If you are considering going back to school, what do you perceive to be the barriers in your way?

SGT Joshua Strup — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 17:38:08 -0400

I am one of the officers for my university's chapter of Student Veterans of America and a Peer Advisor for student veterans. I would like to know how I can help my fellow veterans get the best education possible.

Response by SSgt Ryan Sylvester made Jun 1 at 2016 5:45 PM

SSgt Ryan Sylvester — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 17:45:16 -0400

Biggest suggestion I'd make is asking them, up front, if they are or should be going through the Vocational Rehab program. If I'd known about that when I started school, I'd be working on my Master's degree right now using my GI Bill, instead of having it eaten up in my undergraduate studies.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 1 at 2016 5:57 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 17:57:17 -0400

I'm also a member of my school's SVA chapter. I think a big part of it is where can one go for familiarity. What and who is there that can see eye-to-eye with the Student Veteran? Who understands the Veterans path AND the networking layout of their potential college campus?

On another note, we're at svosu.org. Got a link ? We could share info to across chapters if you'd like.

Response by PO3 Jade Crowsmeadow made Jun 1 at 2016 6:05 PM

PO3 Jade Crowsmeadow — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 18:05:12 -0400

Just being a non-traditional student is difficult. Add a veteran who can think for themselves and has a military installed social filter!! Chaos. It is hard to sit in a classroom with children that only have high school as background experience. If possible, I highly suggest veterans go to community college first. That way they can get a feel for college and a smoother transition ( not every class will be filled with 18 year old know-it-alls). I also found it difficult to talk to teachers who failed me, because my opinion on a subject was the polar opposite of mine. I, unfortunately, went to a very liberal school.

Response by Cpl Mark A. Morris made Jun 1 at 2016 6:23 PM

Cpl Mark A. Morris — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 18:23:59 -0400

Great question,
Counciling is an issue. What do you want? How old are you? A trade school might be better.
Out here in the civilian world, certifications are paramount for a trade. It has gotten so bad, insurance will not reimburse unless there are certifications.
If your fellow hard charger goes for a 1, or 2 year trade school. Look at the different certifications in that field.
As a compassionate and sensitive individual in this environment, watch your behavior. You have to act like you are on a date all the time. Do not tell anyone to get a dam hearing aid.
You have been warned.
Mark A. Morris BS, RDMS, RVT

Response by SSG Derrick L. Lewis MBA, C-HRM made Jun 1 at 2016 6:46 PM

SSG Derrick L. Lewis MBA, C-HRM — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 18:46:14 -0400

SGT Joshua Strup ,
Thanks for the share, awesome info!

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 1 at 2016 9:41 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 21:41:12 -0400

Personally I am more of a hands on learner, but have been considering going back to school. All this considered I am overseas and would have to do online courses. The hardest thing I have dealing with is finding out which school I would like to "attend". I have been considering to following ym father's footsteps and going to Saint Leo University. All of my Superiors say it doesn't matter which school you go to or what classes you take just get enrolled. I am personally not ok with that because I would like to go to one, four year university to where I can get my degree's and what not. They also say you don't need to pick a major until after you have your associates. Procrastination as well.

Response by PO2 William Louthan made Jun 1 at 2016 10:03 PM

PO2 William Louthan — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 22:03:18 -0400

Time

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 1 at 2016 10:36 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 22:36:17 -0400

SGT Joshua Strup I was discharged in June 1972, and started a full time job while becoming a full time student. My concern was fitting in with the other students who were four years younger than I was. On top of that, there was a strong dislike for the military and veterans among a certain percentage of civilians. I found that I excelled in that environment because I had a goal to obtain a degree, while a lot of my classmates were interested in partying. The discipline and determination that you learn in the military will set you up to succeed. At age 62, I went back to college to earn a Real Estate Occupational Certificate. At first, I was apprehensive because I was much older than many of the students. I quickly became comfortable, and was able to outperform the other students while making straight A's.

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Jun 1 at 2016 11:47 PM

LTC Jason Mackay — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 23:47:26 -0400

I am not coming at this from the same place most are. My biggest obstacle is finding a resident PhD or doctoral program in international relations that doesn't require a foreign language. No time to learn one at the moment.

I would say a wider issue is selecting the right program the first time to accomplish the veteran's goals, within the period of his/her benefits. Once you identify what for the right why, how sorts itself out.

Response by LTC Kevin B. made Jun 3 at 2016 6:57 AM

LTC Kevin B. — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 06:57:10 -0400

Thanks for asking this question. I'm on a university-level task force that focuses on ensuring the success of students who are veterans. This thread should give me some good ideas to discuss at our next round of meetings throughout the upcoming academic year.

Response by SFC Marcus Belt made Jun 4 at 2016 7:18 AM

SFC Marcus Belt — Sat, 04 Jun 2016 07:18:11 -0400

I'm down to my last three classes to complete undergrad, so I approach the question from that vector.

The most significant challenge I faced didn't come when I was first "wading" in, the challenges came when I started increasing my course load to first 12, then 15, then 18 credits per semester.

The challenge was to learn HOW I learn when I've got a lot of material and not a lot of time to assimilate it all. It was discouraging because everything was significantly harder than it had been with lighter course loads, and my test scores suffered, forcing me to adjust my strategies. The lasting result of that process however is that I learned how to learn, and that knowledge is transferable to other domains.

The other challenge I saw was maintaining momentum even when my motivation waned. The technique that I found for that was to set aside 30-45 minutes a day to work on school stuff, and to be very liberal with myself when defining "school work". Doing the assigned readings, writing a paragraph for a written assignment, reviewing my notes--any of these count towards school work, and the fact is that just like PT, a little bit a day every day is what gets you to your goals.