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Joanne's thread was very timely for me - thanks!

 

Older ds (grade 10) came home with a bunch of Army pamphlets from school. He's thinking he might want to take advantage of them paying for college.

 

I have no experience with that at all. I don't know any military people (at least I don't think I do!) to ask, so I'm hoping you can help me out.

 

What is the program? How does it work? What does he give/get? Any websites that explain it clearly without trying to sell it to me.

 

He has no idea what he wants to do in the future, but thought this might be a possibility. The only thing he did say was that he thought having the Army pay for college would allow him to work while at college and not have to worry about saving money for college ('cause the Army would be taking care of it). Therefore, he'd have it all as spending money.... I'm thinking that would not be the case..... would it?

 

Really, I cannot see him in any branch of the military, but he could surprise me. He is a pretty rules-oriented kind of guy, especially when they benefit him! ;)

 

ETA: And, if you could explain enlisted vs officer for me and any other lingo too. I have no knowledge of the US military at all (maybe because I'm Canadian, but I don't know about their military either!)

Edited by jen3kids
more info please
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I don't know all the logistics, but my husband took this route right out of high school. I believe there are two options:

 

1. Enlist in the military for four years, and then you'll have the G.I. bill that will pay for four years of college (at whatever their calculated rate is). There is no more military requirement after that four years.

 

2. Get a R.O.T.C. scholarship and attend college right out of high school. The military will pay for four years (again, at their rate) of college. During college you'll take a weekly military leadership class. One summer you'll go to boot camp for a couple weeks. When you graduate, you'll be commissioned as an officer in your branch of service and you owe them four years.

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Joanne's thread was very timely for me - thanks!

 

Older ds (grade 10) came home with a bunch of Army pamphlets from school. He's thinking he might want to take advantage of them paying for college.

 

I have no experience with that at all. I don't know any military people (at least I don't think I do!) to ask, so I'm hoping you can help me out.

 

What is the program? How does it work? What does he give/get? Any websites that explain it clearly without trying to sell it to me.

 

There are a number of different programs. They are not all the same. Some programs (such as ROTC scholarships) are competitive, not everyone can or will get them.

 

ETA: And, if you could explain enlisted vs officer for me and any other lingo too. I have no knowledge of the US military at all (maybe because I'm Canadian, but I don't know about their military either!)

 

Officers are the military equivalent of white collar jobs, they are managers.

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If he went straight out of high school, and therefore without a college degree, he would be enlisted & would not be going to college during his 4-6 yr commitment (or would not have time except for maybe a class here or there during that time). However once done he'd be eligible for the post-9/11 GI Bill which would pay 100% of state college tuition, plus a book stipend, plus a housing allowance for 4 years.

 

Another option is an ROTC program where he goes to college full time on the military's dime and once he graduates he would be an officer and would owe the military 4-6 yrs.

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I just answered in the other thread about this.

 

I won't rehash the different options etc, but will rehash what I said about this.

 

Make sure that he realizes that deployment is going to happen. As I mentioned in the other thread, I've had way to many people come to me after they signed up to get the college money to say "I just wanted the college money, I didn't really think they send me to Afghanistan, Iraq, other not so nice overseas place." YES THEY WILL REALLY SEND YOU ON DEPLOYMENT! I know that seems like a common sense thing, but to many people went into the military thinking it was easy money for college without realizing that they really were in the military, and had to do the same things that those who signed up not giving a darn about college money do.

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I just answered in the other thread about this.

 

I won't rehash the different options etc, but will rehash what I said about this.

 

Make sure that he realizes that deployment is going to happen. As I mentioned in the other thread, I've had way to many people come to me after they signed up to get the college money to say "I just wanted the college money, I didn't really think they send me to Afghanistan, Iraq, other not so nice overseas place." YES THEY WILL REALLY SEND YOU ON DEPLOYMENT! I know that seems like a common sense thing, but to many people went into the military thinking it was easy money for college without realizing that they really were in the military, and had to do the same things that those who signed up not giving a darn about college money do.

 

:iagree:

My ds20 enlisted in the early entry program (Army) when he was 17. We signed the papers for him, and he was fully aware that he would be deployed. We discussed it in detail, and his heart was set on it. Two weeks after he graduated from high school, he headed to Basic and AI (advanced infantry) training. He has already been to Afghan. once...for a one-year deployment. He is infantry, and I am so proud of him, but that's a hard thing for a "mama" heart to handle. Just make sure that your son knows what he's signing up to do.:grouphug: Also, my ds is stationed overseas, so we only see him about once a year, even when he's not deployed. That's something else to think about, too.

Edited by freeindeed
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Be very clear: if your ds signs up for the military to pay for college, he will be in the military. The military is a great way to earn the money to pay for college. The military has great programs, including ROTC scholarships. BUT you are making a committment to serve in the military. I would suggest not going this route unless you really want to serve. This is something my ds wants to do, but I do not think it is for everyone.

 

So, I think the first question is "do I want to serve?" Think about the implications of service. You will get deployed (it does not matter what recruiter says). You may not get into the program you thought you wanted (the one a recruiter may have been pretty sure you'd get). Once the answer is yes, go for it. There are tons of benefits including various ways to get money for college.

 

I do not believe military service should be a default to answer the question "how do I get money for college?"

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I just answered in the other thread about this.

 

I won't rehash the different options etc, but will rehash what I said about this.

 

Make sure that he realizes that deployment is going to happen. As I mentioned in the other thread, I've had way to many people come to me after they signed up to get the college money to say "I just wanted the college money, I didn't really think they send me to Afghanistan, Iraq, other not so nice overseas place." YES THEY WILL REALLY SEND YOU ON DEPLOYMENT! I know that seems like a common sense thing, but to many people went into the military thinking it was easy money for college without realizing that they really were in the military, and had to do the same things that those who signed up not giving a darn about college money do.

 

Also, you can't drink underage. You cannot do drugs. You must get up and run. You must obey orders, even when you think they're dumb. You must wear your uniform correctly. You must be where you are supposed to be when you are supposed to be there. NOT doing any of those things and making dumb young-adult mistakes can land you in a LOT more trouble than they would if you had a civilian job. No, you don't generally get a choice about what job you take or where you live. YES, the military can forbid you from going certain places, hanging out with certain people, getting certain tattoos, etc. THOSE are the types of things that young soldiers need to keep in mind.

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Also, you can't drink underage. You cannot do drugs. You must get up and run. You must obey orders, even when you think they're dumb. You must wear your uniform correctly. You must be where you are supposed to be when you are supposed to be there. NOT doing any of those things and making dumb young-adult mistakes can land you in a LOT more trouble than they would if you had a civilian job. No, you don't generally get a choice about what job you take or where you live. YES, the military can forbid you from going certain places, hanging out with certain people, getting certain tattoos, etc. THOSE are the types of things that young soldiers need to keep in mind.

 

Did my ds20 call you to complain?:lol:

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Yes, they will probably be deployed, however, there are a few jobs where the training is so long, it would be a while...

 

I was a linguist. I spent 9 weeks in basic training. Then I spent 1.5 years at the Defense Language Institute for Chinese language training. It was 63 weeks in the class, plus there are several weeks spent as a casual before your class starts. They have since made training even longer for Chinese, 70 something weeks, I believe. THEN, we had to go to Goodfellow AFB for 4 more months of SCIF training before we could make it to our first duty stations.

 

So, I joined in August of 2000, but didn't actually make it to my first duty station until August of 2002. And that's passing everything 1st time through.... it would have taken longer if I had failed anything, thank goodness I didn't! One does get tired of being in training, LOL!! Because our training was so long, our minimum enlistment was 5 years.

 

Anyways, as a Chinese linguist, our first duty station was in Hawaii. We were not attached to the 25th ID, we were in an MI Group, so we were NOT a "deployable unit", our war time jobs were there in Hawaii. There were options here and there to VOLUNTEER for deployment, on cool stuff, like, we could have done 3 months in Korea, and one Morse code person (who was Puerto Rican, and spoke perfect Spanish) was able to go on some cool, Top Secret, TDY tooooooo, Columbia, I think... somewhere in South America anyways.... Also, as the 25th ID got called up to deploy, they suddenly had a lot of soldiers get pregnant :glare:, or get profiles :glare:, etc. which made them undeployable, so they did ask for volunteers from our Intelligence group, and as long as you could be spared, you could go. I actually had several friends who went to Afghanistan that way.

 

Of course, a lot of people who go in to be a linguist NOW, who score high enough on their DLAB test, will get assigned to Arabic and Farsi, in which case, they WILL be deployed... but they aren't on the front lines or anything....

 

I know lots of people who have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan... it isn't a death sentence or anything. I don't mean to trivialize deployment to a war-zone! PLEASE don't get me wrong!! But it seems some people DO view it as a death sentence, and it's really not.

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Also, you can't drink underage. You cannot do drugs. You must get up and run. You must obey orders, even when you think they're dumb. You must wear your uniform correctly. You must be where you are supposed to be when you are supposed to be there. NOT doing any of those things and making dumb young-adult mistakes can land you in a LOT more trouble than they would if you had a civilian job. No, you don't generally get a choice about what job you take or where you live. YES, the military can forbid you from going certain places, hanging out with certain people, getting certain tattoos, etc. THOSE are the types of things that young soldiers need to keep in mind.

 

Yes, but it was the absolute BEST time of my life!!! :D:D:D

 

I absolutely LOVED being in the military and only got out to be a SAHM, nothing else could have pulled me away.

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I was an AROTC student so I can expand a bit on that program.

 

Scholarship options tend to differ. Either way, you can't get one unless you're contracted to the Army (you can do this freshman year, if there are scholarships available, or at the latest the beginning of your junior year). A scholarship will pay for either room/board or tuition, not both (West Point and the like may be different). Room/Board is either exactly what room/board on campus will cost or the average cost of a dorm room if you are living off campus. This is often, but not always, a better deal than getting a tuition scholarship. There is also a book stipend (for me it was $400/quarter) and a monthly stipend if you're contracted (varies depending on school year, from $300-$500).

 

My school required morning PT, a weekly 'lab' consisting of hands on training for about 3 hours, and actual classes you have to register for (usually one or two a quarter). You are usually required to also do something during the summer. Junior year is LDAC, which is required to eventually commission as an officer, and you can chose freshman/sophomore years. There are a lot of options, from Airborne School to going to Taiwan/China/etc and spending time with military cadets there.

 

Boot camp isn't always required. If you join as a freshman, you generally have to do bootcamp/AIT. If you join as a sophomore/junior, they send you to a summer Leader's Training Course and you skip the other two. I took the LTC option as I didn't join as a freshman, so I skipped bootcamp. LTC is only a month long, specifically for ROTC cadets.

 

Either way, I suggest thinking long and hard before signing your child up. It's definitely a time commitment and requires a lot of work. If you have any questions about ROTC or being an officer, feel free to message me. :)

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Did my ds20 call you to complain?:lol:

 

Believe me, I would say that I've heard it all over the course of my 18 year "career" as an Army wife, but at least once a week something new surprises me. LOL

 

 

Yes, but it was the absolute BEST time of my life!!! :D:D:D

 

I absolutely LOVED being in the military and only got out to be a SAHM, nothing else could have pulled me away.

 

:D

 

It just surprises me how many soldiers...say...get caught with drugs, go to jail and then are surprised when it goes on their ACTUAL criminal record. It's not like getting in trouble at school, people.

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I know lots of people who have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan... it isn't a death sentence or anything. I don't mean to trivialize deployment to a war-zone! PLEASE don't get me wrong!! But it seems some people DO view it as a death sentence, and it's really not.

I get this, but for many I've had the pleasure of dealing with it was simply the act of having to go somewhere they didn't want to go, even it if wasn't a warzone. For some it was the simple fact that they actually had to move away from their family :svengo:. Unfortunately there are a lot of clueless or oblivious young adults out there.

 

Believe me, I would say that I've heard it all over the course of my 18 year "career" as an Army wife, but at least once a week something new surprises me. LOL

 

:D

 

It just surprises me how many soldiers...say...get caught with drugs, go to jail and then are surprised when it goes on their ACTUAL criminal record. It's not like getting in trouble at school, people.

 

Oh the things I hear and that my dh has to deal with. I'm truly amazed at just how oblivious some people are.

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Everyone else has provided great comments. I want to add a resource that was wonderful for me as a single person joining a uniformed service and helping my fiance to understand the life he was joining.

 

When Duty Calls by Carol Vandesteeg is a wonderful checklist type book with a wonderful honest account of the way things are including deployments. I recommend it for any military family or considering military service.

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=PAJSBmHQ6A0C&pg=PA16&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4#v=onepage&q&f=false

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They do make that sound so good: Join the military and you get to go to college for free. Unfortunately the reality is that he'll be so busy, he'll hardly have any time to actually study, take classes.

 

My dh has been in the Army for almost 13 years. Every once in awhile he talks about starting college. But there is really no way for him to fit it in. He has a crazy schedule right now. And it's not even one where he goes on deployments at the moment.

 

My SIL joined the Air Force many years ago for college benefits. Never did get that degree finished.

 

I think most people who join because of college benefits, use them AFTER their commitment is done.

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One more thing... and I don't mean for this to be offensive to my other military-spouse friends here...

 

It's been my personal experience that the USAF puts a higher priority on education than the other branches. In the USAF, you are quite often given time off from work in order to attend classes. There are branch campuses of the schools on the Air Force bases. You can NOT continue to get promoted without advancing your education.

 

If the education component is important, I would strongly consider the USAF over the other branches. But then, I suppose I'm biased. :D

 

I do feel this is true in some cases, but not always. The Army is quite good as well, outside of ROTC (which seems to be fairly uniform). My husband just commissioned as a 2nd LT, but he'll be going back to school full time in 4 years, paid full-time as a graduate student. He's also going to 4 or 5 different schools next year for more military based training. The Army requires graduate school by (I believe) LT Colonel, so if you keep going with it they really do take the effort to get you into the schools and everything.

 

You just need to know what to look for. :)

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I do feel this is true in some cases, but not always. The Army is quite good as well, outside of ROTC (which seems to be fairly uniform). My husband just commissioned as a 2nd LT, but he'll be going back to school full time in 4 years, paid full-time as a graduate student. He's also going to 4 or 5 different schools next year for more military based training. The Army requires graduate school by (I believe) LT Colonel, so if you keep going with it they really do take the effort to get you into the schools and everything.

 

Are the opportunities there is the Army for education? Yes. However, it is a double-edged sword. If you take the "time off" from regular jobs to further your career, then that is time other people are doing developmental jobs. It is a very tough thing to balance in the Army, IMO.

 

You have to do a graduate degree before you make general. A significant portion of officers earn their graduate degrees by doing War College as an O-5/O-6.

 

I think the AF does place a higher priority on furthering education.

 

My dh earned his commission through a military junior college. He received his commission with his AA and served in the National Guard as a 2LT while he finished his four year degree, then he was re-assessed active duty. He used his ROTC scholarship for junior college. There are lots of different types of ROTC scholarships and commissioning sources.

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I agree with everyone else...the military is the military. He will be deployed no doubt about it. That being said...this is what I can tell you about the Air Force and college.

 

When/if he signs up he will be offered the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill which will pay for a total of 36 months of school. This is a HUGE benefit. This can also be passed on to a spouse or child to use if the member does not use it. Whoever uses it will also get a book stipend, and money each month for living expenses.

 

However, if he joins the AF, the AF will pay 100% of tuition while on active duty...so in theory he could get his degree while still serving, and then use the GI Bill for an advanced degree, or pass it off to a spouse or child. It is STRONGLY encouraged in the AF to work on your degree. It takes dedication and hard work to get it done while on active duty, but it can be done and then the GI bill is there for later.

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As far as using the GI bill, keep in mind that it pays for a public school's in state resident's tuition. If your child wants to go to a private school or a school where he would not have resident status, the whole tuition might not be covered. I think it's up to $17,000 per year for tuition for private/out of state tuition.

 

My DH will be going to PA school when he gets out in two years and we are well aware that the whole cost will not be covered and we will have to pay for some of it out of pocket.

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However, if he joins the AF, the AF will pay 100% of tuition while on active duty...so in theory he could get his degree while still serving, and then use the GI Bill for an advanced degree, or pass it off to a spouse or child.

 

This is true in the Army as well. But, I do think it can be more difficult in the Army to earn a degree while an active duty, based on what I have seen. Possible, but potentially more difficult, partly because of the deployment cycle of the Army of the last 10+ years.

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My husband went to college on a rotc scholarship. I think one of the big misconceptions about rotc is that students simply 'sign up' for it. Any student who otherwise meets basic physical requirements can sign up for and take rotc classes the way they would sign up for other classes. Some students try it out for a year or two to see if it fits them then choose to sign a contract with the military or leave. Even signing a contract does not guarantee a scholarship. Scholarships are currently very competitive and few students get a full four year ride, if a student is swarded one it's usually either a partial scholarship and/or only applies to one, two, or three years. Also, if a student is under contract and fails their classes they still have to serve out their contract but will be required to enter as an enlisted person.

 

I agree with other posts that the air force takes better care of it's people. I did army rotc in college for two years and students would leave to join air force rotc because the housing, family life, and education aspects are better.

 

The difference between officer and enlisted is similar to white collar and blue collar employees. If a teen is doing well academically and feels they have the aptitude for it becoming an officer is the way to go. Different branches have different officer ratios. Due to the number of pilots the air force and navy have the most officers. I'm not sure on the number for the navy but I know the air force is three enlisted for every one officer. The marines have the fewest officers, I want to say it's about 25 enlisted to one officer.

 

Many military members work on degrees while serving. It's common for a enlisted member to complete a bachelor's degree in their first four years and it's common for officer's to complete their master's degree. The military will pay for these degrees if it's determined to be a help in their career field but the military member then incurs a longer commitment because of it. I've noticed that most military members do classes online and work academically through training and deployments this way. Most military installations have satellite campuses of colleges so it's easy to take classes in person while stateside.

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Here is my experience in the USMC - when I was active duty I received tuition assistance that paid for my classes BUT going to school was very difficult to balance. You must be very motivated to go to class and study, a supportive unit is also pretty necessary. There is also the GI Bill that can be used after active duty which has another layer of difficulty if you have a family and work full time while going to school.

 

The question to ask is how motivated is your son to go to school while working full time? Some people are extremely successful, such as a fellow Marine who left active duty with a lot of school finished and went on to get his doctorate degree paid for with his GI Bill. Others like myself find it hard to balance school/work and school/family.

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