NHSC for dental students: Worth it?

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Hi, Im thinking of applying for the NHSC scholarship for 3rd and 4th year. If you are/were a NHSC scholar was the stipend and decrease in the loan $ worth it to you? Im just trying to get an idea of how much I would be making after dental school (w/o being a NHSC scholar) and comparing that to how much I would make as a NHSC scholar..
I know there's the whole aspect of wanting to help the underserved and I love that part of it, but still...

BUMP

BUMP again. I am trying to find someone out there who is considering this scholarship and can shed some light on the pros and cons for DENTAL STUDENTS. I have already read numerous posts from med students, but wanted a perspective from a dental student. Thanks.

I'll be a first year in the fall and have applied for the scholarship starting this year. I should find out within a month (crossing my fingers).

There are several threads on this matter, many of them in the financial aid section.

Anyways, as far as cons-there is the obligation which some people may be hesistant to committ to; any specialization (other than GPR or Peds) has to wait until after you serve; and you may not make us much money. I'm sure there are other cons, but I would guess these are the major.

As far as pros-the main one would be that you are able to graduate with minimal debt. Personally I will still need to take out some loans to cover my expenses (the $1100 or $1300/month stipend-I forget which-won't quite cover me), but if I come out with only $50k in debt as opposed to $300k, that is a huge difference. Abd if you look at the savings per year in tuition and fees and combine it with your salary, you are making comparable money to somebody who is fresh out of school. Also, some of us aren't that concerned with making boatloads of money, but really want to help people who don't have access to quality care. Not only does this allow me to do this for 4 years as part of my commitment, but if I don't have this huge debt-load, I don't need to make nearly as much money every year (to pay off debt) and consequently I am more free to be able to take a position that might not pay as much but allows me to treat the underserved.

There are at least a few of us Pre-Dents who have applied for this scholarship that I know of....Interestingly, when I went for the interview for it, I was the only dental student they had seen.

Hope this helped...(and I didn't bore you with long, run-on sentences)

I'm posting a link to the thread in the Pre-Dent forum which discusses the Loan Repayment Program of the NHSC, not the Scholar Program. Hopefully some will find it useful:

http://www.studentdoctor.net/forums/...370#post783370

BUMP