Soldier to Student

Hi everyone and welcome (or welcome back) to the blog “Soldier to Student”. In this post I am going to share an interview I had with SPC K, a veteran I got the privilege to serve with and who got out a couple months after me. He just started going to school this semester (spring of 2025) and I thought it would be very interesting to ask him a couple questions about how his process of signing up for school went since he is from a different state.   Q: “ What education benefit are you using?” A: “Post 9-11 GI Bill.” Q: “Why did you choose that option?” A: “Well after I talked with you I tried looking up if there were any state grants I could use with the GI Bill just to maximize my funding but my situation made it difficult. I am from the Upper Peninsula so I enlisted out of Michigan and despite growing up on the border of Wisconsin, I never technically was a Wisconsin resident, and since that's where I am trying to go to school, I do not qualify for any large grants. Anyway, th...

Hi everyone and welcome (or welcome back) to the blog “Soldier to Student”. This post is going to be 5 reasons why you should get your bachelors degree after getting out of the military! Higher Earnings: Those with college degrees statistically make more money and are more financially stable than those without college degrees. Below I am going to provide statistics from two different sources and let the numbers talk for themselves. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,  “Those without a high school diploma had median weekly earnings of $721 High school grads with no college had median weekly earnings of $905 Those with some college or associate degree had median weekly earnings of $1,012 Those with a bachelor’s degree had median weekly earnings of $1,499 Those with an advanced degree had median weekly earnings of $1,864”      In addition, according to the Associations of Public Land-Grant Universities            ...

Hi everyone and welcome (or welcome back) to the blog “Soldier to Student”. This blog is going to be my honest and personal review of the Veteran Affairs (VAs) education benefits enrollment verification system. So there is a little process after you receive your award letter and decide you are going to use the GI Bill but it is pretty straight forward. I reached out to my veterans center on campus and they had me fill out a form that let them request the benefits on my behalf from the VA. After that there may be a wait for the VA to get you enrolled, but after that you will begin to receive your benefits. There is a stipulation however, that you have to verify your enrollment monthly to continue to receive your benefits. There are different ways to verify your enrollment based on which benefit it is. For Post 9-11 GI Bill users you can verify via text, email, online through Ask VA, or by phone. For Montgomery GI Bill users (this is me), you can verify online using their tool or call. I...

Hi everyone and welcome (or welcome back) to the blog ‘Soldier to Student”. This blog is going to cover how to apply for the GI Bill.  Step 1 : Find out if you are eligible! Click on the following link and read through to determine if you meet the criteria. https://www.va.gov/education/eligibility/   Step 2 : Gather the following documents and information. Social Security number Bank account direct deposit information Education and military history Basic information about the school or training facility you want to attend or are attending now Step 3 : Click on the link below that directs you to the application for VA education benefits. https://www.va.gov/education/apply-for-education-benefits/application/1990/introduction   Step 4 : Sign in (or create an account) and follow the on-screen instructions for the application. Step 5 : Submit application, you should receive a confirmation message which you can print out for your records.  Step 6 : The VA will review your ...

Hi everyone and welcome to the blog ‘Soldier to Student”. This blog is going to cover the four educational grants you may or may not be eligible for. Since these grants are very complex, this post will be more of a broad overview with future posts going more into depth on individual grants. These grants include the Post 9-11 GI Bill, the Montgomery GI Bill, the Illinois Veterans Grant, and the Illinois National Guard Grant. The Post 9-11 GI Bill (PGIB or Chapter 33): This is a federal grant given to those who have served on active duty or in the Selected Reserve for 90 or more days after Sep. 10, 2001. The payment rate depends on how much active-duty time or federal service a member has. What it can pay may include… Tuition and fees Money for housing  Money for books and supplies Money to help you move from a rural area to go to school      Below I am going to link the official page for the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs  which will include a more in-depth...

Hi everyone and welcome to the blog ‘Soldier to Student”. My name is SGT (Sergeant) L and I am writing this blog to help recently separated veterans gather information on their education benefits, if they are trying to go to school after getting out of the military. Personally, I did just over three years active duty in the Army and got out to pursue my bachelors degree. While in, I served as a 13J which is a Fire Control Specialist. I absolutely LOVED being in field artillery, so much so that I signed a three year National Guard contract which I started in August. Along with that contract, I started my junior year at Illinois State University. I have now completed one semester in-person, and just began my second! I got my associates degree online from Empire State University while on active duty, so in-person classes have been a very big change of pace. Navigating the transition can be very stressful and complicated, so hopefully this blog can help you better understand the education ...