While senior biology major Aaron Wagner’s peers pursue graduate schools and jobs after college, he’s following his lifelong dream of becoming a Marine Corps officer.
Fulfilling this ambition entails rigorous discipline and commitment to Officer Candidates School, a training program for non-commissioned officers. This summer, Wagner completed the Platoon Leaders Class, an intense 10-week program in Quantico, Va. for prospective Marine Corps officers. Wagner said he found the experience trying.
“I told myself every day that I wanted to quit, but I never did,” he said, “As the program endured, it didn’t get easier, I just kind of adapted … Your day starts at 5 a.m., you take a few academic classes, you go through a physical training regimen and then you practice military tactical training. We tried to go to bed by 9 p.m., but unfortunately, we would have to study for our classes after the long day.”
In order to realize his eligibility to be trained, Wagner said he began communicating with the Marine Corps Base’s selection office early. In addition, he had to complete multiple exams for his flight contract. His SAT scores, GPA, extracurricular activities, fitness and character were all evaluated as part of his application.
During the training program, the participants were tested to see how they would handle situations under extreme conditions. The purpose of Officer Candidates School is to train, screen and evaluate the candidates for leadership potential.
“There was a diverse academic program, but we also had leadership classes that we were graded on,” Wagner said. When he graduated, his cumulative GPA was split as 25 percent personal fitness, 25 percent academics and 50 percent leadership, signifying the emphasis on personal integrity for Marine Corps candidates.
Despite the competitive admissions process of the training program, Wagner estimated that “only about 60 percent graduate … Many people got injured, kicked out or failed for academic reasons.”
Wagner’s success was acknowledged with his graduation from OCS in August, and he said that, “The only thing left is to get my degree from Geneseo.”
After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in biology, Wagner said he plans to take the Officers Candidate Course, another 10-week program aimed at putting potential officers on the right track. He said he feels “completely anxious and excited at the same time.”
Upon completing the course, Wagner will be enlisted and assigned to either a combat mission or humanitarian cause.
Wagner said he expects to spend anywhere between four and eight years as a Marine Corps officer. He still has other future career paths in mind, especially involving the health field, and reports that, for now, becoming a Marine Corps officer is just one of his passions he must fulfill.