Mom and U.S Army Reserves

[StephenL]

I am 17years old and I am taking the AsVab test tomorrow. Well mom said she wouldn’t sign off on it because says I change my mind. Exames include me going to college right away and going to a Christian school and not going to the military. Well I am a senior my ACT is an 18 and my G.P.A is2.7. So we don’t have a lot of academic scholarships and money wise, we don’t 142000 to go to Holy Cross or 125000 for Olivet. I don’t want to go to a community college.i have heard KCC is notorious for not having credits transfer. So if college was free, would I do the Army? No! But the Military will pay a lot of my cost. I can go get my Doctorate in Pyschology! I can’t do that unless I take student loans, which is bad. Any advice? God Bless!

 

[Xantippe]

There’s no harm in you going to community college until you turn 18 and can do what you want. Even if credits don’t transfer, you can improve your grade point average. 4-year colleges will be impressed with you if you are able to get a decent grade point and you’ll be in a much better position the next time you apply for a 4-year college.

Also, with a 2.7 grade point average, it’s likely that you have some significant academic deficits. Work on them at the community college level, where it’s inexpensive.

Doctoral study is free if you are a good student, so there’s no need for you to think about the military for funding that. The undergraduate degree is the one that you need to worry about paying for.

 

[bitterhope]

I am 17years old and I am taking the AsVab test tomorrow. Well mom said she wouldn’t sign off on it because says I change my mind. Exames include me going to college right away and going to a Christian school and not going to the military. Well I am a senior my ACT is an 18 and my G.P.A is2.7. So we don’t have a lot of academic scholarships and money wise, we don’t 142000 to go to Holy Cross or 125000 for Olivet. I don’t want to go to a community college.i have heard KCC is notorious for not having credits transfer. So if college was free, would I do the Army? No! But the Military will pay a lot of my cost. I can go get my Doctorate in Pyschology! I can’t do that unless I take student loans, which is bad. Any advice? God Bless!

As an Army wife and daughter, neice, sister of military I can assure you that waiting until you turn 18 is in your best interest. I am all for my kids going into the military if they choose to, especially to help pay for school, but I am not about to sign off for them to join before they are legal adults. Community college credits will help in your military career–the more credit hours you earn the quicker you go up in rank. My husband was able to enter as a PFC and was promoted to SPC right after basic due to having enough community college credit hours. You will need to continue working towards your bachelors degree to continue to go up in rank. You might as well get a head start on college as your waiting for your birthday.

 

[Kelfa28]

What everyone else said.
Wait until you are 18 and then sign papers.

Hubby was in the same boat as you…in the sense he wanted to join but knew his parents would probably drag their feet and find excuses to delay the process.

He took the time to take some classes at a local community college until he was 18 and ready. He didn’t even tell his parents what his plans were until after the paperwork was signed and he was ready to go to Basic.

Hubby signed up for Army Reserve too and went to basic the summer after his first year at community college.
If you have college cedits you’ll move up through the initial first 3 ranks quicker. When I joined, I was able to sign up as an E-3 instead of an E-1 because I had college credits already.

Just some food for thought. If you are going to join the military to help pay for school, have you considered the National Guard instead? Reserves are good but a lot of the time you need to aquire active duty time to get the full Post 9/11 GI bill. It took my husband several years of active duty time to get the entire thing and he was in both Reserves and Guard.

You can do it but you might still be paying out of pocket for living expenses and other things…even tuition might not be covered. My husband still had to take out loans for school despite being in the reserves.

A lot of states have given their guard members full tuition, in addition to the GI Bill, to their state schools. Some give you an unlimited amount of credits to make it through your PhD, as long as it’s a state school you are attending.
Look up what your state has to offer in regards to National Guard benefits. Talk to a Guard recruiter…you can still shop yourself around to different recruiters as long as you haven’t signed papers yet.
Ask specifically about tuition for state schools or seperate tuition payments besides the GI bill.
Also ask if their are sign-on bonuses for different MOS’s and ask about the possibility of coming in as a higher rank if you have some college credits.

There isn’t too much difference between Army reserves and Guard except what units are close by and what MOS’s are available or even offered. If you aren’t too picky about your MOS then it might be worth your while to look into the Guard.

 

[schaeffer]

Do you feel called to go into the military, or would you be doing it just to get your schooling paid for?

Military life IS a calling. It is not easy. The atmosphere is far from Christian and there are difficult physical and emotional demands.

If you are doing the military because you feel called to it, and to serve your country then when you are 18 go ahead and enlist. If you are only doing it to get college paid for, I think there are more appropriate options.

You can work and go to school. You can also work to improve your grade point average. Realistically, no matter who pays for your schooling you are not going to get a PhD with a 2.7 GPA. If a PhD is your goal, put effort into improving your studying methods, commitment to schooling, get tutoring if need be, etc etc.

My husband worked while going to college (and raising a family) and did get his PhD. it took longer than it might have for a single man (though several of his unmarried friends took just as long) but he achieved his goal.

Is a Christian/Catholic college a necessity? or is it merely a preference. I ask this not because I feel it is not a good idea, but if a Catholic atmosphere is very important to you, you are not going to get that by entering the military.

I suggest making an appt with an admissions counselor at one of the schools you are interested in and discussing tuition options or credit transfers with them. Speak to your own school academic counselor as well.

Don’t go on hunches and assumptions etc, or hearsay. Get real facts so you can make a solid decision.

 

[Xantippe]

Do you feel called to go into the military, or would you be doing it just to get your schooling paid for?

Military life IS a calling. It is not easy. The atmosphere is far from Christian and there are difficult physical and emotional demands.

If you are doing the military because you feel called to it, and to serve your country then when you are 18 go ahead and enlist. If you are only doing it to get college paid for, I think there are more appropriate options.

You can work and go to school. You can also work to improve your grade point average. Realistically, no matter who pays for your schooling you are not going to get a PhD with a 2.7 GPA. If a PhD is your goal, put effort into improving your studying methods, commitment to schooling, get tutoring if need be, etc etc.

My husband worked while going to college (and raising a family) and did get his PhD. it took longer than it might have for a single man (though several of his unmarried friends took just as long) but he achieved his goal.

Is a Christian/Catholic college a necessity? or is it merely a preference. I ask this not because I feel it is not a good idea, but if a Catholic atmosphere is very important to you, you are not going to get that by entering the military.

I suggest making an appt with an admissions counselor at one of the schools you are interested in and discussing tuition options or credit transfers with them. Speak to your own school academic counselor as well.

Don’t go on hunches and assumptions etc, or hearsay. Get real facts so you can make a solid decision.

Yes!

 

[1ke]

Taking the ASVAB and signing up for the military are two different things.

In my high school we **all **took the ASVAB in 10th grade. It helped the counselors focus on aptitude and interest in various careers and vocations. It was a very good thing for many of the students to get the results and give them some focus as to their areas of aptitude.

There is no obligation to go into the armed services simply by taking the ASVAB. So, I’m not sure what the problem is.

 

[bitterhope]

Taking the ASVAB and signing up for the military are two different things.

In my high school we **all **took the ASVAB in 10th grade. It helped the counselors focus on aptitude and interest in various careers and vocations. It was a very good thing for many of the students to get the results and give them some focus as to their areas of aptitude.

There is no obligation to go into the armed services simply by taking the ASVAB. So, I’m not sure what the problem is.

Yes! I took it as well but never signed up. And if one is wanting to join the service it is possible to test more than once in hopes of raising your score. There are books at the library and online study guides with sample tests as well.