• Length:
    5 Weeks
  • Effort:
    3–5 hours per week
  • Institution
    ColumbiaX
  • Subject:
    Education & Teacher Training
  • Level:
    Introductory
  • Language:
    English
  • Video Transcript:
    English
  • Course Type:
    Self-paced on your time

Associated Programs:

Prerequisites

None

About this course

Skip About this course

Attaining Higher Education is a course designed to facilitate the successful transition of active duty service members and veterans to postsecondary education, whether at a two- or four-year college for an associate's or bachelor's degree, or even graduate school. Too often, service members and veterans transition with little information, or incorrect information, about what makes students successfully realize their goals through higher education. Frequently they are left to navigate a difficult and complicated transition to higher education without robust support or complete information.

This course is designed to break down the process of transition to education and to assist service members in finding an educational program that fully maximizes their potential. The course:

  • lays out how to approach admissions processes to institutions of higher education
  • guides students through the self-assessment needed to determine if and how to apply wisely
  • challenges students to consider the factors which make a college a right fit for them
  • offers an overview of the college application process, whether at a community college or four-year college
  • provides a summary of the most common sources of financial aid available to many transitioning service members and veterans

From intentional decision making--a method through which service members and veterans connect their life and military experiences with a potential academic or career path--to choosing a right fit college, understanding the application process, and financing their education, this course will provide tangible ways to successfully navigate all of these benchmarks in the transition to higher education.

While this course is open to everyone, the content has been tailored specifically for active duty service members and veterans, especially those who aspire to start school or return to school soon, and higher education professionals who work to support student veterans.

What you'll learn

Skip What you'll learn
  • General and detailed information about colleges and universities
  • An understanding of the transferability of military skills into certain fields
  • Instruction with regard to completion of
    • VA application forms
    • DOE financial aid forms
    • scholarship application forms
    • admissions essays
    • applications
  • Assistance in gaining knowledge about loans and financial aid

Syllabus

Skip Syllabus

I Welcome and Introduction

II Intentional Decision-Making

  • Introduction to Intentional Decision-Making
  • How We Choose
  • The Importance of Values
  • The Logical Next Steps
  • Options and Opportunities
  • Talking It Through
  • Making Your Choice

III Choosing A Right-Fit College

  • Introduction to Choosing a Right-Fit College
  • Important Factors to Consider
  • Basic Overview of Higher Ed
  • Major Selection
  • Questions to Ask
  • Creating a College List

IV The College Application Process

  • Introduction to the College Application Process
  • The College Application
  • Essays
  • Letters of Recommendation
  • Interviews
  • Admission Decisions
  • What to Do Once Accepted

V. Financing Your Education

  • Introduction to Financing Your Education
  • VA Benefits
  • Types of Financial Aid
  • FAFSA
  • Non-Federal Grants and Loans

VI. Keeping Graduate School on the Horizon

  • What Matters: Reflection on Your Values, Goals, and Options
  • Using Your Coursework to Develop Academic Relationships
  • Common Graduate School Programs
  • Timelines
  • Financing
  • Beyond AHE

Meet your instructors

Columbia University
Beth E. Morgan
Director of Higher Education Transition and Partnerships
Columbia University
R.J. Jenkins
Curriculum Designer
Columbia University
Skip Bailey
Senior Advisor to the Director of Educational Financing
Columbia University
Tanya Ang
Vice President of Veterans Education Success
Columbia University

Frequently asked questions

Q: Do I need to be a veteran or service member to take this course?
No. The course is open to everyone, and much of the material has a universal applicability; however, the course has been designed with veterans and service members in mind.

Q: How long do I have to complete the course?
Take as much time as you need. But if you are planning to take this course while you are applying to college, you will want to keep those other deadlines in mind.

Q: I'd like to talk with student veterans. Can I just skip to Tier 2?
No. You must complete the MOOC to be eligible for Tiers 2 and 3.

Q: I'm not a veteran. Can I still access the admissions assistance in Tier 3?
Unfortunately at this time, Tiers 2 & 3 are only available to veterans, service members, and certain qualified family members.