Marching to College: Two Sets of Tools

This article is adapted from Marching to College

Succeeding in college and getting into college are not one in the same. In fact, they each require a different set of tools.

Getting into college requires attention to detail, strong communication skills, and discipline. The whole point of an application package is to sell yourself to the admissions officers, so you need to communicate a powerful and understandable message. Misspellings and careless errors can mean being turned away from colleges, so there is no room for sloppiness. In addition, you'll have to juggle a whole bunch of application components and deadlines--you may need to write four essays, track down a high-school transcript, fill out an application, go online to find your military academic transcript, provide a DD-214 if you have separated from Active Duty, ask for recommendations from three people, and monitor their progress--and we haven't even discussed the financial-aid application!

Succeeding in college requires dedication, perseverance, discipline, and, perhaps most importantly, the ability to think on your feet. You need to prioritize and formulate plans to accomplish your educational goals. College is an endurance race that lasts for years, and you'll need stamina to go all the way. And here's where discipline once again enters the picture: Studying and completing assignments may not seem as tempting as spending time with your friends and family or even getting a full eight hours of sleep. Earning a college degree is no easy task--you'll have to be up for the challenge.

Sound Familiar?
You already possess the tools that are needed to get into and succeed in college. Without them, you would have a hard time in the military.

• You are detail-oriented. Have you ever put ribbons and badges on a uniform? You probably used a ruler or other measuring device to find an exact spot on your uniform, pushed the pin through the material, and remeasured to find that you miscalculated by 3/47 of an inch. Then, you pulled the pin out and tried again. That's attention to detail. If you show the same sort of care with your applications, you are off to a good start.
  
  
• You have experience communicating with a variety of audiences. Consider the way you speak to your peers, new enlistees, and commissioned officers. You convey information to those various groups and in different ways.
  
  
• You would not have been able to survive your enlistment without the ability to think on your feet. You made decisions that allowed you to adapt to your situation. When you were given a task, you found a way to accomplish it. If you didn't have your wits about you, you would still be lost in the woods, stuck at supply, or stripping the wax off of the same section of floor.
  
  
• Unless you enlisted in one of those rare three-month tours in the military, you probably understand stamina and perseverance too. The military and college both require a great deal of energy--physical, emotional, and psychic--and you know how to conserve your energy to accomplish the task at hand.
  
  
• Both getting into college and succeeding in college require discipline. You served in the U.S. military. Enough said.