Edward04

jaykob,

Thanks for mentioning UC Berkeley. I am both a veteran and current student at Berkeley and I must say that there is an amazing program for veterans set up at this campus. My favorite part of this system in particular is priority registration on day one for every semester you are here.

I hear what you are saying about high school students. I notice it more though amongst the 20 year olds and what not around campus. They try and pad their resume for grad/law/medical school with so many EC's that it just makes your eyes glaze over when you see their list. Meanwhile, in almost every single case, any veteran has displayed more leadership in one day on duty than a typical college student does in four years as "president of ______" or "treasurer of ________", student senator, etc.

My point is not to disparage these students. They do need to expand themselves (even if a lot of it is overachieving, butt kissing, and done simply for a resume'). The point is that we have so much going for us as veterans that it is truly up to us to let it be known and sell ourselves to admissions. With all the true leadership and life experience we have under our belts it's not hard.

Good luck to you. I wish you the best!

coollege

Any other good schools that are military friendly(tuition wise, and getting in too)?

I'm thinking about joining the military after H.S. I'm thinking either the Coast Guard, Navy or Marines. I've got the stats to go to a good school out of H.S. (4.2W GPA, 3.85UW GPA, working on SAT/ACT, Eagle Scout, etc...). But I'd still like to enlist out H.S. I'd eventually like to become an officer, so I'm wondering if I'd be better off going to college first. But if I'd join the Marines, I'd guess I'd have some great essay opportunities.


Oh, and what is it like being a vet, who is 22 years old and has combat experience, going to school as a freshmen with 18 year old kids? How weird will it be?



Thanks

kplanders

coolege,

I had the same dilemma as you before I enlisted in the Marines. As a soon to be veteran that's about to get out and go to school I can say that I wouldn't do it any other way. But keep in mind that is very easy to say now that is over. Here are some pro's and con's I've encountered that might be able to help you.

Pros:
-Steady paycheck and all the benefits
-A great feeling of accomplishment (depending on what job you choose of course)
-You get to experience Marine Corps boot camp - this will be the #1 con by a mile while you're going through it of course
-You can see some cool places, even though you will be working your ass off while you're there probably
-An unbelievably good new GI Bill for when you get out and go to school
-You'll make some good friends from all over the country, trust me that will come in handy later in life.

Cons:
-Leaving your family and friends behind, this was very hard for me during the first year or two
-Working hard for long hours is my situation but it can vary
-You will be getting a fraction of the amount of girls your college friends get. You will soon learn that girls in military towns tend to avoid military guys. But when you go back home it's a totally different story,
-If you hate it TOO BAD! You're stuck for 4 years-The #1 thing people who enlist are most naive about in my opinion. They own you.

Now, if your set on becoming an officer, definitely DO NOT enlist. There are officer programs for enlisted personnel but you have to first qualify and then have it approved by your command. Go to college, get ANY degree and then go to officer school, you can become a pilot that way also if you didnt know.

fauve

Coollege- Have you considered applying to the Naval Academy, Air Force Academy, or West Point (USMA)? You would have college plus military training, graduate with a Bachelor's degree and be commissioned as an officer at the same time.

ROTC programs at universities also offer the college and military experiences and can pay all your tuition, plus a monthly stipend, if you are academically qualified. (You will owe 4 years active and 4 years reserve.)

getitdid

Coollege
I agree with fauve. Military Academy would be your best bet if you are "academically qualified." You will get experience like no one else would experience at your age. Enlisting is not a bad idea if you get into special program. I used to be a Navy Information Systems Techinician who deals with national security and gets rapid promotion benefit. I've seen some smart enlistees who made E-5 before 3-year of their time in the military. Navy offers SEAL, Nuclear engineer, Intel, ITs and so forth to those who are academically/physically qualified. I also believe other branches do the similar thing. If I can go back 4 years back when I joined the Navy, I would want to try to be a Navy SEAL (because they are sick!) By the way, I heard that about only one third of wannabe SEAL quit or get disqualified before they complete their initial training.

schlagowsky

Sounds like sour grapes from a military reject(Sorghum). And Marines should be capitalized

jaykoblives

^
Look out, schlagowsky, you're showing your sense of entitlement. Sorghum might come back to police your arrogance.

Seriously, though, it takes a special kind of individual to seek out Veterans to harass on a Veteran's forum. Someone really special.

sorghum

Well, there is also the issue that is shows arguably poor ethical and moral judgment to volunteer to join the US military when the primary on-going combat adventure is an illegitimate war against Iraq.

But if it gives you good ECs for college, that's OK then.

jaykoblives

^
Ahhhhh, so your motivations are finally revealed.

hondacivic5367

Sorghum,

I agree with some of your comments, but I do have to mention several things here.

My parents didn't have a lot of money and my grades were not spectacular in high school. My father was a political refugee from Poland and only came here with only 5 dollars in his pocket while my mom had a special student visa to come here and decided to never come back. We didn't grow in the best of neighborhoods either in the Chicago area. My ACT scores were sub-par. Pretty average. Actually I think it sucked. Below average. So really, as a 17 year old kid I didn't know what to do or where to go. I was a non-criminal thanks to a Dad that brought me up to have morals and manners. I God bless that I had a wonderful father who did so much to teach me values and discipline.

With my grades not good nor was my ACT score not the best (I am very weak in math, but great in other subjects), I decided to join the Navy. I did four years onboard the USS Kitty Hawk and we did go to the Gulf several times. Yup...I did have somewhat a desk job. A desk job which consisted of myself sitting behind a radar 16 hours a day, tracking ships, classifying ships, etc. Oh...by the way...when there is a fire onboard....the whole ship had to fight it. We trained for that at least once or twice a week for that. No days off when you are out in sea. I am pretty sure a day care worker does the same. You know....fight fires, safety inspections, study classified material, general quarter drills. Yup....that same desk worker or day care worker had those responsibilites too. They deserve the same benefits as me. They protected your freedom just as I did.

With all of these responsibilites, maybe this is the reason why the state of Illinois has a policy that all residents of Illinois get 100% free acceptance to any state public college in Illinois and we also qualify for the Illinois Veterans Grant which covers the whole tuition in any state public college. I could of gone to the University of Illinois, but I chose Southern Illinois University because it has one of the best broadcasting schools in the nation. No, its not Yale, Brown, or the University of Illinois, but it is a mid-tier school and I am sure the hands on training in broadcasting is a lot better than most theory based schools.

I missed what the Navy taught me so I joined the reserves when I was a sophomore in 2000 and after 9/11, I was the one of the FIRST 100 reservists to get called up after the horrific events that day. No, I never shot the gun. But I did work almost every day in 117 degree weather wearing all the equipment imaginable to mankind.

I came back. I finished my degree in radio and television and minored in public relations. And I got a job right off the bat as a news reporter. My four years in college was great. Yes....even though I was called up for one year....technically I was on the four year plan. Most traditional students cant say that here at SIU. A student who wants to graduate in four years are preety low (17%), but the veterans have a higher rate (71%).

I was the founder/president of the Polish-American Student Association, President of Neely Hall Council, Community Service Chair for Theta Xi Fraternity, Executive Board member of Theta Xi Fraternity, member of American Red Cross, etc., etc. I also volunteered at WSIU-TV (PBS) reporting the news. I got a great job right off the bat and I enjoyed being a TV news reporter, but I guess I have a new calling. I am now going into teaching and will be getting another degree, this time from Northern Illinois University. I am also a member of the NIU Veterans Club and we have highly motivated people in our club. Why do I boast this resume to you? Several things brother....

1. I had a pretty low score on my ACT. Not high at all. Especially in the Math portion. But I studied hard. I was responsible. Common sense. And you can tell the veterans had common sense.

2. The veterans on campus had a higher graduation percentage than the traditional students on campus. Again....THE VETERANS ON CAMPUS HAD A HIGHER GRADUATION PERCENTAGE THAT THE TRADITIONAL STUDENT ON CAMPUS. I dated a girl who went to a magnet school in Chicago who started getting straight A's, but ended up dropping out of school. Out of all the veterans I know (which was a huge number), I could only count one who failed out. I can count a number of intelligent traditional students who dropped like flies.

3. It seems like the veterans I knew in school was motivated, knowledgable, and had a ton of common sense. They have that drive. I knew one guy who had an ACT score of 14, but because he was a veteran, he was accepted anyways. His ACT score is irrelevant. He is now getting his masters degree at NYU. Another veteran I know was just average on his test scores too, but is now at the University of Santa Barbara working on his PHd. It seems like the vets had more common sense, responsibility, and dedication than the 18 year old that drank it all away, no matter how intelligent that person was. The military teaches you that. Again...it teaches you dedication, discipline, and hard work.

Now after I wrote the past few statement, is it a coincidence that the state of Illinois are now looking for teachers and will pay a 10,000.00 stipend to any veterans who want to teach? Is it a coincidence that the federal government has now initiated the Yellow Ribbon Program? Is it a coincidence that ALL of my teacher friends told me that some of the best teachers are veterans (especially in social studies)? Is it a coincidence that the veterans in class were more active and took leadership roles than the traditional student that came into class half drunk and never participated in class? Is it a coincidence that the veterans in state public schools in Illinois have a higher GPA than the traditional student in these same institutions? Its a coincidence because us veterans HAVE PROVEN to be hard working scholars and workers.

Yes....I agree there are some bad apples in every school who are veterans. And there are many crazy vets out there too. I knew of only one when I went to SIU who failed out (he was a drug addict), but the other vets I knew had dedication, drive, MATURITY, and good work ethic. And most of us didn't do the military acronym thing as mentioned on several earlier posts while in class. We were normal students who knew that when that deadline was coming, it was time to get that paper done. Now I know why all these programs are available to vets. Not also can they be excellent students, but reliable ones indeed. Several of my professors their best students were veterans and now I know why.

Thank you.....I just had to point that out.

PS : It just seems like your bashing veterans. Veterans are special breed. Even if they sat behind the desk. You know why? Because if told to do so...they will lift that gun to defend your country. They volunteered for this. Can you at least give them some respect?

PSS : If I am not mistaken, the president of Dartmouth is a former enlisted Marine. He is the one who founded the Yelllow Ribbon Program.

jaykoblives

^
Hey man,

I enjoyed your story. And thanks for your service.

After Sorghum's last post, I actually thought about justifying my military experience and my reasons for joining, but then I realized that it just doesn't matter. The guy has already made up his mind, for whatever reason, and there's nothing I can say or do to change it. He came to this thread with an obvious agenda to discredit and annoy vets. That's fine, but I'm done feeding his trollish behavior.

I know what I did. I know why I did it. And I know that if Sorghum is an American citizen, he should be thanking his lucky stars that an all volunteer military fights on behalf of him (in both "legitimate" and "illegitimate" wars).