Military to Grad Transition

[u/Distinct_Feeling4232]

Hi I’m looking to switch out of the military and continue my goals by getting more politically involved. I’m looking to use my GI bill to pay for a masters in public policy (or some variation) to support this transition. I’m not experienced in the field. So please give some guidance on my competitiveness suggsdtions( grad school is 2-3 years away so I have time to invest in familiarizing ).

Some notes about me to help:

-8 years of army service as an intel officer
- 1x deployment
-BS in Finance (cum laude) I’ve never used it so its relevance seems insignificant to me.

Any suggestions to set myself up better for a transition to public policy?

[u/Worldly-Spot-7812]

Sort MPP programs by rank. Remove all that are currently prohibited from receiving active duty SMs because those schools will not have the student veteran resources you need, apply for SkillBridge programs at the remaining schools that top the rankings once you remove all the ones that are currently prohibited from serving AD. You will find exceptional resources and support for yourself - consider joint programs because the time has never been better to apply due to international student restrictions.

Consider just getting a JD.

[u/Adventurous_Fig_3190 → u/Worldly-Spot-7812]

the JD route's not a bad shout but an MPP with that intel background could get you in some interesting rooms pretty quick, dont sleep on the finance degree either even if you never used it

[u/AdventurousMix3009 → u/Worldly-Spot-7812]

I mean the ones that are banned are the ones that are worth going to. And the ones that aren’t banned are not really ones you should be seeking out. Brand recognition with MPPs. And I’m not sure AD funding has much to do with veteran student funding support so I would reach out to schools military affairs offices to see what has changed.

Also consider an MBA even if you want to go politics route. MPP is geared towards making good bureaucrats, not necessarily elected political leaders.