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Hi everyone, I'm SGT L and I write the blog 'Soldier to Student'. The purpose of this blog is to help recently separated veterans gather information on their education benefits. Transitioning from the military to civilian life can be very overwhelming, so my hope is that veterans looking to start school can read my blog and feel more comfortable and confident while going through the process. I got out of the Army last July and started school at Illinois State University last August. Now that I have completed one semester and have started my second, there is so much I wish I knew when I was just starting the process. Again, that is why I hope this blog is able to help someone feel a little less lost than I once felt. To give a bit more of my military background, I served just over three years active duty Army as a Fire Support Control Specialist. I transferred to the National Guard in August starting a three year contract still in FA (field artillery). I am a Sergeant and love being able to mentor and lead soldiers. I also love being able to share my experiences which is why I chose to make this blog. Lastly, a bit about me outside the uniform. I am super active and love working out, I'm an avid gym goer and when the weather is good I'm also a very slow outdoor runner (and walker). In my free time I fall victim to binging TV shows and currently just finished Lioness (10/10 recommend)! I also prioritize spending time with my friends and family as much as possible. This year I made a new year's resolution to read a book every month, so hopefully I can add that I am a dedicated reader to my list of hobbies a year from now. As for right now my biggest trait is being a student though because that takes up most of my time. I look forward to writing content that can be helpful and relatable to those starting a new chapter in their life. Please leave me comments and interact with my posts, I would love to hear from you all! Also if you do not want to leave a public comment feel free to email me at soldiertostudent@gmail.com :)

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Popular posts from this blog

Post 9-11 GI Bill vs. Montgomery GI Bill

Hi everyone and welcome (or welcome back) to the blog “Soldier to Student”. In this post I am going to compare the Post 9-11 GI Bill with the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB). Both of these are federal education grants offered to qualifying veterans. To qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill you must have started your service on or after September 11, 2001, and one of these must be true: you served for at least 90 days total on active duty, you served for at least 30 days on active duty (without a break) and were honorably discharged with a service-connected disability, or you received a Purple Heart. To qualify for the MGIB, the required service start date depends on certain factors, like when you served on active duty and whether your military pay decreased. Y ou must have served between 2 and 4 years. The minimum amount of time you must have served depends on other factors. Both benefits provide 36 months of coverage but note, in certain situations, you may be eligible for more than 1 educa...

College is For You

Hi everyone and welcome (or welcome back) to the blog “Soldier to Student”. In this post I want to talk about college, and my personal feeling on how being back in school after the military is. I want to start by saying any personal feelings you have through this transition are so valid and real. It is different for everyone and there is nothing wrong with feeling a specific way when there are major changes happening in your life. I was so terrified to get out of the Army, it was familiar and all I knew for the past three years. I had a gut feeling it was the time to get out and get my civilian education but that didn't mean I didn't have doubts about going to college. I got my associates degree online but I knew online school was not the same as in-person. I can now say after successfully completing one semester and beginning my second that college is great. Classes are demanding but manageable, and you will find that you have a lot of time to do assignments and that you can p...

Student Veteran Education Benefits

Hi everyone and welcome (or welcome back) to the blog “Soldier to Student”. In this post I want to talk about some topics I already have in the past. I try to post on my blog pretty frequently so sometimes it can be a little overwhelming navigating through the different topics. In this post I am going to link some of my posts that feed into each other. The first post I am going to link is “Four Grants That Could Apply To You” https://soldiertostudent.blogspot.com/2025/01/four-grants-that-could-apply-to-you.html   This post is great because it gives an overview of what benefits you should look into if you are an Illinois veteran. It can also help those from other states that have state funded grants, you just have to do a bit more research because they probably have a different name for it. The next one I am going to link is “ Post 9-11 GI Bill vs. Montgomery GI Bill”. https://soldiertostudent.blogspot.com/2025/02/post-9-11-gi-bill-vs-montgomery-gi-bill.html   This post compare...