I was wondering if anyone had experience with AmeriCorps. I have two college age kids (my last one graduated early this past January) and while one of them is two years into college with out accumulating any bills (yet) the other is pretty freaked out be the notion of being 20 plus grand in dept after college. My son is very good with his money and with some help from me and always having a job he has been fortunate to pay for everything as he has gone but it has not been easy. My daughter who just finished High School this past January was looking to go the ROTC rout through the Navy but was DQ'd because she was borne with Strabismus (although she has not had to have any surgeries in almost a decade). I was looking for alternate ways to help her get through college with out going broke myself or with out her having a lifelong student lone debt and I thought about the AmeriCorps. I know it used to be something that looked really good on a resume and they offer college money for time served but other than that I know very little. Has anyone had any dealings with the AmeriCorps and could you give me an idea how good of a deal it is and what your experience was? Thanks!
Just FYI, you can get a waiver. If your recruiter didn't seek one, he should have. And while there are universal medical standards, each branch determines who gets waivers on their own. So if she can't get a waiver from the Navy, she might be able to get one from another branch. I came across a document on the internet that listed the most common conditions where waivers were sought. For eye conditions, usually only 1/3 seek waivers, but around 65% of the ones who do are granted them. Also, I've seen a recruiter's manual regarding medical standards that noted that while a condition like esotropia (where the eye turns in and affects normal vision, causing double vision or suppression of the image from one eye) is disqualifying, esophoria (same thing, but you're able to keep the eyes aligned and have binocular vision) is OK. That leads me to believe that as long as strabismus doesn't affect your normal vision, it should be OK. And that even if they count it as disqualifying, you should stand a better chance at getting a waiver.
Yeah we get a letter from the Dr who has seen here since she was 6 months and we (including the recruiter) thought getting the waiver would be a slam dunk. The response from MEPs was permanently DQ'd and we were all shocked. We are talking with the recruiter and have another appointment with him next week to discuss trying to resend the paperwork but he is not very hopeful. She is pretty disappointed right now because she did 4 years of JROTC, made staff as a junior, did basic and leadership camps in the summers, won leadership awards, made the grades etc... with the belief that her eyes would not be an issue. The Navy has been her goal for 4 years now, she made her mind up about it when she started High School and graduated early so she could prepare and have a few months of freedom before the grind of college/military life. We are determined to make one last ditch effort but its not looking good. Recruiter told her she could try another branch but since she was DQ'd at MEPs the same Dr that DQ'd her for the Navy might be the same Dr reviewing her paperwork again. Plus I'm not sure how she feels about another branch of service since she had her heart set on the Navy for the last 4 years. Anyway, I'm sure it will all work out at some point she just needs a while to let the reality of the situation to sink in. I'm thinking AmeriCorps might be a nice alternative but I just don't know that much about it.
