Applying for Navy HPSP for class of 2017, am I starting late?

[dental555]

I just got in contact with a Navy recruiter for a dental HPSP. I heard that you can't submit an application until you receive a letter of acceptance, meaning earliest would be December 3rd. However, I stupidly didn't anticipate that the process takes around a minimum of 3 months (what my recruiter told me). So by starting now, the earliest I could have the application done would be the end of December or early January. By then, will I have drastically limited my chances? I don't really have a good sense of how competitive the HPSP is, I assume its very competitive but I can't really tell.

I'm just a bit frustrated because if I get in to say NYU in early December, I may have to put down a deposit before I know whether or not I've gotten the HPSP scholarship, and my decision on where I go is heavily dependent on whether I receive it or not.

I tried to ask my recruiter if I was late in applying and he wouldn't really give me a straight answer, which worries me in that he was implying that I was late. Anyone have an idea? Maybe a general idea of how many apply versus how many spots there are? I have a 3.45 oGPA and a 23 DAT if that matters.

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[dentclc]

You're really not that late - just move quickly with all of the paperwork and you should be submitting your kit right around the same time as everyone else. Push your recruiter to get MEPS (the physical) and the security clearance (a very long computer-based questioannaire) done with ASAP and you should be in good shape.

 

[dental555]

Thanks for the reassurance. I'm meeting with him on Monday so hopefully that can get me on track ASAP. I also have a fairly lax period of school coming up the next couple weeks so I can really focus on the app.

 

[dentclc]

That number is probably either A) the number of 'open kits' - the Navy tracks how many applicants are working on applications at any given time - but it doesn't mean anything about how far along in the process they are if they will actually complete the kit, or B) all of the waitlisters from this past year (there are quite a few-people like me who submitted their kits in May). In this case, I know in the past they have only alotted a handful of the scholarships to the previous year's waitlisters, and still opened up the majority for people applying this year. See if you can get clarification.