The Free College Resource Every Veteran Should Know About

Welcome to Season 2 Episode 17 of the “Militarily Speaking” podcast with Tom McLean and Jodi VickeryIn this episode of Militarily Speaking, we talk with Sydney Mathis, CEO of Service to School, about helping active-duty service members and veterans turn their military experience and education benefits into meaningful college opportunities. They discuss Service to School’s free college admissions support, VetLink partner schools, veteran-to-veteran mentorship and how military students can find the right path from service to higher education.“Militarily Speaking” is a podcast produced by Armed Forces Bank that is dedicated to the military lifestyle and all the things that makes the military community who they are.The Free College Resource Every Veteran Should Know AboutTransitioning from military service can create an unfamiliar question: What comes next?For many veterans and active-duty service members, higher education is part of the answer. The GI Bill and other military education benefits can make college financially possible, but choosing the right school, navigating an admissions process designed largely for traditional students and translating years of military experience into an application can still be difficult.That is where Service to School comes in.Led by CEO Sydney Mathis, Service to School is a national nonprofit that helps active-duty service members and veterans pursue undergraduate and graduate education. Its support can begin long before a service member leaves active duty and continue through the application process and into college.The goal is not simply helping veterans get into a school. It is helping them understand what educational opportunities are available, identify schools that fit their goals and use the benefits they earned through military service in a way that can create long-term opportunity.What Is Service to School?Service to School has spent approximately 15 years helping veterans and service members pursue higher education.The organization originally began with MBA students helping military officers apply to business school. As its founders became more familiar with the military education landscape, they saw an even larger opportunity to assist enlisted service members pursuing undergraduate degrees.Today, Service to School supports both undergraduate and graduate students.Service members can connect with the organization while still on active duty, as they prepare for a military transition or after becoming a veteran. That support can include guidance on selecting schools, navigating college admissions, developing application materials and connecting with mentors who have already made a similar journey.Most importantly for prospective students, Service to School provides its services at no cost.For Mathis, the mission is simple: veterans should have access to the educational opportunities they earned through their service.VetLink Helps Veterans See New College PossibilitiesOne of Service to School’s most prominent undergraduate programs is VetLink.The program connects enlisted service members and veterans with colleges and universities that have demonstrated both strong academic outcomes and a commitment to supporting student veterans.Partner institutions include widely recognized universities such as Stanford, MIT, Harvard and Princeton, along with schools including Amherst, Williams, Wesleyan and Villanova.For some veterans, these may be schools they never imagined attending.Military service, however, can give applicants qualities colleges value. Leadership, maturity, teamwork, problem solving, discipline and significant life experience can distinguish student veterans from traditional applicants.VetLink helps veterans recognize those strengths and understand that highly competitive colleges may be realistic possibilities.The program also focuses on outcomes. Undergraduate VetLink partners must have at least a 70% six-year graduation rate. Mathis notes that only about 23% of GI Bill beneficiaries attend institutions with graduation rates above that threshold.For Service to School, helping veterans access higher education means thinking beyond admission. The organization wants military students attending schools where they have strong opportunities to graduate, build professional networks and prepare for their next career.Veteran-Friendly Colleges Need More Than a LabelGetting veterans onto a campus is only part of creating a successful student veteran experience.Service to School looks for VetLink partners that demonstrate a meaningful commitment to military students. Partner schools participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program and are expected to provide resources that help veterans succeed after enrollment.Those resources may look different from campus to campus.Some universities provide dedicated veteran centers. Others offer year-round housing, an important benefit for veterans and military families who may not have another home to return to when traditional campus housing closes during school breaks.Other institutions offer veteran-specific research opportunities, financial aid or programs such as fully funded study abroad experiences.The common factor is a willingness to go beyond simply saying veterans are welcome.By working directly with colleges, Service to School can also help institutions recognize policies that unintentionally create barriers for military students.College Admissions Were Not Designed Around Military LifeA traditional college applicant may move directly from high school into higher education. Their school counselor is readily available, their academic history is recent and the application process is designed around their experiences.A veteran may be applying under completely different circumstances.They may have graduated from high school years earlier. Their former counselor may no longer work there. They may have attended multiple colleges, accumulated military education credits, completed specialized training, deployed overseas and changed jobs or duty stations several times.Yet the same college application is often used for both students.That can leave veterans trying to fit years of military service into forms that were never designed around their experiences.Service to School works not only with veterans, but with higher education professionals to address those challenges. The organization helps admissions offices better understand military backgrounds, enlisted and officer experiences, military education credits and the wide variety of occupations that exist within the Armed Forces.That knowledge can help colleges remove unnecessary barriers while giving admissions teams a more complete understanding of what veteran applicants bring to campus.Veteran Mentorship Creates an Educational Battle BuddyProfessional college advising is one part of Service to School’s approach. Veteran-to-veteran mentorship is another.Service to School has more than 800 volunteer ambassadors, many of whom previously received support from the organization and now want to help the next generation of student veterans.These mentors can provide something that even an experienced admissions counselor cannot: firsthand perspective.A veteran who has already transitioned from military service into college understands many of the questions a new applicant may be asking. Am I really qualified for this school? Will I fit in with traditional college students? How do I explain my military experience? What if I have been out of the classroom for years?Mentors have confronted many of those same uncertainties.Mathis describes Service to School’s model as a three-pronged approach involving the student, a veteran mentor and a professional college advisor. The mentor can provide encouragement and firsthand experience, while the advisor contributes technical knowledge of admissions and the application process.Jodi compares the role to an educational battle buddy – someone who has been there before and can help a veteran navigate unfamiliar territory.Turn Military Experience Into an Admissions StrengthMilitary experience can be one of a veteran’s greatest strengths as an applicant, but only if an admissions officer understands it.Military acronyms, occupational specialties and job descriptions may make perfect sense within a unit while meaning very little to someone in a college admissions office.To help bridge that gap, Service to School developed the VetLink Addendum for undergraduate applicants.Mathis describes the tool as essentially a “demilitarized resume.”Veterans can use it to explain jobs, deployments, <a href="https://www.afbank.com/learn/media/podcast/militarily-speaking-pcs-survival-guide-episode-1-pcs-