[September 29, 2014] Bill and Joanne were married after high school, joined the U.S. military for education benefits, deployed to Afghanistan, served honorably, and finally were able to enroll in Mississippi State University after their four-year tour in the Army. The problem? They both failed out of their first year of academic studies despite being provided with tutoring, loans and grants, counselors, and networking opportunities. They also had the GI Bill which paid nearly all their expenses. Bill and Joanne were not lazy and they were not stupid. Plus, both understood that a college degree would help them and their family more than just about anything else they could do while they were young.
What went wrong?
- They both felt they were “privileged” students. There was the mindset that all they had to do was show up, take a few classes, and magically they would graduate. Neither understood that it took advanced planning, class-taking strategies, and hard work to do well. Their Army recruiter and their military out-processing had given them false hopes of an easy life in college.
- Neither Bill nor Joanne were prepared for the lack of structure like they had experienced in the military. Other students never seemed to be on time, there was no one to say they should take a particular course, no one told them about the time commitment to studying, etc. Instead of someone providing a daily routine for them to follow, they had to create it. Without that structure, they had a great time hiking in the woods, fishing, and playing games on their computer. Their valuable time was misused.
- Most importantly, they treated the college experience as just something to get through. They lacked the motivation to do what was necessary to get ahead. Both of them were hard workers so that was not the problem. They simply did not think college itself was important, just that a degree was important. Therefore, their commitment and dedication to the effort was not there.
I want to help these veterans fix the problem. No one can do it alone. Here are some solutions.
- First, military recruiters and military transition teams are partially to blame. They give unrealistic expectations that GI Bill educational benefits mean going to a big university, studying a few years, getting your get a degree, and that veteran is set for life. This needs to change. Being a veteran is not an automatic ticket for success in college. It takes an enormous effort and we are not preparing them for the transition. Veterans need to also understand that a traditional university may not be for them. Trade schools and on-line education may fit them better.
- Second, the veteran must understand that moving from a highly structured environment to essentially an unstructured environment has a big downside. The downside comes with a risk. Veterans need to understand those risks and taught methods of creating their own structure before they reach the college campus. Learning skills, studying, test-taking, and other skills should be practiced before their set foot on the campus. They must also be screened for the passion to attend. Those lacking the motivation should be counseled on their likelihood that they will fail at traditional education and be provided with alternatives that will be better for them.
- Third, colleges need to become more engaged but they will need help. It’s not money, that problem has largely been solved. Most military veterans need experienced and successful veterans to link with them before their transition into college life. This means sitting down with them to establish realistic expectations about what they are about to experience.
The U.S. military is shrinking as most Western militaries are across the world. More and more college bound veterans will be struggling to survive academia. They need the right kind of help. Those veterans fought for us, so let’s help them.
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