Taking online classes an option?- Army Active Duty

[GID]

Hello, a college buddy referred me to this site, I took a few minutes to look through the forums and so I hope this is the right place to post this. If not, I apologize.

My question is, as the title insinuates, if taking online classes prior leaving the military is an option. I want to apply to med school and using the benefits of Tuition Assistance while in the military will not only help save money but allow me to get started on my degree. Any advice concerning this topic is much appreciated. Thanks

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[Prncssbuttercup]

I took a fair amount of classes online in MN... MNSCU and UMN systems both have accredited online courses, but you may need a proctor, and I am not sure how you would do that as active military... so make sure you check first before taking them... they don't show up any differently than a regular course with the classes I took

 

[DrMidlife]

Edit: thank you for your service.

Active military duty is one of the few good legitimate reasons to do online study on the way to med/dent/vet school. Green light.

Three things:

1. Don't take any of the med school prereqs online. You can take math and some intro science, but leave bio/chem/ochem/physics for your brick&mortar college career.

2. Get excellent grades. Period.

3. Be very tidy about transcript bookkeeping. If you have to drop a class, be paranoid about how that will show up on your transcript. Be paranoid about future ability to collect a transcript for your studies. Always follow up on any transcript events - make sure your transcript says what you think it should, and if you have to argue, argue early.

Best of luck to you.

 

[GID]

Sounds good, thank y'all.

 

[ARAMP1]

Hello, a college buddy referred me to this site, I took a few minutes to look through the forums and so I hope this is the right place to post this. If not, I apologize.

My question is, as the title insinuates, if taking online classes prior leaving the military is an option. I want to apply to med school and using the benefits of Tuition Assistance while in the military will not only help save money but allow me to get started on my degree. Any advice concerning this topic is much appreciated. Thanks

I used TA for a couple pre-med classes. If you don't already have a degree, it's easy, just sign up for the classes and go through the normal process. If you already have a bachelors, TA will pay for up to 12 hours of undergrad pre-reqs that are needed for an advanced degree. That was my case when I did it.

 

[silleme]

The maximum amount paid for tuition assistance: 100% Tuition and Fees
$250 @ Semester Credit Hour, or
$166 @ Quarter Credit Hour, and
$4500 @ Fiscal Year

You can make this money stretch by taking classes at a state school online where you're a resident, whether at your duty station or at your home of record. That $4500 can go quickly if you're taking the $250/credit hour classes like UMUC or Grantham.

I'd like to second what Dr. Midlife is saying about taking gen ed classes online and saving the pre reqs for a brick & mortar classroom. I'm taking courses overseas and going to school in-person in the fall. I'm planning on trying to save my GI Bill until medical school, to minimize the loans I'll need to take out. YMMV though....

 

[silleme]

And then....
Effective 1700 EST 8 Mar 13, Soldiers will no longer be permitted to submit new requests for Tuition Assistance through the GoArmyEd portal. Soldiers currently enrolled and participating in courses approved for tuition assistance are not affected and will be allowed to complete current course(s) enrollment.

 

[futuredoc331]

And then....
Effective 1700 EST 8 Mar 13, Soldiers will no longer be permitted to submit new requests for Tuition Assistance through the GoArmyEd portal. Soldiers currently enrolled and participating in courses approved for tuition assistance are not affected and will be allowed to complete current course(s) enrollment.

Are you serious?!?! They just cancelled TA???

 

[jessierose24]

Yeahhhhh....I just heard about them cancelling TA.....sequestration...

 

[futuredoc331]

This sucks!! TA was my way of paying for all these pre-reqs. I figured only thing I had to lose was time if my plans didn't work out. Now I have to hope pell grants cover them.

 

[silleme]

This sucks!! TA was my way of paying for all these pre-reqs. I figured only thing I had to lose was time if my plans didn't work out. Now I have to hope pell grants cover them.

Which is why as much as UMUC and Grantham, etc are convenient, a lot of times you're better off taking classes online out of a local college. It's cheaper and you know your credits can transfer. You could look into that to stretch your education dollars....