Picking the Right School

Written by Kelly Fodel

MAE 2010 Volume: 5 Issue: 2 (March)

How Much to Cost, Relevance and Convenience
Factor Into the Decision-Making Process?

A military student comes to the table with a variety of concerns that are distinct from the “typical” college student. Cost, relevance (‘can this degree get me a job?’) and convenience are generally some of the top considerations. Many students are looking for colleges and universities that offer the maximum amount of credit transfer for their military training to shorten the time it takes to get their degree. They are also looking for course delivery programs that fit into their very dynamic deployment schedules, short notice military commitments and intense workload. According to Gary Campbell, a military base counselor at Thomas Edison State College, military students tend to select institutions that abide to Servicemembers Opportunity College (SOC) credit transfer policies and accept the minimum credit recommendations from the American Counsel on Education for CLEP and DANTES Exams. Another concern for military members and their spouses is the transferability of credit from one institution to another. The Servicemembers Opportunity College and their affiliate organizations, SOCNAV, SOCMAR, SOCAD and SOCCOAST afford them with a number of choices when selecting institutions that are committed to achieving the shortest path to a degree.

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Some of the common challenges include finding an institution that offers the desired degree program, having required courses offered in a flexible delivery method and having the ability to complete course work amid the demands of military, family and social life. Said Campbell, “A large issue that faces military students and their spouses is finding an institution that provides them with customer service, administrative support, and a caring and compassionate staff and faculty to mentor them as they work to achieve their educational goals. The financial obligations of pursuing a college degree can prohibit servicemembers and their families or postpone their education. Excessive administrative fees, textbook fees and tuition costs over the tuition assistance cap can eliminate or delay their pursuit of higher education.”

According to Jonathan Woods of the Navy Voluntary Education Program, Center for Personal and Professional Development, it can be a risky environment for military students seeking college credit or college degrees. “Collectively, the services spend about half a billion dollars annually in tuition assistance,” he pointed out. “Reputable institutions tend to either passively accept whatever military students come their way, or seek relationships with the services as the access point to tuition assistance dollars. Other institutions attempt to directly market military members to gain access to that half-billon dollars. When military members receive initial degree planning advice from a counselor who has something to gain, the member’s best interest may not be served. Such situations could be cause for concern because important considerations can be overlooked.”

Cost is nearly always a concern for students, said Woods. “While the Title 10 funding that funnels to military members through their service’s tuition assistance program is quite liberal, there are still important cost considerations for the prospective military student. First, service specific caps may not allow the student to register for all the classes that the particular student could handle in a year. Thus, the member would either have to self-pay or sit out certain portions of the academic year. Another important cost consideration is that if the member does not complete the course, he or she could be liable for a repayment to the service depending on the circumstances.”

MEASURING SUPPORT

Experts say you should carefully evaluate a school to determine if it is truly military friendly. James W. Stevenson, Jr. is the executive director of the Military Education Institute, Florida State College at Jacksonville. Stevenson said you have two types of institutions: military friendly and those that are not. “Military friendly institutions usually have a department that is specifically to deal with military members and their families, and the staff themselves are either military or connected to them somehow. They understand the lifestyle of our uniformed members, and try to accommodate based on their experience.”

Additionally, a military friendly school has an overall organizational culture to embrace military, from policies that allow students to continue their education without readmission and maintain a program of study without extra coursework, to providing a direct liaison with their education service officers. These schools also have the ability to process military tuition, veteran benefits, and all the academic required paperwork (ACE credit evaluation, SOC student agreements, etc.). Advisors are trained and understand military challenges, and for the most part, they have one-on-one counseling. The advisor keeps a good record of each student, knows where they are located, if deployed, what courses they need, and which forms they have to fill out. They take the guesswork out of it, so students can concentrate on just taking their courses and returning to work.

These military friendly schools truly understand ACE recommended credits, and have a system in place to evaluate and award maximum credit towards a degree, cutting their needed courses and saving not only the student but the military a considerable amount of money. Military friendly schools have affiliations to dedicated organizations for military education, such as ACE, SOC, GoArmyEd, NCPDLP, CCAF, Air Force GEM, etc. They study each branch of service, their education requirements and policies. They understand fully military education and can tailor to each of their students. These schools partner with each other to ensure smooth continuation of a servicemember’s education goal, without competing amongst them. They share tips and ideas, like a big military education family. They attend conferences like CCME and their respective ACMEs, to learn what the military student’s and family’s needs are, and then implement all necessary changes to ensure they serve our military, just as they serve us.

Non-military friendly schools are those schools that do not have a large population of military, and consequently have no procedures in place to deal with this population. Information regarding student bodies, course programs, faculty and other factors can be obtained from the Internet, brochures, peers, counselors, magazines, newspapers and other advertisements.

FROM START TO FINISH

Woods says successful military students invariably master the planning of shortterm and long-term goals to earn degrees as quickly as possible. According to Woods, “We’re not talking about daily time management, although that is important too. No, what is a very real difference maker for the successful degree seeker is crafting a detailed plan for the current deployment schedule and the current tour of duty. This includes not only the courses that the military student will take, but also the interest inventories, preparation for placement testing, preparation for and execution of credit-by-examination, documentation of prior credit and conversion of credit, and documentation of professional or vocational licensure.” Long-term planning can tie the structure together through degree “laddering” (vocational to lower-division to upper division to graduate). The tools that DoD provides through DANTES and that each service branch provides through the Educational Services Offices (ESO) and Navy College Offices (NCO) are invaluable to overcoming the time challenges that military students face.

Distance learning and online colleges have become very popular and highly sought after by a large portion of not only the military population, but also in society in general. Online programs provide the opportunity to structure your education around your family, work and deployment schedules. Colleges that provide a number of degree program choices in an online format can afford more opportunities for prospective students to complete their degrees. It also affords students the opportunity to remain with one college to complete their degree programs without the necessity of “college hopping.” In the past, servicemembers would have to wait until they got to their next assigned duty station and hope that a college in the area would allow them to complete their degree. In most cases, transferability of credit became an issue, and they would have to repeat classes or take additional requirements at their new parent college. This would increase the cost of their education, not only for them but for the military also. However, not everyone is well suited for online courses. Said Randy Plunkett, national director of military affairs at DeVry University, “[Online learning] does not address all learning styles. Some folks are just ‘cut out’ for face to face—they may struggle with online and get so discouraged, they give up.”

ACCREDITATION AND TRANSFERABILITY

Military students should be very concerned about the accreditation of the college they attend. Some colleges do not have the same level of accreditation that others do. This brings into question the issue of transferability of credit from one institution to another. It can also adversely affect their ability to pursue a graduate program. There are some institutions that are predatory in nature and not subject to the requirements of full disclosure that regionally accredited institutions are. The cost of an education at one of these institutions could be great and not provide the rewards of attending an institution that is accredited. Servicemembers should check with the on base education center and do their research before they select a college or university.

This is not to say that non-regionally accredited institutions are not good. The servicemember needs to understand what going to a non-regionally accredited institution means toward his or her long term goals. If their goal is to get a degree and use the Troops to Teachers program, then the choice of a non-regionally accredited institution would not be the best choice. This is where good, honest counseling at military education centers comes in. Said Stevenson, “They should ensure the college is accredited by an accrediting body that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Unfortunately, most military students do not understand what accreditation means. If the student’s intent is to transfer to another institution, they need to ensure that their school is regionally accredited. This is especially important if they are looking to obtain a degree for commissioning purposes. They should understand that just because the institution is accredited does not guarantee that credits will transfer. Accreditation also impacts the institution’s (and therefore the student’s) eligibility to participate in federal and state financial aid programs.”

CAVEATS AND KEY ADVICE

Watch out for fake colleges or “degree mills.” According to Woods, “Don’t sign anything until you run it past your base educational counselor at the ESO or NCO. They know who the fakes are and how you can avoid getting sucked in. But the fakes know this and are counting on getting the military member signed up before anyone can talk them out of it. If you are getting high pressure sales tactics, you’re probably getting scammed. Talk to your ESO or NCO. They are there to shield you from the questionable business practices that you may encounter as you explore educational opportunities.”

So what’s the key advice experts in the field would give to military students? “Prospective students should seek a college that has the degree program that you desire in the format and delivery mode that fits your needs,” said Campbell. “It should be costeffective and provide a high quality education in the area of study you desire. Customer service is a serious consideration for all students. Staff and faculty members should provide encouragement, service, support and guidance from application through graduation.”

“Military students should talk to senior people in their command and their career counselor and really listen. Prospective students need to understand where they visualize themselves in the future and what [they] want to be,” said Stevenson. “They need to look for the right fit college program that matches their abilities, schedule, pocket book and dreams. They should not get discouraged or look for the quick or easy solution. The easier it is to get something … often the less the worth.” ♦

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