want to have super-short hair). Are such treatments / medicines allowed ? Navy medical docs / manuals are unclear.

 

[GlassBanger]

Possible good news for us that haven't gone to OCS yet, those in the fleet already with nice commands, and African American women!! Lock styles are approved for all wear, and ponytails/braids may be approved for PT!! The new female standards for hair are also on the OTC Newport official website under FAQs regarding approved styles. So fingers crossed ??
Here's the NAVADMIN for it:

https://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/reference/messages/Documents/NAVADMINS/NAV2018/NAV18163.txt

"3. Female Hair Grooming Standards. Effective immediately, the female hair grooming standards are expanded. Wearing of approved hairstyles is
authorized provided doing so does not prohibit the proper wear of safety and damage control equipment, facilitates uniform head gear being worn squarely on the head, and does not present a safety hazard to the Sailor as determined by the unit commanding officer"
"a. Braids and Ponytails. Current policy permits commanding officers to relax hair grooming standards during command/unit physical training to include allowing free hanging ponytails. Policy is now expanded to authorize wear of a single braid, French braid, or a single ponytail in Service, Working, and PT uniforms. The initial accessory for the ponytail will not be visible when facing forward. Authorized accessory devices must be consistent with the color of the hair."
"c. Lock Hairstyle. For the purpose of Navy Uniform Regulations and grooming standards a Lock Hairstyle (Locks) consists of one section of hair
that twists from or near the root to the end of the hair and creates a uniform ringlet or cord-like appearance. Locks may be worn in short, medium,
and long hair lengths in the following manner..."


And lastly, less significant and for later:

"d. Relaxed Hair Requirement with Dinner Dress Uniforms. Female Sailors are authorized to wear their hair below the lower edge of the collar of the blouse, jacket, or coat of the Dinner Dress Uniform being worn. All other hair grooming requirements will be observed."

Those are the highlights. I recommend reading the entire thing. It addresses the new PT uniform, the Eisenhower jacket, and the ID Badges manners of wear for females (it changed sides), as well as about new, apparently more comfortable boots.

 

[GlassBanger]

Sharing this amazing tip for anyone this could apply to; I have super silky soft hair (so bobby pins slide around) and this hair gel my cousin suggested is a GOD SEND (she's been using it her whole 20 years in, she retires this year). I have been practicing my bun and it works like a charm with a boar bristle hairbrush. I thought I'd pass it along; It's called SoftSheen-Carson Let's Jam! Extra Hold. 14oz jar is $7 on Amazon.

 

[picklesuit]

I want beards back. #oldschoolnavy

 

[FormerRecruitingGuru]

I want beards back. #oldschoolnavy

42% chance that happens

 

[GlassBanger]

I have a question specific to females that have graduated. Do we have to sleep in our sports bras? Like, as soon as we're woken up do we post out in the p-way? Or do we have time to put one on? I've been told we don't have time to put our hair in a bun, so we have to wake up prepared hair-wise, I assumed that means no time to mess around with anything "extra". This is very essential information for me lmao so I appreciate please anyone answering.

 

[Bergers2short]

I have a question specific to females that have graduated. Do we have to sleep in our sports bras? Like, as soon as we're woken up do we post out in the p-way? Or do we have time to put one on? I've been told we don't have time to put our hair in a bun, so we have to wake up prepared hair-wise, I assumed that means no time to mess around with anything "extra". This is very essential information for me lmao so I appreciate please anyone answering.

You don't need to sleep in one. I had some issues with heat rash because we were often sweaty and in sweaty layers of clothes. I fixed the issue by practically bathing in gold bond and sleeping with no socks/bra to air out.

Morning grooming with no alarm clock is a problem that luckily solves itself. You will be (over)hydrated at OCS. No one wants to pass out and roll, so you'll drink a ton of water. Most people pee 2-3 times a night (at least in the beginning). You can do your morning grooming/put a sports bra on during the first bathroom trip of the night.

 

[GlassBanger]

You don't need to sleep in one. I had some issues with heat rash because we were often sweaty and in sweaty layers of clothes. I fixed the issue by practically bathing in gold bond and sleeping with no socks/bra to air out.

Morning grooming with no alarm clock is a problem that luckily solves itself. You will be (over)hydrated at OCS. No one wants to pass out and roll, so you'll drink a ton of water. Most people pee 2-3 times a night (at least in the beginning). You can do your morning grooming/put a sports bra on during the first bathroom trip of the night.

Thank you so much!

 

[Meyerkord]

Like, as soon as we're woken up do we post out in the p-way?

You post out immediately in the mornings so you can count off, then you’re given 5-10 minutes to go back in your rooms and get ready for PT (use bathroom, tuck your sheets, hydrate and fill canteen, etc). Life gets so much better after week 3 because you get your watches back and you can set an alarm before reveille.

 

[KeroK]

This is coming a bit from left field, but are results from a pap smear required to be scheduled for MEPs for the OCS package? Or can MEPS be scheduled first, and then the pap smear results sent in a bit later?

I ask because, although I submitted my medical forms to my recruiter in mid-August, he only told me yesterday that I need a more recent pap smear. This issue with this is that my application deadline is only 1.5 weeks away. Today he abruptly told me that I simply cannot submit my application this time because there is no way I can schedule a pap smear appointment, get the results and then schedule MEPS before the deadline. He also specified that he cannot schedule MEPS until I have new pap smear results in hand (takes 3-4 days), and that MEPS requires a three-day notice beforehand.

My recruiter has been erratic throughout the process, so I'd like to ask if this assessment is accurate. If it's possible to schedule MEPS before the pap results come back, I may be able to squeak in before the deadline.

I worked hard to put together my application, and had to network my heart out to find interviewers for required officer appraisals on my own, although this is the recruiter's responsibility. Additionally, this is my final chance to apply for OCS because I will age out. I'm a bit stunned at the moment that all of this effort may have been for nothing because of one tardy notification.