Mark Patton, MCEC Military Student Consultant, shares tips for paying for college, discusses pitfalls students need to be aware of ahead of the application process, and highlights resources to help navigate the world of financial aid for military families.

This podcast is made possible by generous funding from the Eglin Spouses' Club. 

https://www.eglinspousesclub.org/

Show Notes:

MCEC's Understanding Financial Aid for Military Families webinar link:
https://youtu.be/-IYmtTG1cC0

VA Education Benefits:

• https://www.va.gov/education/benefit-rates/
• https://www.va.gov/resources/the-pact-act-and-your-va-benefits/
• https://www.va.gov/education/about-gi-bill-benefits/post-9-11/yellow-ribbon-program/

TAPS Education Support: https://www.taps.org/edu

Related Articles:

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/financial-aid-basics/what-is-financial-aid/how-does-financial-aid-work

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/financial-aid-awards/how-to-fill-financial-aid-gap

https://www.fastweb.com/financial-aid/articles/the-15-financial-aid-questions-you-need-to-ask

SchoolQuest:

https://schoolquest.militarychild.org/

SchoolQuestTM is a free, interactive tool that is designed to support highly mobile military-connected parents and students before, during, and after a transition to improve academic success and social well-being. SchoolQuest includes an Academic Tracker, Student Profile, Reminders and Notifications, Personalized Checklists, School Search Capabilities, and Interactive Resources.

Military Student Consultants:

https://www.militarychild.org/MSC

Military Student Consultants (MSCs) are highly specialized education professionals who provide personalized concierge support directly to students, parents, or professionals who serve military-connected (Active Duty, National Guard, Reserve, ROTC cadre, recruiter, and veteran) families, no matter where they are in the world. An MSC personally responds to every phone call or submission on our MCEC website at MilitaryChild.org/contact. Or reach out by email to MSC@MilitaryChild.org or Mark.Patton@MilitaryChild.org.

Guest Bio: Mark Patton

Mark is a retired U.S Air Force officer, father of two, and a proud grandfather. He grew up as a military kid, living overseas in Germany and graduating high school in Fayetteville, N.C.​

Prior to his current role as an MCEC Military Student Consultant, Mark served as a high school counselor and as a Senior Aerospace Science Instructor for the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Corps (JROTC) program in Nash County and Cumberland County Schools. Retiring from teaching, Mark became a Military Student Transition Consultant for Cumberland County as part of a DODEA grant.​

He holds a Master of Education in Human Relations with a specialization in organizational behavior and counseling.

As an officer, Mark was an Associate Professor in Behavioral Science Department at the U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA). He also served as the research coordinator for a joint Harvard/NASA/USAFA project on team formation. ​