The Pat Tillman Foundation offers Tillman Military Scholars competitive scholarships  that help veterans complete their undergraduate degrees or funds costs related to their advanced degrees, including help with living expenses.  To become a Tillman Military Scholar, applicants must be a veteran or active duty military or the spouse of a `veteran or active duty military service member from any branch of service.

Unlike many scholarships or service related programs, there are no restrictions on when service began or where you served.  The program is open to Vietnam-era as well as Gulf War and Iraq and Afghanistan-era veterans.

The applicant must be a full time student pursuing an undergraduate, graduate or post-graduate program at a 4-year U.S. based, accredited institution.

Proof of military service is required in the application packet as well as two short essays about military experience and educational goals.  Applying spouses are asked about the effect of their partner’s service on their lives and their career and educational goals.

Details about requirements, qualifications, the application process and potential rewards are available here.  Unlike other scholarships, the Pat Tillman Foundation is there for the long haul, supporting the scholar until (s)he completes his/her educational goals, as long as yearly requirements are maintained.

Scholars may begin to apply on Monday, February 13, 2012.  The application closes on Friday, March 16, 2012.  Essay questions, expectations, eligibility information and requirements are available already, however, so no one will grade you down if you begin to get your packet together now.

With the cost of public and private universities increasing every semester, there is a real question for many potential students if the cost of the degree is worth it.  For many veterans it is foolish not to use the benefits.  The temptation to do it on the cheap or with a limited time investment is a very real and very viable one.  Going online or to community college can save money and knock out easy credits.  But therein lies the problem.

One of the few areas where both liberal and conservative thinkers in this country agree is that the veteran community is made up of remarkable people.  In the military, one wouldn’t try to do as little as possible for the unit and still expect to be promoted.  Well, that thinking applies here.  Some classes, arts and literature for the scientific and mathematic (and vice versa), may seem like a giant waste of time.  I am sure it seems like just as much of a waste of time as filling sandbags or any of the other tiny, almost zen-like lessons the military tries to teach its soldiers.  College is just like the military in that you can do the bare minimum standard and stay in, or you can push yourself, take risks and reap benefits you never knew existed.

This is a personal opinion, but I also think the on-ground college experience cannot be beat.  There is a level of access to your professors that one wouldn’t have online.  Numerous times I have walked and talked with professors, having concepts explained to me and tailored to my individual ability to learn and work out problems.  The peers are varied and diverse: older and younger, affluent and broke, focused or drifting, and a host of other qualities that were simultaneously both present and absent in the military experience.  That is, they were there, but their importance often dwindled when we would remember where we were.  Also, these students benefit from the presence of veterans.  Many are more likely to ask questions than presume they know the answer to them.

There is no guarantee that even if every veteran went to college and graduated with a degree that he or she would be guaranteed a job.  More students are majoring in Drama than in Engineering.  Myself, I started in computer science, but instead changed my focus to English.  However, even those students majoring in the “wrong” things will emerge from their experience smarter than if they hadn’t gone.  Even those who are highly critical of college perfected their critical thinking skills in those same college classes.  All education isn’t equal.  Neither are students.  What is constant, though, is that just like in the military, you will get out of your education what you put into it.  Why not go all-in?

Enhancements to the G.I. Bill two years ago included measures that make it even easier for veterans to pursue college degrees, according to the Washington Post. The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs persists in defending and promoting veterans’ rights, and many colleges are respecting the request.

Roger Parker, a U.S. Army vet who attends Anne Arundel Community College, says, “No one told me that when I came out of one hostile environment, I would end up in another hostile environment, fighting for my benefits.”

A list of the most military friendly schools for 2012 was recently released by G.I. Jobs magazine. The report identifies the top 20 percent of American institutions that welcome veterans with open arms, as well as offer customized veterans benefits for qualifying students.

According to WKYC Channel 3 in Cleveland, there were 13 Northeast Ohio colleges that made the list. Ohio’s high concentration of veteran-friendly schools includes Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland State University, John Carroll University, Notre Dame College, Kent State University and more.

Olympic College recently dedicated a new facility for helping former servicemembers with their VA benefits.

The center, known as the Veteran and Military Support Center, was created to aid the approximately 1,500 current and former servicemembers and their families that attend the school, according to the local news source the Kitsap Sun. The Bremerton, Washington college did have a small benefits office, but it didn’t have any place for the servicemember groups to meet.

President of Olympia College, Dr. David Mithcell, said, “It’s very appropriate because Olympic College has the second-largest veterans population of any college and university in the state.” Mitchell went on to say, “We are excited as we make this commitment to veterans in our area.”

The new office employs a staff member from AmeriCorps, and also has many volunteers, according to the news source. Additionally, social service representatives visit the center regularly to help inform military servicemembers of the various benefits packages available to them. Finally, academic counselors are also available at the center to help those military members attending the school with their career paths.

The Department of Veterans’ Affairs offers many veterans benefits packages to veterans and active duty military members. The federal organization encourages former servicemembers and their families to contact their local VA service branch, or other reputable organizations that can help in such services.