<p>Hello y'all, I am going to a community college and about to graduate. I want to enlist to Navy and serve the country for awhile and transfer to a four-year university. I am worried that schools wouldn't accept me after my time for military is over. Any suggestion?</p>
<p>My personal opinion (I don’t know the feelings of every school admissions personnel): a school will not “reject” you solely because you are a veteran/come from a military background - in today’s world that’s absurd to think about, and most schools may presume that veterans offer a unique perspective that may be welcomed on their campus.</p>
<p>Like all things in life, use your military experience as a way to show personal and/or intellectual growth. If you can articulate that well in admissions essays, then it’s more likely you’ll be accepted because of your veteran status . . . not rejected.</p>
<p>EDIT: Even better if you are able to work in a military job that closely relates to a major or field you plan to transfer into, and demonstrate how your specific work experience will help you in your further educational goals.</p>
<p>I agree with turtlerock on this one. When preparing to enlist, especially with the intent of doing one enlistment and then coming back to school, there are a lot of things to take into account. </p>
<p>After three years of honorable service, you will receive 100% of the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill, which will pay for most (if not all) of your intended schooling. Since you would already have two years of courses, this could actually set you up for free Graduate School if you intend to pursue that.</p>
<p>But that was a little off point. I think a lot of schools see military experience as a benefit, and as long as you serve honorably and convey your willingness to learn, they won’t turn you down because of your military experience.</p>
<p>EDIT: Have you talked to a recruiter yet?</p>
<p>I guess my main concern is if schools wouldn’t accept my credits at community college after 2~3 years in millitary because they become expired.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>That’s something to look into. Would you be able to obtain an AA/AS degree from your CC before enlisting? If so, then that degree never “expires” and would be a little more solid. I’ve heard of credits “expiring”, but not within 4 years . . . more like 10, 15, or 20. . .</p>
<p>If you have a few schools in mind where you would like to pick up on your education after a possible enlistment, then you should check their website’s admission and transfer detaisl to see if they say anything about older credit usage - or you can call them up and ask directly.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I’m not advocating enlisting just for the educational benefits, but there’s actually even more than that: While on active duty, you are eligible to take as many CLEP/DSST test that your heart (or mind) desires - FREE. Some colleges accept CLEP credit towards earning a degree and this can knock out at least a few general education classes if you score high enough on them. Also, you used to be able to attend a local CC on active duty and receive free tuition, but with budget cuts and all that has sadly gone away for the most part, but it may make its way back in the future.</p>
<p>When I was still on active duty, I can remember a few unit members of mine signing up for an on-base free college prep course. The course lasted 8 hours a day for like 6 weeks and covered math and english, and at the end it was intended to cover your basic math and english requirements for college (accredited through ACE - American Council on Education - and all that).</p>
<p>PLUS, you automatically receive ACE credit just by going through basic training, job training, and any other professional military school you attend, such as a unit leaders course. For example, just for completing bootcamp, I received 9 credits of Physical Education, so any PE requirement in college is waived through that (yes, some colleges, mostly public, require PE “lifestyle enrichment” courses as part of their degree programs). Most of these credits will be in the fields of “Military Science” etc, but depening on your enlisted job, you could obtain some more unique credits that way. Basically, ACE sets you up with a “final transcript” once you separate from active duty and that can be forwarded to schools who may accept them.</p>
<p>Anyhoo, it’s also worth mentioning that being a GI Bill recipient makes you very attractive, financially, to schools - public and private alike, in my experience. They’re guaranteed to get their money without having to anticipate any tuition payments from you or to subject you to take out loans (if you attend public, or a private gives you enough other aid). Schools apply your GI Bill benefit amounts before taking need-based aid into account, so it potentially lowers their financial committment to you, and they like that.</p>
<p>But, DO NOT join just for these benefits. Believe it or not, there are actually many other benefits that veterans have found to outweigh even those benefits.</p>
<p>I transfered into Stanford, and I never obtained an Associates degree. </p>
<p>Briefly: I’m an Army reservist, going 5 years in next October, and I’ve got about two years of deployment+training. I’ve been going to college on-and-off since 2008, when I wasn’t on active duty.</p>
<p>Anyways, your credits don’t expire. Ever. Now, the college <em>might</em> not accept all your credits for transfer (especially if you got a bad grade). But, assuming you take needed courses and don’t spend your time malingering, that shouldn’t be an issue.</p>
<p>Also, Military service is a huge plus in admissions. I got accepted over students with superior SAT scores and GPA (no, I’m not gonna stat dump). At the same time, think of your service as apart of a total package. It’ll help, but if you just “passed the standard” in your military and students lives, it won’t help you much.</p>
<p>@Army113 I sent you a PM</p>