I agree with many above that OCS is a chancy way to get a commission.
But if you're serious about the OCS route, there could be several reasons to enlist first.
-You're paying your own way to college. You could go straight from HS to college, incur some heavy debt, then go OCS and pay it off on junior officer's pay. If you enlist first, you can apply the GI Bill and other benefits to cover college expenses.
-You're not quite ready for college. A lot of 18-year-olds can benefit from some discipline and maturity before attending college. That may or may not be true for you.
-There's nothing wrong with being prior enlisted when entering the officer ranks.
As stated above, don't enlist unless you're sure that's where you want to be, but I wouldn't immediately dismiss enlistment as an option.
But if you're serious about the OCS route, there could be several reasons to enlist first.
-You're paying your own way to college. You could go straight from HS to college, incur some heavy debt, then go OCS and pay it off on junior officer's pay. If you enlist first, you can apply the GI Bill and other benefits to cover college expenses.
-You're not quite ready for college. A lot of 18-year-olds can benefit from some discipline and maturity before attending college. That may or may not be true for you.
-There's nothing wrong with being prior enlisted when entering the officer ranks.
As stated above, don't enlist unless you're sure that's where you want to be, but I wouldn't immediately dismiss enlistment as an option.