Columbia and HPSP

[dexadental]

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I want to go to Columbia. I love New York. The area is quite beautiful (I like to look at concrete). Now that I've assured myself that the HPSP through the Navy is the smartest way for me to finance my dental education, I'm counting on either this school, or NYU as top choices, along with University of Florida, my state school. I figured the over 1000 dollar stipend given to me by the Navy in the program could easily cover an apartment in NY and half of my car payment (I'll get my parents to pay the other half ). Is this thought too good to be true? Would I be somewhat compettitive as an app for Columbia with a 3.8 overall/3.7 sci GPA and 75+ hours of volunteering? Haven't taken the DAT yet, and I will this spring, I plan to do well, but then again, we all do. Am I dreaming? Or does this all sound somewhat realistic?

 

[Dentist 2 be]

Well just make sure you do amazing on the DAT. Even thought your GPA is great Columbia tends to stress the DAT over GPA. ANother thing is is that a studio in NYV can run you about $1000 a month. lol. JUST BEIN REAL here.

 

[DMD_hopeful]

I'd reconsider that car thing if I were you.. Unless you have another $500/month for parking it.

No need for a car if you live in the city.

 

[jessUMD]

i'm assuming youre planning on applying for 2006? anyway i agree, nix the car idea. anyway, just out of curiosity, why are you doing HPSP? is it for purely financial reasons? up until this point i was completely sure i would do air force (if i got it), but after reading all the posts on here about it, i feel like i must have been crazy to even consider it (with financial reasons being my number one motivating factor). how do you feel about it?

 

[Tzips]

I'd reconsider that car thing if I were you.. Unless you have another $500/month for parking it.

No need for a car if you live in the city.

Definately. Speaking as a native NYer, subways are the way to go 😎 , and way cheaper. the parking there is exorbitant, and driving there scares me to death - and i'm used to loony cabdrivers.

and about the HPSP - the offer is awefully attractive, i know, but do you really want to spend your first ten years after dental school in iraq? think about it - once you join the army, you have to follow orders, and that includes going where, and doing what, they tell you. but if you don't mind, or really want to "see the world," then it might be for you.

 

[MrBenny]

Definately. Speaking as a native NYer, subways are the way to go 😎 , and way cheaper. the parking there is exorbitant, and driving there scares me to death - and i'm used to loony cabdrivers.

and about the HPSP - the offer is awefully attractive, i know, but do you really want to spend your first ten years after dental school in iraq? think about it - once you join the army, you have to follow orders, and that includes going where, and doing what, they tell you. but if you don't mind, or really want to "see the world," then it might be for you.

you do not spend "your first ten years after dental school" in the military. the military says that for each year they fully fund your education, that is one year you owe. so the maximum you have to serve is 4 years. You can certainly spend more time in the military if you like after that, but you have no obligations after 4 yrs.

 

[dexadental]

Hey thanks for the replies everyone. As for the HPSP, the man is right, its 4 years service usually, as it takes generally 4 years to finish dental school. To Jess...
I'm doing it for financial reasons, who wants to have a huge debt over their head after college? What information have you heard that told you this wasn't everything you thought it was? I'd be really interested in your reply. I'm considering doing it through the Navy, and would love to go to New York 😀
Hear from you soon
-D in G-Ville
University of Florida

 

[DMD_hopeful]

you do not spend "your first ten years after dental school" in the military. the military says that for each year they fully fund your education, that is one year you owe. so the maximum you have to serve is 4 years. You can certainly spend more time in the military if you like after that, but you have no obligations after 4 yrs.

I could be wrong but I sorta remember reading something about having to do reserve time after your 4 yrs of active duty. Anyone hear this or am I just imagining it?

 

[jessUMD]

I could be wrong but I sorta remember reading something about having to do reserve time after your 4 yrs of active duty. Anyone hear this or am I just imagining it?

hey dexadental. well, like you i was/am planning on doing it for financial reasons. after reading a bunch of posts on here, i see that people highly discourage this, saying that unless you have a strong desire to be a soldier first and a dentist second, you shouldn't do it. a lot of people who are actually in the program had a lot to say about it, not just those speculating about it. some like it, but some say they "wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole" if they could do it over again. it's hard to know if you, or i, or anyone else would like it based on these few comments. from what i understand, you are at the mercy of the military, and don't have much say in where you are stationed or what you do. people also had a lot to say about how unorganized it was and that there was a lack of respect for the healthcare providers by the soldiers. again, this is all based on comments i've read on this site (MANY comments might i add), not my personal opinion as i have no experience with this.

as for the active/inactive duty/reserve time. basically, once you sign the dotted line to accept the scholarship, you are officially THEIRS. your inactive duty begins at that moment. so, technically, it is 4 years of active duty once you graduate, and 4 years inactive. if we got the scholarship for all 4 years of dental school, those count as our inactive years. this means that they could potentially call us to fight while we were in school if they were desperate but this rarely, rarely happens (although it has).

i'm not sure how much research you've done on this, but here is a site i've found very helpful. it has a lot of information, but it's worth it to read it through. especially pay attention to FAQ #6, where he addresses doing it for monetary reasons.

http://lukeballard.tripod.com/HPSP.html

i'm not trying to discourage you. i myself will probably still apply, and make my decision whether i'll pursure it AFTER i see if they'll take me.

also, there is a forum called "military medicine" under graduate forums that you can check out if you haven't already.

good luck!

 

[dexadental]

hey dexadental. well, like you i was/am planning on doing it for financial reasons. after reading a bunch of posts on here, i see that people highly discourage this, saying that unless you have a strong desire to be a soldier first and a dentist second, you shouldn't do it. a lot of people who are actually in the program had a lot to say about it, not just those speculating about it. some like it, but some say they "wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole" if they could do it over again. it's hard to know if you, or i, or anyone else would like it based on these few comments. from what i understand, you are at the mercy of the military, and don't have much say in where you are stationed or what you do. people also had a lot to say about how unorganized it was and that there was a lack of respect for the healthcare providers by the soldiers. again, this is all based on comments i've read on this site (MANY comments might i add), not my personal opinion as i have no experience with this.

as for the active/inactive duty/reserve time. basically, once you sign the dotted line to accept the scholarship, you are officially THEIRS. your inactive duty begins at that moment. so, technically, it is 4 years of active duty once you graduate, and 4 years inactive. if we got the scholarship for all 4 years of dental school, those count as our inactive years. this means that they could potentially call us to fight while we were in school if they were desperate but this rarely, rarely happens (although it has).

i'm not sure how much research you've done on this, but here is a site i've found very helpful. it has a lot of information, but it's worth it to read it through. especially pay attention to FAQ #6, where he addresses doing it for monetary reasons.

http://lukeballard.tripod.com/HPSP.html

i'm not trying to discourage you. i myself will probably still apply, and make my decision whether i'll pursure it AFTER i see if they'll take me.

also, there is a forum called "military medicine" under graduate forums that you can check out if you haven't already.

good luck!

Oh my god. This site was just what I've been looking for. Thanks man! After reading it, well skimming it and adding it to my favs to check tomorrow more thoroughly as I'm extremley sleepy now, I think I may actually go for it and do it. I'll consider those 4 years active duty time to get a practice together. You have to remember that after doing the navy, air force, or whatever have you, you'll gain so much valuable experience and probably have no problem aquirring the funds and resources for your own practice...in my case I'll be 28 if all goes as planned, and have a practice...right out of this program....that is, if all goes as planned. Enough gloating , thanks again for the awesome info!

 

[jessUMD]

Oh my god. This site was just what I've been looking for. Thanks man! After reading it, well skimming it and adding it to my favs to check tomorrow more thoroughly as I'm extremley sleepy now, I think I may actually go for it and do it. I'll consider those 4 years active duty time to get a practice together. You have to remember that after doing the navy, air force, or whatever have you, you'll gain so much valuable experience and probably have no problem aquirring the funds and resources for your own practice...in my case I'll be 28 if all goes as planned, and have a practice...right out of this program....that is, if all goes as planned. Enough gloating , thanks again for the awesome info!

no problem! glad you found it helpful.

 

[sonicultrascrub]

I love New York. The area is quite beautiful (I like to look at concrete).