Expert: Matt - 5/26/2009

Question
Matt,  Thanks for taking the time to answer my question. I separated my shoulder shortly before I was told I had been accepted in the October 2009 OCS class. I needed surgery to correct the condition and now have two plastic screws in my shoulder. I have full range of motion already but will not be able to begin doing pull ups until the 30th of July when my doctor will write the waiver. Doctor said I can do anything after the 30th without restrictions. I was told by the secretary at my OSO's office to contact them after I get the waiver. I would very much appreciate any advice or suggestions you may have about what I can do to improve my chances of maintaining my spot in the October (or in a future) OCS class. Thanks again. Brian

Answer
I would say that as long as you are able to make a full recovery, the OCT OCS class would not be out of the question. It really comes down to two things 1) your overall health ( be honest in your assessment, I know you want to go really bad, but if you wont be able to perform as well as you would like, the going to the next class is not the worst thing in the world...it would be better to wait and succeed then rush it and fail out, ocs really is just a complete drain on your body, youll need all your strength) 2) your OSO's assessment of your health and what the deadline is for the OCT class.
I can sympathize with you since I broke my leg 5 months before I was slated to go to my ocs class about 4 years ago - I rehabbed hard and pushed myself to be ready, but I still followed the docs orders. My OSO was a big help and if you ask him, im sure yours will help you too. They want you to go to OCS just as bad as you want to go - they are very selective, however they are still recruiters and at the end of the day, they  need to fill their quotas. Keep working hard and let me know if you have any other questions Brian.