Going back to school is something that many folks transitioning out of the military decide to do. In addition to the many skill sets that you may have built during your time in the service, going back to school is an opportunity to prepare yourself for success in a new career and have a fun transitioning back into the civilian workforce. While going back to school is not for everybody, it is certainly something that should be considered by all members getting out of the service.
There are several options in going back to school and getting an education – and several considerations and requirements for each.
Community College
• General Information: Community Colleges represent a bridge between traditional 4-year Universities and High School and Trade Schools. They are generally spread out in smaller locations throughout the country, making them accessible for most prospective students. This allows students to live at home, avoiding costly room and board fees associated with traditional 4-year Universities. In addition, the class schedules for Community Colleges are typically very flexible, offering many night and weekend classes, making it easier for people to work during college. Upon completion of Community College, you will achieve an Associates Degree in a broad range of subject matter or a specific field.
• Requirements: Community Colleges typically have an open admission policy for admission. This means that the standards for admission are much lower than most four-year Universities. This policy makes it a viable option for almost all potential students, determined on a case-by-case basis. If SAT/ACT scores or high school GPAs are not extremely high the student can generally enroll immediately in junior college, rather than wait to get test scores up.
• Getting in: Each Community College will have their own admission policy, which can be done almost entirely online. You will need your high school GPA or GED, yourSAT scores if applicable, and information on work experience. The best way to determine the admission standards is to visit the individual Community Colleges web site.
• Cost: One of the most attractive benefits of Community Colleges is the cost, which is typically a fraction of most Private and even Public four year Universities. This is due to the fact that Community Colleges receive funding from a many sources including local taxes, state aid, federal aid, and tuition and fees from students. Because Community Colleges were designed to be accessible for all potential students, they are extremely affordable, and generally will offer students transferrable units to many four-year Universities. What this means is that you can pay a fraction of the price for the first two years of college, and transfer into a college for the final two years. This may represent a significant cost savings.
Options for payment: There are several ways to pay for your Community CollegeEducation – but as a rule of thumb, pay for as little out of your own pocket as possible. In order to do this, you should look at the many different ways to get the military to assist, get college scholarships, grants, and lastly student loans which ultimately need to be paid back by you.
Military Assistance: There are a few programs that you probably have heard of that help military servicemen and women pay for their undergraduate degrees. The most notable one is the Montgomery G.I. Bill, which pays a large portion of your tuition, depending on how much you have funded during your service. The other method is Tuition Assistance, which gives each servicemen and women money towards tuition.
Scholarships: A scholarship is a fund of money that is set aside to help pay for student’s college education – in almost every case this money does not have to be paid back by the students. There are literally tens of thousands of scholarships available to assist students in paying for their college education. More specifically, there are thousands of scholarships available for military veterans who have decided to go back to college – the key is to go out and find them. With a little research, you will be amazed by how much information there is about scholarships. One good resource we have found is www.collegenet.com.
Grants & Student Loans: A grant is a pool of funds held by the government that will help you pay for your education – most of theses do not need to be paid back. Student loans are a very popular way that students pay for their college education. In general, Student Loans offer students money for tuition, books, room and board at an extremely low interest rate. In most cases, the loans don’t need to be paid back for a significant period of time after graduation – and can often be deferred if the graduate is having trouble making payments.