Air Force HPSP selection board dates

[Coachin]

I am currently applying for med school in 2004 and for an Air Force HPSP scholarship. I'd like to clarify something my recruiter has told me (don't believe it unless you see it in writing right!?).

I was told the first AF selection board meets on Jan 21 2004 and that a lot of the 4 year HPSP scholarships will picked up then. He said the only other board scheduled after that is Feb 18 2004 and that the AF will probably have filled all their slots at that time. Anyone know if this is truly how the process works? Or are there still other boards in March/April that I'm not being told about?

I find it hard to believe they will select all of their HPSP students in Jan and Feb when many people won't get an acceptance letter until March or after. I have a couple interviews in Jan but don't expect to get an acceptance letter until the end of Feb at the earliest.

If the AF selection process really works as I was told it seems I wouldn't have much of a shot at getting a 4 year HPSP because all the slots would be used up by the time my application became complete! So why would I bother to submit an application?

Does the AF get that many qualified people that they can fill their slots and be done in Feb?

If anyone knows how it really works I'd appreciate hearing it. I know that last year the Army had selection boards through May and June. Why wouldn't the AF be the same?

Thanks for the help.

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[DD214_DOC]

My guess is that everyone and his brother applies for the AF HPSP scholarships, so they can afford to pick their people earlier than other branches. I hope you applied for more than one branch.

 

[cdreed]

Last year the AF had 2 boards meet. The application deadline was in Jan while the boards actually met in Feb and March(?)-if my memory serves me correctly. I was on active duty at the time, so although my app was submittedd in Dec, the board reviewed it during the second meeting.

I will say that AF gets quite its share of applicants. If you have one acceptance already, I would go ahead and apply if I were you. AF regs state that you can always swith to a different school once being granted the scholarship, if the new choice is less expensive than the initial one.

Hope this helps some.

Cyndi

 

[bbawco1]

my recruiter gave the same dates and i believe that you should definitely go with cdreed's advice in applying now. If you do not yet have an acceptance then just try to get all the paperwork done that you can now anyway. Hey, you never know, I would imagine that there are quite a few people who are accepted to the hpsp program that then back out of it causing a sort of "waitlist" for the others. Try it and see, it definitely would not hurt.
Good luck

 

[jmruby3]

Hi

I am also applying for the AF HPSP scholarship this year. My recruiter told me that there are only two boards: the first board will meet Jan 21 and then again Feb 18. I was told that most of the scholarships are given out during the first board, some are given out at the second and then some are put on some sort of wait list for those slots that open up when people do not take the scholarship.

If you are interested in the Army HPSP I know that you do not need to have an acceptance to apply. They have a minimum GPA and MCAT requirement to apply. I do not know when their boards meet but they do have more meetings and later into the year.

If you are set on the Air Force but have not received an acceptance before the boards meet you can apply for a three year scholarship next year. It sounded to me like the Air Force awards quite of few of these.

Good Luck

Jaime

 

[NJEMT1]

"My guess is that everyone and his brother applies for the AF HPSP scholarships, so they can afford to pick their people earlier than other branches. I hope you applied for more than one branch."

Why do more people apply for AF than for the other branches?

 

[cdreed]

Just my opinion, but AF quality of life while on active duty seems to be more appealing. The deployment schedule is fairly family friendly, on base facilities seem to be nicer than army (not sure about navy), and actual base geographic locations are almost ideal...

Overall during my time on active duty, I got the impression that the AF is a family-friendly environment. A lot of people gravitate towards that aspect.

I am sure that the other services have good points as well. I was just not privileged to be exposed to them.

 

[pilotdoc]

The Army "automatic" acceptance for HPSP (without a med school acceptance) is a 3.5 undergrad and 28 MCAT. By automatic, they mean you can go before the board without having a med school acceptance - but you do not automatically get a scholarship, especially a 4-year. Weird. Anyway, I believe the Army has already had two boards, and has maybe one more in January or February.

 

[militarymd]

Think again about whether you really want that scholarship. The seemingly illogical way of scheduling the boards (ie timing that makes it impossible for you to submit your application) is just the beginning of more illogical and random acts that military medicine will commit to you.

The scholarship seems very appealing because of what it offers now, but believe me, the military will exact the payback and then some after you sign on. There are plenty of loan options out there that will help you through medical school. I have served over 10 years in the military, and over 75% of the doctors that I have served with can't wait to get out, and once they get out, no one looks back.

If you really want to be in the Air Force, then I would recommend finishing training first before you join. If it is something like being a "Flight Surgeon" that is attracting you to the Air Force, then I would recommend spending some time with an actual flight surgeon before signing quite a few years of your life away.

If you really want to be in the Air Force no matter what, then I guess I wish you luck in your application process.

militarymd
Served proudly for over 10 years

 

[Snack]

Originally posted by militarymd
If it is something like being a "Flight Surgeon" that is attracting you to the Air Force, then I would recommend spending some time with an actual flight surgeon before signing quite a few years of your life away.

militarymd-
How would one go about setting something up with a FS to sort of "shadow" them? Would this be something a recruiter could help out with or would someone just arbitrarly try and locate/contact a FS? Thanks for the help.

 

[militarymd]

The best thing is if you actually know someone who is a FS.

The next thing to try is your health professions recruiter.

Finally, I would try calling up Air Force medical units with Flight Surgeons, and ask if you can spend some time with them.

Obviously, if you're doing this before a scholarship, you will have to pay for expenses out of your own pocket....

Good luck

 

[metabolite]

well that's interesting because my recruiter told me that the board meets sometime on Feb 11-13. He also convinced me that I won't need to apply to other branches - now I'm getting a little concerned...

 

[Demosthenes_7]

Of course your recruiter is going to tell you not to apply to the other branches. The AF though is the most difficult to get into, and if I were you I'd make contact w/ Navy or Army to get things going is case AF falls through. All you'll need is some recs as the new recruiter can download your application and the new recruiter can request your medical from MEPS.

Keep in mind that recruiters are looking out for #1 and that person is not you! Even though I hear the best feedback from the AF, family friendly, etc. if you want to go HPSP you should cover yourself, b/c you may not hear from them till March, and you do not want to be left is a lurch if the AF rejects you.