Veterans in Higher Education: A College Degree as a Second Opportunity

• In Event: Veterans Affairs: Experiences of U.S. Military Members Transitioning to Postsecondary Environments

Abstract

This paper focuses on the experiences of veteran students enrolled in the public two-year sector. This is an important population that has been entering college every year and will increase its representation as overseas soldiers return to the US. All of this will bring additional needs and important challenges to higher education. Grounded theory approach is used to conduct the data analysis (Corbin & Strauss, 2008). Data analysis is based on two moments: before the military experience and after the military experience. We found that several key transitions experienced by students were not a key component of how the community colleges attempted to integrate students to the college environment, leaving them with feelings of isolation. Procedural obstacles also presented hurdles.

Authors

• Monica Moreno Anguas

• Regina J. Deil-Amen, The University of Arizona