It's a little premature, but some stuff has happened recently (not bad) that has me wondering how to go about attending college when my enlistment ends.
What do colleges look for? If they get my high school transcripts they'll see that I sucked it up hard-core academically, but I managed a 1250 on the SATs like 6 months after I graduated. Will they care about either?
Also, what does my life experience matter? I'll have been in the military for 6 years doing one of the most cerebral jobs the armed forces have to offer. Unfortunately, the specifics of my job description will be unavailable. Do they care about any of that?
I'm thinking about this a lot, and I really don't want to find out what little a chance I had after applying to schools I don't have a chance with. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.
Posted by Stan the man (Member # 6249) on :
Go to college while you are in. We get 100% TA these days. Talk to your supervisor about who to talk to for details. If you wait till you get out you are wasting your time in the service. We are offered so much so many ways for education. An' being that you are in the AF, you have a much easier time than me. Get a copy or your SMART transcript (or whatever the AF calls it). It will show you a max of what you can get acreditted (sp?) by colleges. They don't have to accept all of of them (some don't accept any at all). However, some is better than none.
I could actually go into detail, but you REALLY do need to talk to your supervisor about these questions. It is better to get answers for this from a source where documentation can be shown to you up front. Not only the generic military docs, but the specific command criteria to attend courses (if any). Your base should have a college office somwhere.
Posted by airmanfour (Member # 6111) on :
Yeah, I know I should talk to him, but he's a brand new supe and doesn't have all the answers I need.
Making all of this more complicated is the fact that I'm in training in an academic environment for at least a month and a half out of the year (this year two-and-a-half), and the rest of that year is spent doing shift work that flip-flops between dayworking and nightworking weekly. I don't have the time or the energy to make use of the opportunities set up for people that lead almost normal lives.
The Army education office on Post is sub-par, but that's normal for Army stuff in general. That's why I'm focusing on my full-time college opportunities when this is all over.
Posted by erosomniac (Member # 6834) on :
Make sure you can secure your Army-funded assistance before applying. I know two different people who were entitled to GI bill funds and didn't get them because they, uh, didn't exist.
Posted by airmanfour (Member # 6111) on :
That's most definately a good idea, but I'm more concerned about how to gain admission to a school than yelling at the dumb personnel people to show me the money. And they better, or I'm gonna break some heads.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
airmanfour, do you have an idea what college you want to attend? Sometimes if you visit the website of the school they will have information for potential students including adult learners. (I love that term, it seems to imply that straight-out-of-high school students aren't adult or something. Seems like they could come up with something better.)
At any rate, I found it very easy to go the junior college route. I went to a junior college just for two semesters to get some of my core curriculum out of the way and their admission standards were, in a word, rather low. Then, because I made good grades in the JC, I had it easy transferring to the university.
Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
Hee, around here it's "mature students," Belle. I'm not sure which is worse.
Posted by erosomniac (Member # 6834) on :
quote:That's most definately a good idea, but I'm more concerned about how to gain admission to a school than yelling at the dumb personnel people to show me the money. And they better, or I'm gonna break some heads.
If you're worried about your grades being insufficient for entrance to a decent 4 year institution, look at "two and two" programs for state schools in the state where you have residency. Most areas have such a program, which lets you take two years at a community college (getting your core requirements and some other stuff out of the way) and then transfer to a four year state school to get your bachelor's.
It will almost always be easier to get into a school in the state where you have residency.
quote: What do colleges look for? If they get my high school transcripts they'll see that I sucked it up hard-core academically, but I managed a 1250 on the SATs like 6 months after I graduated. Will they care about either?
They will care about both of those things. Depending on how low your high school grades were, they may be a limiting factor. You can definitely compensate for it, though, provided that you aren't setting your sights too high. Your essay, your interview and your recommendations will likely be scrutinized very heavily. If you have a superior that can write you a good letter of recommendation, secure that ASAP as it will lend credence to your statements about your job in the military.
I can't say for sure (having never been a college admissions official), but were I the one looking at your application, I'd look at your grades and see that they were sub-par and wonder why. I'd look at your test scores and see that you're obviously not DUMB--so the next assumption would be that you're lazy. I think six years in service, combined with a stellar recommendation from a superior, would convince me that you just screwed up in school and shaped up and are more likely to be the kind of student the college is looking for. A well-written, pertinent essay and a solid interview would help nail that. Remember, you're convincing the school that they should give you a place over someone else; demonstrate to them that you are the kind of person they want to have bearing their name after you leave.
Belle's suggestion is also a good one, even if schools in your area don't have a "two and two" program.
Posted by Stan the man (Member # 6249) on :
Ask your education office about which CLEPs they offer. See what DANTES has to offer you as well.
I'll do some looking up tomorrow if I have time. I had some pressing issues today or I would have more for you now.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
I like the phrase "non-traditional students." No judgements about maturity or gray hairs implied. Posted by Stan the man (Member # 6249) on :
CLEP info can be found on the official DANTES page. I'm sure there are some other programs out there, but I don't know the AF's equivalent to the Navy's NCPACE program.
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
quote:I like the phrase "non-traditional students." No judgements about maturity or gray hairs implied.
None implicit, but 'non-traditional' can still pick up the emotional weight. At my school, if someone said 'non-trad' every knew they meant 'old person'.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Well, relatively, they kind of are. I don't think there's a term to be invented that can obfuscate that.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
Yeah, I don't mind being referred to as an older student - I am. I did think it was rather funny when one young man in my medical communication course blurted out "Wow, you're almost as old as my mom!" Gee, thank.
But, it truly doesn't bother me. I am enjoying going to college as someone who has experience raising children and being in the working world. Not to mention the fact that now that I'm paying for my education myself, I truly appreciate the opportunity to earn my degree a lot more.
Posted by Juxtapose (Member # 8837) on :
Were you active in a lot of extra-curricular...uh, please forgive this redundancy... activities in high school? Admissions will probably consider them to be mitigating factors for a lower GPA. If you were in band, played water polo, did community service, held a part-time job, etc, a lower GPA doesn't seem as bad.
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Then, because I made good grades in the JC, I had it easy transferring to the university.
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