What you need to succeed

A lot of people wonder just what the hell it is we do in the military. There's the whole “fighting wars” thing, but we don't aways have an Iraq or Afghanistan to keep us occupied. We must do something else and it can't just be hanging dips or making the occasional MRE bomb.

Fortunately for you, that “something else” is also what will make you a good student. Scratch that: it will make you a great student.

What is it? It's a lifestyle composed of a simple set of things required to be a responsible adult and—fortunately for you—is more rare on a college campus than a virgin after a frat party.

1) Discipline. I don't mean you were a drill instructor or something—this is more like you can make yourself study even when there's a party going on somewhere nearby. Kids at school seem to be completely incapable of impulse control.
2) Time management. Kind of like discipline combined with planning—a lot of my friends think it's amazing I never pulled an all-nighter studying for finals or finishing a paper. My response? School's not that freaking hard, you're just a procrastinating moron.
3) Life experience. Believe it or not, this is huge. Think about how much more you can learn from a lecture on political science when you've been a part of the government as it hooks and jabs in the international arena.
4) Confidence. This is based on #3. You've done something outside of school that is worthy of respect. You know what you can do in difficult situations, so college is going to be a breeze.

#1 is a part of the military, obviously. We all have it to some degree—the key here is how important it is to learning material and getting good grades. #2 will be second nature as you adapt school life to some kind of schedule like you used before. #3 will prove valuable every day—what's a challenge is not getting frustrated with clueless 18 year-olds. #4 grows with every good grade you earn. You'll quickly learn how easily you adapt and beat the other students at their own game.

I don't want to make college sound super easy because it's not. The point is it's just like a long hump (road march for you soldiers out there)—put one foot in front of the other.

There's no secret and you already have what you need.