Please let me know if I'm doing this wrong:
On the 'Summary' page of my SMART, I'm adding up all the recommended credits for "L" (Lower Div Bac./Assoc. Degree) & "U" (Upper Div Bac.) and ignoring the "V" (Vocational Certs). Then I put that number on the online app. and select 'Semester' from the drop-down.
Thanks for your help.
Yes you are doing it wrong.
What they want to know is the total of actual credits you posses. If you look under the "academic courses" section (if applicable) you will see the listing of all college courses you have taken while on active duty i.e. NCPACE, Tuition Assistance, or anything else funded by the Navy. If you took classes prior to entering the service then reference your transcripts from the applicable schools.
FYI the part of the SMART you are looking at is basically a recommendation by the ACE for equivalent credit. It is not a guarantee or actual credit. Only if a university or college accepts your "experience" listed on the SMART will it then become "transfer credit". It is usually highly variable from school to school and especially depends what your experience is and what you are trying to get credit as. Some of us I'm sure will be able to tell tall tales of extremely liberal credit granting as well as others I'm sure have experiences where universities laughed when you send them your SMART.
Good luck with your application.