Posted on Nov 4, 2013
What is the hardest part of going back to school for you?
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I've returned to school under the G.I. Bill and am getting ready to wrap up my 1st Semester. Realizing I spent 19 years in the military and walk around on a campus with ROTC and Guardsmen and reservists in uniform on a campus that is a collage of color and non-uniformity. I see hajibs and burqas being sported by many of the women on campus. I study with youngsters with no motivation or experience. I talk with intellectuals that have never gotten their hands dirty, either through labor or field or combat. What one thing really makes/made the return to civilian education awkward for you?
College
GI Bill
Posted 12 y ago
Responses: 11
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Hey Chief, First, let me commend you on returning to school and utilizing the benefits that you earned and deserved. too many vets are still letting it waste away.
I got out of the military in 2008, and returned directly to school. For me there were a lot of challenges. First and foremost battling with ptsd and survivor's guilt, which set in about 2 semesters in. I was fortunate to go to the University of Idaho, and unlike a lot of fellow vets I know, never had a single bad experience with the faculty and staff. They were all very understanding.
Some of the other issues were as you had mentioned. Young adults with no motivation, and no understanding of what it is like to have to really work and have responsibility. Again, the school I went to was very veteran friendly, so I never had to deal with any anti-troop rallies. Every student I met was at worst just not interested in the military.
I think the biggest issue for me however, was strangely enough working with the veterans club, which I became a member of and later an officer on its board. during my Senior year I initiated a Veterans mentor program, in which new incoming vets could be paired with a Junior or Senior Vet to help with transition, finding resources, or just to call on in hard times etc. During this time I met a lot of fellow veterans.
It was very frustrating to see my fellow veterans having a hard time adapting. It also frustrated me because a lot of them used their veteran status as a crutch, using excuses such as "I failed that class because the professor is anti-bush" etc etc. I would tend to believe the vet except often times it was a professor I was well acquainted with and new first hand to be very supportive of vets.
I saw a lot of vets who just wrote off most of the student population because they were just 'dumb civilians' or 'just don't understand' or 'won't relate'.
So as someone who struggled in school, but ultimately succeeded in graduating with a degree in applied physics, I think my advice for any incoming veteran students is to remember, that civilian students are people too. They have their own backgrounds, and triumphs, and you can't expect 18-20 year old people with little experience to fully understand everything you have gone through. It is important to meet them half way. If you do, you might just find that you both have something to offer each other.
I wish you the best of luck in school, and if you need any advice feel free to contact me at any time.
I got out of the military in 2008, and returned directly to school. For me there were a lot of challenges. First and foremost battling with ptsd and survivor's guilt, which set in about 2 semesters in. I was fortunate to go to the University of Idaho, and unlike a lot of fellow vets I know, never had a single bad experience with the faculty and staff. They were all very understanding.
Some of the other issues were as you had mentioned. Young adults with no motivation, and no understanding of what it is like to have to really work and have responsibility. Again, the school I went to was very veteran friendly, so I never had to deal with any anti-troop rallies. Every student I met was at worst just not interested in the military.
I think the biggest issue for me however, was strangely enough working with the veterans club, which I became a member of and later an officer on its board. during my Senior year I initiated a Veterans mentor program, in which new incoming vets could be paired with a Junior or Senior Vet to help with transition, finding resources, or just to call on in hard times etc. During this time I met a lot of fellow veterans.
It was very frustrating to see my fellow veterans having a hard time adapting. It also frustrated me because a lot of them used their veteran status as a crutch, using excuses such as "I failed that class because the professor is anti-bush" etc etc. I would tend to believe the vet except often times it was a professor I was well acquainted with and new first hand to be very supportive of vets.
I saw a lot of vets who just wrote off most of the student population because they were just 'dumb civilians' or 'just don't understand' or 'won't relate'.
So as someone who struggled in school, but ultimately succeeded in graduating with a degree in applied physics, I think my advice for any incoming veteran students is to remember, that civilian students are people too. They have their own backgrounds, and triumphs, and you can't expect 18-20 year old people with little experience to fully understand everything you have gone through. It is important to meet them half way. If you do, you might just find that you both have something to offer each other.
I wish you the best of luck in school, and if you need any advice feel free to contact me at any time.
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CMC Robert Young
SSG, you have a keen insight to the human condition. Your comments about the civilian student population is spot on. We (service members) do ourselves and society in general a huge amount of good by simply accepting people for who and what they are; and forging positive relationships with them through our pursuit of common goals. Most everybody wants the same thing; just to be happy & successful.
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It very dificult. I am still working on my BS degree and i started classes in 1991.
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CW2 Joseph Evans
LOL, I know that one. First college course in 1986, 27 years later and 146 credits under my belt, I have to start the degree I want from scratch...
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SGT Chris Birkinbine
Keep working at it. It took me 13 years to obtain my B.S. The length of time makes it all the sweeter when you complete it.
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For me it was like applying
for a job and having too much experience. I visited 28 countries and lived in
foreign countries and had enormous responsibilities and accountability while
serving. So when it came to a project in the class room I always heard "He
is doing too much" "He is going beyond", he, blah, blah, blah. I
would always answer that I was doing what is expected, a good job. Now I am in
a position to help and assist our student Veterans, (Last place I thought I end up, working at a university) We even provide training and seminars to help educate and train the Staff & Facility
about Veterans, plus many activites in the community. Become a mentor for the younger students, don't always try to take over a project, (but don't let it fail either)
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I'm worried about the medical conditions I've developed in the military and how I am going to manage them while going to school. Right now I'm active duty, and have already completed my Bachelor's degree, so I'm not worried about my performance, but how my medical limitations will affect my performance. If that makes sense...
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Not being able to get an education due to the restraints on the time to use my college fund and then get SCREWED out of the money I put into it. And no state or federal funding for me due to I DON'T FIT THE REQUIREMENTS for educational help . I'm not disabled or from this war or Vietnam . So I get SQUAT, ? Sorry Mr. Evans , but this subject winds me up , when people ask that question about schooling .
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The hardest part for me was finding out that after 21 1/2 years of service in Reserves and AD, not only did I not get retirement (missed by one day), my GI Bill also expired while I was serving. Started School in 1988, got Associates in 2006, Bachelors in 2012, and going back for Masters,almost entirely on my dime.
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I had very little opportunity to go back to school while I was in the military,so when I retired I knew that had to be a priority. However, retiring at 37 isn't really retiring. A family and responsibilities abound. Working full time, I went to night school to earn my bachelors and masters. It took me almost 7 years to complete, I exhausted my GI Bill, but my company had a tuition reimbursement policy so they got me through my masters. For those 7 years, my life consisted of work and school, nothing else. My family supported me, I didn't go out to dinner, or a movie in those 7 years, but it's paid huge dividends and I don't regret it for one minute.
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CW2 Joseph Evans
Fortunately it won't take me 7 years to wrap up a masters, but I understand the need for family support the whole way.
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I've been ruined for higher education.
1. I don't have a use for a higher degree or certification.
2. If the prof isn't doing a good job then I resent having my time wasted.
3. I want more control over my time: I resent having to be someplace at a certain time, and doing homework/projects on deadline.
I've also been to instructor training school, so if the professor has bad classroom habits then it's very distracting...
However I still tremendously enjoy self-directed reading, writing, & learning.
Now that you're enjoying a stimulating retirement and exploring new horizons, what about "back to school"? A surprising number of retirees seek out the classroom, especially if they feel obligated ...
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SGT Thomas Sullivan
I am stuck also sir. I do not need a Bachelor's degree for my current job, but I need a Master's degree in Engineering if I want a promotion....... aint that some crap?
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SGT Chris Birkinbine
Perhaps you would enjoy something like MIT open courseware, in which MIT offers up their class materials for a lot of their classes. There is also edx.com which is a site stated by MIT and has other major univiersity support. It is free online courses that is a semi work at your own pace, offering certificate of completions for courses. Both free, and neither one will get you a degree, but it is great for those who want to further their own education for the sake of knowledge.
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Sir, I just completed my MA in Organizational Leadership so I empathize. For me it was about time management, and learning some of the computer applications. The amount of reading and, then in a timely fashion, generating papers based on the reading was challenging. The technology was so much more robust than when I was in school last time, and there was a decided difference in my ability compared to my younger classmates.
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