What was your experience like returning to school after your time in the military?

Similar to mandatory fun day that was actually fun and productive. Because of how much I knew in general, even when I struggled in class I still learned plenty that may be related but not covered in the classroom.

I'd recommend sharing some of your classroom discussions here at RP to get others' opinion from respective fields of study. I did that with a lot of topics that kept my attention and it helped my overall development. It also helped uncover professors' bias.

Went to college for a year before I went into the Army. All I did was screw off and drink. Went back to college after I got out. Graduated with a 4.0 GPA and made the Deans list every semester. There are 2 types of people in college. one's that are there to spend mommys and daddys money and fuck off and one's that are there to get an education. 99% of former Military fall in the second group.

I did college before the military and did not excel. Matter of fact I flunked out. After the military I went back and while working full time finished my degree with a 3.85 GPA. Much easier after the military.

SGT Joseph Gunderson - Pretty much like this....

Hi, SGT Gunderson.

I was medically separated from active duty right after 9/11. As a product of my separation, the VA picked up the total tab for my bachelor’s degree through their vocational rehabilitation program. I started back to college in 2002 and graduated in 2006 with a BS in Management Information Systems.

College was easy compared to military service. Not academically; every written test I took in the AF was multiple choice, and I never had to write a 30-page paper (the longest one I had to write for my undergrad.) It was the mechanistic structure of the military that made it harder than normal life. You had to look and speak like everyone else, and you had to be on time and on target and on point 24/7. And that structure was absolutely what we all wanted and signed up for. College life was not like that. You have assignments and projects you have to deliver, and the onus to meet those deliverables is all on you. Your professors will be of great help if you present your commitment to the goal.

As a service member, you exist a different plane than the young kids with whom you’re going to class.
You’re mission-oriented, you know how to exploit your strengths and back up your weaknesses, and you know the work and sacrifice it takes to succeed.

Good luck!

For me on the social side of it I had some classmates who were VERY upset that I was getting "free" money for school due to having enlisted but....on a scale of 1-sjw I would give that about a 5.2 as far as the drama went.

But in general anyone who does a few years in the real world in a situation where you have to learn to prioritise and reach-deep will do very good in a college environment. One piece of advice I like to tell young people is that they should make sure they are familiar and intimate with the course material before they go into the classroom, because collage is the time to hone your skills not learn them from scratch. And if you don't believe me I want you to think about that concept of GPA and the effects that score has in your life.

Hahaha oh my god it was awesome. Divorce just finalized, I was 22 with free tuition and a monthly check just to show up to class. Not to mention my VA disability checks just started rolling in after my first semester. Its really all about your mentality, I've seen a lot of guys go back and act super jaded and it sucks for them, obviously. But you just go back with the mentality that you're a student and you're allowed to act like a human being and have fun with your life again and it's pretty cool.

Disneyland with better entertainment...

I went to college after 5 years in the Marines. I was very much still in the mindset of "I'm being told to do this assignment, be in class, etc." so I did it. No questions asked. All the homework all the labs, everything. It boggled my mind why the other, younger kids weren't doing it. I mean, that's what we were here for right? Apparently a lot of the 18 yo kids who rarely came to class and seemed more interested in exploring their new found freedom and fake I.D. had other ideas about college. But, I had all A's and one B after my first year and they didn't.

However, after two years or so I began understanding that I didn't have to go to "every" class. That, along with the classes getting harder, made my grades fall a little but I still ended up with over a 3.0. So I'll take it.

SGT Joseph Gunderson I started college after four years in the Marine Corps. I was concerned that I might be rusty. I was working full time and taking a full load of classes, but I enjoyed the classes and excelled in college. There were plenty of students that did not like the military or veterans, but this was just an annoyance. Some of these students were there to party, while I had a goal of obtaining my degree. College was a great experience.