Leaving university; do it online

[Phillip V]

I am tentatively exploring leaving Lehigh University to pursue an online degree and become an officer through the Army Reserve Direct Commissioning Program in less than a year rather than waiting 2 years and accumulating expensive debt at Lehigh ($10-15k per year), not including lost wages/promotion/experience, etc; The classroom environment and ROTC make me unhappy. The costs make my parents unhappy which further makes me unhappy. Pursuing a history degree at Lehigh did not change the fact that I am an independent learner and hate sitting in undergraduate lecture. I am happiest when on duty and doing work.

Getting the officer job I want in the Army comes irrespective of GPA, school, or type of degree. I just need a degree. Lehigh is not worth the time and money.
I will finish the semester with 68 credits. The online universities are very military friendly, and I could probably enter with 90 credits starting at any time since they recognize military experience, placement tests, and other distance courses as transfer credit. Online "semesters" can be 8 or 16 weeks depending on how "intense" you want it to be, carrying up to 15 credits (5 classes). Graduate with 121 credits.

Depending on my finances, I may volunteer for a tour of duty for 180-400 days while I do this. The pay at my current rank and longevity would be about $45k/yr. The options I have found right now are supporting mobilization training in Massachusetts (which would be closer to home in Connecticut); the Joint Communications Support Element in Florida, Hawaii, Germany, or Italy; or the White House Communications Agency.

My career prospects after graduating and commissioning are spending at least 6-8 years full-time with the Army as an activated Reservist. If I do take the step towards a civilian career, I would get an MBA from a brick-and-mortar school or something. Even with civilian employ, I plan to stay in the Army for 20+ years in active or part-time status.

[The Nickname Who Was Thursday]

Sounds like you've got it all planned out. Good luck.

[citizen k]

http://www.apus.edu/index.htm

[Phillip V]

http://www.apus.edu/index.htm

Thanks for the link. American Military University is on the top of my list.

[Monoriu]

Good luck.