{"id":41250,"date":"2018-08-08T18:10:52","date_gmt":"2018-08-08T18:10:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/08\/08\/op-ed-we-need-to-help-our-navy-vets-ace-college\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T20:02:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:02:58","slug":"op-ed-we-need-to-help-our-navy-vets-ace-college","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/08\/08\/op-ed-we-need-to-help-our-navy-vets-ace-college\/","title":{"rendered":"Op-ed: We need to help our Navy vets ace college"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Several advertisements line the walls of Virginia\u2019s Norfolk International Airport touting \u201cget a bachelor\u2019s quick\u201d route for service members. Some are from reputable schools. Some are not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than half<\/a> of the Navy\u2019s sailors were primarily motivated to join the military for educational benefits. Yet the current system for enlisted sailors to obtain higher education is not structured to support them after they leave the service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some assume that hard-charging sailors will figure out the college application process on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet more than 60 percent of service members who would become first-generation college students are without a reliable network to light the way. Furthermore, predatory for-profit schools capitalize on this and deliberately push misleading information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Navy College Office<\/a> is configured primarily for sailors to obtain credits and a degree for advancement within the service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a superb resource in theory. An educated sailor is a sound investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, within this system, a degree from Harvard University \u2014 which has a 98 percent graduation rate \u2014 and the University of Phoenix, where 17 percent of students graduate, are treated the same<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can look up the stats for yourself on the U.S. Department of Education\u2019s College Scorecard<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tuition assistance that\u2019s approved at predatory for-profit schools often leaves students saddled with debt and non-transferable credits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not all distance learning programs are predatory, and many are specifically structured to handle the unpredictability inherent to military life. But the Navy\u2019s resources are insufficient to aid sailors who want to earn a degree after leaving the service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sailors should learn the college application process years before they leave the military but it\u2019s not even included in the transition process at the end of their careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
SAN FRANCISCO (Oct. 03, 2017) Sailors assigned to the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) and Yun So, a Marine Corps veteran, examine So’s artwork “Bold is Love” displayed at the Veterans Art Exhibit at the Academy of Art University San Francisco, during Fleet Week San Francisco. Fleet week provides an opportunity for the American public to meet their Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard team and to experience America’s sea services. Fleet Week San Francisco will highlight naval personnel, equipment, technology, and capabilities, with an emphasis on humanitarian assistance and disaster response. (U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Jasen Morenogarcia)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, several non-profit organizations fill the gap. Service to School<\/a> provides free application guidance and mentorship to service members and veterans applying to college and graduate school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

S2S helps veterans gain admission to the best schools possible for them, which includes selective colleges and universities like Ivy League institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warrior-Scholar Project<\/a> also holds academic boot camps on campuses nationwide to prepare enlisted service members and veterans for success in the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These organizations participate in the Marine Corps\u2019 Leadership Scholar Program<\/a> \u2014 an initiative that helps junior enlisted Marines gain admission to selective colleges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is currently no equivalent program in the Navy.<\/p>\n\n\n\t