Imagine waking up at 4:15 a.m., going to bed at midnight and passing the hours in between running obstacle courses, attending academic classes, practicing drills and undergoing intense mental pressure -- all under the hot Virginia sun.
This was the summer internship of an unusually large group of Dartmouth students at the Marine Corps Officer Candidates School in Quantico, Va.
Two students described their weeks of training as a "blur," but most agreed that it was a worthwhile experience that would prove valuable in any future career or challenge.
Each Dartmouth "candidate," as students are called in OCS, emphasized the life lessons they learned in leadership, confidence, discipline, attention to detail and personal pride as they described their experiences.
"You really feel like you want to live your life by a different set of values," said Matthew McKnight '05, who finished the six-week Platoon Leaders Course at the top of his company.
The OCS, which runs two summer programs for undergraduates, is designed to train future military leaders through intense physical, academic and mental training, according to participants.
Capt. Mark McDonald, a recruiter at the local Officer Selection Office, explained that the OCS's aim is to educate candidates on leadership while assessing the individual's ability to effectively lead under stressful conditions.
"We believe leaders are trained, not necessarily born," McDonald said.
Jeff Arnold '04 explained that each candidate rotated through leadership "billets," taking turns commanding the platoon.
Despite the undeniable competition, Arnold found that candidates always helped each other, and said that he left Quantico with "great memories" and "great friends."
The Dartmouth candidates described their daily activities as an intense mix of running and hiking with heavy equipment, attending classes on military customs and undergoing countless hours of physical and mental drilling aimed at breaking down the weaker candidates.
Candidates had to tie and untie their boots, and get dressed and undressed repeatedly until the sergeant instructors were satisfied, Philippe de Richemont '04 said.
Several students likened the program to simulated warfare.
There was unrelenting mental stress and pressure. The sergeant instructors unfailingly found errors with everything the candidates did, often forcing their platoons to repeat menial tasks while shouting inches from their faces.
McKnight said that the Sergeants harassed the candidates for almost anything. "They made fun of my toes one day."
While the insults were at times extremely harsh and persistent, Dartmouth's candidates agreed that comments never crossed a certain line.
According to Jim Baehr '05, sergeant instructors liked to pick on "liberal," "hippie-ish" colleges -- and found Dartmouth a prime target -- but Baehr also said that the insults never became too personal.
He added that the instructors needed to push buttons in order to know that their future officers could handle extreme pressure.
"If you can't handle people picking on you, how are you going to lead troops into battle?" explained Irwin.
Irwin, who is Native American and the only female Dartmouth undergraduate to participate, was one of the few non-Caucasian women in a 30- to 40-woman platoon -- the only female platoon of the company. Despite this, she said she never felt singled out and was always treated as an equal.
However, her sergeant instructors bluntly informed their platoon that, although all requirements were the same for women and men, they would be "twice as hard" on them because women officers undergo more pressure and stress than then their male counterparts in real military situations.
In the past, only one or two Dartmouth students per year, usually from graduate programs, have participated in the OSC. This year's number was unusually high, with a total of eight Dartmouth students completing summer programs.
The increase in applications is partly due to a more visible Marine Corps presence on campus, including a booth in Thayer Dining Hall and tables at career fairs.
McKnight said that the increase might also be attributable to a generally heightened national interest in joining the armed forces since Sept. 11.
Most of Dartmouth's candidates characterized themselves as always being interested in the military. They learned about the OSC on the internet and through recruiters, and applied with McDonald at the OSO in Durham, N.H.
Each potential candidate must interview at an OSO, fill out an application and undergo a physical exam. If the student meets the requirements and wants to continue, his or her application is sent to a selection board.
McDonald described the Dartmouth candidates' performances as outstanding.
McKnight won the Commandant's Trophy, an honor awarded to the candidate in each company with the best overall academic performance, physical fitness and leadership qualities.
There will be a ceremony on campus this term to present the trophy to McKnight.
