Attaining Higher Education
This course supports U.S. military service members in transitioning to higher education. Veterans can unlock additional opportunities through tiered support, connecting with peers and professionals for a successful transition.
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Course Description
Learn strategies for intentional decision-making to facilitate a successful transition from military to academic life.
Gain insights into the college admission process, including financial aid, to make informed decisions and choose the right-fit college.
Familiarize yourself with quizzes designed to monitor comprehension and facilitate active learning throughout the five core modules.
Complete journal entries and worksheets in each module, fostering self-reflection and helping veterans prepare the foundation of their college application.
An interactive map is available upon enrollment. Veterans can use a variety of criteria to search and filter colleges and universities, helping them select institutions that match their higher education goals.
To learn more, you can take the following courses in this series:
Course Prerequisites
This course has been designed for current and former U.S. military service members who are interested in transitioning into higher education.
What You Will Learn
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
- Develop self-awareness: where you are, where you want to go, what you've accomplished, and what your future goals are.
- Learn the practice of intentional decision-making—not only in this initial decision of whether or not to pursue higher education but also in decisions that come after.
- Consider the factors that make a college a right fit and begin to evaluate your top college choices in a side-by-side, evidence-driven manner.
- Learn how to approach admissions processes to institutions of higher education from getting a holistic overview of all the application components to crafting the foundation of your college essay.
- Investigate different scholarships and grants, both government and private, available to supplement military benefits, and weigh different college options by leveraging online tools.
- Consider guidance about the coursework, research, and networking decisions you make during your undergraduate years that will impact your opportunities to continue attaining higher education afterward and gain an understanding of the vastly different timelines and requirements for various graduate programs.
Course Outline
Module 1: Introduction to AHE
Module 2: Intentional Decision-Making
Module 3: Choosing a Right-Fit College
Module 4: The College Application Process
Module 5: Financing Your Education
Module 6: Keeping Graduate School on the Horizon
Module 7: Tier 2 Application
Instructors
Before joining the Columbia University Center for Veteran Transition and Integration as a Curriculum Designer in 2016, R.J. served as an Associate Dean of Students at Columbia University’s School of General Studies where he directed the Academic Resource Center and served as the lead instructor for University Studies, a transition course for first-year, non-traditional students. An award-winning teacher, R.J. has advised college students at Columbia, Cambridge, and Harvard Universities, and has taught courses in English and American literature, literary history, close reading, academic skill-building, and English for Speakers of Other Languages. R.J. holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and anthropology from Columbia University (2003), a Master of Letters in English literature from the University of Cambridge (2005), and is currently pursuing doctoral work in English literature.
Born in Quantico, Virginia, Beth grew up in a Marine Corps family and was raised around the world, living for periods of time in Hawaii, Germany, and Korea. Professionally, Beth has worked for the Central Intelligence Agency, for several non-profits, as a consultant, and on staff at major universities throughout the United States, including Colgate University, Princeton University, and the University of Southern California. Prior to joining the Center for Veteran Transition and Integration at Columbia University, Beth worked most recently with the non-profit Service to School as Executive Director and previously directed the Marine Corps Leadership Scholar Program (LSP), both of which assisted transitioning service members and veterans with admission to undergraduate and graduate programs. Beth has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia and a Master of Arts degree from Stanford University.