The term “boot camp” conjures up motion-picture memories of Louis Gossett Jr. or R. Lee Ermey getting in the face of raw military recruits such as Richard Gere and Matthew Modine and screaming invectives and challenges at them.
The traditional boot camp also brings to mind recruits running for miles in full gear, crawling through muddy fields with live ammunition buzzing over their heads and assembling their weapons in the dark.
But, a completely different kind of boot camp now takes place each summer in the erudite halls of the nation’s most revered universities, including Princeton University.
How to participate
To be eligible for the WSP program, an applicant must be an enlisted veteran or have served at least one year on active duty in the military, the Reserve or National Guard — spouses and dependents are not eligible to participate.
Eligible applicants will not have yet earned a bachelor’s degree.
Those who have already earned a bachelor’s degree and are interested in earning a second degree will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
These are academic boot camps.
Here, screaming invectives are replaced with thoughtful discussions, running in full gear is replaced with problem-solving exercises and live ammo drills are replaced with group projects and one-on-one mentoring.
These academic boot camps are courtesy of the Warrior-Scholar Project, a national nonprofit whose goal is to prepare military veterans and transitioning military service members for success in their academic endeavors and the careers that follow.
Ryan Pavel is the CEO of WSP.
“The program helps veterans figure out the process of transitioning from the military to academic life,” said Pavel, who entered the Marine Corps at age 17 and served two non-combat tours in Iraq.
After leaving the military in 2010, he earned a B.A. from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from the Virgina School of Law.
“In military boot camp, they strip away individual identity,” Pavel said. “In the military, the unit is what matters. I was so used to having a collective ID that, when I transitioned, I had to stop and ask myself: What does my individual ID look like?
“I did not have a program like these boot camps when I left the military. I was not originally accepted by the University of Michigan, so I enrolled in a community college and my performance eventually got me accepted at Michigan.”
The WSP academic boot camps are intense — to say the least. They are one or two weeks in length (the Princeton one is two weeks). Participants are expected to dedicate six days a week (they get Saturdays off) and each day is usually from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
The WSP boot camps offer three areas of study: humanities, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and business/entrepreneurship. The course has an instructor and mentors who are former WSP students, and it challenges participants through lectures, workshops and research assignments.
Pavel acknowledged the courses and the schedule are challenging, but it is that way for a reason.
“It’s not so much about acquiring the knowledge as it is acquiring the skills,” he said. “WSP pushes veterans to make choices and to think.”
There is no cost to the participants except their travel expenses to get to the site of the program. Sponsors pick up the cost of the boot camp and Princeton donates the classrooms, the meals and the dorms.
Two recent participants at the Princeton cohort were Alexus Wilcox, who served more than five years in the Air Force before transitioning July 12, and Michael Williams, a Navy veteran who transitioned at the age of 23 in 2013 after his career was shortened to two-and-one-half years because of a service-related injury.
“I must say, I was intimidated and anxious,” Williams said about his first day at the boot camp. “I was 33 and the oldest member of my cohort. We had to read de Tocqueville and reflect on the principles of democracy. I didn’t know if I could write an essay or even do math, for that matter. But it turned out everybody was really cool and they were all positive people.”
“It was very intense,” Wilcox agreed. “We did one humanities-focused week where we did essays on American democracy and one STEM-focused week where we studied how quantum mechanics could improve MRIs.”
Williams and Wilcox took different paths to the WSP.
“I started thinking about what I would do after the military as early as before I signed up,” said Wilcox. “I worked in public affairs in the Air Force and learned that Princeton has a really good public affairs program, so I applied for the WSP.”
“I did not have time to think about what was next,” Williams said about his post-military career after the discharge that followed his injury. “I went right into the workplace and became an electrician and joined the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. I was working in construction when the industry imploded because of COVID. After that, I did some self-reflection on what I wanted to get out of my life. I did a ChatGPT and asked it what kinds of good programs are out there for veterans looking for work. The WSP program came up.”
Both Wilcox and Williams noted that their military experience helped them manage the schedule and navigate the workload.
“The educational environment is less formal than the military,” Wilcox said, “and the ease of conversation is noticeable. The pressure is not quite so heavy; not everything is life and death. You can breathe a little easier.”
“I was trained in the nuclear Navy,” said Williams. “That training helped me immensely during the STEM part of the course. That was a monumental experience.”
The numbers tell the story. A recent survey conducted by WSP of its former students revealed that 92% of them have completed, or are on track to complete, a college degree; it also revealed that 20% are enrolled in, or have graduated from, one of the Top 20 institutions in the nation.
The survey further showed that every veteran who has taken the boot camp and responded to the WSP survey would recommend the program to fellow veterans. It sounds like Wilcox and Williams will not be the ones to break that perfect streak.
How it works
What to expect at the Warrior Scholar Project Boot Camp
- Long days: Usually 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. six days a week (Saturday off).
- Intellectual challenges: Complex content that needs to be applied to writing, problem-solving and groups projects.
- Glimpses into college life: The course replicates the college experience, including living in dorms, eating in the dining hall and studying late into the night.
- Lots of support: The course is facilitated by boot camp alumni.
- Great company: A cohort of 15-20 active-duty military and veterans.
“This was a life-changing experience for me,” Williams reflected. “I went from not knowing what I was going to do, to sitting in the same rooms where Albert Einstein lectured. I came away from the course knowing I am capable of learning, and I can be successful in a competitive higher education environment,” said Williams. “It is an environment I crave to be in.”
Williams said he is planning to apply to Princeton.
“My whole life, I struggled with my potential academically,” said Wilcox. “Here you could tell everyone cared and I was so encouraged to have their support. I feel now like I am prepared for what I want to do in the future.”
Wilcox has been accepted at Liberty University in Virginia. Her vision is eventually to launch a nonprofit that provides civic education to citizens and helps them develop policy initiatives and legislation that are in the best interests of their communities.
The WSP boot camps are traditionally scheduled for the summer months. The 2024 program ended in July. Pavel said WSP is already gearing up for the summer 2025 programs. Outside of the summer months, WSP offers career counseling, remote classes and remote workshops.
Pavel remains on a mission to grow the WSP, noting, “We are nowhere near close to leveraging the experience and the talent of our veterans.”
