Between June and September of every year is when the majority of enlisted servicemembers leave the military since high school graduation occurs towards the end of spring and early summer. Many of the people leaving the military in the coming months (whether they are retiring after 20+ years or leaving after one enlistment) are planning to go back to school and use their educational benefits which they have earned. Over the past few weeks, I have had a lot of friends still in the Corps asking me about going back to school. I really only have one piece of advice and that is that college is a game and you need to learn all the rules (and how to bend them) in order to be successful. So, I have decided make a post with some advice based on my experiences going back to school. If anybody has anything else to add, by all means post it in the comments section.<\/p>\n
This post isn’t going to be a rant about what a Charlie Foxtrot the VA is or about the problems they had processing Ch. 33 (Post-9\/11 GI Bill) claims. If you want a pretty complete documentation of that fiasco, head over to our friend Army of Dude<\/a> who has done an outstanding job documenting the various issues with VA educational benefits. Also, if you want detailed instructions on how to apply for educational benefits from the VA, head over to their website<\/a>. I plan to focus on more general pieces of advice with this post.<\/p>\n More below the fold…<\/p>\n 1. Have at least five thousand dollars saved up before you start school.<\/strong><\/p>\n Both the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) and Ch.33 pay benefits at the end of the month. However, in many cases you are going to have to pay for a lot of things like books, transcripts, applications fees, and living expenses up front. Also, as we all know, the VA isn’t exactly the most reliable organization when it comes to paying out cash and betting the farm (or apartment) on them being on time is not a wise decision. Having money set aside enables you to live a little more comfortably and breathe easier if the VA or your school screws something up.<\/p>\n 2. If you didn’t complete any college courses in the military or prior to joining the military, don’t go to a school that doesn’t give course credit for military service or for SMART transcripts. <\/strong><\/p>\n The school I am currently attending (Arizona State) doesn’t give credit for military service or SMART transcripts. This leaves many veterans at ASU at a huge disadvantage since they will have to use all of their 36 months of benefits and take a full course load the entire time they are in college. In addition they will have to decide on a major and begin taking courses for it almost right away. There is no room for any flexibility. Most schools will give at least six or seven credits that can be counted as electives even if you didn’t complete any training or corespondent courses that would appear on a SMART transcript. I have a friend at a SUNY school that recieved 14 credits for his time in the military. Having those extra credit gives you a little breathing room and it can help you graduate quicker.<\/p>\n 3. Don’t do summer school and waste benefits if there aren’t any courses offered that count towards you major. <\/strong><\/p>\n A lot of student veterans I know are taking summer school in order to still receive the Ch. 33 living allowance over the summer. However, in many cases they are taking classes that in many cases are unnecessary and don’t go towards their major requirements. This is a waste and could come back to bite them in the ass. Use your benefits over the summer wisely and make sure you aren’t just doing summer school to get a little extra cash over the summer.<\/p>\n 4. Sign up for break pay between each semester. <\/strong><\/p>\n This insures that you will get a full living allowance between winter and spring semesters. Some veterans don’t know what this is and don’t sign up for it when they complete their VA application or register with their school’s veterans office. You get an extra couple hundred dollars by checking a box-remember to do it.<\/p>\n 5. Community College can be your best friend or worst enemy.<\/strong><\/p>\n Community college classes are usually a little easier and more flexible. If you aren’t totally comfortable with a particular subject, consider taking it at your local community college and then transferring it over to a university. However, before you enroll at a CC, make sure the university you are attending will accept courses from that particular school. Also, most universities have limits on how many credits you can transfer from all other institutions, so make sure you don’t exceed that credit limit. If you do, you are probably SOL and just wasted some benefits.<\/p>\n 6. Find other veterans on campus.<\/strong><\/p>\n Having a buddy you can relate too is a huge help for obvious reasons. Also finding someone you maybe want to room with can be a big help and save some money.<\/p>\n 7. Don’t constantly talk about your service in class.<\/strong><\/p>\n I never hid the fact I was a veteran but I didn’t start off every sentence in class with “When I was in Iraq…”. It will annoy your fellow students (who you will probably not like but who you will have to work with) and your professors.<\/p>\n