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Any other DLI graduates out there?
So, I've searched the internet high and low and can not find anything on DLI graduates that got out and went on to a university. Has anyone graduated from DLI here and carried on their credits to a university? Mainly, where are you going? How much of it did they accept?
Here's my situation: I was an idiot in high school. I think I may have had around a 2.0 by the time I graduated. I joined the Marine Corps right away. My first enlistment I was an avionics technician. My second enlistment I lat moved to become a linguist. I went to DLI for Arabic and left with a 3.4 GPA and graduated with honors earning a 2+/2+/2 on the DLPT 5. To go with my resume I am currently a SSgt and hold a Top Secret/ Special Compartmentalized Information security clearance. By the time I get out I would have spent 10 years in. I have held numerous billets leading Marines and so forth. Understandably a 3.4 GPA isn't extremely notable to the average Joe coming out of high school or a CC. But, a 3.4 GPA in a rigorous Arabic program while also being a Marine and being a Platoon Commander in charge of 30 some odd Marines (making sure every single one of their needs is taken care of) isn't as easy as it seems to accomplish. Do the universities recognize this? What sort of Universities should I aim for? There are numerous colleges now using the Yellow Ribbon Program ultimately leaving you with a balance of 0 at the end of the day such as George Washington University, Georgetown University, American University, etc.
I'm looking for any DLI graduates input, and also some other vets out there who might have some advice for me.
Side note: I see that most universities don't require an SAT score if you've been out of high school for more than 5 years. Should I take it anyway to just try and beef up the application? Or, is it really just not weighed as heavy as one would think?
11 repliesHere's my situation: I was an idiot in high school. I think I may have had around a 2.0 by the time I graduated. I joined the Marine Corps right away. My first enlistment I was an avionics technician. My second enlistment I lat moved to become a linguist. I went to DLI for Arabic and left with a 3.4 GPA and graduated with honors earning a 2+/2+/2 on the DLPT 5. To go with my resume I am currently a SSgt and hold a Top Secret/ Special Compartmentalized Information security clearance. By the time I get out I would have spent 10 years in. I have held numerous billets leading Marines and so forth. Understandably a 3.4 GPA isn't extremely notable to the average Joe coming out of high school or a CC. But, a 3.4 GPA in a rigorous Arabic program while also being a Marine and being a Platoon Commander in charge of 30 some odd Marines (making sure every single one of their needs is taken care of) isn't as easy as it seems to accomplish. Do the universities recognize this? What sort of Universities should I aim for? There are numerous colleges now using the Yellow Ribbon Program ultimately leaving you with a balance of 0 at the end of the day such as George Washington University, Georgetown University, American University, etc.
I'm looking for any DLI graduates input, and also some other vets out there who might have some advice for me.
Side note: I see that most universities don't require an SAT score if you've been out of high school for more than 5 years. Should I take it anyway to just try and beef up the application? Or, is it really just not weighed as heavy as one would think?
Post edited by jdgive on
This discussion has been closed.
Replies to: Any other DLI graduates out there?
As for being granted college credit for DLI: Almost every school in the nation recognizes the credits awarded to you by ACE that are on your official SMART. Once admitted to a college or university they should ask you for your official SMART transcript, which you can order to have sent to them. They will give you credit for DLI and for any other PME on your transcript such as Cpl's Course, Sgt's Course, and even basic training (boot camp nets you like 9+ credits of Physical Education and a few of Military Science alone let alone whatever else you end up doing after). As an avionics tech, I would presume you should have a few technical credits too. Have you seen your SMART transcript lately? If you haven't, then ask around to get to know how to print an unofficial one online and you can verify that it has all of those credits on there.
You also get some credits, or portions thereof for completing MCIs, so your 3000 series, if you'd done it, would give you a big chunk too.
I was one of about 5 Marines selected from my infantry company to go to DLI, but my platoon and company command did not let me go; deemed I was too important to be gone for so many weeks.
I was a bit surprised that she actually knew a fair amount about DLI, and she definitely recognized that the workload at DLI is significantly different (more) than your average university. Like I said no official decision has been made as to which of my credits from DLI would be accepted, however she said in the past the only DLI credits that did not transfer were practicum credits. I'm not sure about the Arabic program, but all of my time was spent in coursework pertaining to the language, we had no technical training related to our actual job. I'm expecting at minimum 35 of my 45 credits to transfer which is well above the transfer requirement for my chosen school.
My GPA from DLI was 4.0, and my admissions counselor said I should have no problem getting into the school. She said the average DLI grad they have accepted was around 3.0, so as long as the school you are applying to is familiar with DLI, then I would definitely think you would be a competitive applicant, and therein lies the trick in finding a school. I personally am tired of living where I don't want to, so my school choice was influenced heavily by location, then by the quality of the education they provide. I would evaluate what you are looking to get out of your education, and what your priorities are, and hopefully narrow down your list of potential schools that way. Then you can call and talk to the admissions counselors and gauge how your prior academic experience will be considered by the school and affect your admission.
Once I get more info on the status of my admission I can post more, but hopefully this will help you out some in finding a good school.
I'm a former DLI (USAF Korean) and graduated from Georgetown; a fraternity brother was also a DLI (USA Korean) graduate.
GU does not "require" SATs as you stated above, but if you feel that it can boost your stats, it doesn't hurt. If you plan on transfering only your DLI credits, you may be coming in as a 2nd semester Frosh or 1st semester Sophmore.
The language credits are good nice, but at GU, if you're in the School of Foreign Service, you'll have to pass an oral proficiency test.
So if you're aiming for GU, write one hell of an essay!
I know I'm way late here, but if you see this I would really appreciate some help. I graduated the Korean program a couple years ago too and am looking at applying to Georgetown as a transfer student. Could you give me any more information on the application process? Did you use only your DLI credits? What major did you apply for? Do you know anyone there that would be good to talk to for more information? Thanks for any help you can give me.
As far as taking the SAT, unless you are applying to ivy league universities, you will not need it because you have previously taken college courses (DLI). If you are applying to an ivy, however, you have the option of taking the school's entrance exam. Ivies do require some form of test score. Old scores are accepted but may depend on the school. The best thing to do is to check the school's admission requirements.
Congratulations WonderWoman23 on your acceptance to Columbia. That's awesome! Enjoy NYC.
I'm a DLI grad as well (Arabic of course) and after seeing comments about success at Georgetown, I'm curious as to how the gi bill paid it all? From the numbers I've seen, it looked like some would come out of pocket