Militarily Speaking Season 2 Episode 17: The Free College Resource Every Veteran Should Know About

Welcome to Season 2 Episode 17 of the "Militarily Speaking" podcast with Tom McLean and Jodi Vickery

In this episode of Militarily Speaking, we talk with Sydney Mathis, CEO of Service to School, about helping active-duty service members and veterans turn their military experience and education benefits into meaningful college opportunities. They discuss Service to School’s free college admissions support, VetLink partner schools, veteran-to-veteran mentorship and how military students can find the right path from service to higher education.

“Militarily Speaking” is a podcast produced by Armed Forces Bank that is dedicated to the military lifestyle and all the things that makes the military community who they are.

Every Veteran Should Know About this Free College Resource

Transitioning from military service can create an unfamiliar question: What comes next?

For many veterans and active-duty service members, higher education is part of the answer. The GI Bill and other military education benefits can make college financially possible, but choosing the right school, navigating an admissions process designed largely for traditional students and translating years of military experience into an application can still be difficult.

That is where Service to School comes in.

Led by CEO Sydney Mathis, Service to School is a national nonprofit that helps active-duty service members and veterans pursue undergraduate and graduate education. Its support can begin long before a service member leaves active duty and continue through the application process and into college.

The goal is not simply helping veterans get into a school. It is helping them understand what educational opportunities are available, identify schools that fit their goals and use the benefits they earned through military service in a way that can create long-term opportunity.

What Is Service to School?

Service to School has spent approximately 15 years helping veterans and service members pursue higher education. The organization originally began with MBA students helping military officers apply to business school. As its founders became more familiar with the military education landscape, they saw an even larger opportunity to assist enlisted service members pursuing undergraduate degrees.

Today, Service to School supports both undergraduate and graduate students. Service members can connect with the organization while still on active duty, as they prepare for a military transition or after becoming a veteran. That support can include guidance on selecting schools, navigating college admissions, developing application materials and connecting with mentors who have already made a similar journey.

Most importantly for prospective students, Service to School provides its services at no cost. For Mathis, the mission is simple: veterans should have access to the educational opportunities they earned through their service.

VetLink Helps Veterans See New College Possibilities

One of Service to School’s most prominent undergraduate programs is VetLink. The program connects enlisted service members and veterans with colleges and universities that have demonstrated both strong academic outcomes and a commitment to supporting student veterans.

Partner institutions include widely recognized universities such as Stanford, MIT, Harvard and Princeton, along with schools including Amherst, Williams, Wesleyan and Villanova. For some veterans, these may be schools they never imagined attending.

Military service, however, can give applicants qualities colleges value. Leadership, maturity, teamwork, problem solving, discipline and significant life experience can distinguish student veterans from traditional applicants.

VetLink helps veterans recognize those strengths and understand that highly competitive colleges may be realistic possibilities. The program also focuses on outcomes. Undergraduate VetLink partners must have at least a 70% six-year graduation rate. Mathis notes that only about 23% of GI Bill beneficiaries attend institutions with graduation rates above that threshold.

For Service to School, helping veterans access higher education means thinking beyond admission. The organization wants military students attending schools where they have strong opportunities to graduate, build professional networks and prepare for their next career.

Veteran-Friendly Colleges Need More Than a Label

Getting veterans onto a campus is only part of creating a successful student veteran experience. Service to School looks for VetLink partners that demonstrate a meaningful commitment to military students. Partner schools participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program and are expected to provide resources that help veterans succeed after enrollment.

Those resources may look different from campus to campus. Some universities provide dedicated veteran centers. Others offer year-round housing, an important benefit for veterans and military families who may not have another home to return to when traditional campus housing closes during school breaks.

Other institutions offer veteran-specific research opportunities, financial aid or programs such as fully funded study abroad experiences. The common factor is a willingness to go beyond simply saying veterans are welcome. By working directly with colleges, Service to School can also help institutions recognize policies that unintentionally create barriers for military students.

College Admissions Were Not Designed Around Military Life

A traditional college applicant may move directly from high school into higher education. Their school counselor is readily available, their academic history is recent, and the application process is designed around their experiences. A veteran may be applying under completely different circumstances.

They may have graduated from high school years earlier. Their former counselor may no longer work there. They may have attended multiple colleges, accumulated military education credits, completed specialized training, deployed overseas and changed jobs or duty stations several times. Yet the same college application is often used for both students.

That can leave veterans trying to fit years of military service into forms that were never designed around their experiences. Service to School works not only with veterans, but with higher education professionals to address those challenges. The organization helps admissions offices better understand military backgrounds, enlisted and officer experiences, military education credits and the wide variety of occupations that exist within the Armed Forces.

That knowledge can help colleges remove unnecessary barriers while giving admissions teams a more complete understanding of what veteran applicants bring to campus.

Veteran Mentorship Creates an Educational Battle Buddy

Professional college advising is one part of Service to School’s approach. Veteran-to-veteran mentorship is another.

Service to School has more than 800 volunteer ambassadors, many of whom previously received support from the organization and now want to help the next generation of student veterans. These mentors can provide something that even an experienced admissions counselor cannot: firsthand perspective.

A veteran who has already transitioned from military service into college understands many of the questions a new applicant may be asking.

Am I really qualified for this school?
Will I fit in with traditional college students?
How do I explain my military experience?
What if I have been out of the classroom for years?

Mentors have confronted many of those same uncertainties. Mathis describes Service to School’s model as a three-pronged approach involving the student, a veteran mentor and a professional college advisor.

The mentor can provide encouragement and firsthand experience, while the advisor contributes technical knowledge of admissions and the application process. Jodi compares the role to an educational battle buddy – someone who has been there before and can help a veteran navigate unfamiliar territory.

Turn Military Experience Into an Admissions Strength

Military experience can be one of a veteran’s greatest strengths as an applicant, but only if an admissions officer understands it. Military acronyms, occupational specialties and job descriptions may make perfect sense within a unit while meaning very little to someone in a college admissions office.

To help bridge that gap, Service to School developed the VetLink Addendum for undergraduate applicants. Mathis describes the tool as essentially a “demilitarized resume.” Veterans can use it to explain jobs, deployments, PCS moves and other experiences in language admissions professionals can understand. Instead of simply listing an MOS or military title, applicants can communicate the responsibilities, skills and leadership behind that position.

That distinction matters because two service members with the same military occupational specialty may have had very different careers. For graduate applicants, this translation is often handled through mentorship and application support. Leadership responsibilities, budget management, personnel supervision and other military experiences can become important parts of a graduate school application when explained in terms an admissions committee recognizes.

The objective is not to minimize military terminology. It is to make sure the value behind that experience is not lost in translation.

Start Planning for College Before Leaving Active Duty

A military education plan does not have to begin when transition paperwork starts. Service to School increasingly works with service members years before they expect to separate from active duty.

That early planning can create additional opportunities. Someone who knows college is part of their long-term plan can think strategically about using tuition assistance while serving, earning transferable credits and researching schools before beginning the formal application process.

Instead of reaching the end of active duty and asking, “What now?” they can leave the military with an educational foundation already in place.

Service to School supports active-duty members at virtually any stage, including those who may still have years remaining in their military career. That makes higher education another part of military transition planning rather than something that only begins after separation.

Finding the Right College Is More Important Than Finding the Biggest Name

Service to School works with some of the most recognizable universities in the country, but Mathis emphasizes that selectivity or name recognition should not be the only factor in choosing a college. The best school depends on the individual student.

Academic programs, career goals, veteran resources, financial support, campus community and personal circumstances can all influence whether an institution is a good fit.

Service to School helps veterans apply to schools beyond its VetLink network as well. The goal is not to push every veteran toward an Ivy League university or another highly selective institution. It is to help each person make an informed educational decision and identify a college where they have the opportunity to thrive.

That can also help veterans think more strategically about military education benefits. Some students attending institutions that meet their demonstrated financial need may choose not to immediately use their GI Bill, preserving benefits for a future MBA, law degree or other graduate program.

Understanding all of the available options can help military families make education decisions with both academic and financial goals in mind.

Partnerships Can Support Veterans Beyond Admissions

No single veteran service organization can address every part of the transition from military service to education and eventually into the civilian workforce. Mathis views organizations serving veterans as collaborators rather than competitors.

Service to School works with organizations including Warrior Scholar Project, which offers academic boot camps that help veterans sharpen study and learning skills before returning to the classroom. The organization also works with 50 Strong to help student veterans explore careers and connect with professionals working in different industries.

These resources can be especially helpful for a service member who knows they want to pursue a field such as finance or healthcare but does not yet understand the different careers available within that industry. By connecting veterans with other organizations, mentors and professionals, Service to School can support a broader journey from military service to college and ultimately into a civilian career.

Success Means Expanding What Veterans Believe Is Possible

Service to School tracks enrollment, applications and other traditional measures of organizational growth. More than 3,000 veterans and service members have gained admission with the organization’s support, and Tom points to a reported 90% acceptance rate into students’ first- or second-choice schools.

But Mathis says the most meaningful measure of success often comes from individual stories. It is the veteran who struggled academically before military service and later discovers they are capable of studying mechanical engineering at MIT.

It is the applicant who believed a particular university was only a dream until a mentor encouraged them to try. And it is the student who takes what they learned during military service, adds a meaningful education and begins the next chapter of their professional life.

For Service to School, those outcomes demonstrate something bigger than an acceptance letter. They show veterans what may be possible when military experience, education benefits, mentorship and the right resources come together.

Military Minute

The Military Minute giveaway offers listeners like you a chance to show off your military and life knowledge. Winners receive $50 for themselves and a charity of their choice! For giveaway details or to enter, visit the Militarily Speaking Podcast Facebook page and find this episodes’ Military Minute post!

Last episode’s Military Minute: What four departments are part of Spouse-ly U?
Answer: Business, finance, marketing and selling.
This week’s Military Minute question: How many of the eight Ivy League schools are partnered with Service to School?

Watch for this episode's post on the Militarily Speaking Podcast Facebook. Answer with the correct answer and you plus a charity of your choice can each win $50. After a winning selection, Military Minute participants are eligible for another selection after 12 months.

Tom closes the episode by asking listeners to go to www.afbank.com and subscribe to the show, as well as leave a rating and comment on your favorite podcast platform such as Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Join us to hear how to better navigate your finances, military life, and the crossroads of the two. Visit www.afbank.com.