Collin Gosselin is off to college this fall, according to his father, a year after he enlisted with the Marines.
The most talked about son of Kate and Jon Gosselin seems to have abandoned his ambitions of being in the military for higher learning.
But what exactly happened there? How did he go from basic training to freshman orientation? Here’s what we know.
Collin Gosselin’s Marine Life Ambitions: He’s ‘Always Wanted To Do It”
Over the years, much has changed about the dynamics of the Gosselin family. First, Kate and Jon divorced. Then, as their children started to grow, they chose sides.
For Collin Gosselin, his father was the clear choice, after what Kate allegedly put him through as a child and her smear campaign against him as an adult.
But as an adult, he was ready to make a decision about his future and expressed excitement to join the military.
In 2023, he started basic training with the Marines, a move his dad Jon Gosselin and his girlfriend Stephanie Lebo gushed about to Entertainment Tonight.
“Collin’s super independent,” he shared of his son. “He lived on his own a little bit during high school. Like, he just wanted to experience that … [Then] he enlisted at 18 and he left when he was 19.”
During his military training, Collin sent Jon “letters” talking about the early mornings, his studies, and his happiness over being in a “very structured” schedule, as Stephanie put it.
“It’s what he’s always wanted to do,” Jon acknowledged.
Now, Collin Is Off To College
That interview was in 2023, some time after Collin finished high school. Fast forward to the spring of 2024, and Jon told reporters that his son is actually starting college in the fall.
In speaking to E! News‘ Francesca Amiker at the grand opening of the Beverly Hills Rejuvenation Center’s brand new West Hollywood location, Jon explained that he’s an “empty nester” now that both Collin and Hannah have left home.
Hannah was the other sextuplet to choose life with Jon over her mother Kate and started college last year. But Jon was clear that Collin would be starting school THIS fall.
He made no mention of his son’s time with the Marines, or clarified where his son was actually going to school. Instead, he focused on himself and what their departure has meant for him.
“Hannah and Collin store their stuff in my house. They don’t really live there. But it’s a different time for me in my life only because, one day they’re in my house, and then the next day they’re not.”
Is Collin Gosselin Still Enlisted With The Marines?
The short answer is – most likely. It is possible to be enlisted AND enrolled in college. The path isn’t easy, but it is still doable.
Collin hinted that his plan was to pursue both paths in his graduation announcement in 2023 on Instagram.
“This chapter of my life has come to a close,” he said in the caption, alongside a photo of himself and sister Hannah in their graduation garb.
“Next stop Parris Island,” he added, “and soon after I will be studying Mechanical and Industrial Engineering in college! Can’t wait!”
So, he had big ambitions and it sounds like he’s chasing after them! Good for him!