View Full Version : Starting college courses?
StoneTheWeak
08-28-09, 10:28 PM
I'm going to my permanent duty station in just over a month, and when I get there I wanna start getting my degree so I can have as much of it done before I get out as possible. I'm looking at either Physicians Assistant or a Criminal Justice degree. My ultimate goal is some form of law enforcement, but most don't care what you have a degree in, as long as it's something. The medical degree is a good backup in case I have trouble finding a job in law enforcement. With this ****ty economy everyone is running to those jobs.
Where do I go once I get there to get the paper work filled out for tuition assistance? Also, anybody who has taken college classes while in, how many credit hours are you usually able to accomplish in the course of a year? It obviously won't be as much as a full time student, but I figure with 4 years I'd like to be able to get at least my associates out of the way.
samthomas
08-28-09, 10:35 PM
What is your MOS/duty station?
When I checked into my first unit, we went through all of the check in routine, with one of the stops being the battalion education officer. That might be a good place to start. Most likely when you check in, you will get some information during that stop.
One thing to keep in mind is that you will be doing a new job, and need to learn it before you start devoting a lot of time to other education.
SlingerDun
08-28-09, 10:45 PM
Science!
Metalurgy, Geology, Mathematics.... that degree in nurses helper won't get you your own studio appartment
Wyoming
08-28-09, 11:34 PM
Sorry, but PA is not a nurses assistant.
In todays world, go medical.
a PA is a masters degree.... you'll have a long way to go from scratch.
good choice though...
I'd say talk to your command when you check in... they will get you everything you need, to include the specific POCs you'll need.
but your MOS I think may require some longer hours from you.... good luck.
Go to base education. Apply for and take as many clep tests as you are able to squeeze in. They are free to active duty and most accredited colleges accept them as transfer credits. I went to college adult oriented while active. It was nights and weekends. There are quite a few out there. Was able to do 2 classes (6 semester hours) per semester. The balancing act comes in when you run out of TA money before the year is up.
Starting out with core classes that will/are transferable to accredited Universities such as HIST 1&2, GOVT 1&2, ENGL 1&2, PHYS and CHEM 1&2... And do not take any electives such as ART, SOCI, or SPCH because most often they will not accpeted by Univeristy and they will make you retake theem again.
Most UniV. are required minimum Calculus1 for B.S. and Algebra (1&2) for B.A. for MATH. If you completed CAL1 you will be good to go.
To save you time and money, decide which school you will want to go and request for their cataloge and ask them the classes you are taking are transferable.
Supersquishy
08-29-09, 05:18 AM
Research what is needed in the upcoming years so by the time you get out you already have a job. L.E...., your right about that, In the states of Washington and Oregon they have had so many applications they are declining most. I talked to one of the HR guys there and they are putting a hiring freeze, told me not to waste my time right now. Even Corrections is topped off.
StoneTheWeak
08-29-09, 08:59 AM
Thanks for all the input. Aviation is usually a 10-12 hour day. So I might not be able to get the same amount, but I'm going to try. Now, I've never taken an SAT, is that something I'll need to take college courses through most schools, or do they waive it for military?
Supersquishy
08-29-09, 09:31 AM
Thanks for all the input. Aviation is usually a 10-12 hour day. So I might not be able to get the same amount, but I'm going to try. Now, I've never taken an SAT, is that something I'll need to take college courses through most schools, or do they waive it for military?
All I had to do was take a regular entrance exam, but that was a community college. Not sure for a traditional B&M College. Yea, if can stay away from the party crowd, it won't be too bad. Your work schedule comes first and that might be a pain in the rear. I dropped out of the classes cause I had no life after awhile, but that was me.
Zulu 36
08-29-09, 10:04 AM
I'm going to my permanent duty station in just over a month, and when I get there I wanna start getting my degree so I can have as much of it done before I get out as possible. I'm looking at either Physicians Assistant or a Criminal Justice degree. My ultimate goal is some form of law enforcement, but most don't care what you have a degree in, as long as it's something. The medical degree is a good backup in case I have trouble finding a job in law enforcement. With this ****ty economy everyone is running to those jobs.
Where do I go once I get there to get the paper work filled out for tuition assistance? Also, anybody who has taken college classes while in, how many credit hours are you usually able to accomplish in the course of a year? It obviously won't be as much as a full time student, but I figure with 4 years I'd like to be able to get at least my associates out of the way.
Stay away from criminal justice and take something more practical.
Physician's assistant will be VERY time intensive and tough to pull off as an active duty Marine regardless of MOS. This is due to the number of clinicals you will have to pull in hospitals and/or medical practices. I forget exactly, but when I did my paramedic courses, I was doing two, 8-hour shifts per week in clinicals (one shift was always in the ER, the second was "rotations" through cardiology, respiratory therapy, CCU/ICU, surgery, etc). My ER clinical and rotations were at two different hospitals. AND there were regular classes to attend as well.
I had a full-time police job and a part-time EMT job going at the same time. But I had been an EMT for a few years, so I already had a good grip on many of the skills and knowledge. I volunteered for a hated stationary detail on my department, but it gave me the place and time to do homework and study.
PA will take you at least six-years of full time college. My guess is most PA programs won't take you if you are in the Marine Corps only because of your inability to guarantee the time necessary.
SlingerDun
08-29-09, 12:56 PM
I know what the hell it is. I was splinted and doped down by one after a nag trashed me in Wheeler County Oregon while the closest MD lived 187 and 1/2 miles away. The ex spouse was a PA with a stellar 2 year degree from WWCC and some prior hands on experience competing for a few jobs jobs in the remote counties where MD's don't get paid enough to hang around and pay off their student loans. Some PA's drive around in a motorhome patching up the ruralee's while many end up working the solid waste detail down at the old folks home
--->Dave
StoneTheWeak
08-29-09, 08:26 PM
Stay away from criminal justice and take something more practical.
Physician's assistant will be VERY time intensive and tough to pull off as an active duty Marine regardless of MOS. This is due to the number of clinicals you will have to pull in hospitals and/or medical practices. I forget exactly, but when I did my paramedic courses, I was doing two, 8-hour shifts per week in clinicals (one shift was always in the ER, the second was "rotations" through cardiology, respiratory therapy, CCU/ICU, surgery, etc). My ER clinical and rotations were at two different hospitals. AND there were regular classes to attend as well.
I had a full-time police job and a part-time EMT job going at the same time. But I had been an EMT for a few years, so I already had a good grip on many of the skills and knowledge. I volunteered for a hated stationary detail on my department, but it gave me the place and time to do homework and study.
PA will take you at least six-years of full time college. My guess is most PA programs won't take you if you are in the Marine Corps only because of your inability to guarantee the time necessary.
I didn't plan on actually having a set degree by the time I'm done with AD. That's my mistake, I should have stated that, I apologize. But I can at least get the basics that any degree will require. Math, english, etc. I have like 8 credits of biology from and advanced course I took in high school.
I agree about the criminal justice. Healthcare and Law Enforcement are the only 2 job fields that really interest me. That's why I said criminal justice or a PA. I don't wanna spend all the time and money to become a full on doctor, but I don't wanna be a nurse and change IV's all day either. People are always gonna get sick and will always break the law.
Zulu 36
08-29-09, 08:36 PM
I didn't plan on actually having a set degree by the time I'm done with AD. That's my mistake, I should have stated that, I apologize. But I can at least get the basics that any degree will require. Math, english, etc. I have like 8 credits of biology from and advanced course I took in high school.
I agree about the criminal justice. Healthcare and Law Enforcement are the only 2 job fields that really interest me. That's why I said criminal justice or a PA. I don't wanna spend all the time and money to become a full on doctor, but I don't wanna be a nurse and change IV's all day either. People are always gonna get sick and will always break the law.
Well, you've got your plan. Kill off all of your required general education subjects after making sure they are transferable. Any degree requires pretty much the same basic stuff. You can always take a CJ class or two as electives to help you decide. Or a medical terminology course (every medical field degree usually requires that).
samthomas
08-29-09, 08:39 PM
Once you get to your unit, get the ACE paperwork for your military training. Not sure on what it is called exactly, but it looks at all of your training from boot camp on, and assigns credits. Colleges use this form when you transfer.
You should get this before taking classes, as it may have a fair amount of credits on it. As an 0311, I had twenty or so credits. If you are doing something in the wing, you may have considerably more. This would make up a lot of the elective credits.
if you didn't take the SAT then yes, you'll need to take an entrance exam... if you're out of school for 5 years then they kinda put you on probation until they get a handle on your GPA... generally CC won't discriminate if you don't have SATs or ACTs done... they want your money.
StoneTheWeak
08-30-09, 05:08 AM
Which in turns, means the good ole taxpayers money. I've been out of school by about a little over a year. I'll see if I can get some english and math enrichment courses so that when I do take it, I don't bomb it. I can remember everything except math. It was the first thing I brain dumped after school.
GSEMarine94
08-30-09, 08:07 AM
Don't sweat the entrance exam, when I went back to school I took one. I had been out of school for about 5 years and had never taken one before. All it does is get a base line of where you stand on certain subjects.
StoneTheWeak
08-31-09, 05:59 AM
Math has never been a strong point for me. My highest level is Advanced Algebra, couldn't keep up with full on trig.
Zulu 36
08-31-09, 06:43 AM
Community Colleges are a very good start. They usually don't demand a SAT or ACT, but they might want to give you exams of their own, like SSgt Petzold said, to see where you stand in English and math. Good scores put you in higher level courses.
They won't reject you if you do poorly, but they will place you in a low level class to catch up, which may not count toward your degree program. Meaning you'll eventually have to take those higher level courses to get degree credit.
Consider on-line courses. Most are asynchronous, meaning you do not have a set time to be in class. Very flexible scheduling for the working Marine. On-line is good for those courses that do not require hands-on training. In other words, you could knock off all of your general ed subjects on-line. I did two masters degrees on-line, so undergrad level courses should be a snap.
However, the drawback to on-line is self-discipline. You must find the time and do the work without a teacher hanging over your back. If you are doing a couple of on-line courses per semester, your social life is going to be slow. On-line still has work deadlines and sometimes the course work is actually tougher than at a bricks and mortar school. All the better for you in the end.
Supersquishy
08-31-09, 06:50 AM
Consider on-line courses. Most are asynchronous, meaning you do not have a set time to be in class.
You must have taken online classes from Axia College.:D
CalahanD
08-31-09, 07:43 AM
I just signed up with the University of Phoenix and they seem to be good, I am also going for criminal justice. Talk to Luther Hampton becaus he is the one who gets you enrolled and he works with just Active military so he knows what all to do. It is pretty easy, it takes about 30 minutes. On Active Duty you will do two classes every nine weeks. Good luck
Zulu 36
08-31-09, 12:26 PM
You must have taken online classes from Axia College.:D
Obviously there his a hidden joke in here.
Most on-line colleges are asynchronous. It's cheaper and easier on everybody concerned, including the instructors who often have real day-time jobs too.
NoRemorse
08-31-09, 12:29 PM
Cheaper my azz. They raised the rates per credit at least 3 times since I started. It's almost double now.
Supersquishy
08-31-09, 12:33 PM
Cheaper my azz. They raised the rates per credit at least 3 times since I started. It's almost double now.
I agree its expensive now, the GI bill barely covered the tuition, must be price fixed according to the GI bill rates IMO. It seemed like the online courses were endless for the Phoenix online aka Axia, but maybe thats just me.
NoRemorse
08-31-09, 12:37 PM
I agree its expensive now, the GI bill barely covered the tuition, must be price fixed according to the GI bill rates IMO. It seemed like the online courses were endless for the Phoenix online aka Axia, but maybe thats just me.
They are endless. Condense to six credits every nine weeks and you still end up going for 2 years for your Associates. You can't triple up classes, there are no labs, you're enrolled with a bunch of tards and even the instructors admit (at least the ones that aren't shy about it) that they're facilitators and that the curriculum is pre-determined with no real room for deviation.
They don't teach you anything, they guide you through what Phoenix has decided is your coursework.
Supersquishy
08-31-09, 12:47 PM
, you're enrolled with a bunch of tards .
Yea and they can't follow simple instructions so you have to weed through many of thier idiotic responses entered into the wrong thread. I.E. assignments and tests to be forwarded to the instuctor only, but gets posted/pasted for everyone to see...I quit that for many other reasons but the one reason is when ever I had to do the required reading/writing I always got interupted and lost concentration. Some of the instructors graded wierd and pizzed me off too many times.
They are endless. Condense to six credits every nine weeks and you still end up going for 2 years for your Associates. You can't triple up classes, there are no labs, you're enrolled with a bunch of tards and even the instructors admit (at least the ones that aren't shy about it) that they're facilitators and that the curriculum is pre-determined with no real room for deviation.
They don't teach you anything, they guide you through what Phoenix has decided is your coursework.
which is what high school is... so what's the difference? welcome to America's "no child left behind" education system!!! yeah!!!
NoRemorse
08-31-09, 12:49 PM
I could go on and on and on about fvcking Axia but I'll stop here. We'd probably had 5-6 more pages just b1tching about Axia
sure....
hey my local community college sucks... I took an online course and I was required to buy software only to not use it for anything but the homework then I had to goto the school to take the tests.... that's called a hybrid course... not online.
I was ****ed.... but I couldn't dis-enroll 'cause all of the classes were this way... when I complained to the dean he said it's ok to do that... I told him I'm not coming back (and I didn't) 'cause they are garbage and mis-advertising classes.
I had to call off of work to make it to the stupid hours the teacher set for the test.
NoRemorse
08-31-09, 12:59 PM
which is what high school is... so what's the difference? welcome to America's "no child left behind" education system!!! yeah!!!
The difference is I pay directly for this trash; it's not taxed out of me or anyone else beyond the few grants I received in 2007 and the backing for the Stafford loans.
someone has to educate the retarded products of the system to get jobs as air traffic controllers and civil engineers.... :D
Supersquishy
08-31-09, 02:45 PM
someone has to educate the retarded products of the system to get jobs as air traffic controllers and civil engineers.... :D
Im going to tell my friend that works in the Tower (Marine Gunny) that you called him a retard.:p
GSEMarine94
08-31-09, 03:05 PM
someone has to educate the retarded products of the system to get jobs as air traffic controllers and civil engineers.... :D
I haven't met a civil engineer yet that didn't make 6 figures, guess I should have been a retard instead of an architect. :nerd:
NoRemorse
08-31-09, 03:07 PM
Well locally civil engineers start at about 75k so your six figures if off for the first 5 years:p
yeah, but civil engineers tend to work on stuff that we all depend on... like bridges...
and air traffic controllers are important too... both requiring smarts....
you guys completely overlooked the irony of my post.
StoneTheWeak
08-31-09, 04:39 PM
Derailed, sweet. Anyways, thanks for everyones help. I'm going to use the AD years to get my basic course work done until I decide what my major will be.