Using Your GI Bill at Harvard
by David Roberts
When I left the military after service in Iraq I didn’t have a allot going for me. I ended up getting a job in private security in Iraq and Afghanistan but after almost 10 years of gunfighting that is winding down. The writing has been on the wall for the last year or two. I needed something else to move into with more future than simply being a gun-for-hire or security.
One of the key components of any career path is higher education. This article focuses on my experience of using my GI Bill at Harvard University but many of the same obstacles and experiences will be similar no matter what field or institution you move into. I am attending Harvard using the GI Bill while being a husband with two kids and running my several small businesses. I usually take between 12 and 16 credit hours a semester as an undergraduate. It can be done.
Harvard has a great program in place through its Continuing Education/Harvard Extension School that allows you to get most of your credits through online courses. There is a residency requirement of 16 credit hours which must be taken on campus. These courses can be covered during Summer School or January Courses.
The GI Bill allows you to do two semesters at full coverage before you are an admitted student. This is important because you must earn your way into Harvard by completing two core classes and one writing class called EXPO-25 and pass all with at least a B before you are given the opportunity to apply for admission into the program. The reason for this is because many working adults took the ACT/SAT years ago and those scores wouldn’t be an accurate representation of who they are today. Allowing you to take a few courses first lets them know if you will be able to handle the course load at Harvard. After you are an admitted student you are able to get regular financial aid from the government. Prior to that you can get the GI Bill only but only for two semesters.
Because my service was split between the Montgomery GI Bill and the Post 9/11 GI Bill I had to choose between the two. I have 60% benefits on my Post 9/11 which means they cover 60% of the full tuition and I get 60% of the full benefit I would be entitled to. Once I run out of Post 9/11 benefit I can reapply as a Montgomery GI Bill student where I have full benefits.
The cost per course for an undergrad runs between 990-1200 a course for a four credit hour course. The courses run during the regular school schedule and unlike many online courses these courses are usually being broadcast live from a real class that is in session. You can go to the class as it is being held in Cambridge if you are in the area. I have gone to the campus to take my finals before and it is really something to see.
I have been in Afghanistan during many of my courses and have had to leave a live class to refill generators with fuel to keep our power (internet) going which caused a few snickers from my classmates but it has been an incredible experience overall. Like many military veterans I have had a whole list of education providers in my background but nothing has compared to what I have experienced here so far.
While I don’t have any issues with Harvard the VA has been a never-ending pain in the ass. On paper they supposedly give you a nice living stipend and pay for this and that but in real life they are usually months behind schedule in actually paying what they owe you. Last semester they waited until the end of the semester to pay me two lump sums of everything they owed me with the last payment happening after I was already out for the summer. My advice is once you are an admitted student get a typical Sallie May/ Education loan and use your GI Bill benefits to pay those loans back when they finally decide to come in. The VA rep at Harvard will credit your account the amount of anticipated funding after you pay your tuition out of pocket. So after I pay my tuition in full I get 60% of it back once registration is over. The last day to register for classes this fall is on Sept 3rd so I am waiting until this Friday (Aug 31) because none of the classes I’m taking has a class limit. Many of the classes have a limitation on the amount of students admitted and registration opens for admitted students prior to other students for this reason. Given the choice I like keeping my money with me until I don’t have to anymore. Once you are an admitted student and have applied and received Federal Financial Aid your account will be credited with this as well.
The entire experience has been great and the only downside I have had came from extremely poor service from the VA (big surprise) and having to come up with an entire tuition payment upfront only to have over half returned a few weeks later. A word of warning about the workload. This is still Harvard and you are going to have to work very hard to make the grades. Unlike many college courses you are not going to be reminded and given multiple chances to do things you should have known was coming up. Read the syllabus and follow the assignments to the letter or you will fail. The reputation of the school is in place for a reason and they take it very seriously. You will find that the quality of education you receive online is exactly the same as you will get in the classroom because you pretty much are in the classroom.
Unemployed Heroes 
Posted on 2012/08/29
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