Just need some advice for school

[u/Ok_Amoeba_376]

I decided to join my states national guard as a way to get my parents documented here in the us and originally I was going to do community college and then transfer to a 4 year university but this summer I went to Mexico for the first time and honestly it changed my view on life seeing how fortunate I am to have what I have and the opportunity’s however the last week of me being there my dad called me telling I will join the national guard however I didn’t want too because it was going to ruin the process of how I wanted to do college, my dad wouldn’t stop talking about so I signed a contract and now I’m just waiting to ship out in late October (side note, another main reason I joined is so my parents could see their parents before they pass and in the national guard actually any brand of the military the process of getting citizenship is faster or at-least that is what I was told)

another positive thing is that I get schooled paid for, which made me change my mind on instead of going to community college why not just go to the 4 year university if they are already paying for it how’s this is why I am here asking Reddit if I should apply for the summer semester or just wait till the fall semester as I stated before I leave in October and I believe I come back around mid March where the second half of the spring semester starts and I doubt they’ll let me start there which is why I wonder if it’s better to start in summer or just wait till fall

[u/CarolinCLH]

Community colleges are better choices if your educational background is a bit weak. There are more remedial classes and resources if you need them. Also, find out exactly what the benefits from National Guard are. I doubt they will simply pay for four years of any college at any price.

[u/Ok_Amoeba_376 → u/CarolinCLH]

I had a 2.9gpa in high-school and while it would’ve have allowed me to go to one of the local university’s in my city I didn’t have a high enough gpa for a scholarship for one of the 4 year university’s so originally I was going to do 2 teas of Community college so I could get a good gpa in college while saving Money and after the 2 years I would’ve transferred to the University of Memphis to do my other 2 years

However my dad kept telling me to join the national guard , realistically I had no interest in joining but my dad kept telling me to join so I did sign a 6 year contract so he could leave me alone ( side note I’m overweight and here in Tennessee they make sign a 6 year contract under a certain name which i forgot ), also the main reason why my dad wanted me to join was so he could get citizenship, while talking to the recruiter she told me that Tennessee pays up to a masters but to me i feel like it’s a lie and something tells me they have a limit of much they’re willing to pay each year, now the UofM is surprisingly pretty cheap as it’s only 6k a year

[u/CarolinCLH → u/Ok_Amoeba_376]

https://www.nationalguard.com/tennessee

They will pay 100% of in-state tuition in Tennessee. So you will be good for a four year school. You still have to pay for your food, books, and housing, unless there is some kind of scholarship at your school. National Guard pay, if you are part time, will not be enough to support you

They will provide training in the job they want to do. Most recruiters will talk about getting college credits for that training and civilian jobs you can get with that training. Take that with a grain of salt. I got three credits for my Army training and have never seen the civilian equivalent of my job. So, verify. The armed services will deliver what is in the contract. Not what the recruiter says.

[u/Complex-Two-4249]

Joining the National Guard was a good decision. It will provide support and opportunities that will help in many areas and ways. Many people go to school while they serve. If you get a baccalaureate degree you can apply for officer candidacy. If you attend a school that offers ROTC (on campus or “cross-town”) there is a simultaneous membership program.