This article is adapted from Marching to College

Do you remember the first time you ever sat down to talk to a recruiter? He or she probably told you about the benefits of joining the military. Your recruiter may have shown you a stack of small, plastic cards with different benefits printed on them and asked you to pick a few that were important to you. Among the benefits, such as "world travel" and "leadership development," there was a card that said "education benefits." This card is really popular--most recruiters will tell you that education benefits are a key reason that people enlist in the Armed Forces.

In order to take advantage of all the education benefits available, you probably elected to invest in the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB). If you were on Active Duty, you paid $100 per month for twelve months into the program. If you enlisted in the Reserve, you had to agree to serve a minimum number of years to qualify for the benefits. You decided that college was something you might pursue later on, and you made a significant investment in the idea.

But most service members and veterans do not return to college. According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, 339,742 veterans used their MGIB benefits to pay for higher education in 2002. When you consider that more than 215,000 people leave the military each year and millions of people are qualified to use the MGIB, it is clear that many veterans are not taking advantage of a good thing.

Five Myths About Attending College
Excuses for not attending college are plentiful, and some are valid. But before you start naming yours, we're going to dispel five common myths about attending college after leaving or while serving in the military.

• Myth #1: "I don't belong in college. I'm a working-class person, and I enlisted because it was the best option available to me. Besides, I'm too old and jaded to start school now."

  Reality: There is no particular type of person who is best suited for college. Are you the first person in your family to consider attending college? Set a trend and try it out--you're in control of the path your life can take. "Working class" and "college graduate" are not mutually exclusive terms. College just gives you a wider range of employment options.
  
  

• Myth #2: "I don't like school," "I'm not good at school," or both. "I remember the misery of tests and homework from high school, and I wasn't exactly an honor-roll student."

  Reality: Your high school years are long past. If you have taken a few college-level courses over the past few years and found it miserable or impossible, fine. But if you are basing your future on recollections of a distant past, we would urge you to take another shot at school. You might find that you like college-which, of course, is a much different environment from high school--and that you do well in your classes.

• Myth #3: "I have too much responsibility for school. I need to work full-time in order to pay for my car and my rent, and I need medical benefits for my family."

  Reality: College is totally doable for people with additional responsibilities. Many students work at least part-time to fund their college education. Some are married or have children, and some even work full-time while taking classes. Many colleges offer low-cost medical plans to students and their families, and universities often include teaching hospitals and clinics at which students can seek treatment. If your plate is already full, finding the time to attend class and do homework will be a juggling act. But in the end, the rewards will most likely outweigh the sacrifices.
  
  

• Myth #4: "I can't pay for college. I'm too old to expect any help from my parents, and I won't have enough money unless I work full-time."

  Reality: Don't be discouraged. Many people with little to no income are able to attend college through the help of grants, scholarships, work-study, and loans. In addition, you are in a better position financially than many of your civilian peers. If you served on Active Duty for at least three years and qualified for the MGIB, you have several financial advantages, including your military education benefits, your status as an independent student for the purposes of determining financial aid, and a host of scholarship opportunities for service members and veterans.
  
  

• Myth #5: "I can't get into college. I had awful grades in high school, and now I'm old. Why would any college want me?"

  Reality: Admissions officers have commented that military folks tend to sell themselves short. Veterans and service members do not think they can get into college. But military people have something that the most selective schools, even those that are very exclusive, crave: diversity. Colleges do not want carbon copies of the same student all over campus. They want people who will add to the community and bring value to the lives of their fellow students. Academics are important, but your experiences in the military are also powerful tools in the application process. Now you just have to learn the best way to wield them.