Mentally Transitioning into School

Many service members think of going back to school as a distant or unattainable goal. Whether you’re thinking about returning to the classroom after you get out of the service, attending next year, when you pick up your next rank, or whenever, it’s extremely beneficial to prepare mentally for the educational rigors ahead. For many, […]

The Road Less Traveled: The argument for becoming a student veteran

At some point in their career, every member of the military member considers life after their enlistment is completed. Often, they are filled with excitement as they anticipate the sense of freedom they will experience on the day they get out. With longing in their eyes, they imagine waking up late, not shaving or doing […]

Opinion Piece: Before You Roll up the Car Window

It was getting close to midnight. After serving hundreds of sushi to angry customers and cleaning up after drunk fraternity boys, I was on my way home with a pocket full of singles. I ran into a middle-aged man holding a sign in front of the restaurant.  Homeless veteran from Fort Drum, anything helps. Lucky […]

Searching for a University: Considering the Chicago Principles

            In recent years the definition of the University has been in flux. As NYU psychologist Jonathan Haidt has noted[1], the university is oscillating between truth and social justice. The competition between these values has been seen on campuses across the United States for several years. The shout-downs at Yale[2], the meltdown at Evergreen[3], the creation […]

Opinion Piece: On Networking

“It’s all about who you know.” A lot is said about the worth of networking, but not much is said about exactly what networking is and how we should approach it. Additionally, advice on networking can often miss the mark because approaches to networking should be tailored to the individual. What works for me might […]

Opinion: How to Have Constructive Conversations

I would like to start this post off with a caveat. Our views and opinions are formulated by our life experiences. Therefore, I would like to note that the following opinions regarding navigating hard topics are based solely on my own experience. Difficult conversations are exactly that: difficult. If they were easy, I doubt we […]

The Dumbest One in the Room

           I sat in the library and was trying to muster some level of energy to begin reading the hundred or so pages that were due for my class in a few hours. After a month of college classes, I was finally starting to figure out a nice schedule and getting used to the homework load. […]

The University of Chicago’s Holistic Approach to Veteran Services

Former enlisted military veterans are not traditionally who one might expect to find in attendance at a top-tier university. In fact, most enlisted folks themselves wouldn’t even consider it a possibility. Fortunately, there has been a major shift over the last decade, both in how veterans envision their future in higher education and in how […]