Army recruiters have access to MCAT scores?!??

[hopster]

I received an email yesterday from an Army recruiter in my area congratulating me on my mcat score and asking that I consider applying to their medical school. Does the army actually have access to these scores?? I guess it would make sense since they have access to SAT scores to recruit HS kids. Still, kinda freaked me out.

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[Law2Doc]

I received an email yesterday from an Army recruiter in my area congratulating me on my mcat score and asking that I consider applying to their medical school. Does the army actually have access to these scores??

Not everyones, just yours. They are watching

 

[TM2006]

i think when I signed up for the MCAT they ask you if they can release your information to other sources (one being the military). So if I were you, I would just call the AAMC and ask them to change it for you.

 

[laurenem]

oooh I got that too, I marked it as spam on gmail..... I was really not very happy to receive that email.
when I registered I said they could release scores to my premed advisor but I don't know if this had larger implications for selling my name. I really hope it didn't.

 

[defrunner]

I got it too, don't worry about it. I did say on the MCAT stuff that they could send my scores out, so this comes with the territory. If I were interested in the Army, it's actually not a bad way to go.

Hey, everyone has to recruit somehow, right? Hasn't anyone ever received emails or brochures from Ross University or something? Not everyone is able to sell themselves with a minimum amount of effort like Harvard or something does.

 

[hermit]

kinda freaked me out.

Why?

 

[JonnyG]

The military has a medical school, your scores are released to all medical schools. This is no different from any medical school sending you an invite to apply.

 

[jbrice1639]

oooh I got that too, I marked it as spam on gmail..... I was really not very happy to receive that email.
when I registered I said they could release scores to my premed advisor but I don't know if this had larger implications for selling my name. I really hope it didn't.

they never stop emailing you. i asked them about this time last year to remove me from their list and still got about 2 emails a month from them...and still am getting them even though school starts for me on monday. i'd suggest to anyone who gets them to just ignore them...doesn't seem to do anything if you try to make them stop.

 

[Dr Durden]

Are you sure they even have your actual numerical score? I'm thinking they just get a massive list of emails of anyone above a certain threshold.

BTW, I only got a congrats for COMPLETING the MCAT, not my score. I'm also pretty sure they're recruiting for their "scholarship" to ANY medical school in the USA.

 

[Pemberley]

I received an email yesterday from an Army recruiter in my area congratulating me on my mcat score and asking that I consider applying to their medical school. Does the army actually have access to these scores?? I guess it would make sense since they have access to SAT scores to recruit HS kids. Still, kinda freaked me out.

Doesn't take much to freak you out, does it?

 

[Brainsucker]

they never stop emailing you. i asked them about this time last year to remove me from their list and still got about 2 emails a month from them...and still am getting them even though school starts for me on monday. i'd suggest to anyone who gets them to just ignore them...doesn't seem to do anything if you try to make them stop.

It doesn't stop during school. It probably never stops.

 

[8744]

I received an email yesterday from an Army recruiter in my area congratulating me on my mcat score and asking that I consider applying to their medical school. Does the army actually have access to these scores?? I guess it would make sense since they have access to SAT scores to recruit HS kids. Still, kinda freaked me out.

Man. Imagine if you were called to really make some kind of sacrifice for your country. I realize that you have no interest in the military and you may, in fact, be anti-military but it's the United States Army we're talking about here, not some shady tele-marketing organization trying to get you to buy a condo. They need doctors, you are going to be a doctor, and they are making their pitch to you who are presumably a patriotic American.

In no way can they twist your arm or pressure you. We have an all volunteer force so you hold most of the cards. If you have yahoo or hotmail you can also presumably put them on your junkmail list and never hear from them again.

 

[hermit]

AHHH! Pandabear - don't tell that to the OP! Oblivious people like this are hard to come by and you have to seize the opportunity to torment/humiliate/scare them. Fortunately the OP's stupidity affliction cannot be cured by a few posts in one thread and there will most certainly be other opportunities to ridicule him.

 

[laurenem]

IHasn't anyone ever received emails or brochures from Ross University or something?

yes and they're also not welcome in my mailbox especially if they "claim" to be complimenting me on my mcat scores

 

[leahmaria]

my email from them was from a recruiter in my area and didn't mention my mcat scores...

 

[jackieMD2007]

The Army wants smart people. Understandable. If you don't want to go that route, then don't. You people are getting all "Big Brother Is Watching" on us.

Where was that thread about "Is USUHS Military?" YEAH, that's what the Uniformed Services part means.

 

[beaverfetus]

yeah email was annoying but the recruiter's last name is moffet so that makes up for it.... heheh moffet.

 

[chewsnuffles]

For me they were offering the scholarship, which leads to...

OK, can someone do the math for me quick
+Cost of med school per year * 4
+1,300 per month stipend *12 *4
-Money you'd make as a normal doctor *4
+Money you'd make as an army doctor *4

Does it come out posative?
And if so, does it divide through evenly with
Possibly having a forced residency
and
****ty relocation?
and
Getting in the indirect line of fire

Those last ones arn't a joke really, I'm considering it but I want to know how bad those last 3 are...

 

[maestro1625]

For me they were offering the scholarship, which leads to...

OK, can someone do the math for me quick
+Cost of med school per year * 4
+1,300 per month stipend *12 *4
-Money you'd make as a normal doctor *4
+Money you'd make as an army doctor *4

Does it come out posative?
And if so, does it divide through evenly with
Possibly having a forced residency
and
****ty relocation?
and
Getting in the indirect line of fire

Those last ones arn't a joke really, I'm considering it but I want to know how bad those last 3 are...

Meh, my cousin did it. Went to a private school, so only the army would pay for it. He basically has no debt now and lives in DC doing his residency at Walter Reed hospital, and actually got to help operate on Colin Powell. He says he'll probably end up in some nowhere Texas army base for five years, but he claims that without the Army, he'd have no other way to pay for school. It's a good decision for those of you who consider the obvious negatives.

 

[xanthomondo]

isnt there an entire forum for military medicine on SDN?

 

[NonTradMed]

Man. Imagine if you were called to really make some kind of sacrifice for your country. I realize that you have no interest in the military and you may, in fact, be anti-military but it's the United States Army we're talking about here, not some shady tele-marketing organization trying to get you to buy a condo. They need doctors, you are going to be a doctor, and they are making their pitch to you who are presumably a patriotic American.

In no way can they twist your arm or pressure you. We have an all volunteer force so you hold most of the cards. If you have yahoo or hotmail you can also presumably put them on your junkmail list and never hear from them again.

I have people calling me to donate money to all kinds of worthy causes---cancer research, money for firefighter widows, feed the children etc, but that doesn't mean I should not be annoyed by the spam. I don't consider the military medicine recruiting to be as bad as telemarketing, they certainly don't call me during dinnertime or anything like that, but that doesn't stop me from feeling annoyed at the ads this late in the admissions process. I don't appreciate constant advertisments when I know I will never have use for it. I'm hoping the military and Ross University will stop after the new admissions cycle starts up. By that time, they must realize I'm not interested.

I also think some of the recruiting tactics is akin to any sales tactics. Recruiters have quotas to fill, and they sell it like anything else. One has to be careful just like "buying a condo" about signing on the dotted line. One should look at the military medicine option like any other deal that one signs into.

When I signed up to send my MCAT score out, I was nervous that I wouldn't get into med school and figured sending my scores out may help. I guess it was wishful thinking. It's just a way to have ads sent to me. All well, I got in where I want to go.

 

[HairyCow]

Haha, I was actually going to start a thread on the same topic. I've gotten emails and letters from three different recruiters, which was a little annoying but nothing to get freaked out over. But the plot thickens... Recently, my parents told me that the Army has been calling my house literally every morning for the past few weeks. I'm not home on weekdays, so I didn't know about this until they told me. I guess they answered it one time, and that's how they knew the calls were for me. Well, my parents' English isn't that great, so they just ignore the phone calls now. But seriously, those guys are PERSISTENT. I did get a free duffel bag from them a few years back, so I probably shouldn't complain.

 

[maestro1625]

it's worth noting that this is the first time that the Army has been unable to fill all of its med school scholarships.

...and for what it's worth, the one army doc I know got put up in a hotel room for his basic... so though the armny is notd for not being the greatest place in the world for doctors, you're not treated like garbage like some incoming recruit out of high school.

 

[xanthomondo]

it's worth noting that this is the first time that the Army has been unable to fill all of its med school scholarships.

...and for what it's worth, the one army doc I know got put up in a hotel room for his basic... so though the armny is notd for not being the greatest place in the world for doctors, you're not treated like garbage like some incoming recruit out of high school.

yeah the scholarship program can be a great thing...except the army is just nnoottt for some people

 

[mshheaddoc]

For me they were offering the scholarship, which leads to...

OK, can someone do the math for me quick
+Cost of med school per year * 4
+1,300 per month stipend *12 *4
-Money you'd make as a normal doctor *4
+Money you'd make as an army doctor *4

Does it come out posative?
And if so, does it divide through evenly with
Possibly having a forced residency
and
****ty relocation?
and
Getting in the indirect line of fire

Those last ones arn't a joke really, I'm considering it but I want to know how bad those last 3 are...

If you really want to know the answer to your questions, go lurk in the military forum. There was someone that did an analysis on the cost of military vs. paying yourself. The military deal is NOT bad at all if you know what you are getting into. As well as if I had gone to med school right out of college I might have considered it. I just wish they had the option for reserves where you don't have to serve active duty.

 

[maestro1625]

If you really want to know the answer to your questions, go lurk in the military forum. There was someone that did an analysis on the cost of military vs. paying yourself. The military deal is NOT bad at all if you know what you are getting into. As well as if I had gone to med school right out of college I might have considered it. I just wish they had the option for reserves where you don't have to serve active duty.

sadly the active duty part is why they're paying you so much... they need doctors, and for good reason the way faith in the way the govt and military is run right now.

 

[USArmyDoc]

oooh I got that too, I marked it as spam on gmail..... I was really not very happy to receive that email.
when I registered I said they could release scores to my premed advisor but I don't know if this had larger implications for selling my name. I really hope it didn't.

 

[chewsnuffles]

it's worth noting that this is the first time that the Army has been unable to fill all of its med school scholarships.

...and for what it's worth, the one army doc I know got put up in a hotel room for his basic... so though the armny is notd for not being the greatest place in the world for doctors, you're not treated like garbage like some incoming recruit out of high school.

hotel ehh... this changes everything. 3 or 4 stars?

 

[8744]

Or, God Forbid, you might consider military service for patriotic reasons.

Or is the only kind of service that counts brief stints on the suicide crisis hotline or driving a couple of nails for habitat for humanity to beef up you medical school application?

 

[notdeadyet]

Or, God Forbid, you might consider military service for patriotic reasons.

Or is the only kind of service that counts brief stints on the suicide crisis hotline or driving a couple of nails for habitat for humanity to beef up you medical school application?

Oh please. I agree that there are too many who view service as something you do to please med schools. But I always find it funny that there are so many that inevitably think of the military when they think of service.

Habitat for Humanity and other nonprofs are just as valid a form of service as the U.S. military. Conditions working for the Peace Corps are less comfortable than many postings in peacetime military.

Many folks go into the military service for reasons other than patriotic (kill the GI bill and see how it affects enlistments in the Army for instance). And there are plenty of valid forms of service out there for those who have no interest in supporting the mission of the U.S. military. Particularly under recent presidents.

 

[mshheaddoc]

Or, God Forbid, you might consider military service for patriotic reasons.

Or is the only kind of service that counts brief stints on the suicide crisis hotline or driving a couple of nails for habitat for humanity to beef up you medical school application?

Panda Bear - I think many people consider this as an option although the majority of people are NOT representative in this thread. I should have put "why" I wanted to join the military which is for the same exact reason you stated. I'd love the chance to serve my country. I even seriously considered doing the reserves. But the military is not for everyone and those with families have to make the commitment with families. At least that is MY reason why I am not doing it now. So I'm finding other ways to help out our nation via MRC or disaster teams.

 

[hopster]

lol, you guys crack me up

 

[notdeadyet]

So I'm finding other ways to help out our nation via MRC or disaster teams.

What's MRC? Is that Medical Red Cross or somesuch?

 

[mshheaddoc]

What's MRC? Is that Medical Red Cross or somesuch?

Medical Reserve Corps

Fact sheet about the MRC

 

[Dr. Pepper]

Or, God Forbid, you might consider military service for patriotic reasons.

Or is the only kind of service that counts brief stints on the suicide crisis hotline or driving a couple of nails for habitat for humanity to beef up you medical school application?

Though I don't fully support Panda Bear's point, I will agree with him that the army is still a service, much like the red cross or peace corps.

While many feel alarmed that the military has access to some personal information (although it seems in this case, it was given based on checking that box), I think they have a right to test scores etc....I mean, they have to recruit somehow.

I'm not saying that it is our duty as citizens to fight in a war (unless a draft is re-instated), but there is absolutely nothing wrong in giving the military access to test scores, grades etc for recruiting purposes.

Just becase you don't want to serve doesn't mean you have to inhibit the recruiting process.
-Dr. P.

 

[notdeadyet]

Just becase you don't want to serve doesn't mean you have to inhibit the recruiting process.

I have no problem with the military having my MCAT information if I checked the box authorizing AMCAS to release my scores to interested parties offering scholarships; I think most of us checked that box.

If you didn't check that box, the military will not be gettinig that information. Choosing to not release your information to the military or government is certainly within your rights and is not hampering the recruiting office any more than not going down there and listening to their pitch.

 

[MossPoh]

I still recieve stuff from the military anyway.....regardless of mcat scores. I was turned off from them after they lied to my face about situations I had personal knowledge about from my uncle, whom is a col. in the airforce. I was going to do ROTC...had the scholarship lined up and they denied me because I was honest on my health form and said I took an anti-depressant at one time. The commander at each uni (vanderbilt and virginia tech) for army and navy both told me I should've lied on my form as well. Panda...You are really taking some of this too personally. I understand you were/are? a marine but perhaps excluding the marines(all of you guys are the crazy ones ) most enlistees do it because they really don't know what else to do and/or don't have much of an option for anything else. I have had plenty of friends that didn't have the money for college so they signed up for the national guard since they were assured they wouldn't be sent to the middle east.....then they were...where one lost his leg. I am not anti-military in anyway...I still might consider it even but just because someone doesn't want to do the military and gets tired of email after email after email or like me a mailbox of pamphlets doesn't make them unpatriotic......You can be a patriot and love our country and hate the iraq war. I honestly think the worst people as far as patriots go are the ones that fly the flag EVERYWHERE and essentially destroy it day in and day out. They pay lipservice to the flag but don't take the time to take it down during a storm, or fold it properly. One doesn't have to join the military to be patriotic.....they can work on fixing the problems IN the US as well.....I'm not some anti-war fiend or anything...I even agree with military action in certain cases but the ability for others to choose what they want should be ok too...and not be branded unpatriotic.

 

[8744]

I

...most enlistees do it because they really don't know what else to do and/or don't have much of an option for anything...

No no no. To be a "trigger-puller" in the Army or the Marines (infantry, armor, artillery, combat engineer, etc.) you have to volunteer three times. Once when you decide to enlist, once when you select a service, and once when you select a military specialty. Not only do we have an all-volunteer force but you have to volunteer for training and assignment to a combat-type unit.

If you want to be in an elite unit like the Rangers or Marine Recon you to volunteer again.

Do you see how patronizing you are and how condescending? Give people some credit. Most people know exactly what they are getting into when they enlist, particularly since 9/11. All branches of the military are either exceeding or meeting their retention or enlistment quotas. Wether or not you agree with American foriegn policy or not, enlistees either agree with it or don't diasgree with it enough to keep them out of the military. It's a rational choice made by people who weigh carefully the risks and benefits.

I might as well say that many of you are applying to medical school because you can't think of anything else to do with your lives. This certainly fits for people who go straight from high school to college to medical school.

 

[Dov]

I dont think the armed forces are the only ones who get scores... i got a letter from a school in wisconsin askign me to apply because of my MCAT scores. I didn't even know the school existed before the contacted me so there is no way my scores could have been released to them. I was kinda upset.

 

[beefballs]

No no no. To be a "trigger-puller" in the Army or the Marines (infantry, armor, artillery, combat engineer, etc.) you have to volunteer three times. Once when you decide to enlist, once when you select a service, and once when you select a military specialty. Not only do we have an all-volunteer force but you have to volunteer for training and assignment to a combat-type unit.

If you want to be in an elite unit like the Rangers or Marine Recon you to volunteer again.

Do you see how patronizing you are and how condescending? Give people some credit. Most people know exactly what they are getting into when they enlist, particularly since 9/11. All branches of the military are either exceeding or meeting their retention or enlistment quotas. Wether or not you agree with American foriegn policy or not, enlistees either agree with it or don't diasgree with it enough to keep them out of the military. It's a rational choice made by people who weigh carefully the risks and benefits.

I might as well say that many of you are applying to medical school because you can't think of anything else to do with your lives. This certainly fits for people who go straight from high school to college to medical school.

no people who don't know what to do when they graduate college go to law school.

I agree that people who enlist are cognizant of the realities of their choice. I also freely admit that one of the main reasons I enlisted was the GI Bill, not a sense of patriotism ( although what I learned while in about leadership, sense of duty and honor, were an unexpected gift that altered me). My options were also somewhat limited and I had higher aspirations than some dip$hit job for the rest of my life-so I joined

Regardless of why they enlist its the what they do that matters. I think MossPoh wasn't saying that enlisted people are uninformed regarding world events & inherent risks but that due to conditions (be they socioeconomic preventing higher education, lack of marketable skills, or no employment available) the military becomes more enticing.

 

[8744]

...I think MossPoh wasn't saying that enlisted people are uninformed regarding world events & inherent risks but that due to conditions (be they socioeconomic preventing higher education, lack of marketable skills, or no employment available) the military becomes more enticing...

I agree, but you can't sell people something they don't want. No amount of college money, pay, or benefits will get somebody to enlist who doesn't want to.

I also want to point out that people who enlist as trigger-pullers get no marketable skills from their service and that they know this going in. Enlisting for adventure, for travel, to fight, or just to test your mettle are perfectly good reasons.

 

[notdeadyet]

All branches of the military are either exceeding or meeting their retention or enlistment quotas.

Maybe you didn't hear, but every branch of the military missed their enlistment quotas last year. That resulted in the military dropping their standard for enlistment. That's why they're hitting their numbers this year.

Beginning last fall, the Amry doubled the number of recruits they'll accept with ascore between 15 and 30 on the ASVAB (from 2 to 4%). The percentage of folks admitted via wavers in the first four months of this year rose to 15.5% from 12% in 2005.

I have no interest in debating the war, but to pretend that the military is not having recruitment issues is a little naive and/or misleading. The military couldn't recruit to target so they lowered standards.

Does this create a rosier spreadsheet? Yes. A better military? No.

 

[8744]

Maybe you didn't hear, but every branch of the military missed their enlistment quotas last year. That resulted in the military dropping their standard for enlistment. That's why they're hitting their numbers this year.

Beginning last fall, the Amry doubled the number of recruits they'll accept with ascore between 15 and 30 on the ASVAB (from 2 to 4%). The percentage of folks admitted via wavers in the first four months of this year rose to 15.5% from 12% in 2005.

I have no interest in debating the war, but to pretend that the military is not having recruitment issues is a little naive and/or misleading. The military couldn't recruit to target so they lowered standards.

Does this create a rosier spreadsheet? Yes. A better military? No.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2176450&page=1
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/09/AR2006060901318.html
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1663383/posts

 

[notdeadyet]

Thanks. These links are interesting. I didn't know some of the stuff they mentioned.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2176450&page=1

...mentions that in order to boost its numbers, the Army twice riased its maximum active duty age. They also noted that they've lowered the monthly goals for most of the recruiting this year and increased the monthly goals for summer months (the busy months in recruiting).

Read: if you don't like what the data tells you, slice it differently. If you ran a public corporation like this, you'd go to jail.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/09/AR2006060901318.html

...mentions that
"eight months into its budget year, the active Army is barely beyond the halfway mark of recruiting its goal of 80,000 new soldiers. Through May it had signed up 42,859, meaning that in the final four months of the period it will have to enlist an average of nearly 9,300 per month to reach the 80,000 target.

The last link was just a press release tidbit.

Thanks for the info. The military won't see the effects of what they're doing now, but they will in a few years. It's a shame.

 

[8744]

Good Lord, the quality of today's enlistees, at least on paper, is a lot better than when I enlisted back in 1983. At that time a high school diploma or GED were not required and I even had a few guys in my platoon who had been offered the choice between jail or enlistment.

Lowering standards is a relative thing.

But it is true that the military is having trouble getting enough doctors on board, especially in the more lucrative specialties.

 

[MossPoh]

I agree that if there isn't ANY interest you won't do it...for the most part. Sometimes it is just the end result you are looking for though and not the space inbetween. Medical school defintley isn't aimed to be a filler in my case....I have fought with wanting to do it for a long time (I really wanted to like other stuff) but even a great job offer with IBM and a few other companies didn't do anything for me. I apologize if I sounded condescending Panda...I don't intend to be that way I promise. I just feel...like medicine people don't necessarily have the right intentions in mind when they start. I know two guys at westpoint that talk about how they choose to go infantry because it is their best shot of becoming a general.....while I'm in awe at what those guys go through I think joining something for the ultimate goal of having better chances of promotion is a little bit on the poor side of decisions. My uncle constantly bitched about how he couldn't become a general because he never got the chance to see much real war...meanwhile he did get to see his family a lot more than most. So I think it is jsut a bunch of tradeoffs. In response to the other stuff about what war is....i don't doubt you have a better viewpoint than almost all of us....that was your job and you were trained to do it....so I understand your viewpoint and we need it as much as we need the peaceful side. One could really argue for both sides with about any war as to have cut it off.. Sure we could've cut world war II off when Hitler started, or we (and I really mean all other countries but the US here) could've limited the reparations from the resulting treaty of world war I and not send the german nation into a downward spiral. World war I...well that is one of the most hideous unnecessary wars around. Once again apologize if stuff came off the wrong way...hard to explain stuff for me through these little message boards....and these issues will never be clear cut(also sometimes i like to play devil's advocate and just kind of throw gas on the fire )

 

[shnjb]

Hmm....
Tough choice.

Be in a sizeable debt for about 10 years after graduating med school or go to war against "terrorists," practicing medicine on soldiers while putting my life at risk?

 

[deleted106503]

What's the problem? I wouldn't mind going into the military as a doctor. Only under one condition: they also let me be a fighter pilot. That would be the best. Doctor and fighter pilot is the ultimate day and night job. Okay, I'm getting a little ahead of myself. It'll never happen, but I can dream.

 

[Illustric]

has anyone else recently gotten recruiter email before their test date released????

 

[Baron Samedi]

If your world starts spinning because of a couple unsolicited emails then, don't worry, the Army is not for you.