Dental HPSP class of 2024

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Armyhealth said:
If you are applying for the upcoming cycle and are interested in applying for a military scholarship come say hi or ask any questions!
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Hello, I'm from Texas and from what I understand the TMDSAS application is supposed to open on May 1st this year. I am super interested in military dentistry and am definitely wondering about the HPSP. After researching through here and other places I've gotten two different answers, but I'm not too sure which one is correct.
1. I apply for the HPSP at the same time as I apply to dental school.
2. I apply for the HPSP after I have been accepted to dental school.
I'm just wondering what a timeline would be like, considering the upcoming cycle will be here before we know it!
Thanks!
 
Studmuffin123 said:
Hello, I'm from Texas and from what I understand the TMDSAS application is supposed to open on May 1st this year. I am super interested in military dentistry and am definitely wondering about the HPSP. After researching through here and other places I've gotten two different answers, but I'm not too sure which one is correct.
1. I apply for the HPSP at the same time as I apply to dental school.
2. I apply for the HPSP after I have been accepted to dental school.
I'm just wondering what a timeline would be like, considering the upcoming cycle will be here before we know it!
Thanks!
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You should start the application as you are applying to dental school. The board convenes before a lot of students even get their acceptance to dental school. (December).
 
What should we do if we are applying to multiple branches and one branch says they won’t put me through if I don’t drop the other two?
 
Do all three branches convene in December? I’m heavily considering applying for the 3 year scholarships as I’m starting dental school this fall.
 
questionasker1071 said:
What should we do if we are applying to multiple branches and one branch says they won’t put me through if I don’t drop the other two?
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As far as i know, a recruiter cannot make you drop your application to other military branches. In the case, I would find another recruiter to work with. Also, you are not required to mention that you are applying other branches.
 
Hello! I am interested in the HPSP; I'm a very active and fit person so I actually do not mind the physical aspects of joining the military. However, my question is which branch has the most residency programs available and/or what is the differences between them as I plan on, at least this right now, doing a specialty. I already talked to an army and navy recruiter and they couldn't really answer this question for me ;c
 
toedds said:
Do all three branches convene in December? I’m heavily considering applying for the 3 year scholarships as I’m starting dental school this fall.
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Not sure on that one, Army is December. I know the other branches are pretty close together on these things usually.
 
kkotminam said:
Hello! I am interested in the HPSP; I'm a very active and fit person so I actually do not mind the physical aspects of joining the military. However, my question is which branch has the most residency programs available and/or what is the differences between them as I plan on, at least this right now, doing a specialty. I already talked to an army and navy recruiter and they couldn't really answer this question for me ;c
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Every branch has the same residency programs, the Army has the most slots for each residency however because we are the biggest and have the highest needs. You can expect for every 1 Navy or Air Force slot there are 2 Army ones typically.
 
Hello! I had a few questions:
1. I am applying to dental school this June/July but is it okay to start working on my application for the 4 year scholarship around August of this year once I have finished applying to schools or is that too late?
2. I have met with an army recruiter and they said that I would need 5 letter of recommendations but did not specify from who they need to be from. Are professors and dentists sufficient?
3. Can the letters of recommendation be sent from Interfolio?
5. How competitive is it to receive the 4 year scholarship? Are they looking for a certain type of applicant?
Thank you 🙂
 
hersheyjoon said:
Hello! I had a few questions:
1. I am applying to dental school this June/July but is it okay to start working on my application for the 4 year scholarship around August of this year once I have finished applying to schools or is that too late?
2. I have met with an army recruiter and they said that I would need 5 letter of recommendations but did not specify from who they need to be from. Are professors and dentists sufficient?
3. Can the letters of recommendation be sent from Interfolio?
5. How competitive is it to receive the 4 year scholarship? Are they looking for a certain type of applicant?
Thank you 🙂
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Get on your horse now. Don't wait.
 
Hello guys back again; I just contacted my Army recruiter and going to contact the other branches soon!

All of them seem nice and friendly; but I'm getting conflicting information on the sign-on bonus; is it only offered by the Navy and the Army? I heard the airforce offers the bonus after the 4 years is served but I don't know; if this could be clarified it would be greatly appreciated!
 
kkotminam said:
Hello guys back again; I just contacted my Army recruiter and going to contact the other branches soon!

All of them seem nice and friendly; but I'm getting conflicting information on the sign-on bonus; is it only offered by the Navy and the Army? I heard the airforce offers the bonus after the 4 years is served but I don't know; if this could be clarified it would be greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...
Signing bonus is only offered in the Army and Navy. The Air Force offers no signing bonus for HPSP.
 
Armyhealth said:
If you are applying for the upcoming cycle and are interested in applying for a military scholarship come say hi or ask any questions!
Click to expand...
I'm a non-traditional applicant this coming cycle and am very interested in the military dental hpsp scholarship. Just a bit about me:
Graduated from Purdue 2011 BSME 3.39cGPA
Post-bac from UofL Biology 3.89cGPA
24AA, 22TS, 20PA

Worked in engineering industry for 7 years prior to going back for pre-dental prereq's; worked as a part-time dental assistant over the last year (have 400+ hours in dental offices); volunteer work as STEM coordinator at local schools & active member of SWE

What are good ways to stand out for the scholarship? Tips to be a competitive applicant?
Thank you for the advice!
 
ktraver said:
I'm a non-traditional applicant this coming cycle and am very interested in the military dental hpsp scholarship. Just a bit about me:
Graduated from Purdue 2011 BSME 3.39cGPA
Post-bac from UofL Biology 3.89cGPA
24AA, 22TS, 20PA

Worked in engineering industry for 7 years prior to going back for pre-dental prereq's; worked as a part-time dental assistant over the last year (have 400+ hours in dental offices); volunteer work as STEM coordinator at local schools & active member of SWE

What are good ways to stand out for the scholarship? Tips to be a competitive applicant?
Thank you for the advice!
Click to expand...

You have great GPA and DAT scores, volunteering and work experiences.

Here are some other things that will make you to stand out:

- patriotic motivation essays why you want to serve in the military
- leadership experiences
- honors/awards
- letter of recommendation from military leadership or military dentists
 
cyn9304 said:
You have great GPA and DAT scores, volunteering and work experiences.

Here are some other things that will make you to stand out:

- patriotic motivation essays why you want to serve in the military
- leadership experiences
- honors/awards
- letter of recommendation from military leadership or military dentists
Click to expand...
Thank you so much! Getting ready to apply so fingers crossed!
 
ktraver said:
I'm a non-traditional applicant this coming cycle and am very interested in the military dental hpsp scholarship. Just a bit about me:
Graduated from Purdue 2011 BSME 3.39cGPA
Post-bac from UofL Biology 3.89cGPA
24AA, 22TS, 20PA

Worked in engineering industry for 7 years prior to going back for pre-dental prereq's; worked as a part-time dental assistant over the last year (have 400+ hours in dental offices); volunteer work as STEM coordinator at local schools & active member of SWE

What are good ways to stand out for the scholarship? Tips to be a competitive applicant?
Thank you for the advice!
Click to expand...

I agree with what everyone else has already said. I would be glad to talk over the phone as well give me a PM!
 
Armyhealth said:
If you are applying for the upcoming cycle and are interested in applying for a military scholarship come say hi or ask any questions!
Click to expand...

Hey I’m currently applying for and really want to do the army 4 year HPSP scholarship but I’m not sure if I’m academically competitive. I have a 3.5 gpa and a 22AA DAT score. Do you think I have a chance academically?
 
hello! how does residency / serving in army after graduation work if you wanna specialize?

also if ur interested in pedo, how does that serve/work with the army?
 
dentalstudentx said:
hello! how does residency / serving in army after graduation work if you wanna specialize?

also if ur interested in pedo, how does that serve/work with the army?
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Big Hoss served his four years in the navy and is doing a pedo residency outside by using his GI bill. I think this is a common route to take according to the military dentists here.
 
AppalachianDentalBoy said:
Big Hoss served his four years in the navy and is doing a pedo residency outside by using his GI bill. I think this is a common route to take according to the military dentists here.
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so is he doing residency after his 4 years? is there a way to do it before?
 
dentalstudentx said:
hello! how does residency / serving in army after graduation work if you wanna specialize?

also if ur interested in pedo, how does that serve/work with the army?
Click to expand...
You can’t just do what you want to do. The needs of the military will always come first. Get used to asking for permission. You must be selected to go to a specialty residency. The military uses residencies as a reward of sorts, so don’t expect to start right out of school (OMS being the biggest exception). Take peds for example. The military doesn’t have their own program, so they have to send people to civilian programs. Typically, the Navy has selected 1, maybe 2, each year. They get anywhere from 10 to 15 applicants. This year the Navy didn’t select anyone for peds. And now you’re having to line up your orders with residency start times. If you’ve been given 2-3 year orders to a duty station, expect to be there those 2-3 years. They used to break orders commonly for people to go to residency but not anymore. So if you don’t get accepted, you probably aren’t going to be able to apply again the following year. You’ll have to wait. There have also been significant cuts proposed to the number of healthcare providers. In military dentistry, specialists are projected to be hit the hardest. What this means is specializing will become harder now that you have fewer residency spots but probably still the same number of applicants. Because of all of the above, many people with specialty aspirations just do their payback and apply to civilian programs, myself included.

Big Hoss
 
Big Time Hoosier said:
You can’t just do what you want to do. The needs of the military will always come first. Get used to asking for permission. You must be selected to go to a specialty residency. The military uses residencies as a reward of sorts, so don’t expect to start right out of school (OMS being the biggest exception). Take peds for example. The military doesn’t have their own program, so they have to send people to civilian programs. Typically, the Navy has selected 1, maybe 2, each year. They get anywhere from 10 to 15 applicants. This year the Navy didn’t select anyone for peds. And now you’re having to line up your orders with residency start times. If you’ve been given 2-3 year orders to a duty station, expect to be there those 2-3 years. They used to break orders commonly for people to go to residency but not anymore. So if you don’t get accepted, you probably aren’t going to be able to apply again the following year. You’ll have to wait. There have also been significant cuts proposed to the number of healthcare providers. In military dentistry, specialists are projected to be hit the hardest. What this means is specializing will become harder now that you have fewer residency spots but probably still the same number of applicants. Because of all of the above, many people with specialty aspirations just do their payback and apply to civilian programs, myself included.

Big Hoss
Click to expand...
hey thanks for the info! so does that mean military dentistry is "better" for those considering general dentistry? i guess i just asked about the specialization since im not sure if id want to do it
 
dentalstudentx said:
hey thanks for the info! so does that mean military dentistry is "better" for those considering general dentistry? i guess i just asked about the specialization since im not sure if id want to do it
Click to expand...
The HPSP is best for those who want to serve their country, but not as a career, and potentially want to specialize, since they’ll have the GI Bill when they separate. See my other posts. I don’t recommend the military as a career, but totally recommend the HPSP. Military dentistry is best for those dentists that know they couldn’t cut it in the civilian world since they’ll never be fired from the military.

Big Hoss
 
Big Hoss,

I need your advise. I am enlisted prior service and got accepted to HPSP for dental school. My dental school tuition is covered by HPSP, but i still have my full Gi bill. I did not use my Gi Bill for undergraduate education. I recently got to know that i can use both HSPS and GI bill at the same time, which I will get stipend and BAH per month. But after reading your post using Gi bill for specializing, i am reconsidering my though. If i use gi bill while in dental school, will i be eligible for another one after serving another 4 years as dental corps? What would you recommend if you were in my position?

Thank you in advance.
 
cyn9304 said:
If i use gi bill while in dental school, will i be eligible for another one after serving another 4 years as dental corps?
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I don’t have an authoritative answer on that, but I’d REALLY doubt it.

How many years of prior service do you have? Will you be attending a state school and do you qualify for in-state tuition?

If I were prior service with 4-5 years of active duty, attending a state school, and eligible for in-state tuition, I wouldn’t do the HPSP. I’d just use my GI Bill benefits. If I had 15+ years of service under my belt, I’d do the HSCP through the Navy combined with my GI Bill benefits. Again, this is just what some anonymous internet troll would do. Make sure you do your own due diligence.

Big Hoss
 
Big Time Hoosier said:
I don’t have an authoritative answer on that, but I’d REALLY doubt it.

How many years of prior service do you have? Will you be attending a state school and do you qualify for in-state tuition?

If I were prior service with 4-5 years of active duty, attending a state school, and eligible for in-state tuition, I wouldn’t do the HPSP. I’d just use my GI Bill benefits. If I had 15+ years of service under my belt, I’d do the HSCP through the Navy combined with my GI Bill benefits. Again, this is just what some anonymous internet troll would do. Make sure you do your own due diligence.

Big Hoss
Click to expand...

Thank you for your reply.
As you said, going to public dental school with Gi bill is ideal. However, because of my current active duty status, i have to choose HPSP in order to get released from the enlisted contract and move forward to dental school. I have talked with the education center, the answer was no for second Gi Bill benefits.
 
I am interested in applying for the HPSP, but I am not sure which branch just yet. I do have a couple of questions:

Realistically, how competitive is the Dental HPSP for all of the US military branches?
Also, what are the requirements in terms of GPA, DAT Scores, LoR's, etc?
Are you only allowed to apply for the HPSP from one military branch, or can you apply to more than one branch? (Essentially trying to extend my chances of being accepted.)
By the time you enroll into dental school, what is your military status if you do get accepted for the HPSP? Is it Active Duty or Other? (This is for my AADSAS Military Status, it asks "Indicate your anticipated United States Military status at the time you enroll:")

Thank you so much!
 
storres0524 said:
I am interested in applying for the HPSP, but I am not sure which branch just yet. I do have a couple of questions:

Realistically, how competitive is the Dental HPSP for all of the US military branches?
Also, what are the requirements in terms of GPA, DAT Scores, LoR's, etc?
Are you only allowed to apply for the HPSP from one military branch, or can you apply to more than one branch? (Essentially trying to extend my chances of being accepted.)
By the time you enroll into dental school, what is your military status if you do get accepted for the HPSP? Is it Active Duty or Other? (This is for my AADSAS Military Status, it asks "Indicate your anticipated United States Military status at the time you enroll:")

Thank you so much!
Click to expand...
HPSP is competitive and getting more competitive as dental tuition goes up. You can apply to more than one branch, although if you have a strong preference for one branch over another it's best to figure that out early and continue to pursue only the branch you're interested in since it wastes a lot of recruiter time to put in an application that you're not seriously considering. You're not active duty during school, at least from what I've heard from my recruiters 2 years ago. I'd recommend reaching out to med/dent recruiters in the branches you're interested in ASAP, since they can answer a lot of your questions and they can be surprisingly hard to get a hold of to start (in my experience).
 
storres0524 said:
Realistically, how competitive is the Dental HPSP for all of the US military branches?
Click to expand...
I attended a briefing with the Chief of the Dental Corps a few years back. He said then that the Navy HPSP was around a 50% acceptance rate. It used to be that they couldn’t fill up all the spots, but times have really changed.

Big Hoss
 
Samski33 said:
Hey I’m currently applying for and really want to do the army 4 year HPSP scholarship but I’m not sure if I’m academically competitive. I have a 3.5 gpa and a 22AA DAT score. Do you think I have a chance academically?
Click to expand...

Very competitive, average selection rate is 3.5 GPA, 19-20 DAT
 
storres0524 said:
I am interested in applying for the HPSP, but I am not sure which branch just yet. I do have a couple of questions:

Realistically, how competitive is the Dental HPSP for all of the US military branches?
Also, what are the requirements in terms of GPA, DAT Scores, LoR's, etc?
Are you only allowed to apply for the HPSP from one military branch, or can you apply to more than one branch? (Essentially trying to extend my chances of being accepted.)
By the time you enroll into dental school, what is your military status if you do get accepted for the HPSP? Is it Active Duty or Other? (This is for my AADSAS Military Status, it asks "Indicate your anticipated United States Military status at the time you enroll:")

Thank you so much!
Click to expand...

Just to give you an idea. Army has 55 slots per year and we usually have 120-150 applicants. The Army has the most spots for scholarships since we are the largest branch and are usually the least competitive out of the three branches.
 
Armyhealth said:
Just to give you an idea. Army has 55 slots per year and we usually have 120-150 applicants. The Army has the most spots for scholarships since we are the largest branch and are usually the least competitive out of the three branches.
Click to expand...

How many three year slots does the Army offer?
 
I'm in the process of applying for the Air Force and Navy HPSP scholarships now. I think my stats are pretty solid on paper (3.78 GPA, 25 AA) but was wondering how important letters of recommendation are. I'm planning on having two science professors, an orthodontist who I shadowed, and my boss from my research job submit letters, but none of them are military. Will that be a problem? I could try and find someone who is prior service to write me a letter, but I'm not sure how easy that would be or how long it would take. Any feedback is appreciated
 
Starch96 said:
I'm in the process of applying for the Air Force and Navy HPSP scholarships now. I think my stats are pretty solid on paper (3.78 GPA, 25 AA) but was wondering how important letters of recommendation are. I'm planning on having two science professors, an orthodontist who I shadowed, and my boss from my research job submit letters, but none of them are military. Will that be a problem? I could try and find someone who is prior service to write me a letter, but I'm not sure how easy that would be or how long it would take. Any feedback is appreciated
Click to expand...

I did not have a military letter writer and I received the 4 year Navy HPSP this past cycle. It’s not the most important aspect. In my opinion, it’s more about the quality of the letters from your current letter writer list.
 
Finally convinced my parents that HPSP scholarship would be a Godsend for me. I received an email saying I will be getting a call soon from a recruiter. Just wanted to know how competitive it is to receive this scholarship? Do a lot of people apply and does anyone know if they tend to reject a lot of people? Thank you
 
Kobethegoat24 said:
Finally convinced my parents that HPSP scholarship would be a Godsend for me. I received an email saying I will be getting a call soon from a recruiter. Just wanted to know how competitive it is to receive this scholarship? Do a lot of people apply and does anyone know if they tend to reject a lot of people? Thank you
Click to expand...
Last I heard the Navy HPSP was around a 50% acceptance rate. See my above post.

Big Hoss
 
Bohr_ said:
Is it true that the Air Force requires the AEGD residency after dental school? Or is it just a residency? I saw a sheet that outlined the differences between each branch (no signing bonus and a required AEGD for AF) but I have no idea if that information is outdated.
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Required if you don't do Prosth, Perio, or OMFS straight out. Even with those, a "snowbird" year is frequently required (work as a GP for a year at a base, then start residency). Other than the above, you are required to apply for an accept an AEGD after graduation.

Frankly, given how most schools put up paltry numbers of procedures (especially compared to a number of years ago) I think AEGDs or GPRs should be required to practice dentistry. No, it's not a fifth year of d-school, because you are PAID not pay-ing, but it sure boosts your skill and procedure competency.
 
I am currently applying for the Navy HPSP program, just finished MEPS, but while I was there it came up that I was given a speeding ticket around a year ago for going 5 mph over the speed limit, the ticket was later dismissed. Will this hurt my chances of getting the HPSP scholarship? I know the scholarship is very competitive, I didn't know if maybe they would look down upon this. I also put into NASIS that I received the ticket, but the charges were dismissed.
 
Apl101 said:
I am currently applying for the Navy HPSP program, just finished MEPS, but while I was there it came up that I was given a speeding ticket around a year ago for going 5 mph over the speed limit, the ticket was later dismissed. Will this hurt my chances of getting the HPSP scholarship? I know the scholarship is very competitive, I didn't know if maybe they would look down upon this. I also put into NASIS that I received the ticket, but the charges were dismissed.
Click to expand...
I have a speeding ticket and reckless driving ticket on my record (going 25 in 15 school zone with a group of kids no where near the sidewalk). I still received the army and navy hpsp. You're good
 
BasicG said:
I have a speeding ticket and reckless driving ticket on my record (going 25 in 15 school zone with a group of kids no where near the sidewalk). I still received the army and navy hpsp. You're good
Click to expand...

Did you have any problems applying for both the army HPSP and the NAVY HPSP? My navy recruiter said that the army recruiters usually won’t work with someone that is applying for the HPSP through a different branch.

Edit: and were you able to transfer your MEPS data from one branch to the other Thank you for your help!
 
Apl101 said:
Did you have any problems applying for both the army HPSP and the NAVY HPSP? My navy recruiter said that the army recruiters usually won’t work with someone that is applying for the HPSP through a different branch.

Edit: and were you able to transfer your MEPS data from one branch to the other Thank you for your help!
Click to expand...
Nah no problems, just be straight forward and tell them you're applying to multiple branches because they'll eventually find out. You'll have to go through MEPs with one branch, which means the recruiters from other branches will have to request to have the MEPs info available for them.

Some recruiters can be a little salty that you're applying to multiple branches, but it's their job to guide you through the application process. I told each recruiter that their branch was my #1 choice for yadada reason so they would make my application process smoother regarding forms, questions, etc.
 
BasicG said:
Nah no problems, just be straight forward and tell them you're applying to multiple branches because they'll eventually find out. You'll have to go through MEPs with one branch, which means the recruiters from other branches will have to request to have the MEPs info available for them.

Some recruiters can be a little salty that you're applying to multiple branches, but it's their job to guide you through the application process. I told each recruiter that their branch was my #1 choice for yadada reason so they would make my application process smoother regarding forms, questions, etc.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the advice, I'll probably reach out to an Army Recruiter tomorrow. Which branch of the military did you decide to accept the scholarship from?
 
Apl101 said:
Thank you for the advice, I'll probably reach out to an Army Recruiter tomorrow. Which branch of the military did you decide to accept the scholarship from?
Click to expand...
I ended up declining both because I was offered some great scholarships that allows me to come out ahead financially by going into the work force rather than the military.

If the circumstances were different and I was looking at 300k of debt instead of 100k, I would have probably went with the navy. A lot of the ex military professors I've spoken to at D school interviews were air force and navy dentists that only had positive things to say about their service.
 
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