I am going to be a freshman this fall and I was thinking about doing the national guard while in school. The national guard in New Jersey pays my tuition up to 14 credits (or something like that. I don’t remember the exact amount off the top of my head) my initial idea was to go to training in my second semester of college so when I come back from training they will start paying for my tuition next fall. I was wondering though would I get the full “freshman experience” if I only went the first semester or does it not really matter? I can go to college this whole year (and pay) and then miss next fall. I just need to decide soon. Any advice?
My brother is in the Texas Guard and he actually got his associate’s degree before heading to basic training. I think for him it felt like a natural pausing point as opposed to going in the middle of a year. May be something for you to think about.