Military Scholarships and Academies
The United States is keen on providing great benefits to military service members and offers a lot of scholarship money in exchange for active service. However, many families find it difficult to image their children serving in the armed forces. Many parents don’t quite understand the benefits of serving in the Military.
What is the United States Military?
A lot of parents are afraid of allowing their children to enter the Armed Forces; these fears stem from how parents perceive the jobs that graduates are assigned to. They tend to imagine their kids in the front lines in live action, but in reality, 1.3 million people have made the choice to serve their country. There is a complex chain of opportunities outside of fighting in the line of duty. Service members have voluntarily invested their time to make sure that their country’s defense system functions well. Parents also fear that investing time into the military delays attaining a higher education. However, joining the military doesn’t mean that you have forfeit your degrees. Whether you’re part of the Navy, Coast Guard, Army, or Airforce, there are a multitude of programs and scholarships available for service members, veterans, and their families. Whether you’re able to attend a prestigious military university or attend a civilian college with an Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program, there are ways to graduate with little to no debt in exchanging for a several years of active duty.
Reserve Officers’ Training Corps
The ROTC program is a way for students to receive a full scholarship that pays for tuition, room and board, school book expenses and a monthly stipend. You will be able to study at any civilian university that offers an ROTC program— keep in mind there are only Army, Navy, and Airforce ROTC programs (the Coast Guard doesn’t have ROTC programs) . While these programs are all part of the United States Military, each program has different requirements and have different curriculums. They are all considered very competitive and there are cut-offs and strict requirements that you have to meet in order to be able to apply. These include different physical tests to demonstrate that you’re fit enough to serve in the military, so working out is very important to be accepted. Consequently, the classes taught in school will be very specific to what you want to study. It’s important to note that these classes will be taught in addition to the standard education you would be receiving in the university. Imagine being attend a University like Cornell, but attending completely free and just having to take a few more classes. After graduating there is a multitude of different active duty options; depending on the program you apply to, you have to honor your country by serving from 3-12 years of active duty in that branch. Although, some select recruits don’t have to go into active duty, they instead enlist as reserve officers and only be called into active duty based on the needs of the military.
Students have to ask themselves, is the ROTC program good for me? The program can provide a great transition from childhood to adulthood at almost zero costs. They include extensive academic funding, specialized training, leadership development, continued fitness, and team driven experiences. When you finish the program, you demonstrate tremendous leadership ability; a second lieutenant (or an ensign in the Navy) is in charge of commanding a platoon of 16-44 soldiers. A lot of businesses are keen on taking on officers from the military due to their strict protocols and military way of thinking. In addition, you will have a lifetime of benefits provided by the United States Military. Applying to an ROTC program is a good option for those looking to honor their country and graduate from a college completely debt free!
Attending a Federal Service Academy
There are five federal service academies: U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy. These academies are highly selective and have the same acceptance rate to that of Ivy League schools. They offer an excellent education for five years of active duty upon graduation. The schools prepare you to graduate at the same rank as that of someone who completed a ROTC program. The important thing to remember is that you will be receiving a top education at some of the most selective schools for zero money. The alumni networks are some of the strongest; in fact, according to the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), the U.S. has 22 million living veterans, or 7.3% of the American population. These veterans all understand the significance of attending a federal service academy and business leaders respect if you served in the military. These Federal Service Academies pride themselves on their rigorous regimes and daily life, and graduates are very wanted for professions afterwards.
Scholarships for children of veterans
If you are the child of someone who enlisted in any of the branches of the United States Military, you might qualify for a variety of different scholarships. Each separate branch offers their own scholarships, in addition to those that are a lot more flexible and don’t account which branch your parents served in. These scholarships can offer anywhere from a $800 to $4000; when these scholarships are paired with other scholarships that have no affiliation with the military, you can raise a lot of money and have a very nice cushion on costs if you choose to attend a non-military program. At Plan Kids Future, we explore all the scholarships that you can qualify for and bring down the cost for your education. In the end, it will be up to the applicants to put in the hard work to earn these scholarships.
Is the military a good choice for me?
Joining the military isn’t the best option for everyone. You have to be willing to sacrifice a large chunk of your life for serving your country, and a lot of people are not ready to do that. However, there are a lot of possibilities are associated with the military and there are very generous scholarships and aid to students who attend their programs or the children of veterans. If you wish to attend their programs, you will have to maintain good physical fitness and good grades. If you’re fine with that and serving several years then it’s a great fit. Receiving a higher education degree for free or virtually no cost is not an everyday opportunity. These programs are highly selective, but they’re worth the shot to be selected for one. The sacrifice of a few years of active duty is considerable, and your country and businesses will respect you afterward, more importantly, it can open a lot of doors in the future.