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Do You Have What It Takes... To Get An Education?
By Terry Howell
Fall 2006
Have you been thinking about getting your degree but just haven’t gotten around to it yet? Why not?
Procrastination usually is caused by one of five factors that can block you from achieving your potential: confusion, money, time, fear and motivation. It’s time to remove each of these barriers that may be holding you back.
The Confusion Factor
Do you know the difference between an A.A. and a B.A.? A semester hour and a quarter hour? Most people have no clue what these terms mean until they start working on a degree.
The confusion caused by academic lingo sometimes creates a barrier to getting started on educational goals. Here are a few terms and examples to help remove the language barrier:
Associate degrees (two-year degrees): An associate of arts (A.A.), associate of science (A.S.) or associate of applied science (A.A.S.) usually requires 60 units of lower-level coursework.
Bachelor’s degrees (four-year degrees): A bachelor of arts (B.A.) usually requires 120 units of upper- and lower-level coursework. A bachelor of science (B.S.) also requires 120 units.
Master’s degrees: A master of arts (M.A.), master of science (M.S.) or master of business administration (M.B.A.) consists of graduate-level studies, and a thesis project usually is required.
Credit hours: The school grants credit hours for course completion. Most schools run under the semester system, where a normal course usually is worth three credit hours. Some schools operate under the quarter system. This simply is a different means of measuring credit and has no effect on the quality or cost of the courses.
Fees: Tuition and lab fees are associated directly with a specific course. Administrative, transcript, evaluation fees and others are general to college enrollment and typically are not covered by military assistance programs.
Evaluation: When you begin the enrollment process, most schools will conduct an evaluation of your existing college credits to determine how many of your courses or military experience credits will transfer to your new school.
Financial aid: This refers to any form of grant or loan paid directly to the college, including Stafford Loans, Perkins Loans, Pell Grants and military Tuition Assistance. However, the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) is not considered financial aid, because it is paid to you and not the school.
Registrar’s office: This is the college administration office that normally handles your MGIB or Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) paperwork.
Distance learning: This refers to any form of education that does not require classroom attendance – online courses, correspondence courses, etc.
Degree program: This is the list of courses or modules required to earn a specific degree.
Residency requirement: This is the number of credits a student must earn directly from the school – not by transfer – to earn a degree from that school.
The Money Factor
Does the cost of a college education keep you from getting started? You may have heard that college money is available to individuals but you don't know where to start looking. Several programs can help.
Direct financial assistance comes in the form of cash or vouchers paid to you or the school. As a servicemember, you have many sources of direct assistance:
Tuition Assistance programs are available to eligible members of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard and Ready Reserve. Each service can pay up to $4,500 per year for 100 percent of tuition expenses.
Each service has its own obligated service requirements, criteria for eligibility, application processes and restrictions. Monies usually are paid directly to the institution by the individual services. Additionally, active-duty members may elect to use the MGIB “top-up” in addition to Tuition Assistance to cover high-cost courses.
Tuition Assistance is not a loan! Treat it as money you have earned, just like your salary.
VA benefits, which include the MGIB and Reserve GI Bill, are available for active duty, reserves and veterans to help with education costs. More than $40,000 in education benefits may be provided for college, business technical or vocational courses; distance learning, including correspondence courses; certification tests; apprenticeship/job training; and flight training.
If you take four classes per semester at a regionally or nationally accredited college or university, you can get up to $1,034 a month (2006 rates) to cover education benefits. If you take two classes per semester, you could receive more than $500 a month.
Federal student aid programs through the
Refer to the table for a quick breakdown on the available types of loans and grants, interest rates and monetary limits.
|
Loan/Grant Program |
Loan Source |
Loan Fees |
Interest Rate |
Monetary Limits |
|
Direct Loans |
federal government |
yes |
variable up to 8.5% |
$6,625 year 1; $7,500 year 2; $10,500 year 3 |
|
Federal Family |
private banks |
yes |
variable up to 8.5% |
$6,625 year 1; $7,500 year 2; $10,500 year 3 |
|
Perkins Loan |
schools |
no |
fixed 5% |
up to $4,000 per year |
|
PELL Grant |
federal government |
no |
N/A |
up to $4,000 per year |
|
Federal Student |
federal government |
no |
N/A |
up to $4,000 per year |
Once you have enrolled in college, you need to start the aid application process. You can apply for all available federal student aid programs by filling out the U.S. Department of Education’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA) form online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Once you have submitted the form, your school will notify you about the loans and grants – and the total amounts – you are qualified to receive. When you get this notification from the school, select the loans and grants you want and the school will finish the loan process.
Various forms of indirect financial assistance also are available to servicemembers or veterans. You can avoid paying for college credit by applying your military experience and training, and by taking credit-by-exam tests.
Academic credit for military experience and training may be obtained through a recommendation from the American Council on Education (ACE). Thousands of accredited schools throughout the country accept ACE recommendations for academic credit.
Credit-by-exam provides the opportunity to earn college-level credits through a program of exams. More than 2,900 colleges grant credit for CLEP (College Level Examination Program), DSST (DANTES Subject Standardized Tests) and ECE (Excelsior College Exam) tests. Choose the subject test and study media you prefer (videos, textbooks, study guides), determine when you’re ready, and contact your Education Services Office to order the test and set a date.
The average college course can cost more than $100 per credit, so credit-by-exam can help you save money. Additionally, DANTES (Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support) offers its credit-by-exam tests for free to active and reserve military members.
By applying your ACE credits and CLEP tests, you may already have earned enough credits to obtain an associate degree without ever stepping into a college classroom or lecture hall.
Among the many other sources of college money are military scholarships, service-specific grants, ROTC and Army/Navy college funds. Visit the Education channel at www.military.com to learn more.
The Time Factor
Does it seem that you barely have enough time in a day to get anything done? Is the thought of adding school to your schedule overwhelming? You aren’t alone, but if you don’t have time now, when will you?
If you’re waiting to get started when you leave the service, you’re missing a golden opportunity to get a jump on your education. You probably never will work for a more education-friendly organization than the
Online courses follow the same format as traditional college courses, with a professor, textbooks, homework, exams, etc. However, online courses have a higher degree of flexibility and usually use a combination of message boards, e-mail, chat rooms, CD-ROMs and textbooks. Online courses typically maintain weekly deadlines; however, your study schedule is completely up to you.
DANTES offers catalogs that list thousands of video and correspondence courses from hundreds of well-known schools. These courses are self-paced, offer a great deal of flexibility and usually issue generous deadlines for taking the exams. You typically watch videotaped courses, take notes and use the study guides at your own pace – and you take exams when you are ready.
The costs of these distance learning courses usually are covered by Tuition Assistance and your MGIB.
Fear And Motivation Factors
Fear is not an unusual reaction when beginning a challenge. The thought of taking on any large commitment, such as achieving your educational goals, can prove intimidating. However, your branch of service and the VA have created programs to help you deal with this challenge.
A college degree is less a measure of intelligence and more a measure of commitment and tenacity. By rising to the incredible physical and mental challenges of a military career, you already have proven that you have what it takes to successfully reach your education goals.
Instead of letting fear stop you, let it motivate you! Here’s what you really should fear: lower wages, unemployment, and missed promotion and advancement opportunities.
If you finally decide that you are ready to increase your earning potential, get that promotion and use the benefits you have earned before it is too late, then you have decided to turn fear into motivation.
Finding the right school and program for you should be your next step in pursuing your education goals. The Military.com School Finder, at www.military.com/schoolfinder/search, can save you time and effort by getting the right schools to send information directly to you.
Now it's up to you to stop procrastinating and start achieving your full potential!
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Terry Howell is Senior Education Content Manager for Military.com. He is a retired Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer and military career development advisor.
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Three Reasons To Get Started Now!
1. You've already paid for it. If you have GI Bill benefits, you've already paid $1,200 in seed money worth more than $37,000 toward your education costs. When you add in other benefits, such as the Army College Fund, you could gain access to more than $70,000 for school. If you are still on active duty, you can use Tuition Assistance, worth up to $4,500 a year.
2. Use it or lose it. If you've already separated from the military, you have only 10 years to use your GI Bill benefits. If you are eligible for Tuition Assistance, remember that the $4,500 a year is good only while you're still in the military.
3. Degree holders earn more. That's a fact. Americans with a bachelor’s degree earn three times more money than those with a high school diploma; master's degree holders make even more. Plus, whether you're on active duty or in the civilian workforce, earning a degree can help you get promoted in your current job or find a better job.