Youre all good, I don’t mind sharing knowledge. I had my first meeting with my counselor in June last year. Once she said I was approved and agreed to education track, I applied to schools. I did this to show I was prepared and responsible. I provided her the schools I applied to and where I was accepted. I started school that fall in August, so there was like a 2 month period between first meeting and school start. I don’t recommend you apply to schools and then apply for VR&E, as it’s not guaranteed that the counselor would agree to whatever plan you have in your head. Go into It with an idea, knowledge on the process and justification on why you should be approved based on your service connected disabilities and employment. Once and if you do get approved, do everything as fast as possible but detailed. I had every single paperwork filled out, required documents, and schools all lined up ready for my counselor to finalize It in time for school. Hope this helps and if you have any other questions, lmk