Have you ever considered college but weren’t sure exactly what to look for when you’re in the military?

Well, the good news is that you’re not alone. Most of the military personnel I’ve worked with were wondering the same thing. There are so many colleges vying for your attendance. They know the funding is available and so they don’t have to worry about getting payments from the students for the most part.

Now there are some colleges and universities that cost considerably more than what you as military personnel are allocated for college funding.

For example: most military are currently given about $250.00 per credit hour to apply to a college, but many universities will have tuition that is more like $550.00 per credit hour, with about a $4500.00 per fiscal year cut off.

Now that being said often there will be a discount on tuition that will bring the cost lower, I’ve seen this discount range from 25 to 50% of the traditional tuition.

So when you’re considering different colleges here are some things to be sure you ask your Admissions Advisor or your Educational Advisor to make sure that you are getting the most benefit possible for your service to our country!

Thank you by the way, I truly appreciate your service!! In my experience I don’t think you hear that quite enough. I’ve worked with the Yellow Ribbon Project, this is a program established to help military personnel acclimate to being back in the USA after being abroad serving our country.

I’ve seen thousands of military personnel who let me know that they don’t hear that very much. Your service means the world to us civilians who are able to work, live, eat and breathe in freedom all do to soldiers who are not afraid to put their life on the line daily.

Thus when you’re considering college here are some important questions to ask a college you’re considering.

1. What additional benefits do you offer military personnel and family member

Find out are there additional military benefits other than what you have in your TA, GI Bill or other military funding you qualify for. Often there is, if not don’t be afraid to check out several colleges that will be able to offer additional benefits to you.

2. Ask your Admissions Advisor, why should I choose you?

Many universities or colleges will interview you, and this is good, the college needs to ensure that they’re getting quality students. However, make sure this is not one sided bring a list of questions that you want to know; don’t just go for the one you first come across! They need to prove to you that they’re a college or university that is worthy of your attendance.

Sample Questions you might want to ask:

• What do you do to help military personnel who have extenuating circumstances?

As you know there always things that come up while you’re in college, family, friends, health concerns, someone who passed away etc. Well, this is of course increased for someone who’s in the military; you have so many more variables even if you’re State side. Find out what support system they have in place to help you.

• Ask about Tutoring.

You might find this very helpful to help you get the most out of your classes as you balance military service, family responsibilities, college, and or a job. Take all the study aides you can get. This will really help you succeed even if you feel pretty confident that you have everything under wraps, additional support options never hurt anyone… at lead that I know of. 

• How will you help me if and when I am deployed?

Get Details, I’m sure you know how important this is, I Betcha you could tell examples and experiences of soldiers overseas attempting to finish their classes and they’d a lot of trouble. I’ve seen a few examples, myself.

The last thing you want is, to find out when you’re overseas that you are out on your own with little to no support!

I know you can come up with other vitally important questions to bring to the interview for the colleges you’re considering.

3. Ask around, talk to your Educational Counselor, and find out what other military personnel are saying about this college or university.

Some of these will be much better equipped to work with military personnel than others. Ask the hard questions and find out what they say. Don’t just read the information on the web site and talk to an Admissions Counselor, do your homework, finding yourself overseas and struggling to get homework in on time and find you that there is not enough help to get you through.

4. Look at correspondence versus online learning what’s your best option?

Sometimes, correspondence is a great way to go for soldiers, there is no hassle with the online connection or as many technical concerns. Now if you know you’ll have a steady connection to the internet as you’re overseas then look for an online option, this could be a great fit for you. Just be sure you look at all the angles you can think of when you’re considering a college.

Now after you’ve found a college the next thing to do is find out how to get funding, see my blog for answers on this one. Depending on what branch you’re in will determine how you set up your funding. See http://www.sophiemaddox.com for posts specific to putting together funding for you, like this one for the Army; http://www.sophiemaddox.com/2010/02/02/army-ta-help/

If you found this helpful, please share it with as many military personnel as possible, (Digg, comment, re-tweet this or send the link in an e-mail to friends and family). Help spread the word about how to navigate the college admissions process when you’re Military Service Personnel.

Sophie

P.S. Don’t forget to grab a copy of my Free thank you gift to you for comments, and sharing this with others.

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