CHAPTER 1

Transitions are challenging. Starting kindergarten. Joining the military. Going to your first duty station. Deploying for the first time (or the second, or the third…). Reenlisting. Leaving active duty. Every event involves a similar process and circumstances. New and changed relationships. Different routines. Verifying or debunking assumptions (about both yourself and your new environment). Adapting to new roles. All of these circumstances, even when thoroughly planned, can become overwhelming, even stressful, especially if this transition is dramatic or abrupt.

Make no mistake. Whether you served for four years or 40, leaving the military and returning to the civilian world is a huge transition. In fact, it’s one of the most difficult challenges faced by most veterans. If you’re a combat veteran, the transition can be even harder. In the midst of everything else you’re doing, you will experience tension as you move from your previous identity (military service member) to several simultaneous new identities (veteran, civilian employee, college student, different component of the military), while moving toward a future yet to be determined (college graduate, new job).

But transitioning doesn’t have to be difficult; you just need a plan. Fortunately, you’ve already been taught how to assess new or unfamiliar situations. You know that the first step is to organize what you know and what you don’t. Research deeper to fill in any information gaps as best you can. Then scout some more and move out. As a matter of fact, you already know the name for this process. It’s called the military decision-making process, typically documented as an operations order.

Here’s a quick refresher:

The five-paragraph order, or operations order, or OPORD, depending on your branch of service, is a way to organize information about a situation for a military unit in the field. It is most often used to break down a unit’s role in the larger scheme of things, i.e. Squad A needs to secure a building while the rest of the company attacks Objective B. If you served in the Army or the Marine Corps you’ve probably got this format memorized. If you served in a different branch, don’t worry—it isn’t that difficult to pick up. Besides, we’re going to use it to plan your transition into higher education, so everyone, regardless of service, will be able to put this into effect.

The five paragraphs can be remembered by the acronym SMEAC: Situation, Mission, Execution, Administration/Logistics, Command and Signal. Before we get ahead of ourselves: As many of you are aware, there are quite a few subtypes in a five-paragraph order, but for the purpose of this chapter I won’t be going into those. The main headings of a five-paragraph order are usually more than enough detail for this purpose.

You are a recently (or perhaps not-so-recently) separated veteran of the armed forces. You want to enroll in college, but it seems like a daunting task. There are universities, colleges, community colleges, technical and trade schools, online, distance, and hybrid classes. Day and night. Full and part-time. And what about paying for it? Grants, financial aid, loans, scholarships, the list goes on and on. How are you supposed to sort through all the noise?

First, take account of your situation: What is your ultimate purpose for attending higher education? To get a good job? To expand your mind? To become a better and more informed citizen? In the same way the first step of an OPORD asks you to understand the situation, the first thing you need to do is understand the institution you are considering attending. What are the obstacles? Who are your allies? Know the terrain. Does this college offer interesting programs? Does it have a good reputation? Is it accredited? In short, will it get you where you want to go in the way you want to get ther