I'm finishing up secondary med school apps now (so... many... secondaries...) but am a non-trad applicant, currently 7 years active duty (Army) service as an Engineer Officer, so I'll toss in my $0.01 (not really worth the full two). Bottom line: I would only recommend military service prior to medical school if you a) have other passions you need to explore that the military offers, b) want to get a feel for the military for a few years before committing to it in a medical context, c) your personal situation demands some base income or life experience prior to med school. But applying for med school alongside a 70 hr/wk job is no picnic.
I'm going to be a junior in college this year. I am pre med majoring in psychology with a concentration in behavioral neuroscience and biology. ( double major).
I'll echo what someone else said: I'd drop the double major and spend time on 1) research opportunities, 2) clinical volunteer work, or even 3) just some break time if you’re already feeling burned out. My shadowing time isn't weak, but my application has significant gaps in terms of research. It's certainly a discriminator that I didn't make myself fully aware of back in 2007. Not sure what your "baseball card" stats look like, but I wish I had paid it more mind.
My question is if I take the MCAT summer of 2018 then go in for 4 years, would they still count ? I don't want to take the MCAT while I serve because I'm afraid the more time that goes by the more I'll forget stuff so I want to do it closest to graduation as possible. How much stuff do you think you'd forget beinh in for 4 years then going to medical school?
Most schools only honor MCAT scores up to 3 years old. There are slight variations in how they calculate that; some are from test date to application date, some are test date to matriculation date, some are test year to matriculation year, etc. I graduated in 2009. I took the last "old" MCAT in Jan 2015, but I shelled out for a Kaplan prep course. Those science wheels were rusty, but I surprised myself with a repeat of my 2008 score, which was strong. That Jan 2015 MCAT score will be valid for most schools through a 2018 matriculation, although I'm trying for 2017 so I have a year buffer. All that said, holy CRAP is it harder to learn and retain new information now than it was when I was 20. Don't forget about showing a pattern of medical interest throughout that time. I spent nights, weekends, and leave days shadowing; be prepared to do the same to show ADCOMs that you're not just "changing your mind" after a few years.
Do you guys think it would be possible for me to join during my gap year then after that year be given kind of a deferment to go to a military medical school ? ( I doubt it but who knows)
I've heard of deferments for ROTC and military academy cadets to delay their military commitments to immediately attend med school, but I'm not aware of any who were afforded a gap year, nor have I met anyone who joined after undergrad then deferred. That would effectively be the same as attending USUHS or applying for HPSP anyway.
Basically doing military before medical school, do you guys think it's a good idea or am I going to ruin things? The reason I was thinking about military for a while now is because of a lot of personal reasons but also because I don't think I want to just do straight school till I'm like 30.. By the time I graduate I'll have been in school for like 16 years straight and I'm not in a rush to do school for another 4-6 years straight. I think a change in things would be good for me. I really want to be a officer and not enlisted but the only medical stuff I know for military that aren't doctors and nurses are medics and I know that's an enlisted position. Any ideas of what I can do with my degrees when I join and what possible medical job options there would be?
After deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, some nights on end sleeping in my office even Stateside, some passionate yelling matches, some great friends, and some serious wake-up calls and introspection opportunities, I personally would do military service prior to applying to med school again. I shared your concerns about being "just" a student continuously for so long. That's me.
But! You need to keep a few things in mind. First, much like military GME/residency opportunities, you don't have complete control over any military career. That includes the job you get, the places, you go, and when you do those things. I got my 3rd choice branch, or "job". I'm not super familiar with Air Force officer positions relating to biology, neuro, or psych, but I have multiple friends who expected to use their degrees in their military positions, only to be sorely disappointed. Imagine having a criminal justice/forensics degree with minor in Arabic and being told "Congratulations, you're an Ordnance Officer because that's what we need! Enjoy counting, storing, and transporting stuff that goes boom!" Second, life happens, and the military can complicate it. I have quite a few friends who found themselves divorcees in their mid 20's because they married too early, their spouse didn't understand what they were getting into, or they rushed into marriage because they were trying to lock down a spouse before they had to PCS (move) again in a year. If your sibling is having a rough time and you're out of leave, you can always quit a civilian job, worst case; in the military, your unapproved absence will be met with the full legal force of UCMJ (military law). Third, the military at large is not a hyper-efficient war fighting scalpel. It is a massive bureaucratic sledgehammer that throws weight in general directions to get things done. They will screw up your pay for months. Your work priorities will be squashed to help your Command increase their suicide awareness training numbers. If you are 100% committed to your own proficiency at your job, the success and welfare of the people around you, and the moral right answer, best case you will be frustrated and sometimes have small victories to comfort you.
Here's this: if there is ONE thing you absolutely MUST do in your life to define success, what is that thing? Get after that. Take the scenic route if you'd like, and enjoy it, but go do THAT. Maybe it won't be what you expect, but at least you won't regret not getting around to it.
Steve
Hey guys! Happy Sunday! 
