Students using the Tuition Assistance Program may be required to payback money for below average grades following a Defense wide policy change to the Department of Defense Instruction 1322.25.

Under the new rule, Marines taking undergraduate courses will have to earn a grade of C or better or they will be responsible for retroactive pay for the course costs. Prior the change, the guidelines only required military members pass the class.

To help students start and stay on the right track throughout the academic year, Melora McVicker, education services officer at the Quantico Voluntary Education Center, offers several tips.

"What most students don’t know is most college and universities have placement exams that are important because they give students an idea where they should start academically," McVicker said.

"Taking these exams is what really
sets them up for that first level of success," she said.

Additionally, students are advised
to make a list of resources that can be accessed when faced with difficult assignments or courses.

For one, McVicker said, students can take advantage free tutors offered at the education center twice a week by Northern Virginia Community College. Also, websites like KhanAcademy.org that provide free education video tutorials and exercises for thousands of subjects are also a great resource, she said.

Since most military members who use TA are also working full-time, figuring out work expectations before signing up for numerous classes is an important baseline for academic success. Typically, every three-credit hour college course is equivalent to nine hours of studying per week, McVicker said.

"When we have students who say ‘I’m going to take three or four classes at a time,’ we ask if that’s feasible with their work schedule because it’s essentially 27 study hours a week," McVicker said. "The time includes reading the assignments, doing the research you need and reviewing assignments over again before turning them in to the professors. That’s just a general baseline, if you want to get an A."

Students are also advised to identify their learning style, which allows them to capitalize on personal strengths.

Whether it’s seeing, hearing or acting out the information received, McVicker said, students perform better when they can develop study habits based on how they learn best.

Pursuing higher education takes dedication and passion, which is why McVicker recommends students take the Interests Inventory Test, offered by the program, to see if a person’s interests match what they plan to study academically.