Your days in the military are wrapping up, and you're starting to examine educational opportunities. After becoming accustomed to earning a certain amount of money each month, the idea of relying on the GI Bill can be a bit daunting.

Before you start running financials in your head, it's a good idea to talk to the financial aid office at the school you plan to attend. Just because you are planning to use GI Bill benefits doesn't mean you won't qualify for other types of financial aid. The cost of not applying for additional aid can mean more than just extra money to finance life while attending school; it can mean paying extra out-of-pocket fees to the college you're attending.

Colleges charge fees for tuition, admission applications, enrollment, books, labs, transcripts, and an array of other services. All of those fees will be charged to you if you rely solely on the GI Bill because the GI Bill is paid directly to you.

"I started my first quarter of school at Pierce College before I had even started getting my GI Bill," said Roland Jimenez. "The deadline for tuition came around, and I hadn't gotten my money yet, so I had to pay everything out of pocket. I went to talk to the financial aid office, and they helped me apply for financial aid, so I wouldn't be stuck paying for everything the next time around."

Jimenez said he was able to receive some grant money as well as take out a student loan even though he was using the GI Bill.

"Once I started getting my money from the Army, I was able to quit my full-time job and concentrate on school," he said. "I used the GI Bill money to pay my rent and bills, and I used the money from financial aid to pay my tuition and fees and to buy books."

Using federal financial aid allows service members and veterans to defer out-of-pocket expenses until the GI Bill kicks in. Ultimately, college financial aid offices and college veteran coordinators can help you come up with a financial strategy for being able to fund your education.

Jimenez, now a student at the University of Washington, said financial aid ultimately helped him become a better student.

"Before, I was falling asleep in classes because I was working so much," he said. "Now, I just go to school, and everything is working out a lot better. My grades are better, too."

Jimenez qualified for the Vocational Rehabilitation program through the Veterans Administration a year after starting school. He was rated at 30 percent disability and qualified to use VA funding for school instead of exhausting his GI Bill benefit. Under the VA program, Jimenez has all of his expenses paid for, including all of those extraneous fees.

"When I graduate, if I want to use my GI Bill for grad school, I can use it then," he said. "For now, the VA and financial aid are taking care of me."

He recommends that all soldiers take advantage of any resources available. Check with your college to see what types of financial resources are available. It's also worthwhile to see if the VA or the military has any programs to ease the financial burden.