2018-2019 Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences

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Just a heads up to anyone that might be in the same boat. You can elect to have the female portion of the physical done by your own OBGYN or use an exam done within the last 11 months. All you have to do is have them fax the information to DODMerb at 719-333-3578.

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Got the call! So excited!! Interviewed 10/5... Army ;)
 
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Did anyone attend the dinner before the interviews? Not sure if what the dress code is. My email didn’t specify.
Should I even go? I’m tired and haven’t really slept so is it worth attending? Thoughts/experiences?
 
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Did anyone attend the dinner before the interviews? Not sure if what the dress code is. My email didn’t specify.
Should I even go? I’m tired and haven’t really slept so is it worth attending? Thoughts/experiences?
I thought it was enjoyable! It was VERY casual. All the students were just in jean and T-shirt’s. I just went in a pair of khakis and a casual button up shirt. At the interview, you’ll have plenty of time to talk to students, but I thought the dinner was more valuable because everyone was more chill and open. But overall, it won’t make or break the interview experience
 
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I thought it was enjoyable! It was VERY casual. All the students were just in jean and T-shirt’s. I just went in a pair of khakis and a casual button up shirt. At the interview, you’ll have plenty of time to talk to students, but I thought the dinner was more valuable because everyone was more chill and open. But overall, it won’t make or break the interview experience

Cool, I’ll probably wear something similar to what you did if I go since that’s all I packed. Thanks for the speedy reply!
 
Did anyone attend the dinner before the interviews? Not sure if what the dress code is. My email didn’t specify.
Should I even go? I’m tired and haven’t really slept so is it worth attending? Thoughts/experiences?

Agree with the above. I thought it was valuable. You also aren’t required to stay the whole time and can leave whenever you want. I was one of the first people to leave, but even though I was only there for like an hour, I still got a lot of valuable info out of it.
 
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How long does it usually take to gain access to DODMETS? I am getting close to 2 weeks with no access.
 
How long does it usually take to gain access to DODMETS? I am getting close to 2 weeks with no access.
It took me 12 days! 8 business days. I called and was approved the next day or day after that.
 
Just got a hold email. Anybody else in the same boat?
 
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10/5. i had to wait for my LOA. I am active duty with 12 years so that balanced having it complete so late
 
Does anyone know how ranking the branches affects your acceptance? Do they give you your second choice if your first is not available or will you be waitlisted? I want to rank the PHS first but I know there's usually only 2 spots and I don't want to pigeonhole myself.
 
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Does anyone know how ranking the branches affects your acceptance? Do they give you your second choice if your first is not available or will you be waitlisted? I want to rank the PHS first but I know there's usually only 2 spots and I don't want to get pigeonhole myself.

If there are no spots in your branch, but they want to accept you, they will most likely put you on the waitlist for that branch. They usually go through the entire waitlist for the Army and AF, and most of the Navy waitlist. I’m not sure how it works if you rank phs first though. Since they only take two people, they might just offer you your second choice. Not totally sure. Honestly it’s a waste of time for most people. They take two people and are extremely selective. You can always switch into the phs from one of the other branches later.
 
Super random question: does your weight matter for physicals? I’m on a bulking cycle right now and I would start cutting if I need to.

I was at a recruiting office earlier this year and overhead someone say “Please just get me someone who isn’t overweight” lmao
 
Super random question: does your weight matter for physicals? I’m on a bulking cycle right now and I would start cutting if I need to.

I was at a recruiting office earlier this year and overhead someone say “Please just get me someone who isn’t overweight” lmao

You can google the height/weight standards for accessions for each service. Pretty sure one of the google results will link you to a USUHS page. They differ slightly by service. Not sure how extreme your "bulking" is, but you definitely don't want to be on what is pejoratively termed the "fat kid program" lol.
 
Super random question: does your weight matter for physicals? I’m on a bulking cycle right now and I would start cutting if I need to.

I was at a recruiting office earlier this year and overhead someone say “Please just get me someone who isn’t overweight” lmao

Agree with above. If you are above weight for your height, you will be out of standards. Once you’re in they’ll just tape you, and if it actually is because you lift a lot, you’ll still pass. But if you can just cut some weight now, you don’t have to go through any hassle.

https://www.usuhs.edu/sites/default/files/media/adm/pdf/excerpt.pdf
 
Agree with above. If you are above weight for your height, you will be out of standards. Once you’re in they’ll just tape you, and if it actually is because you lift a lot, you’ll still pass. But if you can just cut some weight now, you don’t have to go through any hassle.

https://www.usuhs.edu/sites/default/files/media/adm/pdf/excerpt.pdf

quick question, I remember you said you knew a recruiter, I am getting ready to sign up for HSCP (got a scholarship to pay half my tuition) would I still have to do the 2wk active duty component every year?
 
quick question, I remember you said you knew a recruiter, I am getting ready to sign up for HSCP (got a scholarship to pay half my tuition) would I still have to do the 2wk active duty component every year?

If you're on HSCP, you will be on active duty the entire time as an E-6. It probably varies how strictly they hold to it, but you're supposed to do monthly things with the nearest recruiter. You also have to do annual PFAs. Have you been selected for HSCP already? There are only 2 slots this year for MD. I'll PM you.
 
How long between finishing the prereqs page and hearing back about a next step/II did you guys have to wait?
 
How long between finishing the prereqs page and hearing back about a next step/II did you guys have to wait?
Got the prereq email August 7 and II on October 11. I don't think the prereq request is a good indication of whether or not you're going to get an II, or how soon you would get one. Some people got an II almost immediately after the prereq email, some people (like me) waited a couple of months, some people never get an II after the prereq request. Hard to predict.
 
How long between finishing the prereqs page and hearing back about a next step/II did you guys have to wait?

About 11 days for me. Got prereq email on 8/13, got II on 8/24. I'm not totally sure if I submitted the prereqs the same day as the email, but I probably did.
 
Got the prereq email August 7 and II on October 11. I don't think the prereq request is a good indication of whether or not you're going to get an II, or how soon you would get one. Some people got an II almost immediately after the prereq email, some people (like me) waited a couple of months, some people never get an II after the prereq request. Hard to predict.

Yeah I figured the prereq request wasn't any kind of indicator, I was just hoping the prior service thing would net me an II sooner rather than later (or at all, who knows). This is what happens when I take a day of leave and overthink things.

About 11 days for me. Got prereq email on 8/13, got II on 8/24. I'm not totally sure if I submitted the prereqs the same day as the email, but I probably did.

Sigh. I'm still hoping you'll get your A here soon, bro.
 
I have faith that it's coming. Congrats on your A. Where did you get accepted (if you want to share)?

LSU New Orleans. Amazing school, will set me up well for the specialty that I'm hoping for, and I'm very excited and honored to go there if that's how my cycle turns out. But my partner is here/will remain here and we all know how great of a combo distance and military relationships are.
 
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LSU New Orleans. Amazing school, will set me up well for the specialty that I'm hoping for, and I'm very excited and honored to go there if that's how my cycle turns out. But my partner is here/will remain here and we all know how great of a combo distance and military relationships are.

Yeah, been there. If you have a strong relationship, it is easier though. Four years is a long time though. Any way they can join you there eventually? Or are you dual-mil?
 
Yeah, been there. If you have a strong relationship, it is easier though. Four years is a long time though. Any way they can join you there eventually? Or are you dual-mil?

Dual mil. We'll try to make it work, but I'll have to try to get a residency in the NCR. 4 years is hard but doable. 4 + residency is probably not doable for any distance relationship I've ever heard of succeeding.
 
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Yeah I figured the prereq request wasn't any kind of indicator, I was just hoping the prior service thing would net me an II sooner rather than later (or at all, who knows). This is what happens when I take a day of leave and overthink things.



Sigh. I'm still hoping you'll get your A here soon, bro.
Take heart, you aren't the only one awaiting an interview. 12 years active service here as well. I was complete on Oct. 5. Keep your head up I have a good feeling about the December dates.
 
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Take heart, you aren't the only one awaiting an interview. 12 years active service here as well. I was complete on Oct. 5. Keep your head up I have a good feeling about the December dates.

Thanks bro. I was complete a little after you. Fist bumps if we net some Dec II's.
 
Hi all!
Has anyone who has received a hold email received an II? Also has anyone been rejected pre-II? Are there still folks who have been complete >1 month who have had only silence?

I'm trying to figure out if my hold email is a soft rejection.

Thank you!
 
Hi All,

USU MS-1 here (Army, former army brat, no prior service). Pretty much all of my classmates and I really love USU. The admissions office does a great job at cultivating each class - and the people I go to school with every day are some of the most incredible all-around human beings I've had the pleasure of knowing. My roommate (Air Force) and I both participated in the host program for our interviews last year and the students we met throughout that day helped us make our decision to choose USU over other schools much easier. We both still host and like to help by answering questions from prospective students.

USU is an amazing school. Choosing to go into military medicine IS a big commitment. It is NOT for everyone. Unless you're prior service (and statistically ~60% of every class comprised of applicants like you are not), you probably don't know everything. If that's the case, you should probably have questions. If you have questions - we'd like to answer them so we can help you (and everyone else in the same boat/tank/amphib/cargo jet) make an informed decision. Way I see it - if you get into USU, and you choose to come to USU, you become a colleague that could one day be my family member's or my doctor. I like it when that fellow military officer entered the service through an informed decision.

I try to check in on the USU page a few times a month so apologies in advance if I don't respond right away. (Ch)Air Force-specific questions I'll pass along to the roommie. Please don't write questions that could fill a novel, that anyone can easily find on the school's website, or that have already been asked and answered multiple times. Just quote me anywhere and then ask a question.

I'm not on the AdComm, in a student leadership position with the AdComm, or ever going to interview you - so no need to impress me or ask about what I think anyone's chances of acceptance are.

Good Luck Everyone! GO ARMY BEAT NAVY

Cav
 
GO ARMY BEAT NAVY

We gotta let you win one once in a while so you don’t feel too bad about yourselves. ;)

But seriously, thanks for offering to answer questions about USU. It’s nice to have current students available to answer questions about being a student there. Between you and those of us who are currently active duty or prior service, I think we probably have all the bases covered to help everyone make an informed decision.
 
Hi All,

USU MS-1 here (Army, former army brat, no prior service). Pretty much all of my classmates and I really love USU. The admissions office does a great job at cultivating each class - and the people I go to school with every day are some of the most incredible all-around human beings I've had the pleasure of knowing. My roommate (Air Force) and I both participated in the host program for our interviews last year and the students we met throughout that day helped us make our decision to choose USU over other schools much easier. We both still host and like to help by answering questions from prospective students.

USU is an amazing school. Choosing to go into military medicine IS a big commitment. It is NOT for everyone. Unless you're prior service (and statistically ~60% of every class comprised of applicants like you are not), you probably don't know everything. If that's the case, you should probably have questions. If you have questions - we'd like to answer them so we can help you (and everyone else in the same boat/tank/amphib/cargo jet) make an informed decision. Way I see it - if you get into USU, and you choose to come to USU, you become a colleague that could one day be my family member's or my doctor. I like it when that fellow military officer entered the service through an informed decision.

I try to check in on the USU page a few times a month so apologies in advance if I don't respond right away. (Ch)Air Force-specific questions I'll pass along to the roommie. Please don't write questions that could fill a novel, that anyone can easily find on the school's website, or that have already been asked and answered multiple times. Just quote me anywhere and then ask a question.

I'm not on the AdComm, in a student leadership position with the AdComm, or ever going to interview you - so no need to impress me or ask about what I think anyone's chances of acceptance are.

Good Luck Everyone! GO ARMY BEAT NAVY

Cav

Thanks Cav, really appreciate it.

Can you help me find resources to understand the military match? I am mil-to-mil and my primary concern with USUHS is that I'll match with a specialty/base assignment that sends me far away from my family.
 
Thanks Cav, really appreciate it.

Can you help me find resources to understand the military match? I am mil-to-mil and my primary concern with USUHS is that I'll match with a specialty/base assignment that sends me far away from my family.

Cav can feel free to answer as well, but since I've been active duty for over 6 years, I figured I'd answer as well.

If you are referring to dependents, most assignments in the military are accompanied (i.e., your dependents come with you); however, there are some that are not. Typically the ones that are not are training assignments fewer than 20 weeks in length or short unaccompanied tours (e.g., a 12 month tour to Bahrain would be unaccompanied, but taking a 36-month tour would be accompanied). This includes PCS for internship/residency. They will move your dependents with you.

If you are referring to your parents or any family who are not dependents, you should absolutely not join the military if you do not want to be separated from them. Because you will be. Often. I've been in the Navy for 6.5 years, and I'm a 3 hour drive from my parents and have been for the last year and a half. That's the closest I've been to them. The other 5 years, I was no closer than a 4 hour flight and at one point was a 10 hour flight from them. That doesn't include deployment, when I was on the other side of the country.

This is not to say that you're not prepared for that, but I wanted to make sure you're aware the the military will move you all over the place, possibly even out of the country. I don't know many people who have been able to stay close to home for very long or at all. But that's part of the adventure. I've been to and lived in places I never thought I'd even visit. It's been awesome.

Cav will probably know more specifics about the match. Here are a few links where I've read about it:

How the military match works (as of 2014)

https://mccareer.files.wordpress.co...ard-application-procedures-signed-29jun18.pdf (section 8.a.-d.)
 
I called the school asking about my LOA and they said I would be required to get one. My commander asked what all should be included on it, I told him basically that he was commander and that he is tracking that I applied to medical school and that he is okay with it. But is there anything else he needs or a document of some sort I could send his way so that he has a reference for writing it?
 
I called the school asking about my LOA and they said I would be required to get one. My commander asked what all should be included on it, I told him basically that he was commander and that he is tracking that I applied to medical school and that he is okay with it. But is there anything else he needs or a document of some sort I could send his way so that he has a reference for writing it?

If you pm me your email, I can send you a template version of mine for him to use.
 
Rejected post interview through snail mail. They told me to take a hike... good luck to the rest!

P.S. I showed up overweight to my physical but i never failed tape in the army. However, i didnt get a chance to get taped. The rejection letter was dated the same day DODmerb was done reviewing my physical results but I dont know if my physical had anything to do with my rejectio. It could have been due to other things.

moral of the story -- dont show up fluffy for your physical in case that is the reason why i got the boot
 
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Cav can feel free to answer as well, but since I've been active duty for over 6 years, I figured I'd answer as well.

If you are referring to dependents, most assignments in the military are accompanied (i.e., your dependents come with you); however, there are some that are not. Typically the ones that are not are training assignments fewer than 20 weeks in length or short unaccompanied tours (e.g., a 12 month tour to Bahrain would be unaccompanied, but taking a 36-month tour would be accompanied). This includes PCS for internship/residency. They will move your dependents with you.

If you are referring to your parents or any family who are not dependents, you should absolutely not join the military if you do not want to be separated from them. Because you will be. Often. I've been in the Navy for 6.5 years, and I'm a 3 hour drive from my parents and have been for the last year and a half. That's the closest I've been to them. The other 5 years, I was no closer than a 4 hour flight and at one point was a 10 hour flight from them. That doesn't include deployment, when I was on the other side of the country.

This is not to say that you're not prepared for that, but I wanted to make sure you're aware the the military will move you all over the place, possibly even out of the country. I don't know many people who have been able to stay close to home for very long or at all. But that's part of the adventure. I've been to and lived in places I never thought I'd even visit. It's been awesome.

Cav will probably know more specifics about the match. Here are a few links where I've read about it:

How the military match works (as of 2014)

https://mccareer.files.wordpress.co...ard-application-procedures-signed-29jun18.pdf (section 8.a.-d.)

Thanks for those resources. You're the man.

I'm not worried about being away from "family" generically. I'm worried about being stationed apart from my spouse as mil-to-mil.
 
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