Whats the chances of getting into a university if...

Parents Forum
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<p>...you only have a GED, but you got a military background?</p>

<p>I've only completed up to the 11th grade.. and then dropped out in 12th to get my GED, because I had messed around too much my previous years.</p>

<p>I'm 19.. I just graduated from 17 weeks OSUT (One Station Unit Training) a month ago, as a US Army Combat Engineer.</p>

<p>Now.. since I've talked to my unit, they said they'll pay for my college if I wanted to go back.. which is what I wanna do now.</p>

<p>Would I have to go to a community college first, or what? I read online that 90-95% of universities accept GEDs.. but surely they went to a CC for two yrs, right? Otherwise, I don't see how they'd accept you with a 1.8 GPA before you dropped out.</p>

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<p>My situation was a little different than yours, but I found colleges were very open to veterans. And no, I don’t think you will need to attend Community College first. What you WILL have to do is work on your study skills. What worked best for me was taking college extension courses offered on-base (or just off-base). Not only would that give you time to work out the study kinks, but it will provide the colleges you apply to proof of your readiness to do college work. Good luck.</p>

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<p>Some colleges have special rates and scholarships for returning vets. You are very welcome at most state universities. There are a few that are just booked solid.</p>

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<p>Don’t just walk in and take the SAT test. Get a prep book from a book store and do several sample tests (helps a lot). Register online at College Board for the SAT. I think there’s one coming up in the first week in December (and the cost of taking the test jumps up if you register too close to the date). If you score well, then that will help. Some elite schools, like Dartmouth, are rolling out the welcome mat to veterans. </p>

<p>It seems like a lot of vets that are your age hit college and feel a bit at sea. Maturity wise, you are leagues ahead of the kid who just left Mommy a week ago. But you may be way behind in algebra, calculus, writing, chemistry, etc. </p>

<p>A good rule of thumb is that it takes six to nine months to adjust to a new culture. Be gentle with yourself. If you feel out of place, then remind yourself that it does take six to nine months to “feel the groove.” </p>

<p>You are not the person today who earned the 1.8. That was you awhile ago. College doesn’t have to be an all or none deal. You could take one evening class and really work to conquer the material in that class (Personal financial management might be an excellent choice). Lots of colleges will take a student for a single class on a provisional basis. Conquer one class and you will have done several things: 1) met and impressed the admissions folks. 2) learned a little of the campus 3) figured out your strengths and weaknesses in things like note taking, and 4) gotten a good taste of what it will take to do a full load. A strong beginning with one course will do a lot to put a lampshade over that 1.8.
Good luck!</p>

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<p>Olymom is giving stellar advice.</p>

<p>Also, just to emphasize that you may not have had the discipline for school before now, but now you do. You should definitely give yourself a chance and people like you are one of the reasons schools DO take GEDs…Good luck to you. There is more than one path to a college degree.</p>

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<p>I agree - take the college extension courses, or on-line courses. Going to and doing well at a CC will improve your chances at better schools. But you may not need to do that - schools may welcome your maturity. Good luck, in both your Army and scholastic endeavors!</p>

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<p>You would be surprised at the number of college students who have GEDs vs. high school diplomas. Even at the best universities.</p>

<p>And military experience is a plus - as someone said above, as a result, you’re far more mature than the typical student your age. </p>

<p>Prepare for the SAT, do your homework about the best college and program for you, and go for it.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>Every base will have a college assistance office. They will help you navigate through the application/testing/enrollment/funding process - that’s what they do every day. </p>

<p>Most bases will offer classes from various universities right on base. </p>

<p><a href=“https://www.goarmyed.com/login.aspx[/url]”>https://www.goarmyed.com/login.aspx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>The above advice is excellent, so I will just thank you for your service to our country and wish you good luck–and tell you colleges will respect your service too!</p>

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<p>I checked the above website, did a link and tried another- got a security warning from my antivirus program about an unsecured site!!! Add that to the warnings from the US govt about their security- yikes. I quit. Do know niece finished her degree through the military’s online college. Do know the acronym GED implies equivalency to the HS diploma. Definitely take advantage of your army help. Good luck.</p>

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<p>The military web sites are secure, but they use an older encryption and thus the warning. The gov’t moves slowly in adopting new computer standards because of the cost across the enterprise. </p>

<p>OP, I would also see if you can get any college credit for any specialty training you received. This is common in the Air Force (through the Community College of the AF). Check at your education office about this.</p>

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<p>Thanks for ya’ll that replied…</p>

<p>@NewHope33… yeah, I know I gotta work on my study skills. In high school, I did absolutely no homework whatsoever. Can’t remember the last time I did do it…like 8th or 9th grade. I only did classwork, which I did pretty well on. Its just my mindset was, to keep school outta my personal life…once that last bell rang, I ain’t looking at another textbook or paper until the next morning.</p>

<p>I mentioned going to a CC first because… then they will see that I’ve maintained good grades. But I dunno… ya’ll would know more than me.</p>

<p>@TheresaCPA… where can I find out about those special rates and scholarships? Their websites? Is it only for “returning vets”- that mean from the war?</p>

<p>@Olymom… yeah, I’m prolly mos def behind in all them subjects… except writing. So is your SAT score what universities look at?</p>

<p>So you’re saying I should just take one class at like a CC sometime during the day…just to get back into it. Slowly work my way in… see if its right for me… We had several Personal Financial Management classes in the Army- to tell us how to conserve our money and all that… since some of us have never had that much money before, and since some were gonna be living on their own.</p>

<p>@poetgrl, yabeyabe2, and treetopleaf…thanks.</p>

<p>@Inthebiz… hmm… didn’t know that. How they make it seem at school is if you don’t have a HS diploma, you’re not gonna be getting into a good university or anything like that… like its helpless.</p>

<p>@osdad… I heard that every campus has a military liasion. You go in there and talk to them about it… thats what I’ma have to do. Find more about this stuff…</p>

<p>@wis75… I know GED stands for that, but like I said above, teachers and other grown ups make it seem like you’re a lost cause if you don’t get a HS diploma. I guess its so that no one takes the easy route and just drops out to get their GED.</p>

<p>@Erin’s Dad… I heard about that too… that in some places, you can get college credits for the training I did.</p>

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<p>Sapper, you need to know the basics of the SAT, the ACT and the SAT Subject Tests (also known as SAT II’s). No, you don’t have to take all of these! But you need to know what they are and how they pertain to you. </p>

<p>For instance, to go to my local community college, you don’t need to take ANY of those tests. </p>

<p>To go to a small, respected four year college (private - such as Lewis and Clark in Portland) or a large state funded college (University of Washington in Seattle) you would need to take the SAT and score pretty well. There are three parts: reading, writing and math. To be something like a math major or a physics major, they’d want to see strong math scores. To be an English major, you’d need stronger scores in the writing/reading. </p>

<p>The ACT is an alternative to the SAT. It also costs money to take (about $30) and some people test better on it. See other threads on this forum to learn more. </p>

<p>The most competitive schools also want to see that you know some specific subjects really well. So they would ask for SAT Subject tests. There are 22 different subject tests. I wouldn’t worry about these unless you have your sights on Harvard or Princeton or MIT. </p>

<p>Spend a few minutes at your local bookstore going through their college section. Better yet, spend a couple of hours. There’s all sorts of guides to colleges and sifting through some of those will . . . confuse the hell out of you for awhile . . .but it will also begin to give you the picture that there are literally a million, zillion ways to get a college degree. You can spend big bucks, little bucks, go rah-rah football, go be zen on a mountain top, go all girl, all guy, . . .you can even herd cattle (I’m not kidding. Check out Deep Springs College). </p>

<p>As to the GED/HS thing – bullies ALWAYS probe for sensitivities. If you are sensitive about your ears, they will tease you about have jug handles. If you are tall, short, chubby, skinny, any religion, have big feet, have small feet, . . .basically anything will do for a bully to probe for sensitivities and start heaving zingers your way. The best response (IMHO) is to look them directly in the eye and give a big, big yawn. Then change the topic. You have the GED and you are on the path toward more education. 'Nuf said.
I so hope you have a great time!</p>

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<p>There are also a number of private colleges that want to attract “non-traditional” students. However, I don’t know of any list.</p>

<p>Your military service should be a big plus. Spend some time with the assistance office to figure out what you want to do, set your goals, and make a plan. Your options are really wide open.</p>

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<p>Check out this information about the “yellow ribbon” program to find schools in your state that will offer support to vets.</p>

<p>[Post</a> 9/11 GI Bill - (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)](<a href=“http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/CH33/YRP/YRP_List.htm]Post”>http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/CH33/YRP/YRP_List.htm)</p>

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<p>Checking back – just so you know, there will be people who will be absolutely intimidated by you. A tour of military service will make you appear like Rambo in their minds. Be nice. You aren’t Rambo and they aren’t snobs. Most of the time.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the replies… I’ll try to reply more thoroughly today or tomorrow… been busy preparing for drill this weekend.</p>

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<p>Please see this link to a Washpost story on some schools that are trying to provide services to veterans transitioning into student life</p>

<p>[Colleges</a> Try to Ease Veterans’ Move From Combat to Classroom - washingtonpost.com](<a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/17/AR2009091704680.html]Colleges”>Colleges Try to Ease Veterans' Move From Combat to Classroom)</p>

<p>Call admissions at any local cc or college and see if they have any special programs for you or other vets enrolled. Remember that this is going to be a big shock-I am sure you are really good at what you do so becoming a “novice” at the whole college/academic lifestyle is going to be a shock. Don’t underestimate yourself, but link up with others going through the same experience so that you can have a support network. </p>

<p>Good luck!</p>