Soon-To-Be Veteran

[JustRandomLetters]

Hello All,

I'm a 23 year old guy, that will transitioning from active duty to the air national guard within the next year. I will be attending a university in NYC (granted they accept me since I've been getting a run-around) and will be completing most, if not all, of my undergrad degree while I'm there. I recently decided to pursue a career in the medical field after going back and forth between accounting and computer science but ultimately deciding that they're not what I want to do. I've been working a computer job for the past 5 years and know that I won't get any satisfaction from either career field.

I'm fortunate enough to have the post 9/11 GI bill to pay for my undergrad and plan on moving to Texas (which is my home of record) to apply for the Hazelwood program and have most (from what I've read) of my medical school paid for. So hopefully I won't have that much debt.

My situation is the following:

I have a total of 65 hours completed. 19 of those hours were through actual classes (online, in-class, etc.) with a 3.16 GPA. The rest of those hours have been obtained through military courses, CLEPS, etc. so they don't have a GPA. I'm assuming whichever university I end up attending won't accept all of the credits. So I'll have anywhere from 2-3 years worth of undergrad left. I still haven't completed my pre-reqs and feel like I've "wasted" the first year in regards to not being able to start on any of my ECs.

Do any of you think that this "wasted" year will hurt me at all? Or will the fact that I was in the military make up for it?

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[Darth Doc]

Not sure what you mean by a "wasted" year. Military service is appreciated by many adcoms, but you still need volunteerism and ECs. Military doesn't count as the same type of service because you get paid. (I've asked ). Grades and GPA are important. Your current GPA needs to increase significantly to make you competitive. You have 2-3 years of undergrad during which to get good ECs. Make a plan to get your application looking complete in 2-3 years with the grades, ECs and shadowing and you'll be fine. Good luck!

 

[JustRandomLetters]

I just meant a year that I wasn't able to do any volunteering or ECs. I definitely will be working on my grades once school starts, that's literally the only thing I'll be focusing on. Thanks for your input!

 

[Just Call Me Doc]

Just a heads up, since you plan on doing your undergrad out of state, make sure you establish/maintain your Texas residency early enough in the application process. Basically, they usually want you to have "maintained domicile continuously in the state" for at least 12 months before October of the year you apply (and it can't be just for educational purposes). While the Hazlewood Act only requires Texas to be the home of record, TMDSAS and these schools have more stringent residency requirements for getting into the school as an in-state applicant.

If have family in Texas and you make sure you don't do anything to give up your residency status, you should be fine. I was in a very similar situation as you and made the mistake of not reading the fine print. I had to apply as an OOS my first cycle (which you DON'T want to do unless you're a rockstar) and needless to say it didn't work out well for me that year.

Here's the link, in case you need it:
College For All Texans: Residency Information

 

[JustRandomLetters]

Just a heads up, since you plan on doing your undergrad out of state, make sure you establish/maintain your Texas residency early enough in the application process. Basically, they usually want you to have "maintained domicile continuously in the state" for at least 12 months before October of the year you apply (and it can't be just for educational purposes). While the Hazlewood Act only requires Texas to be the home of record, TMDSAS and these schools have more stringent residency requirements for getting into the school as an in-state applicant.

If have family in Texas and you make sure you don't do anything to give up your residency status, you should be fine. I was in a very similar situation as you and made the mistake of not reading the fine print. I had to apply as an OOS my first cycle (which you DON'T want to do unless you're a rockstar) and needless to say it didn't work out well for me that year.

Here's the link, in case you need it:
College For All Texans: Residency Information

I actually just posted a question regarding Hazelwood. Do you know how much of med school it would cover?

Also, I'm aware about the one-year residency requirement. Unfortunately, becoming a member of the NY Guard will make me a NY state resident. I plan on transferring after I'm done with either my first year or first semester of school to a unit in Texas since all of my family is currently over there and I'll want to establish residency before I apply.

 

[Just Call Me Doc]

I actually just posted a question regarding Hazelwood. Do you know how much of med school it would cover?

Also, I'm aware about the one-year residency requirement. Unfortunately, becoming a member of the NY Guard will make me a NY state resident. I plan on transferring after I'm done with either my first year or first semester of school to a unit in Texas since all of my family is currently over there and I'll want to establish residency before I apply.

Just wanted to make sure.

Unfortunately I'm not sure how much of med school the Hazlewood Act will cover. I haven't been able to find anything beyond the 150 credit hours limit. Probably best to call the financial aid office of a couple of the schools you're interested in and ask them directly.

 

[JustRandomLetters]

Just wanted to make sure.

Unfortunately I'm not sure how much of med school the Hazlewood Act will cover. I haven't been able to find anything beyond the 150 credit hours limit. Probably best to call the financial aid office of a couple of the schools you're interested in and ask them directly.

I'll go ahead and give them a call. Thanks for the info.

 

[JustRandomLetters]

Sort of a small update/question:

I got accepted to a university as transfer and had 49 credits accepted (most being electives). In order to get my undergrad, I need 128 credits, so another 79.
I was planning on taking 15 credits/semester with two 6-credit terms during the summer. This would put me on track to graduating in two years, but, if you go back to my first post you'll see that I've done nothing in regards to ECs, studying for the MCAT, etc.

Should I take 12 credits per semester in order to lengthen my undergrad and have more time to work on what I mentioned? I just wanted to graduate sooner than later.

 

[alpinism]

2 years is more than enough time to get some good ECs such as research, volunteering, shadowing etc...

You can always study for the MCAT over the summer since 6 credits/term is essentially part time school. You'll just have to put in some long hours and possibly study over the weekend.

 

[efex101]

Make sure that you can get GOOD grades with a 15 credit course load and doing EC's, not everyone can.

 

[JustRandomLetters]

I think I'm going to do 12 credits/semester and 6 for the summer, for the first year at least. It'll be my first "real college experience" and don't want to screw it up knowing how difficult it is to get into med school

 

[j4pac]

Bro...your pre-med career is in its infancy.

You have lots of time to build a solid resume. Your GPA is pretty low right now, but you have plenty of time to increase it. You have plenty of time to work on your ECs and plenty of time to study for and rock the MCAT. Gap years are incredibly common for applicants...and ADCOMs don't care. I think that they could especially give two **s considering that you were active duty military at the time. You will not get into medical school based on your military service...but there is no question that it could help if you tie it in well to your personal statement.

If you are able to get instate tuition for undergrad that would be ideal, so that you could potentially use your P911 GIB on medical school. But if you are unable to pull that off...I would use P911 GIB on undergrad just because there is no guarantee that you get into medical school, and you should use the benefit while you have the opportunity.

 

[JustRandomLetters]

You're definitely right, I just like to plan things out. Once I'm set on something I'll research the hell out of it until I figure out a plan to achieve it.

I will be using my post 9/11 for my undergrad and will be (hopefully) using Hazelwood for about half of medical school.

 

[spcwounder]

In my experience you have two advantages being a veteran. The first and most obvious is the financial benefits. GI Bill, and veterans tuition waivers will make your medical education dirt cheap. The second benefit is maturity and focus. I wouldn't count those years as wasted by any means.

 

[JustRandomLetters]

I guess I just need to hit the ground running. One last question, what would be the best way for me to schedule my pre reqs in order to have them completed before I take my mcat? Assuming have a little over 2 years left (12 hours fall/spring/summer)

 

[Just Call Me Doc]

I guess I just need to hit the ground running. One last question, what would be the best way for me to schedule my pre reqs in order to have them completed before I take my mcat? Assuming have a little over 2 years left (12 hours fall/spring/summer)

If I were in your shoes, I would take general chemistry, biology, and math (statistics & calc) my first year and then physics and organic chemistry the second year. If you haven't taken any English courses (6 credits min.) then you need to add that (most likely summer and second year). You also need to have at least a total of 14 credit hours of biology for Texas schools so may need to add some additional bio courses during the summer and/or second year, as well. In preparation for the MCAT (if you haven't already taken them) I would also add an intro psych and/or sociology course in any free space. Statistics is required for some of the Texas schools and either calc or stats is required for most of the rest. You may be able to get away with skipping calc if you're going to stick with Texas schools but if you're looking for any OOS ones, check the math requirements for those schools.

The hard part will be fitting in the biochemistry (which is required for a few Texas schools and in the new MCAT) since you need to have completed orgo first. Ideally, if your school has orgo I during the summer and orgo II in the fall, then you can take biochem in the spring of year two. If not, you may have to just take biochem the summer of the second year. This may push out taking the MCAT (and your application) out another year, though, since it would be highly recommended to have taken this course for the new MCAT.

Hope this helps.

 

[JustRandomLetters]

If that's the case then I'll just move back to Texas (to establish my 1-year residency) during that extra year and use that time to get some more EC hours in, shadowing specifically.

 

[JustRandomLetters]

Another question, considering I'll have a year of school over with due to the amount of credits that they're transferring, when should I take my mcat? You're stating the classes I should take 1st/2nd year, but in my case my second year would really be my third.

 

[trev5150]

Six credits over the summer is considered full time by the VA.

You can also look into a transfer from NY to TX guard.

 

[trev5150]

As long as you're a veteran and originally from Texas you should be good. The dicey part is calling your active duty Guard time (was this is your initial boot, initial MOS school time frame or were you activated and deployed?) as actually conferring veteran status. For many benefit categories it does not.

 

[trev5150]

Ensure you wring out the schools' VA coordinator for details. I wasn't NG myself but I've heard a lot of screwjobs done on NG guys because they were promised the moon and stars and get a lot of smoke blown up their 4th point of contact.

 

[JustRandomLetters]

I was considering transferring from NY to TX guard until they told me that I can apply from NY for the Hazelwood Act because joined/was born in Texas. I have 5 years of active duty under my belt, will be transferring to guard. The only thing I'm unsure about right now is if Texas medical schools would consider me as an OOS applicant or not.

 

[trev5150]

Much clearer picture now, copy all. Thanks for your service brother. My gut feeling is that the TX state meducal schools will sort you the same way as the rest undergrad. My $0.02 question is even though the NYC BAH is pretty high wouldn't you rather be in Austin? And I'm saying this as a guy from Hicksville, Nassau County, Long Island, you're not going to enjoy yourself nearly as much in the city. There is no such thing as college football in NY, for instance. It's sad, really.

Edit: Syracuse does NOT count, for anyone that was gonna send up that balloon. Hasn't been a football school since Donovan McNabb left. That's a basketball/lacrosse school now.

 

[JustRandomLetters]

As the rest of undergrad as in OOS? Fortunately for me, I don't care much about college sports. NYC is one of the only places where I'd be able to go to school without needing to get a job, which would help me focus solely on school.

 

[jlh19]

So I'm a little confused, you are about to be starting undergrad but have already done a year of it while on active duty? I'm just asking because I'm trying to get your timeline straight. Are you going to use those credits that don't count for a GPA toward your degree? I personally think that maybe you don't want to rush into things too fast. Like j4pac said your pre-med career is in it's infancy and you will have plenty of time to manage everything. The most important thing right now is to be informed of the process so there are no surprises down the road and successfully integrate back into civilian life. Trust me it seems easier than it actually is. That was my mistake, I wasn't really informed of everything I needed to do when I first went down this path and my transition to civilian life was a lot harder than I thought. Feel free to PM me if you'd like and we can talk more.

 

[JustRandomLetters]

So it's not allowing me to PM you for whatever reason. You're correct though. After taking a few classes, credit by exam, and credits we get from training, I was able to obtain around 63 credits, but the still will only accept 49 of them. 30 of them will be ungraded, but will count as electives. The other 19 are actually graded.

 

[JustRandomLetters]

So here's my projected schedule with an estimated MCAT test date of late 2016 (that's the reason for the lighter course load). It'll give me enough time for if I should have to test again. Will be applying Summer 2017. The only semester I'm really worried about is fall 2016 due to taking physics and biochem together. Everything else will be filled in with graduation requirements. Estimated graduation will be spring/summer of 2018.

 

[jlh19]

So here's my projected schedule with an estimated MCAT test date of late 2016 (that's the reason for the lighter course load). It'll give me enough time for if I should have to test again. Will be applying Summer 2017. The only semester I'm really worried about is fall 2016 due to taking physics and biochem together. Everything else will be filled in with graduation requirements. Estimated graduation will be spring/summer of 2018. View attachment 192150

I'd be more worried about fitting a whole year of ochem into one summer! That's insane!!! Make sure you check to make sure that you're covering all of the pre-reqs. Most, if not all, schools require a full year of ochem with labs. At my university the ochem lab was separate from the ochem class and as I've talked to other people theirs did it the same way also. Moral of the story, check to make sure you fulfill all of the pre-req requirements and run that schedule by your pre-med advisor. They'll know if you're good to go. Either way a year of ochem in one summer seems intense!!!!!

Physics and biochem sounds daunting but it won't be that bad if you manage the time right. I told you how I took biochem, ochem 2, ochem 2 lab, and physiology all in the same semester so it's possible. Looks good though cuz you definitely want to take biochem before the mcat! Good look!!!

 

[JustRandomLetters]

That's my only option though, unless I try to take ochem during fall/spring 2016/17 along with biochem. All of the science courses include their respective labs. They won't be during the same session, but they're included in the schedule (ie. Biology will be 3 credits for the lecture, 1 credit for the lab). Ochem will be a challenge but hopefully the fact that I'm taking it by itself will make it a bit better. All of the prereqs are covered, at least with the few schools that I double checked with.

This is all tentative btw. The only semester that is set in stone is fall 2015.

 

[jlh19]

Sounds like you've thought this through so you'll do fine! Good luck!!!

 

[tdubst]

That's my only option though, unless I try to take ochem during fall/spring 2016/17 along with biochem. All of the science courses include their respective labs. They won't be during the same session, but they're included in the schedule (ie. Biology will be 3 credits for the lecture, 1 credit for the lab). Ochem will be a challenge but hopefully the fact that I'm taking it by itself will make it a bit better. All of the prereqs are covered, at least with the few schools that I double checked with.

This is all tentative btw. The only semester that is set in stone is fall 2015.

Your tentative outline is very similar to what I graduated with. It is definitely doable. Feel free to PM if you would like any advice on these classes or transitioning in general.

I was also able to shave off a semester and some pre-reqs during my last year of enlistment. It helped a lot to get the ball rolling in terms of credits as well as getting back into academia.

 

[packersfans]

I had never heard of the Hazelwood program til I googled it (Im not from Texas). Maybe consider trying to use Hazelwood for undergrad and post 9/11 GI bill for medical school, I think you would get more bang for your buck.

edit: do you have access to Montgomery GI bill?

edit:edit: nevermind looks like you cant have any Ch 31 or 33 benefits while on Hazelwood.

 

[JustRandomLetters]

You have to either be ineligible for Ch 31/33 or have completely used them up.