Transcript College 101 - Homepage of Marine Corps Community Services

USMC
LIFELONG LEARNING
College 101
TOPICS
 DO YOUR HOMEWORK
 PLAN FOR SUCCESS
 USE YOUR RESOURCES
 BE RESPONSIBLE
 DON’T STOP
COLLEGE 101
OUTLINE
Introduction
Identify interests/needs & set a goal.
Get some help if you need it!
Research & compare options.
Make an informed decision.
Take advantage of available resources, and use them
wisely and responsibly.
INTRODUCTION
College 101 is an informational briefing intended to
help equip Marines for success as they seek to
improve themselves personally and professionally
through the pursuit of voluntary, off-duty learning
opportunities.
Getting started is not as hard as you might think, but
you absolutely MUST commit some time and make
some effort toward preparing yourself before you
start.
Accomplish the mission!
DO YOUR HOMEWORK
What is your Lifelong Learning “mission”?
1. Set a goal.
2. Achieve your goal.
3. Repeat steps 1, 2 and 3.
As you begin to plan the early phases of
what will be a lifelong journey, to
successfully navigate the highereducation terrain, you need an objective,
or goal.
DO YOUR HOMEWORK
What’s your goal?
Do you want to be a firefighter? A medical lab technician? A
teacher?
Or maybe your immediate goal is just to start assembling
basic, general-education building blocks to pave the way for
future options?
Don’t choose a school or program of study simply because
that’s what your fellow Marine is doing. Make sure it’s YOUR
goal. Take the time and make the effort to find YOUR best
learning experience!
DO YOUR HOMEWORK
There links below are FREE tools that could
help you explore careers and develop goals.
These resources are available through Marine
Corps Education Centers.
•ONETONLINE.org
•www.DANTES.KUDER.com
EDUCATION & EARNING POTENTIAL*
No High School Diploma
22,900
High School Diploma
30,000
Associate’s Degree
35,700
Bachelor’s Degree
46,900
Master’s Degree or Higher
59,600+
(*2012 Dept. of Labor stats – Average annual $$$ income)
DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Once you’ve identified your goal,
explore all available learning
options before making a
commitment:
•Where will I start?
•Which school/program is
best for me (cost, etc.)?
High School
credential
completion
programs
Academic
Degree
programs
Career & Technical
(sometimes referred to as
Vocational/Technical)
programs
DO YOUR HOMEWORK
High School Completion
• If you do not hold a valid high school credential, you
must make that your FIRST priority.
• Contact an Education Center for assistance.
• Even if you do have a HS Diploma or GED, BE A
LEADER and help ensure that any Marine you know
who doesn’t, gets one!
DETERMINE IF YOU NEED HELP –
THEN GET HELP!
You may need to brush up on basic skills such as reading,
writing and math before you get started.
Many schools require first-time students to demonstrate
academic readiness either by providing acceptable college
entrance exam scores (SAT/ACT) or scores from a
placement test, usually in reading, writing, and math.
Test scores may indicate a need for academic refresher.
PLAN FOR SUCCESS
When most students hear the term “education
plan”, they visualize the prescribed, courseby-course program of study (the curriculum)
laid out in their school handbook.
Proper planning involves MUCH MORE!
PLAN FOR SUCCESS
How will mission requirements and your work schedule
affect your chances for success?
Will you budget for, and be able to handle, the costs
associated with going to school?
Are you setting a realistic goal in terms of the time that
it’s going to take to do assignments, to finish your
program and earn your credential?
Will the work that you do now help you later on? Will
your courses transfer if you want/need them to?
Plan for Success
What’s a semester? A term?
•Most
•
•
•
16-week semesters – Spring/Summer/Fall
Spring/Fall semesters are often divided into 8-week terms
Students can opt to take either full semester classes (meet
once/twice a week) or half-semester classes (meet two, three or
four times a week) to suit their unique needs
•Some
•
schools follow a semester calendar
follow a quarter calendar
10-week quarters – Spring/Summer/Fall/Winter
PLAN FOR SUCCESS
As you embark on your journey…
There are two basic paths to choose from :
CAREER & TECHNICAL PATH
(sometimes called Vocational/Technical)
Credentials include Certificates, Diplomas, and
Associate’s of Applied Science/Technology Degrees.
Programs usually consist of three or more classes, can
build upon one another, and typically take anywhere
from 1 month to 2 or more years to complete.
PLAN FOR SUCCESS
ACADEMIC DEGREE PATH
Credentials include Associate’s, Bachelor’s, Master’s,
First Professional, and Doctorate Degrees.
Academic Associate’s Degrees are sometimes referred
to as Transfer Degrees, because the credit earned
(Freshman/Sophomore-level) is designed to transfer
into Bachelor’s Degree programs.
What makes
up a typical
Associate’s
Degree?
Plan for Success
Basic Academic Degree Program Guidelines:
•ASSOCIATE’S
DEGREE
•
2-year program of study
•
60 semester hours (20 classes)
•
General subjects that establish a foundation
•BACHELOR’S DEGREE
•
4-year program of study
•
120 semester hours (40 classes)
•
Focuses on your major area of study
•MASTER’S DEGREE
•
1-2 year program of graduate study
•
30-60 semester hours (10-20 classes)
•
May or may not require a thesis
•DOCTORAL DEGREE
•
•
3 + years of graduate work
Completion of dissertation approved by faculty
If your goal doesn’t require a
degree, why not consider starting
off with a….
Non-Degree Program
Career & Technical studies in
specialized disciplines. Earn a
Certificate or Diploma!
INSTRUCTIONAL METHOD
Schools deliver their courses in a variety of
ways.
The traditional delivery method is via lecture
in a classroom (on a “home” campus, or on
“satellite” campuses like you might find at
military installations around the world).
It’s the “brick & mortar” model.
•The traditional classroom is where many first-time college students
prefer to be (and where many need to be, for a variety of reasons).
•Explore available traditional, classroom-based programs in your area.
Non Traditional Method
DISTANCE LEARNING
Describes learning that takes place in a location and at a time other than
where/when the instruction is/was delivered. Other institutions, sometimes called
“Online Schools”, typically offer ONLY Distance Learning coursework.
Distance Learning delivery methods vary, but courses are typically offered in
the following formats:
• Online (web-based coursework)
• Video teleconferencing or streaming broadcast (via computer)
• Television or computer-based (streaming) broadcast
• Correspondence courses (CD ROM, paper-based, by mail)
Are you ready for distance
learning ?
Before you commit
to any school or
program, you
should be able to
answer “yes” to
these questions:
• How are your time management
skills? You must be able to
balance school, work, & family
requirements.
• Are you motivated and
disciplined?
• Do you have a computer and
internet capabilities that meet
the school’s technology
requirements?
• Can you read and write at
acceptable levels?
Don’t be a scam victim!
Have you really researched
(and compared) Distance Learning options?
Be wary of any school that claims: “Complete your Bachelor’s
degree in 12 to 18 months!”
Try to avoid adverti$ing-driven Internet search engines, commercial
web-sites, and other enticements when researching distance learning
options.
If you’re not sure, seek advice from an Education Center advisor
before you sign any type of contract!
ACCREDITATION
The most important factor to
consider when researching,
comparing, and choosing
schools/programs.
Two basic types of
accreditation
• Institutional
…normally applies to an entire institution, indicating that
each of an institution's parts is contributing to the
achievement of the institution's objectives, although not
necessarily all at the same level of quality.
The various commissions of the Regional accrediting
associations, for example, perform institutional
accreditation, as do many National accrediting agencies.
• Specialized
…or “programmatic” accreditation normally applies to
programs, departments, or schools that are parts of an
institution.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education www.ed.gov
ACCREDITATION DOES
MATTER, BUT…
Accreditation does not provide automatic acceptance by an
institution of credit earned at another institution, nor does it
give assurance of acceptance of graduates by employers.
Acceptance of students or graduates is always the prerogative of
the receiving institution or employer.
For these reasons, students should take additional measures to
determine, prior to enrollment, whether or not their
educational goals will be met through attendance at a
particular institution.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education www.ed.gov
Public vs. Private
Public College/University
•Instate Rate
•Out of State Rate
Private College/University
•Acceptance may be easier than a public university
•Class sizes for many private universities are
smaller than public universities
•One tuition rate — No Instate or Out of State cost
differences
FINDING A COLLEGE …
College Navigator website:
http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
SOCMAR (Service members Opportunity Colleges Marine
Corps)
One way to ensure that your school is properly accredited is to verify
that they’re a SOC Member School, and/or that they have programs
in the SOCMAR Degree Networks.
• SOCMAR schools pledge to ensure academic quality for Service members
and their family members.
• SOCMAR schools evaluate all prior learning and award credit as
appropriate.
• SOC Agreements help ensure transfer of credits.
• Over 50 schools in the SOCMAR degree-networks consortium.
• Students using TA who have completed 12 semester units are required to
have a SOC Agreement or official degree plan.
USE YOUR FREE RESOURCES
• MASP- Military Academic Skills Program
• CLEP, DANTES - Credit you can earn by Testing
• JST (SMART) Joint Services Transcript -credit for
MOS/military experience
• USMAP- United Services Military Apprenticeship
Program
www.dantes.doded.mil
https://www.usmap.cnet.navy.mil
https://www.cool.navy.mil/usmc
www.nelnetsolutions.com/dantes
www.militaryonesource.com
MARINE CORPS TUITION ASSISTANCE
What is Marine Corps Tuition Assistance?
• Discretionary funding that the Marine Corps provides to help
Marines pay for voluntary, off-duty education and training.
• The USMC TA funding budget is divided into fiscal quarters.
Once quarterly funds are exhausted, TA approval will be
deferred until the next quarter.
• It’s kind of like a loan that you do not have to pay back,
IF you follow the rules (current MARADMIN 687/14).
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR
TA?
Active Duty Enlisted and Officers of the
United States Marine Corps
• Minimum time in service of 24 months from
their armed forces active duty base date
• End of active service date of at least 60 days
beyond the course completion date.
*** Reserve component officers on active duty orders must have an
end of active service date of 2 years beyond the course completion
date.
What is the maximum amount of
TA that Marines can obtain?
TA pays up to $250 per semester hour, or
up to $166.67 per quarter hour, or
up to $16.67 per clock hour of credit.
TA is capped at $4,500 per fiscal year.
BASIC TA USER RESPONSIBILITIES
FIRST TIME TA APPLICANT
•
College 101/TA orientation brief
•
Minimum GT score of 100 (Test for Adult Basic Education
required if GT below 100)
•
Minimum 2 years active duty (per active duty base date or
prior service counts)
•
Must be eligible for promotion (determined by command)
•
Complete the MCI Personal Financial Management course
(3420G)
•
Limited to 1 class, unless Marine has documented 60
academic credits and 2.5 GPA.
ADDITIONAL TA STANDARDS AND
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
•
TA request must be command approved and received by the
education office PRIOR to course start date. TA will not be
authorized past the start date.
•
TA can be submitted within 30 days of the course start date
•
School must be accredited, recognized by the Department of
Education, VA, and have a signed DOD Memorandum of
Understanding
•
Maximum of 2 classes (same start date) per term
•
Will only be authorized 1 class if GPA falls between 2.0 (undergrad)
and 2.5 (grad), or received a voluntary withdrawal from the previous
class term.
•
Must maintain a 2.0 GPA after 15 sem hrs (undergrad) and 3.0 after 6
sem hrs (graduate studies)
•
TA will not pay for non-tuition fees and non credit trainings
•
TA waivers and failed courses will count toward individual FY cap
Sample copy of TA Request Form (front page, bottom half)
Submit PRIOR TO the start of each new school term!!
WEB TUITION ASSISTANCE
(WEBTA)
36
LET’S GET STARTED….LOG-IN
• Log on to the WebTA URL: https://myeducation.netc.navy.mil
• If you do not have NKO account go to www.nko.navy.mil to create one
(civilian TA approvers will also need to contact the Education Center to
create an NKO account)
37
• Once you access WebTA you can use CAC or NKO user name and
password to log-in
MY EDUCATION
38
To start an application select “My Tuition Assistance
(WebTA)”
IF YOU ARE ELIGIBLE
You will get a caption
that says:
“Please select one of the
following options to
continue:”
And the Eligibility
window says:
“Your eligibility to use this
39
system has been verified.”
IF YOU ARE NOT ELIGIBLE
You will get a caption that
says:
“We are sorry, but you are
ineligible to use this
system.” The Eligibility
window will lists
the things you need to
correct in order to use
WebTA.
40
You must work with your
Education Office to clear
these items.
•
Select “Create TA Application” to start a new TA
41
CREATE TA APPLICATION
42
APPLICATION AGREEMENT
The first screen is the Application
Agreement Acceptance page.
“I Accept” indicates the member
has read and will comply.
“I Do Not Accept” closes the
program.
DEFAULT VALUES
The system assumes you are attending the school most
recently attended if you have used TA before
43
Select “Yes” if it is the same school or “No” to select a new
school **Change school name on question #25
Questions 1-15: Fill in all blanks
44
NEW APPLICATION STEP 1 OF 3
Question #8: Type in CO or By Direction Authority’s email address. Please
make sure the email is correct. It must not have blank spaces at the end
Search for duty station by entering complete or partial name. Use base
name not city to search for education office
45
Question #15: Ensure education office corresponds to the current duty
station MCRD San Diego (for MCRDSD/WRR Marines)
NEW APPLICATION STEP 2 OF 3
• Question 16: Use drop down to select immediate academic goal
• Question 17: Answer if you have an Education Plan/Degree Plan for the academic
goal
• Questions 21-22: Select if you have a SOCMAR agreement, if “yes” select the
school you have it with
46
• Questions 18-20: If you are graduating within 12 months, select anticipated
graduation date, select the school issuing your degree, and select if you have or
have not applied for graduation
Question 25: Find school name by using partial or full name
Question 26: Use drop down Calendar to select term start/end dates
Question 27: Select box to the right of the blank box to view University course listing. If course is not listed, enter course manually
Question 28: Type course title if it is not entered automatically after entering course department and number
Question 29: Select if course is a foreign language
Question 30: Type or select course description from drop down box
Question 31: Type or select course level from drop down box
Question 32: Type or select primary instructional mode from drop down
47
Question 33: Type or select Credit Unit from drop down
Question 34: Enter the total number of credit hours
Question 35: Enter the cost per credit (student is responsible for correct cost)
48
Question 36: Enter TA fee (optional) only for courses that have a mandatory fee for course enrollment (this
does not include the online book fee)
To clear course information, click box left of “Course Dept & No” and click
“Clear Checked”. This will remove all course information on that line
A warning appears giving you the option to make changes
49
Select “Save” to submit application
SUBMIT APPLICATION
Select “Yes” when TA document is completed.
Select “No” to make changes
50
Other warnings may appear depending on your inputs
VIEW APPLICATION
51
Click submit to forward to CO or By Direction Authority for approval
52
• Student can view status of TA applications here and on the
“Existing Applications” screens
53
SUBMITTED TO BY DIRECTION
AUTHORITY
STUDENT OPTIONS
54
The student has the option of canceling or resubmitting the
document only if the Command has not processed the application.
COMMAND APPROVAL
The approving official receives an email requesting approval or
disapproval in TA funding
55
To approve or disapprove click on URL listed, or cut and paste
the URL to the web
NOTIFICATION TO STUDENT FROM
APPROVING OFFICIAL
56
Student receives an email on approval or disapproval of TA by
Command Approving Official
NOTIFICATION TO STUDENT FROM
EDUCATION OFFICE
Student receives an email on approval or
disapproval of TA by Education Office
57
Student may review the status of the TA application
selecting URL in email or by logging in to the WEB
TA account
AFTER APPROVAL OF TA
Return to https://myeducation.netc.navy.mil
Click on Existing Applications
Click View for Existing Applications in
Authorized Status
58
Click Print Document. Approved document returns for
student to print and provide to school.
59
Your signature
here
After
printing,
Marine
must sign
TA
voucher
and
deliver to
the school
IMPORTANT
You WILL…
1.
2.
3.
4.
Pay any and all student share (anything above and
beyond TA caps).
Repay the government for grades of “D” and “F” for
undergraduate course; “C” grade and below for
Graduate course. NO WAIVERS!
Repay the government for voluntary Withdrawal (“W”)
grades.*
Repay the government for Incomplete (“I”) grades that
aren’t converted to passing grades within 6 months of
end of term.
*** Contact Education Center for instructions on how to submit
Waiver requests for involuntary Withdrawals due to duty or
emergency circumstances.
BE RESPONSIBLE
Need to make changes to your TA Voucher?
•
STOP! DON’T MAKE PEN/PENCIL CHANGES!
Contact your local Education Center for any
changes/updates to your TA Authorization Voucher.
Pen/pencil changes are prohibited!
Keep a copy of all of your TA Authorization Vouchers.
BE RESPONSIBLE
Submit TA Voucher to your school
It is YOUR responsibility to submit the TA Voucher that you obtain
from your Education Center to your school in accordance with the
institution’s policies.
In most cases, you submit the TA Voucher to your school as payment
at the time of course registration.
Submit grade(s) to [email protected]
Don’t assume! FOLLOW UP!
BE RESPONSIBLE
TA for deployed Marines
TA for deployed Marines and for Marines assigned to
remote/isolated locations is processed in much the
same way, except that all communications and
coordination is done through electronic means such as
phone, fax, e-mail, scanned documents, etc.
Allow extra lead time!
TA processing is halted on 15 September,
and does not resume until 1 October.
TA for courses that have a term start date 15-30 September
MUST BE SUBMITTED prior to the last working day before 15
September each year.
***** The “no-after-the-fact TA” rule still applies. PLAN !
Something else to remember…
You must be pursuing a credential higher than the
one you currently possess (even if you did not
use TA to pay for it) in order to receive Tuition
Assistance.
• 1st level – Certificate/Diploma
• 2nd level – Associate’s Degree
• 3rd level – Bachelor’s Degree
• 4th level – Graduate Degree
Be Responsible
Military Commitment
If you are forced to Withdraw from a course due to
military commitment or emergency circumstances,
contact your Education Center for instructions on
how to submit a TA Waiver of Repayment Request,
and be prepared to provide:
1) A copy of the Withdrawal paperwork from your
school.
2) A copy of your orders.
3) A letter from your command that provides
justification for your request.
By the way…
You can combine TA & Pell Grants!
The Pell Grant (one of the two main types of Federal
financial aid) helps students pay tuition, fees, books,
supplies, transportation, and dependent care
expenses. Eligibility is based on income and need.
Annual application is required.
www.fafsa.ed.gov
www.studentaid.ed.gov
EXAMPLES OF HOW FAR $4500 PER FY WILL GO
A handful of extremely
low-cost schools, such as
some state community
colleges
75 CLASSES per FY
Lower costs
help stretch
your
available TA
funds
further!
Some lower-cost
community
colleges
18 CLASSES per FY
Many private
and/or
proprietary (forprofit) schools
Many public
(state) colleges
and universities
13 CLASSES per FY
Some private
and/or
proprietary (forprofit) schools
Some public and
many private
colleges and
universities
10 CLASSES per FY
Avoid
financial
hardship!
Proceed
with
caution!
6 CLASSES only per FY 6 CLASSES only per FY AND often
significant additional out-of-pocket expenses
Be Responsible
Another Financial Aid option (if your costs exceed
TA per-credit-hour limits)
Make sure you’re not creating an unbearable financial burden on yourself
by choosing an expensive school.
Remember: YOU are responsible for any additional costs beyond what
TA will cover.
If you have been on active duty for more than 24 consecutive months,
you can use your MGIB to “Top-Up” all or a portion of those additional
costs.
It may not be to your long-term advantage to use your MGIB benefits
while on active duty.
Speak to an Education Center counselor for advice.
www.gibill.va.gov
Click
HERE to
print this blank certificate, complete and sign it, and submit it to your appropriate Education
Center when you apply for TA for the first time.
College 101
Certificate of Completion
is hereby granted to
______________
______________
Printed Rank & Full Name
Signature
to certify satisfactory completion of the
TA Orientation
Granted: 7/22/2015 12:27:44 AM