Taking a Break from Classes

No matter how carefully you plan ahead, there may come a point in your educational career when you decide that you need to take a break, for any number of valid reasons.  You may have been called back into active-duty service.  You may need time to take care of a family member, recover

from an illness or injury, buy a house, get married, or have a baby.  Sometimes people have to face an unexpected crisis or disaster, and need time to deal with it.  Perhaps you are in the process of changing your academic goal or career focus and need a little time to sort through your options.  Sometimes people get stressed out or overwhelmed, and just need a change of scenery for a while.  Whatever the reason, sometimes you may just need to take a break.

Before you do, make sure you understand all the rules and implications of your decision, to avoid any unpleasant surprises.  Here are a few things to check when you’re thinking of taking a semester or two off:

Surviving a Government Shutdown on VA Benefits

As of this writing, President Obama signed a bill to temporarily suspend the budget debate and get the federal government back to work.  However, even if the VA processors get back up and running immediately, there may still be a delay in benefit processing as they work to clear through the backlog that has built up over the past few weeks.  So, veterans would be well advised to expect a delay next month, and budget accordingly.

Whether a delay is attributed to a government shutdown, technological glitch, missing paperwork, a processing error, or other issue, it's important to have a back up plan to ensure that you can continue your studies while working though the delay.  Here are some resources to help you put your contingency plan together:

Scholarships, Financial Aid, and your GI Bill

Many veterans, servicemembers, and military family members don't apply for college financial aid, because they feel that they don't need it, or won't qualify for it.  However, most colleges strongly suggest it, and here's a few reasons why:

• Financial aid can be used to secure your enrollment while you're waiting for VA funding, so you don't have to pay "up front" and wait for VA reimbursement
• Financial aid is a good "backup" plan in case of delays in VA processing
• Most forms of financial aid can also be used for books, technology or lab equipment, school supplies, room & board, transportation, childcare, or any other expense related to your education
• You might want to save your VA educational benefits for a future term, in which case you can use financial aid to cover your current-term expenses
• You might want to transfer some of your VA benefits to a family member (if you're eligible), and use financial aid to cover your own expenses instead
• You'll eventually exhaust your benefits; careful management of your benefit entitlement and financial aid awards will help you maximize your benefits and achieve your educational goals
• VA benefits are usually not counted as income on financial aid applications, which means you may qualify for more money than you think!