DO YOU HAVE THE SKILLS? Student Success Workshop

DO YOU HAVE THE SKILLS?

Student Success Workshop

By Carol Beard

            Learning is a skill.  Different people have different levels of the skills needed for learning.  Veterans entering college typically have at least four years since they last used their academic learning skills on a daily basis.  This time gap can lead to rusty learning skills.

           

           But, there are programs available to help improve those skills!  Veterans Upward Bound provides training in basic skills like note taking, test taking, and time management.  The dedicated staff also provide training in math, science, and language arts skills.  And here’s the really cool part:  IT’S TOTALLY FREE!!

            Before the start of each academic semester at Yavapai College the Veterans Upward Bound staff hold a one day workshop for all qualifying veterans who would like a quick refresher to skills that students need to be successful in college.  The workshop is free and provides a wealth of information that students consistently say they wish they’d had before they started school.  Paper writing skills, time management and organizational skills geared towards college, and much more are offered during the day long session.

            The workshop is also offered at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University’s Prescott Campus, and at Northern Arizona University’s Flagstaff Campus.  The Veterans Upward Bound program serves all of northern Arizona and we hope to see you participating in our program before you begin college so that you have the skills to succeed!

Upcoming Student Success Workshops:

Yavapai College

Wednesday 8/17/16

Embry Riddle Aeronautical University

Wednesday 8/24/16

Northern Arizona University

Friday 8/26/16

THINGS VETERANS NEED TO KNOW: GI BILL FACTS

Does the GI Bill cover that?

By Carol Beard

I hear it all the time.  A veteran comes in to my office, fresh from their end of active duty status(or not), saying that so-and-so told them that the GI Bill won't cover this, that, or the other.  Often they are confused and sometimes mad about that supposed knowledge.  Until, that is, I correct them.

I know, I know.  The guys at TAPS or the installations college office are supposed to be the end all be all, know it all's for your transition to college.  But the thing is that those folks, though very knowledgeable, are not fully trained as School Certifying Officials and have not generally undergone the in-depth training on how the GI Bill is actually structured to work.

So, here's the real life experience of a veteran, me, who has used GI Bill benefits and who then went on to become a School Certifying Official.  The GI Bill, in most cases, can be used towards any authorized program that an institution offers.  It does not matter if that program is a transfer degree, like an Associate of Arts; an applied science degree, like Gunsmithing; or if is a simple certificate in something like bookkeeping.  What does matter is that the institution has been approved by the VA as a training site and that their programs have been reviewed and approved.

Yes, the GI Bill will pay for certificate programs.  Yes, the GI Bill will pay for degree programs.  And here's the really neat thing, the GI Bill will allow you to pursue two of these things at once.  Each school and training facility has it's own regulations regarding programs and program combinations, but there are very few exceptions to what the GI Bill will not cover at an approved institution.

Instead of asking if the GI Bill covers something, you might want to ask what the GI Bill does not cover at your school.  You might just be surprised to learn that the answer is not much of anything!