Transferring to ODU

Welcome to Old Dominion University. ODU is likely very similar to academic institution you're transferring out of. This blog will hopefully give you a good start to the next phase of your academic career.

The three most important places on campus will be the Webb Center, Rollin's Hall and the Bookstore.

You may have already found Rollin's Hall since Admissions is in that building. Rollin's Hall is also home to the Registrar's Office, Financial Aid and Veterans Affairs. These will continue to be important offices until you graduate.

The next place you'll want to visit is the University Webb Center. This is a very large building. I would recommend walking through any door and just getting lost for a little while. You will find the University Card Center. This is where you get your student ID, you're going to need that for many things so go ahead and get it now. The OCCS Customer Service Desk is also in the Webb. They will tell you how to hook up to the campus WiFi and print remotely. These are two features you will certainly take advantage off.

The Webb is also home to Starbucks, the Cafeteria, a food court, the Women's Center and Student Health. You will need to take a copy of your shot record to Student Health which is near the food court. There is an ATM in the food court area. The only other ATM is at the Boars Nest restaurant in the Village.

The village is a great area filled with shops and restaurants on the other side of Hampton Blvd. from ODU. Here you will find everything from an art gallery to campus safety. The Starbucks, which is attached to the bookstore, offers a nice place to relax and study when you have a short break between classes.

The Bookstore is a place you will certainly visit at least once each semester. You can go online to see if they have your books and even place your order there. If there are a limited number of used books, this is a great way to snag one before they open the textbook section up to everyone. This also means you don't have to hunt around for your books. You just wait a few days and then go to the third floor to pick up your books. Before you buy, shop around a little.

You may be able to find your books online (www.half.com is a good one) or at the Dominion Bookstore. This store is at the end of Monarch Way and has far more used books. There is usually only a price difference of a dollar or two; however, you can sometimes get used books here when the Old Dominion Book store is sold out.

I've marked the above locations on my Google Map along with many others. You can use this navigate around campus. I've marked the three parking garages as well as the Parking Office. the parking passes are expensive but make sure you get one because you get a parking ticket and they add up fast, trust me on that.

View ODU for the new student in a larger map

VA to Start Accepting Applications for the Post 9/11 GI Bill

The Department of Veterans Affairs will start accepting applications for the Post 9/11 GI Bill on May 1, 2009. The VA hired an additional 500 staff members to help process the one-half million applications they expect to receive. Keith Wilson, director of education services for the VA said, "we are set to go."

For many veterans this new plan represents a long awaited benefit. The plan will pay 100% of the tuition, includes $1,000 stipend for books and supplies, and a monthly housing allowance. Not all veterans will receive the full amount of the benefits.

Patrick Campbell, legislative counsel for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, expressed some concern, "the biggest problem is that people don't understand the benefits." Campbell said that despite the numerous mailings and internet postings by the VA, the IAVA is still answering numerous questions on a daily basis.

On Friday, May 1st, 2009, the Veterans Administration will process the first applications for the Post 9/11 GI Bill. The first payments will be sent out in August. The VA estimates that $78 Billion will be spent on this benefit over the next 10 years.

Today, I saved a life

I work for the City of Virginia Beach, Emergency Communications and Citizen Services. I'm the Citizen Services side of the house. I answer a lot of questions about the city, services offered, court operations and things like that. I do this both on the phone and over the Internet through an online chat feature.

Last night I took a chat from a women in San Francisco, which isn't unusual, we get a lot of chats and calls from people planing a trip. The women tells me that someone is on Twitter and is threatening to commit suicide. The person on Twitter claims to be in Virginia Beach and an employee at one the hospitals.

I was able to get on Twitter, set up an account, and I followed a link she sent me to the suicidal persons tweet. I got the person into a 'conversation' with me and was able to get them to tell me what hospital he works at. Through this information we were able t0 locate the person before he did any harm to himself or someone else.

I guess is Twitter has become another way for people to send out a call for help.

Veteran's facing financial aid challenges

Most students, whether traditional or not, depend on some sort of financial aid. This year, Veterans are required to fill out a “Veteran’s Benefits Verification Form” on which they are required to disclose the amount of veterans benefits they receive.

Here in lies the problem, veterans who are applying for the Post 9/11 GI Bill don’t know how much there benefit will be next year. For starters, there’s no guarantee that their application will be approved. Secondly, the final numbers, detailing the exact dollar amount of the benefit, has not yet been released.

This creates quite the conundrum. The form is a requirement for the Financial Aid office to determine the amount of aid each student is eligible for. For example, the total estimated cost of attendance for an in-state student is approximately $18,500 per year. This means that, for an in-state student, the total amount of aid and benefits a student receives can’t exceed $18,500; this includes Pell Grants, loans and veteran’s benefits.

So, what now? Angy, a financial aid counselor with ODU’s Financial Aid Office, recommends turning the form in now so that the office can start calculating the award you’re eligible for. “Just put a notation on the form explaining that you’ve applied for the other benefit and don’t yet know if you’ll receive it,” she added.

Here’s the catch. The Office of Finance does receive notification of how much aid each student is receiving. The office also runs reports and students have received more than they should (more than $18,500 for the example) will be flagged as “over awarded.” If the student received a refund check, as I often do, will have to return some money.

Here’s some good news. August 1st is the estimated beginning date for the Post 9/11 GI Bill. According to Angy, financial aid is dispersed in mid-August. So, in theory, students should know if they will receive the Post 9/11 GI Bill before Financial Aid is dispersed. Angy also explained that a student can cancel a student loan before it’s awarded, thereby mitigating the possibility of being over awarded and owing the school money.

Angy also recommends keeping the school in formed as you progress through the application process and giving the Financial Aid office copies of anything you receive over the summer in regards to your Veteran’s Benefits. The Financial Aid counselors will work with you to ensure you’re not over awarded.

Veteran's Educational Benefits Get Better

Many of the non-traditional students attending Old Dominion University are military veterans using their Montgomery G.I. Bill to attend college. Life is about to get a little easier for many of these students but not all of them.

On August 1, 2009 many of these veterans and current servicemembers will receive many new and revised educational benefits. These benefits go far beyond just helping to pay tuition. The package will pay 100% of the tuition, give the students a monthly housing stipened plus a yearly stipened for books and supplies. However, not everyone will qualify for full benefits.

The housing stipened is the equvalent of E-5 Basic Allowance for Housing for the geographical location the university is in. For Norfolk, that would be $1410 a month. Students who are only taking online classes, or another form of distance learning, may not be eligible for this stipened. Those who are still on active duty will not receive this benefit as they are still receiving military pay which will already include housing allowance. Also, students who are half-time or less will not receive the housing stipened.

The stipened for books and supplies is a maximum of $1,000 per year. The students will receive this benefit in incraments at the beginning of each semester in which they’re enrolled. The payment will be either a quarter or half of the annual $1,000 cap bepending on how the academic year is divided – quarter or semester terms.

The amount of tuition and stipeneds paid will also depend on the amount of active-duty service the veteran had past Spetember 11, 2001. Anyone with 36 or more months of service will receive 100% of the available benefits. Those with 30 or more consecutive days of service who received a disability related discharge will also receive 100% of the available benefits.
The benefit drops by 10% per six months. For example; someone with 30 months of active service will receive 90% and someone with 24 months of active service will receive 80%. The formula continues to 40% of total benefits for those with 90 or more days of total active service post Sept. 11.

There are other requirnments the once servicemember must meet as well. S/he must have been honorably discharged from the armed forces, retired, received a hardship discharge, transferred to the reserves, or still be on active duty.

The previous version of the G.I. Bill expired 10 years after seperation from active duty. This version will not expire for 15 years after discharge from active duty. This gives veterans more time to go to school or to pass the benefit on to their children or spouse.

Those servicemembers who served a minimum of six years in the Armed Forces and who agree to seve an additional four years, may transfer any unused portion of their G.I. Bill to their children or spouse. There is a catch, the Department of Defense maintains the right to impose additional requirnments and may limit the number of transferable months to 18. The Department of Defense has not yet finalized this portion of the bill.

While most students will fair better under the Post 9/11 G.I. Bill, some may wish to stay under the Montgomery G.I. Bill. The Post 9/11 version places a cap on the amount of tuition paid each semester. This cap is calculated based on the average tuition cost for the individual state. Those who are working on a post-graduate degree may find that the tuition assistance just doesn’t cut it. Also, those enrolled in an online university will not receive the housing stipened and witll, therefore, end up loosing money each month.

There are many students who are also tapping multiple resource to fund their college education, using loans, grants and scholorships. These students may find that as their G.I. Bill increases their eligibility for these additional resources decreases. In the long run, they could also end up loosing money each month.

Veterans aren’t required to make the transition from the Montgomery G.I. Bill to the Post 9/11 version. Each student should critically analyze this benefit and take a good look at their individual situation and what effect this willhave on their individual ability to continue their education.

The Inside scoop on Non-Traditional Students

I interviewed several non-traditional students and asked them what they thought about being a non-traditional student.

All three of the interview subjects agreed that the key difference is priorities. Non-traditional students are more apt to make school a priority as they have a greater personnel investment in being there. The next important difference is likely age, as non-traditional students are older and more experienced. The traditional students are younger, and therefore may be enjoying that first taste of freedom. The three also all agreed that these are likely the reasons why non-traditional students out-perform traditional students in the academic realm, statistically speaking.

None of my interview subjects read blogs to gain information in regards to being non-traditional students. They did agree that this are little resources available to them that specifically mentioned the needs of non-traditional students. However, non-traditional students are typically more proactive and resourceful, so they all said they would seek out the person or department they needed to find the answer to a question.

One Mile In My Shoes

I want to paint an accurate picture of what it’s like to be a single, working mother, full-time student, and Navy Reservist. This is what my week looks like.

Monday through Friday I wake up at 6 a.m. and get ready for the day. My son, Aiden, wakes up at 7 a.m. and I get him ready for school. I him off at 8:10 and then head to campus.

I’m on campus from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On Tuesday and Thursday I get out of class at 11 a.m. and head to the gym for an hour or so. I get home a little after 1, every day of the week, where I have lunch and get ready for work.

I work five days a week from 3:30 to 9:30 p.m. My days off rotate so I have weekends off about every five months or so. I pick my son up from my mom’s house after I get off work. He’s almost always asleep when I get there as he is only three years-old. I take him home and lay him in bed. At this point it’s about 10:30 p.m. I’ll do some homework until about midnight and then get ready for bed.

One weekend a month I drill with my reserve unit. I also participate in military exercises and operations during the semester breaks.

I average six hours of sleep a night and seldom have a day when I don’t have to go to work or school. I drive more than 80 miles a day as I live Norfolk, my son attends school in Virginia Beach, I attend the main campus in Norfolk, and work in the Virginia Beach Municipal Center.

My schedule makes for some very long days but I believe the end reward will be well worth the sacrifice. Having a degree greatly improve my earning power and the life I’m able to provide for myself and my son.