College campuses are experiencing an influx of military veterans seeking a college education, with more than 100,000 vets of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan entering college this fall alone.
There’s a double meaning to the phrase “entering college this fall alone.” Despite their large numbers, many returning veterans find themselves literally alone as they enter their classrooms, return to their residence halls or walk their campuses.
Due to a variety of factors, these veterans are sometimes viewed as “separate” from the rest of a school’s undergraduate student body. Certainly, these ex-service members have had a different life experience than most of the student – and faculty – population on campuses, particularly those veterans who have seen combat.
But don’t you agree that these young men and women are deserving of a college experience that is rewarding and a group of college peers who are embracing?
Of course, no one could expect the transition from combat to college to be seamless. What is sometimes seen as “typical freshman behavior” may be hard for a returning service member to relate to, especially since a “typical freshman veteran” is likely to be older than his or her school peers. According to federal government statistics from 2007-08, more than 85% of active duty or veteran undergraduates were aged 24 or older.
No matter what their age, veteran undergraduates may find it difficult to finance their education, to manage their time, or to overcome bureaucratic obstacles.
On the financial side of the equation, more generous assistance was put in place by the federal government when The Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, sometimes called the “new GI Bill,” took effect on August 1, 2009. In fact, many credit the availability of college funding from this bill to have been a key factor in the spike of returning veterans seeking a college education. Despite this assistance, however, studies show that paying for college for veterans remains very much a challenge, especially those who give up current income to attend school full time.
Most assuredly, much of this topic is about the numbers, the higher numbers. There is more money available to help veterans to pay for college, and that means more veterans are choosing to go to college full-time. And there are also an incredible number of military veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, more than 2 million total.
As these soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines return to the homefront, they are naturally looking to get on with their lives and logically wanting higher education to be part of the pathway to the future.
While all of us who are connected to College Parents of America absolutely know that money for college is important, we also know that the college experience for the student extends far beyond the dollars and cents. And that’s the main purpose of my column today: to ask you to join with me in honoring the veterans who are in our children’s midst at campuses across the country.
As Veterans Day approaches, think about what you can do to thank a current or former military service member who is part of your life’s routines, and encourage your son or daughter to do the same. These young veterans, who have done their part to protect our freedom, deserve our warm embrace.
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