Service to School Stories Service to School

Today’s episode explores the student veteran campus experience at the University of Notre Dame. We sat down with the Director & Assistant Director respectively in the Office of Military & Veterans Affairs,Ken Heckel & Michael Labbe, as well as Undergraduate Admissions Counselor, Montanna Kirven, and current ND senior, John Noonan. We chat about the admissions process at Notre Dame, firsthand experiences of veterans on campus, the financial investment of attending college, and more! This interview is filled with deep insights from higher education professionals & a student veteran and a great listen for prospective undergraduate students. 

Main Topics 


Notre Dame guest backgrounds & introductions (0:33) 


Admissions process at Notre Dame, distinction between first year & transfer applicants & what veterans should know about each (2:10)  


Can/will admissions shift applications that should be the other type (ie. applicant applies as a transfer student but they should be considered a first year) (6:50)


Courses that admissions office likes to see transfer applicants take & display in their application (8:50)


Admissions preparations while serving in the Navy, experience applying to Notre Dame (10:50) 


Unique skills veterans have that allow them to succeed on campus (14:07)


Veteran experience working at Notre Dame while attending as a graduate student (17:10)


Student veteran experience on residential campus, Naval ROTC course & engaging with earlier undergraduate students considering military experience (21:40)


Different colleges at Notre Dame & where veterans tend to gravitate toward (26:45)


Financial costs of attending college & financial aid benefits available to veterans & service members (31:55) 


Peer-to-peer sponsorship program coming to campus, host family program providing support & welcome military-connected students into the Notre Dame community (39:10) 


Quintessential Notre Dame experience upon stepping onto campus (47:10) 



Additional Resources


Contact Notre Dame Admissions


Notre Dame Office of Military & Veterans Affairs Programs


Notre Dame admissions requirements 


Keough School of Global Affairs 


Master’s in Data Science



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Today’s episode introduces listeners to the world of small business with guest Amanda Robbins. Amanda is a Navy submarine veteran, a 4th generation Naval Academy graduate, executive MBA student at The Wharton School, and current Sr. VP & CFO at Solar Technology. We talk about Amanda’s transition from the military to working full time while working toward an MBA, leveraging military skills working at a small business, benefits of an executive MBA, and more! 

Main Topics 


Amanda’s introduction & background (0:33)


Nuclear engineering training & academic experience at the US Naval Academy (3:45)


Pioneering submariner career field as a female & integration with a previously male-only career field (7:05)


Decision to separate from the military & return home to work for parents’ company (9:17) 


Managing transition from the Navy while on submarine duty (11:05) 


Studying & preparing for the GMAT (13:28)


Working with S2S Ambassador during admissions process to The Wharton School E-MBA program, advice for veterans considering a similar route (15:43)


Role as a CFO at a small business (17:56)


Leveraging skills learned as a naval submarine officer working in small business, things to consider when working for a small, family-owned business vs. large corporation/business (20:05)


Day-to-day responsibilities of a CFO, preparing for current role after nuclear sub experience while just now working on MBA (23:00) 


What is an Executive MBA (E-MBA), how is differs from a traditional MBA, and balancing grad school while working full time (26:26) 


Typical industry & career goals of E-MBA students in cohort at Wharton (29:30) 


Words of wisdom for fellow veterans (33:55) 



Additional Resources


Wharton School Executive MBA


S2S MBA Applicant sign up 


S2S Graduate School resources 


Kaplan Self-Paced GMAT Course 



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We are heading to law school & beyond on today’s podcast interview! Joining us today is Nathan Lowry, Cornell graduate, former US Marine Corps ground intelligence officer, current student at Harvard Law & co-director of S2S’s JD Law team. Nathan shares his experiences building his target list for applying to law school, exploring possible areas of law to pursue, establishing relationships with faculty, career preparation and much more! If you are thinking about applying to law school, take a listen for great tips & insights for your own journey!

Main Topics 


Nathan introduction & background (0:33)


Decision to transition out of the military to pursue law school, determining if the LSAT or GRE is the best exam for you, preparing for law school after being away from school (3:27)


 Evaluating school fit, building a target list for applications (7:05)


Social & academic experiences integrating into the classroom, favorite & least favorite parts of law school (10:10)


Knowing vs exploring areas of law you want to pursue, clubs & extracurriculars in law school (13:30)  


Establishing relationships with faculty in law school (16:00)


Career advising & support for post-graduation law opportunities (17:35)


Common questions & concerns among law school applicants that work with S2S; “What GPA/LSAT score do I need to get into X law school” (20:45) 


Advice for veterans considering or currently preparing for law school (23:16)



Additional Resources


Law school admissions support 


Law School resources



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Jump in to service & scholarship with us on today’s podcast interview! We welcome Bob Atkinson, accomplished US Air Force veteran, current senior at Yale University, and named both a Marshall & Truman Scholar. Bob brings his experience in the military & at Yale to discuss overcoming obstacles throughout his life that fueled a passion for service, as well as the opportunities he created at Yale that led to pursuing (& receiving) multiple prestigious scholarships. 

Main Topics 


Bob’s introduction & background (0:33)


Decision to enlist, transitioning from the military & the journey to Yale (2:30) 


Overcoming an environment of drug abuse & the influence of who you surround yourself with to foster leadership skills, how the military affected relationships at home (6:55)  


Air Force special operator training  (12:50)


Timeline of transition from the military separation to college admissions (19:35) 


Taking classes while deployed to prepare for admissions, leveraging fellow veterans & other resources during the admissions process (23:23)


Eli Whitney Students Program at Yale, what it is & is not, benefits of the admissions path for student veterans (27:30) 


Truman Scholarship, what it entails, what was the draw & what was the process to apply (32:20) 


Marshall Scholarship, what is it & what the application process entailed (38:20)


Long term goals & courses on the path to get there (43:00) 


 Advice for fellow veterans applying to college (45:25)



Additional Resources


Truman Scholarship


Marshall Scholarship 


Eli Whitney Student’s Program 


EWSP Podcast Interview with Patricia Wei & Alec Buffi



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We are joined today for a discussion about preparing student veterans for their future careers at University of South Carolina (USC) with Villardine Goode. Villardine is a retired Army MSgt now serving as the Veterans and Military Academic Success Coach at USC. Villardine shares her experience providing guidance & information to military service members & veterans as they prepare to enroll in higher education, navigating the admissions process to integrating on campus, why veterans should consider USC, and more!

Main Topics 


Villardine introduction & background (0:33) 


How has your own military background helped your ability to support student veterans (7:05) 


Walking students through financing their education & utilizing benefits available to them (11:48)


Approach to student career preparation at USC, partnerships with companies & employers looking to hire student veterans (15:25)


Breaking down on-campus barriers, supporting a holistic student veterans community (20:35) 


New student veteran orientation, integrating into the campus community (22:35) 


Why student veterans should consider USC when separating from the military to attend college (24:45)


Advice for service members considering separating & applying to college (27:10) 



Additional Resources


USC Veteran Admissions 


USC Veterans & Military Student Services


USC Career Readiness Partnership with 50strong


Military career partnership with Lowes



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This week on the podcast we are diving into pathways to medical school for veterans. We’re joined by Peter Campbell, James White, and Jamie Frost of MedVets, a peer mentorship program focused on helping veterans who are interested in physicians associate & nursing programs as well as medical school. We discuss opportunities to strengthen your medical school applications, MCAT preparation & tips, the FlexMed admissions pathway for veterans at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, and much more. If you’re a veteran considering medical school, you don’t want to miss this! 

Main Topics 


Background & intro to MedVets & guests Pete, James & Jamie (0:33) 


Motivations to go to medical school, coming to medicine after other job experiences  (3:20) 


Steps taken to be competitive for medical school, leveraging post-Bacc opportunities to make career pivot into medicine (6:50) 


Prerequisite classes that post-Bacc programs help cover, navigating medical school course requirements, addressing medical school admissions statistics (11:30)


Steps to applying to medical schools, advice for military applicants (14:23) 


First steps toward applying to med school after military service, power of job shadowing, connecting with fellow med school veterans (17:30) 


Post-Bacc courses to prioritize & recommended online resources/schools (22:20)


How the MCAT fits into the medical school admissions process (24:50)


MCAT preparation (30:40)


Icahn Mt. Sinai military partnership admissions pathway (32:35) 


Strengthening your med school application with a history of mid-to-low GPA (35:45)


Deciding on a field of medicine to practice (39:10) 


Advice to veterans considering or pursuing medical school (45:05)



Additional Resources


AAMC MCAT Study Resources, Program Requirements & more


S2S Healthcare Professionals Admissions Support 


MedVets Slack Group 


Khan Academy MCAT Prep


Icahn Mt. Sinai Military Admissions Partnership 



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