military then college?

anon94785555
Mon, 29 Nov 2010 18:45:07 +0000

You decide what is most important to you- college or being in the military. Think of the lifestyle. Do you want to be the lowest ranked soldier/sailer (whatever) with a chance of going to a war zone? The death rate is not the only risk- there is the injury and mental trauma rate no one hears about. As a top HS student do you want to surround yourself with a peer group that is a majority of average HS students, not those who typically would apply to, much get into elite colleges? Will you have the same intellectual stimulation? Will it be comparable to instead getting a low paid (after all, you will only have a HS diploma and no other job skills) job on an assembly line, but with your life regulated 24/7? Sure, you can take online courses- but will they be of the same caliber as those on the campus you could be on? Can you choose the same majors, get the same inclass discussions, labs?

As a top HS student and with an interest in the military I strongly urge you instead to consider the ROTC route. Your active duty will be as an officer, not an enlisted person. You will not give up the right after HS college experience, either. There is a future cost for this route as well. Your post graduation military obligation precludes some opportunities, although unless the economy improves by the time you graduate the guaranteed job could be nice.

I have a niece and nephews who did the military route. The girl did a year of college, joined the Guard, met her H and did do the online business type degree. She admits she was a screwup in college- would not have succeeded. Her H hopes to get out next year and then finish college- he keeps going overseas. The boys did not do their best in HS and did 4 years in the military- now working and perhaps getting degrees some day. The one always wanted the military- the reality of it made him change his mind and do only the 4 years he signed up for. If HS grades and money were there they would not have gone that route. I do not hear of any benefits of doing the military then college from their experiences.

btw- the other side of the coin. Even at the height of WW II not every eliglble young man was serving in the military- colleges had many more women during the war years, but there were still many men in colleges. Despite the huge numbers in the military it was not the majority of the population. Life went on at home (same thing during the Depression- not everyone was out of work/poor…).

Only use the military as your option if you want to be in the military. Find out about the day to day lifestyle, even if you never face a war zone. Can you tolerate the lack of academics for 4 years? Everyone is changed by the 4 years spent after HS- in different ways. Some benefit from the military discipline, others don’t need it to achieve their goals. Nothing wrong with postponing the responsibilities of adulthood by being that 18-21 year old college student.

I’m of the Vietnam War/draft generation. Today’s military is a choice- no comparison. Just remember there is always a price to pay- is it too high?