Enlisted in the US Air Force. I want to get into a UC Engineering program when I'm out. Need advice!

Student Lounge Veterans
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So as the title says, I’m a US Airman and I want to become an engineer. I don’t feel like I want to re-enlist or use a commissioning program. I am a year into a 4 year enlistment. I plan on serving my full enlistment so that I can get full active duty GI bill at 3 years.

I’m a 22 yo male. After I graduated high school I decided I wanted to be a mechanical engineer. To save money my plan was to attend a CC(Riverside) and transfer. During my first two years of college my father died without life insurance, my grandfather killed himself, and my girlfriend of 3 years dumped me on my birthday. In between working two jobs and feeling almost suicidal I was in no position to do well, and my transcript reflects this. I have two W’s from the semester my dad died, and I have a UC transfer GPA of 2.8 and 40 credits complete. I have taken math classes up to Calc B (integral calc) but I still need to take a math based physics and chemistry course. Is there any schools I can go to with Tuition Assistance where I can earn those credits and have it transfer? I don’t see any way a UC would accept courses from online schools like AMU. I’m currently stationed at Hill AFB, Utah.

I joined the military because I was miserable and wanted a way out. The Air Force has provided a way to get out of my living situation, get tuition money and support myself. I don’t hate it, but I scored a 99 ASVAB and they have me doing a really easy brain-dead job. I want to do more. I don’t want to be content. I’ve never been more motivated in my life. UC Berkeley is my dream school, but I know at this point it’s unlikely. I just want some advice so I can form a game plan. Thank you, any help is appreciated!

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Sorry for your losses. If the Air Force is anything like my branch, then you will have to wait until you have been in the fleet for 2 years before you can use Tuition Assistance. With that being said, you can always pay out of pocket so you can attend classes sooner, rather than waiting for those 2 years OR see if you are eligible for FAFSA, grants, scholarships, etc. Do some research on UC and see what their transfer policy is concerning the acceptance of credits from online schools. I doubt they would accept credit from online schools, but they may. As far as your GPA, I’m sure you could convey in your transfer essay the circumstances surrounding the situation. And they may go easy on you because, at the time you apply for transfer, you will be considered a veteran. If you think your GPA will be detrimental to your future application, consider taking the ACTs or SATs. And don’t stress too much about the W’s. Some good resources to check out when you get closer to your End of Active Service are Service 2 School, Warrior Scholar Lroject, Stanford 2 to 4, etc. Best of luck brother

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@USAF123 Oh and “shop” around for the best community college near your base. Go to your base education center (if the Air Force provides those).

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@USAF123 I’m former USAF as well, crew chief on f-16 (99 ASVAB) and was one of the 25ish that transferred into Stanford about 4 years ago. Check out ‘Service to School’ for free admissions help from a fellow vet or feel free to PM me. I’ve helped 25+ vets into schools like Cal, Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Princeton etc etc