Should I join the army reserves to help pay for college?
I need to mention that I the school offered a parent loan to help cover the costs, but I cannot accept that loan because it requires a check of credit for my parents, but they are non citizens
How much are you short?
About 15k
I see, that is a bit too much to come up with through cost cutting, job, etc. When the parent can’t qualify for the plus loan usually the student can get 4,000 extra themselves, but that adds a lot over 4 years.
Did you not apply or get admission to affordable colleges?
I don’t know anything about the army reserves but I don’t think just anyone can get one, I think there is some requirements or competitiveness, do you know anything about it? How would we know if you should do that or not? Would it suit you?
What is your parents’ immigration status? If they are legal permanent residents (green card), they can get a PLUS loan. If they are undocumented, they can’t. I don’t know about other statuses (H, G, etc.).
Don’t join the military reserves unless you are fully willing to be sent overseas in the next war.
15k is probably too big a gap for you to try to cover. You should check around and see if you have more affordable options. Many students in that kind of situation go to their community college for the first two years, and then transfer to a public U that they can commute to for the last two years.
@BrownParent
My current choice is the University of Texas at Austin, the full cost is around 26, and I set up a meeting with a recruiter on monday
I am aware of all the consequences that might come with joining the reseves
@happymomof1
My parents are undocumented, therefore they can’t accept the loan. I contacted the schools Financial aid office yes, and they have yet to get back to me
are you joining the military reserve or the National Guard. The benefits for college can be different between the two… The National Guard might have some additional benefits the military reserves may not.
Don’t be afraid to compare the two. I would call the Veteran Service Office at UT to get an outside opinion on the benefits of each military service.
Thank you all for your advice and opinion!
It’s all greatly appreciated!
Any more opinions are welcome
I am interested in this as well. I have heard that military attendance can give you some decent aid. . . but how much of it really results in payout? My father, who was in the army has always told me to avoid the army and that all the educational benefits they offer are inflated and not realistic.
If there is a guaranteed amount of payout for military service, it would be nice to know what that actually amounts to. I don’t want to risk getting shot overseas, but god forbid. . . if the payout is good enough, it might be worth pursuing?
I also need to mention that the only reason I’m considering enlisting is so that I can have my college costs covered 100%
(I am aware that I need to be in active duty for that)
@manofgifs, if you know the school you want to attend, I would call their Veteran Service office and schedule an appointment. Tell them you want an outside opinion then that of the recruiter on how well the reserves works for paying for college. They should be able to tell you how the military reserve works, the National Guard works and what problems they see with each one. They may be able to have you talk to some people who are using the benefits. Most people I know are very willing to share what they learned so you won’t make the same mistake they did
Back in the last century when I went to school in Texas, those in the Reserves and NG, mostly went to the state schools due to the discounted tuition so their being in the reserves covered their cost. Those on ROTC scholarships mostly went to the expensive private schools as the reserve pay didn’t go as far as the ROTC scholarships.
The federal benefits for being in the Reserves and the NG are the same. Some states provide additional benefits for their NG members that they don’t provide to the Reserves such as State Tuition assistance.
I think joining the armed forces just to raise college money is a horrible idea.
I know that. .
But why?..
Keep in mind that even if you join the reserves/NG, you will have to take time off for basic training, service every month and a couple of weeks each year. You may not have a choice as to when these events happen.
I also agree that one should not join the military/ reserves: national guard unless one wants to serve. People tend to forget that service is what you sign up to do and everything else will be secondary
I was considering doing this as well. However, since I have braces I would have to wait until they were taken off to attend boot. My braces are likely coming off in August which means I would have to miss a semester of college which I don’t even know if it’s worth it or not.