Plan, Prepare, Apply: Finding military friendly colleges Published May 29, 2008 By Airman 1st Class Tania Reid 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The search for military friendly schools can be as easy as finding a needle in a hay stack. Like anything worthwhile it takes careful planning, an optimistic outlook and research. "Look for the degree you want," said Cynthia Carr MacDill education counselor. "This can be done when you know where your interest lies." Servicemembers can take career assessment tests at the education center or online to help find their strengths and weaknesses, she said. This should be the first step because it prevents the servicemembers from choosing a course of study they lose interest in early. Additionally, doing internship or working in other fields can broaden their experience and information about careers. After the degree is chosen the next step is to look for the school which offers this degree and the accreditation standards. She said the highest qualification a degree should be is regionally accredited. This accreditation is accepted anywhere while the others won't go very far. Military personnel found that searching for schools used to be a problem but nowadays, prospective students can use a growing number of college-search tools on the Web to narrow the field of schools and to comparison shop among institutions based on size, course offerings, application requirements and tuition costs. These are some of the search engines used for avoiding diploma mills, the College Board, the Princeton Review and the American Council on Education Military Programs. "The ability to access information and tools online just in the last couple of years has improved dramatically," said Jack Joyce director of training and information services for The College Board, a nonprofit association dedicated to helping students find college success. "Today's students can identify opportunities that they probably wouldn't have known were out there." "Reflecting on my own experience as someone who went into the Navy out of high school and didn't start college until I was out of the military, I can easily identify with the insecurity," Joyce said. "The reality is that once someone has made the right points of contact, the education system has so many resources and support systems in place that will lead someone through the process." While accessing information online speeds up the research process ensure that the web sites are valid and up-to-date. Servicemembers looking to start their application process to the schools of their choices but they are not entirely certain can visit their education center, speak with a counselor and have them review their choices. "We will sit down with the applicants and help them find military friendly schools that will benefit their lifestyles," said Mrs. Carr. "They should also know the questions to ask when speaking with the administrators from different schools this will determine whether this school meets the criteria." A list of good questions about the university; its history, programs and accreditation should be made. "Ask if they are a part of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges," she added. "These colleges and universities have signed agreements to transfer any credits the applicants have earned toward their degree." Kathleen Connolly, education services officer at the Stone Education Center at Fort Lewis, Wash., encourages students to consider a school from the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges Consortium, a group of more than 1,800 colleges and universities dedicated to helping servicemembers and their families get college degrees. Some other interesting facts to know about the schools are about their online programs. Most colleges offer 100 percent online but always ask what this means because it differs from school to school. The cost of the program should also be considered as this could narrow down your choices faster. The military offers many incentives such as tuition assistance and the Montgomery G.I. Bill but based on the type of degree be it associate, bachelors or a master's degree the cost will change. Also, look for any special programs or perks a school might offer to those with a military background. These perks include but are not limited to waiving the application fees and discounts on tuition costs are just a few. After narrowing down the choices gather all the paperwork for the administrative section such as transcripts, grade point average SAT, ACT, GMAT, GRE etc... In addition to the application itself, some colleges and universities also require prospective students submit letters of recommendation and essays. The American Council on Education evaluates this education and experience for the award of equivalent college credits that are recognized by more than 2,300 colleges and universities After these steps have been completed the final frontier is meeting the deadline. Depending on when the applicant chooses to begin their classes' spring, fall, summer the applications need to be in on time. The process to searching for a good military friendly college that meets the needs of the servicemembers can be frustrating and time consuming. But thorough planning, communication and research can lead to a rewarding future.