Graduate school after navy service (NUPOC)

JackH2021
Sun, 09 Jan 2022 01:12:53 +0000

Vega, I went to grad school at UIUC on an Illinois Veteran’s Grant after serving as a Marine officer. Here are my thoughts:

1. Are you currently an undergrad student, or are you applying to undergrad programs for the Fall? It appears that NUPOC can pay as much as $175K up to 30 months prior to graduating with your BS. Are there restrictions on how you use the money? Do you have to use it for tuition? Do you have to use it for your undergrad, or can you save it for grad school? If you are applying to undergrad now and can save your NUPOC money, you may want to look at a school with a ROTC program. I am not sure if you could do this, but it is worth exploring.

2. When you enlist in the Navy you will fill out a mountain of paperwork. One of the forms will be a sign-up for the GI Bill. Sign-up for it. When I was in, the DOD took $1,200 out of my paycheck the first year of my contract, then I was eligible for up to $450/month for a four year degree. You cannot beat that ROI.

3. The Navy nuclear program is very prestigious, selective and rigorous. Having served as a Navy nuclear officer will be valuable credential when applying to graduate schools or jobs.

4. Generally, the military supports continuing education for active duty personnel, especially those in technical fields. You should explore programs where you might get a masters while on active duty.

5. Some states, like Illinois, have special programs where veterans can go to a state school for free, or a deep discount. These programs will require that you have residency in that state for some period before you enlist. Check your home state to see if they have such a program. You might get your masters for free, and many public universities are strong in engineering and the sciences. Here are some public universities that are highly ranked in Chemistry: Cal-Berkeley (#2), UIUC (#6), UW-Madison (#9), UCLA (#15), UofM (#15), UNC-Chapel Hill (#15), UT-Austin (#15), Penn State (#20), Cal-Irvine (#20) and Cal-San Diego (#20).

6. I doubt that Navy OCS is as physically demanding as Marine OCS, but it will not be easy. The failure rate for my company was over 40%. The goal of OCS is to weed out the non-hackers, and you will be stressed and tested, physically and mentally. Get into good shape before you go to OCS.