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xchrom

(108,903 posts) Sun Oct 21, 2012, 10:11 AM Oct 2012

FORMER COMBAT MEDIC: College Has Been A Nightmare For Me, And I'm Not Alone

http://www.businessinsider.com/gi-bill-college-has-been-a-nightmare-2012-10

***SNIP

I was sold on the idea that the Post 9/11 GI-Bill would sent me to college with little to no debt. Awesome. There was just one slight problem, it took them a long time to catch up with payments, so I was months behind when they finally did pay. In those months I'd had to dip heavily into credit cards. It was all good though I'd gotten a really high paying job over the summer, and everything was honky dory.

Only it wasn't. Things proceeded from there, and a giant yo-yo like experience made it clear that I was going to have a very hard time indeed. When I lost that job, the second summer, and had to work at Walmart, it became clear I might be in serious trouble.

But it hasn't just been finances. When my first spring semester came along some jackass decided to leak classified intel to the media. The result was that a lot of mental issues, that I had thought behind me came rushing to the front, and I was nearly paralyzed for almost three weeks. There are very few college students who have to deal with Post Traumatic Stress, and even fewer who can understand why a video that the rest of the world forgot about caused me to be filled with sheer terror.

Then in the spring semester of my sophomore year my dad died. Everyone's dad will die, but there was so much in life that I still wanted to ask his advise on. I may be a man, but there are still gateways in manhood I have yet to pass through that, I would hope for a role model, what man do I now consult when I become a father myself, Or how to be a good husband?

Read more: http://themadmedic.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-price-you-pay.html#ixzz29wVsOiF9

5 replies

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Highlight:

FORMER COMBAT MEDIC: College Has Been A Nightmare For Me, And I'm Not Alone (Original Post) xchrom Oct 2012 OP

Hang in there... barnabas63 Oct 2012 #1

To hell with the mad medic Kindly Refrain Oct 2012 #2

College life can be hard for a struggling veteran. I've seen it first hand. aikoaiko Oct 2012 #3

you took from the article what i was hoping people would take. nt xchrom Oct 2012 #4

It's tiring how right wingers only recognize issues when they experience them personally. redqueen Oct 2012 #5

barnabas63

(1,214 posts)

1. Hang in there...

Reply to xchrom (Original post)

Sun Oct 21, 2012, 10:15 AM

Oct 2012

And if you have to hand assignments in late, let your instructors know ahead of time. You're not alone - there are a lot of people in your shoes. Just know that there are plenty of college instructors/professors who will be sympathetic if you make your situation (not the details necessarily) known to them and stay in touch if something is affecting your ability to do the work...

Kindly Refrain

(423 posts)

2. To hell with the mad medic

Reply to xchrom (Original post)

Sun Oct 21, 2012, 10:22 AM

Oct 2012

he's a rightwing jingoistic asshat. Read his blog.

aikoaiko

(34,185 posts)

3. College life can be hard for a struggling veteran. I've seen it first hand.

Reply to xchrom (Original post)

Sun Oct 21, 2012, 10:42 AM

Oct 2012

I thank veterans for their service and I'm very happy to hear when they avail themselves of the GI Bill. It is a great program that pays for tuition, fees!, rooming, and books. Veterans earned those benefits with their service, but it is a good deal.

Many of the things this vet describes are not unusually for many students (especially those who struggle with mental illness or trauma in one form or another).

Mentorship and Assistance: Most universities have student veteran staff to provide specialized assistance to the Vet. They also connect veteran students to veteran faculty.

Mental/Emotional Trauma: I don't pretend to know what its like to live with post-traumatic stress disorder, but I know students suffer from it from war, police/emt/firefighter service, their abusive spouses, molesting parents/step-parents, or violent criminals. Every university has a counseling center who will receive students (usually for free as in included in university fees).

Financial Aid: Its often slow for everyone and many students have to find a way to fund classes, room, and board through savings, borrowing from family, or credit.

Loneliness: A lot of students attend universities where they don't know anyone. Joining a frat, as the author did, is a fine way of getting to know people.

Professors: Expressing a dissenting view with professors hardly ever leads to retaliation, but nevertheless it is possible and something every student has to negotiate.

After reading this article, my heart went out to him because I think he is struggling with mental illness and trauma and hope he avails himself of the VA and university counseling services so that he can enjoy and benefit from his college experience. And just live the happy life he deserves.

xchrom

(108,903 posts)

4. you took from the article what i was hoping people would take. nt

Reply to aikoaiko (Reply #3)

Sun Oct 21, 2012, 10:47 AM

Oct 2012

redqueen

(115,103 posts)

5. It's tiring how right wingers only recognize issues when they experience them personally.