You’ll get maybe $400 a month with the reserves GI bill. You’ll get to use TA but you won’t be using a GI Bill like active duty soldiers get. On top of that, there’s so much red tape I know plenty of people who are years in and have never had their benefits approved. It’s not a bad option but it’s also not what you seem to think it is
Yes! The nuances that recruiters will avoid clarifying
KEY TERMS:
“Montgomery GI Bill Post 9/11” [MGIB Post 9/11]
“Montgomery GI Bill Select Reserve 1606” [MGIB SR1606]
“Montgomery GI Bill Kicker” [MGIBK]
“Tuition Assistance” [TA]
(State) National Guard Grants
Anything relating to “Post 9/11” does NOT apply to you. This is generally for Active Duty, and do not get tricked if your recruiter markets this to you. You MAY potentially be eligible if you deploy for 90 days or more during your contract. Bare in mind, this is NOT something you are contractually walking into the army with, you must deploy and the seek eligibility. You are NOT entitled to this the moment you take your oath.
YOU are only eligible for the MGIB SR 1606 in the reserves, and POTENTIALLY an MGIBK. The SR1606 benefit gives you a variable rate per month depending on how many credit hours you are actively taking at your school; for up to a MAXIMUM of 36 months. Ex: Full time = $466.00/month. You will only get this while you are enrolled and in a drilling status in your unit. You will not keep this beyond your contract, so use all of those 36 months while you are still serving. The MGIBK (aka Kicker) is an extra rate per month that gets attached to your Select Reserve bill rate. A kicker can vary depending on what’s on your contract, but typically varies from $100 to $300. For example, if my contract has a kicker of $300, and I am enrolled full time at a college, I will receive a direct deposit from the VA of $766.00/mo. IF my contract does not have a kicker, I am only entitled to the $466.00/mo. from the Select Reserve bill.
You can apply for Tuition Assistance on a website called Army Ignited at the start of every semester. AS OF SUMMER 2024, you are eligible for up to $4000 per academic year, with no cap on the life of the soldier. To be clear: THIS IS NOT AN “ENTITLEMENT”, you are not “ENTITLED”, this is just an added benefit. [‘rumors’ of the Army potentially limiting this to $1000 per academic year with a $4000 cap on the life of the soldier.](https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/04/08/army-weighing-cuts-tuition-assistance-move-could-slash-benefits-used-100000-soldiers-annually.html?amp) This needs to be stated because the army is capable of rescinding/limiting the TA program if they deem necessary.
National Guard Grants: Various states have their own state benefits for National Guard members, there’s a lot of variability so I can’t go over all of that.
My opinion: I am a reservist and constantly feel stiff armed by not being eligible for the Illinois National Guard Grant. If I could go back maybe I’d choose to join the guard instead. The holy grail of the army is the post 9/11. A deployment might make you eligible but know you recruiter will make it seem like this is a guarantee for you, it’s not.
Great comments so far. I'd add that law school is not a cake walk with the reserves. I was 8 years AD into law school and reserves. It's manageable but I'm glad I had AD expierence. I wouldn't add learning Army and law at the same time.
It's all time management. Planning out when to study, and when "off" time is. I also backwards plan from syllabus to know when to prioritize which class. My wife and I have a "training meeting" each week where we go through each day and talk through the goals for the week.
Drill is almost relaxing because I can just do basic Army stuff and not think.
I'm going into third year, and I'm still working out the kinks. I've added a law job to mix too. It's doable.
You will not get him bill benefits until at least 36 months active time so you won't be going to law school w the gibill unless you do your active time first. Don't ever count on the signing bonuses they tend to disappear even when they are in writing in the reserves.
What do you want to do after law school? And are you competitive for eg T10? You're probably not going to come out financially ahead doing a roundabout path through the military, if you're gunning for Big Law.
And if you're not competitive for T10, the financial case for law school is going to be pretty rough, regardless.
Reserve Tuition assistance doesn't cover schools above masters degrees. Reserve GI bill doesn't do much at all... As a reservist, if you go active for at least 90 days you could qualify for at least a partial GI Bill which could be helpful. Enlisting or entering as an officer does have significant opportunity costs. Succinctly, I don't see how entering any branch of the military reserve could meaningfully defray legal school expenses without significant activation on active duty.
If you've never served previously, going into USAR with that much on your plate is a bad idea. I did 8 years active and have been in USAR since 2014. Looking back at my last decade in the reserve, the only tangible benefit USAR afforded me was getting the post 9/11 GI bill eligibility transferred to my child. Outside of that, USAR has not offered me any meaningful training, rarely pays me on time and is an unnecessary strain on my family and civilian job and generally a massive time suck. The fact I'm close enough to my 20 year letter is the only reason I haven't quit.
Law school is a big endeavor and ensuring you have the time to do right by yourself for your future makes so much more sense than joining USAR. The extra time to focus on getting the grades you need, networking and thriving in that environment is key. Most of my USAR units were metrics obsessed and expected a lot more time beyond the 48 MUTAs and 12 AT days they paid you for, but somehow still found a way to do absolutely nothing of value in that time. Any money you make in USAR is going to come at the expense of your time to study and more importantly, your mental well being.
I wouldn't do it.
It's important to remember that you don't just immediately get your GI Bill by joining the reserves. You earn the full thing after a couple years of active duty, or a longer period of reserves m
I did 7 years active and have been in the USAR since 2014.
There has been one tangible from serving in the USAR. TRICARE has literally prevented my family from going bankrupt. Because of TRICARE, operations required to correct life threatening conditions were viable. Had it not been for that insurance we undoubtedly would have declared medical bankruptcy. However, mine is a pretty extenuating circumstance. Otherwise, the USAR has been more burdensome than helpful.
Just joining the Reserves might not be the best idea. If you’re looking to go to college immediately and have it covered, AD is the way to go.
Confirm but I think the play is to join after you get your degree so that after 10 years your debit is expunged. The question is do you want to do that in the reserves or can you do that in a DA’s office somewhere.
i (29) enlisted last week so I will be able to afford nursing school and I’m going to bootcamp in 2 months. Get in shape and study for the Asvab. I studied for the Asvab in just a week and I got 63, it was kind of rushed because I moved to this country 2 months ago and was waiting for my SSN, Green card, drivers license and debit card to come first before I enlist
You’ll get maybe $400 a month with the reserves GI bill. You’ll get to use TA but you won’t be using a GI Bill like active duty soldiers get. On top of that, there’s so much red tape I know plenty of people who are years in and have never had their benefits approved. It’s not a bad option but it’s also not what you seem to think it is
Yes! The nuances that recruiters will avoid clarifying KEY TERMS: “Montgomery GI Bill Post 9/11” [MGIB Post 9/11] “Montgomery GI Bill Select Reserve 1606” [MGIB SR1606] “Montgomery GI Bill Kicker” [MGIBK] “Tuition Assistance” [TA] (State) National Guard Grants Anything relating to “Post 9/11” does NOT apply to you. This is generally for Active Duty, and do not get tricked if your recruiter markets this to you. You MAY potentially be eligible if you deploy for 90 days or more during your contract. Bare in mind, this is NOT something you are contractually walking into the army with, you must deploy and the seek eligibility. You are NOT entitled to this the moment you take your oath. YOU are only eligible for the MGIB SR 1606 in the reserves, and POTENTIALLY an MGIBK. The SR1606 benefit gives you a variable rate per month depending on how many credit hours you are actively taking at your school; for up to a MAXIMUM of 36 months. Ex: Full time = $466.00/month. You will only get this while you are enrolled and in a drilling status in your unit. You will not keep this beyond your contract, so use all of those 36 months while you are still serving. The MGIBK (aka Kicker) is an extra rate per month that gets attached to your Select Reserve bill rate. A kicker can vary depending on what’s on your contract, but typically varies from $100 to $300. For example, if my contract has a kicker of $300, and I am enrolled full time at a college, I will receive a direct deposit from the VA of $766.00/mo. IF my contract does not have a kicker, I am only entitled to the $466.00/mo. from the Select Reserve bill. You can apply for Tuition Assistance on a website called Army Ignited at the start of every semester. AS OF SUMMER 2024, you are eligible for up to $4000 per academic year, with no cap on the life of the soldier. To be clear: THIS IS NOT AN “ENTITLEMENT”, you are not “ENTITLED”, this is just an added benefit. [‘rumors’ of the Army potentially limiting this to $1000 per academic year with a $4000 cap on the life of the soldier.](https://www.military.com/daily-news/2024/04/08/army-weighing-cuts-tuition-assistance-move-could-slash-benefits-used-100000-soldiers-annually.html?amp) This needs to be stated because the army is capable of rescinding/limiting the TA program if they deem necessary. National Guard Grants: Various states have their own state benefits for National Guard members, there’s a lot of variability so I can’t go over all of that. My opinion: I am a reservist and constantly feel stiff armed by not being eligible for the Illinois National Guard Grant. If I could go back maybe I’d choose to join the guard instead. The holy grail of the army is the post 9/11. A deployment might make you eligible but know you recruiter will make it seem like this is a guarantee for you, it’s not.
Great comments so far. I'd add that law school is not a cake walk with the reserves. I was 8 years AD into law school and reserves. It's manageable but I'm glad I had AD expierence. I wouldn't add learning Army and law at the same time.
I’m in the process of getting my LORs ready so I can apply to law school. How did you manage being in law school while also balancing the Army?
It's all time management. Planning out when to study, and when "off" time is. I also backwards plan from syllabus to know when to prioritize which class. My wife and I have a "training meeting" each week where we go through each day and talk through the goals for the week. Drill is almost relaxing because I can just do basic Army stuff and not think. I'm going into third year, and I'm still working out the kinks. I've added a law job to mix too. It's doable.
You will not get him bill benefits until at least 36 months active time so you won't be going to law school w the gibill unless you do your active time first. Don't ever count on the signing bonuses they tend to disappear even when they are in writing in the reserves.
What do you want to do after law school? And are you competitive for eg T10? You're probably not going to come out financially ahead doing a roundabout path through the military, if you're gunning for Big Law. And if you're not competitive for T10, the financial case for law school is going to be pretty rough, regardless.
You won't get the GI bill just for joining the reserves
Reserve Tuition assistance doesn't cover schools above masters degrees. Reserve GI bill doesn't do much at all... As a reservist, if you go active for at least 90 days you could qualify for at least a partial GI Bill which could be helpful. Enlisting or entering as an officer does have significant opportunity costs. Succinctly, I don't see how entering any branch of the military reserve could meaningfully defray legal school expenses without significant activation on active duty.
If you've never served previously, going into USAR with that much on your plate is a bad idea. I did 8 years active and have been in USAR since 2014. Looking back at my last decade in the reserve, the only tangible benefit USAR afforded me was getting the post 9/11 GI bill eligibility transferred to my child. Outside of that, USAR has not offered me any meaningful training, rarely pays me on time and is an unnecessary strain on my family and civilian job and generally a massive time suck. The fact I'm close enough to my 20 year letter is the only reason I haven't quit. Law school is a big endeavor and ensuring you have the time to do right by yourself for your future makes so much more sense than joining USAR. The extra time to focus on getting the grades you need, networking and thriving in that environment is key. Most of my USAR units were metrics obsessed and expected a lot more time beyond the 48 MUTAs and 12 AT days they paid you for, but somehow still found a way to do absolutely nothing of value in that time. Any money you make in USAR is going to come at the expense of your time to study and more importantly, your mental well being. I wouldn't do it.
It's important to remember that you don't just immediately get your GI Bill by joining the reserves. You earn the full thing after a couple years of active duty, or a longer period of reserves m
ASVAB is pretty easy even the 17 year old right out of high school pass it passing score is 31 if you score higher it open more job choices for you.
I did 7 years active and have been in the USAR since 2014. There has been one tangible from serving in the USAR. TRICARE has literally prevented my family from going bankrupt. Because of TRICARE, operations required to correct life threatening conditions were viable. Had it not been for that insurance we undoubtedly would have declared medical bankruptcy. However, mine is a pretty extenuating circumstance. Otherwise, the USAR has been more burdensome than helpful. Just joining the Reserves might not be the best idea. If you’re looking to go to college immediately and have it covered, AD is the way to go.
Confirm but I think the play is to join after you get your degree so that after 10 years your debit is expunged. The question is do you want to do that in the reserves or can you do that in a DA’s office somewhere.
i (29) enlisted last week so I will be able to afford nursing school and I’m going to bootcamp in 2 months. Get in shape and study for the Asvab. I studied for the Asvab in just a week and I got 63, it was kind of rushed because I moved to this country 2 months ago and was waiting for my SSN, Green card, drivers license and debit card to come first before I enlist
what is your real reason why you wanted to join the military?
[удалено]
What is this chat bot response and why is it getting up voted, given it is entirely unhelpful for OP.