Blake M.
Tell us about yourself, Blake!
What is your anticipated school and intended major? Neuroscience at Brown University, Class of 2029
What did you do in the military? Airborne Cryptographic Language Analyst
Fun fact about yourself: I have a Bernese Mountain Dog named Finn who might as well be my biological child.
What was your proudest accomplishment in the military? I really wanted to take my time this go around, since I was rejected from Brown before my military service. I started working on applications probably around October, before some schools even had their applications available. Overall it was tough balancing the extensive work that my job entailed while also writing countless essays, but my ambassador really helped me with the revision of my essays.
What was the biggest benefit to using Service to School throughout the application process? I think the VetLink addendum is a huge plus for military members. I think it helps to separate your application from others, given oftentimes our jobs in the military are starkly different than those of our civilian peers. I also think that having someone look over my essays was a huge plus; it gave me a lot of insight on what an admissions officer is looking for.
How was peer-to-peer mentorship helped you in your journey to higher education? It helped so much! Having others look over my writing helped me better articulate the points I was trying to convey. I would definitely recommend peer-to-peer mentorship to other vets.
What are you most excited about in regards to starting school? What’s your favorite part about the school you chose to matriculate at? I am so excited to get hands-on experience in lab work. I love Brown for its Open Curriculum, which will let me not only develop my skills in the neuroscience field, but will also allow me to explore my artistic passions instead of taking classes that aren’t interesting to me.
What are your goals post-graduation? I am hoping to either go into the medical field for Neurology, or do full-time lab work. I am waiting to get more experience with labs before making a final choice.
Blake’s advice for veterans who are applying to college:
Definitely try to give the admissions team a whole picture of who you are. Of the many schools I applied to, it seems like I had better results when I was able to not just stick to the military side of my life. After all, the military isn’t your whole life, and admissions want to see what separates you from other service members.
Congrats again Blake on your acceptance to Brown University!
