Enlistment after Undergrad

[dreynolds8]

Hello everyone, I am a nontrad 24 year old and graduating with a BS in Chemistry with a Biochemistry concentration at a State University. I've completed all of the necessary prereqs with a final cGPA of 3.3 and slightly higher science with a moderately strong upward trend. The majority of the prereqs are A's with some B's and one C in physics 1. Before college I wanted to enlist in the Army with the intention of serving as a combat medic in the 75th Ranger Regiment but I chickened out. I'm weighing my options of pushing on with school or enlisting.

I understand that by doing so is delaying an already long road of education by at least another four years and losing potential earnings. However the loss of potential earnings doesn't really bother me and enlisting is something that has been in my head for a long time. My family has a history of enlisting however this is something I've wanted to do for myself. Applying for med school this year would be a waste as I don't have the necessary clinical experience and shadowing. However I have thousands of hours of non-clinical volunteering as a volunteer firefighter and other volunteering. So my questions are boiled down to this:

1. Am I being short sighted to enlist at this point in my education considering the degradation of study habits, material, and the loss of time?

2. With a minimum four year gap in coursework would I likely have to complete courses and retake prereqs after enlisting to show adcoms I can still handle med school as well as boosting a weak uGPA?

3. Would the volunteering that I have done throughout college essentially "expire"?

4. Realistically, would effective studying for the MCAT while enlisted be possible or waiting until my enlistment would be over be better?

5. Should I consider looking into USUHS or HPSP and serving as medical officer to fulfill a need to serve in another way instead of enlisting, even if I don't see myself as officer material?

I understand that my GPA is very weak and I don't see enlisting in any way as padding or as a way to pay for school, only a genuine desire to serve. Any insight by anyone and maybe someone who has taken a similar path would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading and your time!

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[zorcandpals]

I'm told it would probably behoove you to do what you can to join the military as an officer since you'll have a 4 year degree, but someone else probably has better knowledge about the pros and cons of that. People just tell me you have to take less crap as an officer but then again maybe its just grass is greener kind of talk.

As for your questions.

1. I wouldn't worry about degradation of study habits. I came back to medicine after ~4 years of not touching a science book and when studying for the MCAT I was surprised that it came back as quickly as it did. Only you can decide if the time commitment is worth it though.

2. It would probably be nice if you could take a few upper div science courses and doing well on the MCAT would go along way to showing adcoms you still have academic chops.

3. No

4. I think this really depends on what you're doing in the service.

5. You could. They say you should do those programs only if you want to join the military and aren't in it for the money so it seems like you're a good fit.

 

[Kardio]

If I were you, I would gun for as high an MCAT score as I could scrape up and apply broadly (including DO); go USUHS if it you get in, HPSP scholarship if you don’t.

I understand that you have a family history of service. I have both officers and enlisted in my family. Personally, I would not recommend enlistment to a family member who has already graduated college.

 

[BC_89]

Similar road I took when I first enlisted in my mid 20's with a degree in Biochemistry. The true answer of course is "up to you" but I'll try to be as specific solely based on your post:

1) Am I being short sighted to enlist at this point in my education considering the degradation of study habits, material, and the loss of time?

Absolutely. My reason being is your specificity of wanting to enlist as a Whiskey (Combat Medic) with a Ranger tab. This is not only oddly specific but very slim for many enlisted folks. The culture and needs of the army will place you where you're most needed and very seldom of what you want. This can easily turn into possible regret of your decision coupled with very few opportunities (if any) to regain momentum of your studies in preparation for your end goal of being in medical school.

2) With a minimum four year gap in coursework would I likely have to complete courses and retake prereqs after enlisting to show adcoms I can still handle med school as well as boosting a weak uGPA?

Think of this way: If right now you feel you have a weak GPA, how do you think you will feel about that GPA 4 years from now? It'd be very difficult to prove to others of what you still know without taking some level of upper level courses. However, the true evidence of handling the rigors of school is going to rely heavily on your MCAT score. The last thing you'd want to do (my own observations with those I was stationed with) is show a mediocre MCAT score coupled with a mediocre GPA.

3) Would the volunteering that I have done throughout college essentially "expire"?

No expiration date on volunteer work. It'd be nice though to explain what you have done between the time of undergrad vs time now if their is a severe gap. If you do enlist though, this is something I would not have as my top concern.

4) Realistically, would effective studying for the MCAT while enlisted be possible or waiting until my enlistment would be over be better?

Depends what you mean by effective study. You'll have very few days of which you can simply just crack open your study material in total peace for the majority of every other month for 4 years (especially your first 4-5 months of training plus additional time depending what unit you're put in such as a field unit or hospital-stay). That is not to say it cannot be done, you'll just have to be disciplined and be willing to stretch that study out over the duration of your enlistment.

5) Should I consider looking into USUHS or HPSP and serving as medical officer to fulfill a need to serve in another way instead of enlisting, even if I don't see myself as officer material?

100% without a shadow of a doubt yes. This is the best way you can give back and still fulfill the need to serve. Double this if you are highly interested in primary care. If you so choose to specialize I highly suggest you look over into the military medicine physician forums and see the pros / cons of signing on with a specific specialty in mind. However, you make it sound like you're a bit more interested in the "special activities" that you may be missing out on while being an officer in the army.

When I was enlisted, I went to airborne and air assault school. While preparing to gear up and repel out of a blackhawk in the sky, we were matched on who would go first / last depending on who can safely secure themselves (rope and all) in preparation for lift-off. 3 beat me to it. All 3 physicians who were released from their duty to go out and get their air assault badges. When shooting out on the range to qualify on our M-16's, I was once beat out by an O-4 major who (again) was a physician. When I had to ruck 13 miles in under 3 hours with 90 pounds worth of gear on my back while slinging an M-16 , I got beat by yet another physician. Although rare, if you can prove your worth there is always something intriguing to do while serving if you so choose.

I'll end it here but you need to consider the pros/cons of simply enlisting. To many variables and risks exists if your end-goal is simply medical school. Nonetheless, if you work hard during your obligation, you'll put yourself at the top of the list given everything else is equal when it comes to interviewing applicants (can't ignore a veteran).

 

[dreynolds8]

I appreciate you taking the time to reply, I had a few more questions and clarifications if you don't mind.

Think of this way: If right now you feel you have a weak GPA, how do you think you will feel about that GPA 4 years from now? It'd be very difficult to prove to others of what you still know without taking some level of upper level courses.

I have taken some upper level courses including microbiology, genetics, cell & molecular biology, toxicology, biochem and others as well as required chemistry courses that I have done well in, but I understand I would likely have to complete more.

Similar road I took when I first enlisted in my mid 20's with a degree in Biochemistry. The true answer of course is "up to you"

When you chose to enlist, was medical school or other professional health degree in your mind as an end goal and what was your motivation for doing so? Looking back would you choose to do anything different like pursuing HPSP?

Since I wouldn't be able to apply this year as I cannot get enough meaningful clinical time and letters of rec by the summer to apply, the earliest I could start medical school would be when I was 27 for the 2022 cycle as I turn 25 this year. Should I choose to enlist this year assuming I could start medical school directly after my enlistment I would be 29, which isn't much difference in time overall. I could in a way kill two birds with one stone and was one thought I have had for enlisting. Maybe I'm overestimating the time but do you think this outlook is wrong or misguided?

My reason being is your specificity of wanting to enlist as a Whiskey (Combat Medic) with a Ranger tab. This is not only oddly specific but very slim for many enlisted folks.

Not so much a ranger tab, but serving in the 75th Ranger Regiment. So I would get additional training like Advanced Tactical Paramedic by going to the special operations combat medic course and airborne assuming I make it. This is an experience only an enlisted soldier can have though. I could get this in my enlistment contract to guarantee an opportunity for this training and open more doors. However this path would be very time consuming and I would likely have to study throughout my enlistment for the MCAT like you suggested.

The last thing you'd want to do (my own observations with those I was stationed with) is show a mediocre MCAT score coupled with a mediocre GPA.

For those you were stationed with who applied to medical school was it poor MCAT studying and scores that held them back, and what did you do different from those around you applying too? When you enlisted did you consider your GPA weak and take classes while enlisted, or did you immediately start medical school after your enlistment?

I understand at the end of the day it is up to me and there is no right or wrong choice, maybe I still have more soul searching to do. Thank you for your time!

 

[xffan624]

I appreciate you taking the time to reply, I had a few more questions and clarifications if you don't mind.

I have taken some upper level courses including microbiology, genetics, cell & molecular biology, toxicology, biochem and others as well as required chemistry courses that I have done well in, but I understand I would likely have to complete more.

When you chose to enlist, was medical school or other professional health degree in your mind as an end goal and what was your motivation for doing so? Looking back would you choose to do anything different like pursuing HPSP?

Since I wouldn't be able to apply this year as I cannot get enough meaningful clinical time and letters of rec by the summer to apply, the earliest I could start medical school would be when I was 27 for the 2022 cycle as I turn 25 this year. Should I choose to enlist this year assuming I could start medical school directly after my enlistment I would be 29, which isn't much difference in time overall. I could in a way kill two birds with one stone and was one thought I have had for enlisting. Maybe I'm overestimating the time but do you think this outlook is wrong or misguided?

Not so much a ranger tab, but serving in the 75th Ranger Regiment. So I would get additional training like Advanced Tactical Paramedic by going to the special operations combat medic course and airborne assuming I make it. This is an experience only an enlisted soldier can have though. I could get this in my enlistment contract to guarantee an opportunity for this training and open more doors. However this path would be very time consuming and I would likely have to study throughout my enlistment for the MCAT like you suggested.

For those you were stationed with who applied to medical school was it poor MCAT studying and scores that held them back, and what did you do different from those around you applying too? When you enlisted did you consider your GPA weak and take classes while enlisted, or did you immediately start medical school after your enlistment?

I understand at the end of the day it is up to me and there is no right or wrong choice, maybe I still have more soul searching to do. Thank you for your time!

Why do you need this training? The purpose of giving this training is so medics can serve in special operations units effectively. How are you going to benefit the military if you do this training (which is pretty lengthy) and bolt as soon as your initial enlistment is done? Also, keep in mind that completing this or other training may extend a service obligation.

Honestly to me, it sounds like you're just joining for wish fulfillment which is a bad reason to join the military and an even worse reason to go enlisted. Join because you want to serve. As a college educated person, you will best serve the military as an officer.

From my perspective, I joined the Army after college as an officer. My GPA was pretty bad (3.31) with a decent MCAT but I wasn't successful in applying so I decided to pivot to something else. I wanted to do public health in the military so I applied for a direct commission to do that. At the time, I thought maybe I could just do that as a career, but midway through a deployment I changed my mind and decided to try for medical school again. Didn't really attempt to repair my GPA as I was still in the Army and had limited time, but I studied for and retook the MCAT and even improved my score. I did all this during my garrison time in the U.S. and still felt a bit drained. I can't imagine trying to do it during an intense military course with likely multiple field exercises or a deployment in an austere environment (although probably some studying might be feasible depending on the operational tempo of the deployment).

 

[dreynolds8]

Why do you need this training? The purpose of giving this training is so medics can serve in special operations units effectively. How are you going to benefit the military if you do this training (which is pretty lengthy) and bolt as soon as your initial enlistment is done? Also, keep in mind that completing this or other training may extend a service obligation.

Honestly to me, it sounds like you're just joining for wish fulfillment which is a bad reason to join the military and an even worse reason to go enlisted. Join because you want to serve. As a college educated person, you will best serve the military as an officer.

From my perspective, I joined the Army after college as an officer. My GPA was pretty bad (3.31) with a decent MCAT but I wasn't successful in applying so I decided to pivot to something else. I wanted to do public health in the military so I applied for a direct commission to do that. At the time, I thought maybe I could just do that as a career, but midway through a deployment I changed my mind and decided to try for medical school again. Didn't really attempt to repair my GPA as I was still in the Army and had limited time, but I studied for and retook the MCAT and even improved my score. I did all this during my garrison time in the U.S. and still felt a bit drained. I can't imagine trying to do it during an intense military course with likely multiple field exercises or a deployment in an austere environment (although probably some studying might be feasible depending on the operational tempo of the deployment).

My answer came off immature. I by no means need this training, nor am I considering enlisting to receive this training. I've wanted to serve in that specific unit as a medic for a long time, I was just clarifying the training that I would have to go through to serve as a medic. Serving one enlistment of four years in that role with the intention of pursuing a career immediately after does sound selfish. But that doesn't mean I couldn't go to medical school or PA school and return to serve in an officer capacity. By commissioning as an officer I would essentially cut off any chance of serving as an enlisted soldier in that unit and that experience, that's just what I'm struggling with and am considering pros and cons. I can't help but feel I would have regrets if I didn't try, even given the huge number of variables and risks that come with it since I want to go to medical school.

 

[xffan624]

My answer came off immature. I by no means need this training, nor am I considering enlisting to receive this training. I've wanted to serve in that specific unit as a medic for a long time, I was just clarifying the training that I would have to go through to serve as a medic. Serving one enlistment of four years in that role with the intention of pursuing a career immediately after does sound selfish. But that doesn't mean I couldn't go to medical school or PA school and return to serve in an officer capacity. By commissioning as an officer I would essentially cut off any chance of serving as an enlisted soldier in that unit and that experience, that's just what I'm struggling with and am considering pros and cons. I can't help but feel I would have regrets if I didn't try, even given the huge number of variables and risks that come with it since I want to go to medical school.

I don't quite understand the fixation with your particular goal, but I'm not you and I'm not living your life. I think it's likely if you end up pursuing this path you will end up in the military longer than 4 years, but if there are some 18Ds on the forum maybe they can either confirm or deny that. If you can live with that cost and the inevitable BS you will have to suffer as a enlisted soldier as warned about on this thread and others, then go for it. It might help you get into medical school and also might help you pay for it, but it's not necessary to achieve medical school. It also might send you a longer detour than you were planning.

 

[BC_89]

I appreciate you taking the time to reply, I had a few more questions and clarifications if you don't mind.

I have taken some upper level courses including microbiology, genetics, cell & molecular biology, toxicology, biochem and others as well as required chemistry courses that I have done well in, but I understand I would likely have to complete more.

When you chose to enlist, was medical school or other professional health degree in your mind as an end goal and what was your motivation for doing so? Looking back would you choose to do anything different like pursuing HPSP?

Since I wouldn't be able to apply this year as I cannot get enough meaningful clinical time and letters of rec by the summer to apply, the earliest I could start medical school would be when I was 27 for the 2022 cycle as I turn 25 this year. Should I choose to enlist this year assuming I could start medical school directly after my enlistment I would be 29, which isn't much difference in time overall. I could in a way kill two birds with one stone and was one thought I have had for enlisting. Maybe I'm overestimating the time but do you think this outlook is wrong or misguided?

Not so much a ranger tab, but serving in the 75th Ranger Regiment. So I would get additional training like Advanced Tactical Paramedic by going to the special operations combat medic course and airborne assuming I make it. This is an experience only an enlisted soldier can have though. I could get this in my enlistment contract to guarantee an opportunity for this training and open more doors. However this path would be very time consuming and I would likely have to study throughout my enlistment for the MCAT like you suggested.

For those you were stationed with who applied to medical school was it poor MCAT studying and scores that held them back, and what did you do different from those around you applying too? When you enlisted did you consider your GPA weak and take classes while enlisted, or did you immediately start medical school after your enlistment?

I understand at the end of the day it is up to me and there is no right or wrong choice, maybe I still have more soul searching to do. Thank you for your time!

A lot to unpack here. Prepare for a long read:

TLDR; If you are dead set on medical school, prepare for medical school. Needs of the military will disrupt your study plans. If choosing to enlist, you will lose more application cycles than you have calculated. Caveat Emptor: Your choice at the end of the day.



1) The reason I chose to enlist is for very different reasons. After undergrad, there was a clerical / visa issue with my wife staying in the U.S. as she is from French Polynesia. Long story short, I had to find a way to keep her with me as we were expecting our second child at the time. So, to guarantee the expedited paperwork and home-stay, I went to the recruiters office and on the same day took my ASVAB and tried to go in as a commissioned officer. The problem was, I had to wait for paperwork and other nonsense to officially get sworn in (90 days or so). I could not wait so I chose the enlistment route and looked for an available military occupational specialty (MOS) that same day. I had the choice to take a $40k signing package to be a paratrooper, a $25k signing bonus to be a combat medic with an airborne contract, or pharmacy specialist. I simply wanted in and out with an enlistment contract so I went the pharmacy specialist route as the other opportunities came with more time requirements.

2) Looking back, I can say I did not regret joining at that specific time-frame for the reasons I listed. However, something good came from me joining. At the time, I was concerned between medical school and pharmacy school (starting way back in '05 - '07 timeframe when preparing for undergrad). For anyone who is not sure on one specific health professional pathway (eg med school, PA, Pharmacy, Physical Therapist, etc) and willing to serve, the military has great opportunities. For example, I had the GPA and pre-reqs to consider the PA route through the military. They would pay you to be a student with health benefit coverage for the family. Or, I could have taken the GI Bill benefits to pay for graduate school of my choosing once out and possibly return to service with pay correlated to years that I have served coupled with my commissioned rank. Point is, military will entice you with pay and benefits to keep you in if it means having competitive certificates and degrees that is hard to turn down (especially their PA program).

3) As for your comment with "killing two birds with one stone" by enlisting: Even though it may seem to be a two year difference for applying to medical school if you join, it's realistically more than that. Depending on when you go to the recruiters office, you're specific MOS may not even be available at the time (these job opportunities literally come and go multiple times day after day). Should it actually appear, you'll need to front load the paperwork and background checks. You then will have to pick a day to officially go to your Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS) for a full physical along with possibly 10's to 100's of other folks that are showing up that day ( I ended up staying in a hotel due to this waiting period for a couple of days). All of this from the time you see a recruiter might take 2-3 days to 3-6 months depending on the needs of the MOS and location of your nearest MEPS. That's easily 1-year application cycle possibly gone. Then, you have basic training on top of your Advanced Individual Training (AIT) placements (Fort Sam Houston for combat medics) as you begin your 4-year obligation. Depending when you leave for basic training could be variable since your basic training (10 weeks) on top of your combat medic training (16 weeks) need to coincide back to back. I mention this because by the time your contract is up, you could easily miss an additional application cycle (especially if you go into a field unit). That's two application cycles plus the cycles you would already miss. Also, a claw-back could happen during medical school (rare but happens) of which you will need to go back in active duty and postpone medical school. Your contract might say "4 years" but you are enlisting for "8 years" with 4 years in the inactive ready reserve (IRR) which means if anything drastic happens, you have to return and stop your schooling.

The thing that kept many from preparing for medical school quickly right after being enlisted is simple: They had to take time after their service obligation to study while missing application deadlines. Simple as that. It's hard to set aside a month or so of retaining and reviewing when you constantly have things to do. Nobody in their right mind would take 30 days-vacation time solely to study.

If you feel your time is better served in the military to offset GPA or other means, then go ahead. Go in though with an open mind that you may not get the opportunity to serve in the 75th Ranger Regiment as a combat medic (just don't). If you are willing to choose medical school as your second goal simply because of an itch to scratch instead of a primary goal to get you in medical school because you "cannot" get in without the military, then go ahead.

 

[l-DreamChaser-l]

I'll preface this by saying I get it, look at my thread. I'm currently getting ready to attend SOAS (seal officer assessment selection) while applying for medical school and my initial stats are a lot more **** than your 3.3 gpa.

You have to realize ranger,seal,beret, air combat patroller, etc etc First and foremost you are a special forces or special operations forces operator. I can't give you specifics on ranger medics but there are seal medics who are first seals and then medics, I would imagine it's the same way with the rangers.

Next I would say is preparedness, physically and mentally I can't stress this enough, ranger drop out rate is nowhere near the seal attrition rate but I would make sure I'm not going to fail, especially with a college degree. You do not want to end up needs of the army. This singlehandedly pushed me from getting after it as an enlisted seal about 2 years ago and forced me to go after being an officer even though their roles are quite different.

Another thing I learned from talking to many sof and sf guys is that if your motivation is the title, girls, external factors etc etc you will fail 9/10 times. I'll say that in the nicest way I was told "all that ****, all that motivation goes out the window when you're almost hypothermic and pissing down your leg to keep yourself warm." Change up some of the words and it probably fits any sf or sof unit's training.

You also have to live with the possibility that you might wash out. Once of the biggest slap in the face to me was I could do everything right, be the best candidate and then one day break my leg in surf passage, get a concussion, etc etc and then it would be up to the navy if I would get another chance.

I'm still pursuing the military avenue as I'm unsure if I'll get into medical school (look at my thread if you want to know why lol)

Hope this helps, hmu if you have anything you are curious about

 

[BC_89]

I do want to put something out there so I don't come off as some salty veteran:

The benefits of joining before medical school does have some perks (no questions asked). As a medic, you get patient exposure depending on location and unit (field training exercises vs hospital setting) which looks great on an application. You also walk away with the GI Bill to cover medical school expenses plus a housing stipend. When it comes to comparing applications for acceptances, if a tie-breaker or decisions needs to be made, you have the edge with the military experience and veteran status. If you're disciplined enough and network, you can have fantastic LORs and connections to get you where you need to go other than just medical school.

My only concern on here is you seem to want to join for the "activities" when enlisted other than "prepin'" for medical school. That will come at a cost that many unfortunately regret. Other than pushing back further years to get to physician status, this can be of some benefit depending how you play your cards.

 

[Doctorswithborders013]

You have to realize ranger,seal,beret, air combat patroller, etc etc First and foremost you are a special forces or special operations forces operator. I can't give you specifics on ranger medics but there are seal medics who are first seals and then medics, I would imagine it's the same way with the rangers.

No. He will be a 68W if that's the contract he signs unless he washes out of AIT, which then there are other issues. Whether or not he makes it through RASP will depend on if he is a 68W with a cooler plate carrier manning sick call or just a 68W with a regular IOTV manning sick call.

Hello everyone, I am a nontrad 24 year old and graduating with a BS in Chemistry with a Biochemistry concentration at a State University.

I understand that by doing so is delaying an already long road of education by at least another four years and losing potential earnings. However the loss of potential earnings doesn't really bother me and enlisting is something that has been in my head for a long time.

You have a BS already? Awesome. You're only 24. Sure, maybe I didn't love my time in the Army, but there are a decent amount of times I look back and think "well I suppose it was worth doing." If this is something you are passionate about do it. Go out. Ruin your young body jumping out of airplanes and doing all that hooah hooah door kicker stuff (which don't really expect a lot of that these days). Then, as you go down the line, apply for EMDP2, take all the prereqs at USUHS, crush them, and then attend USUHS.

Life is a journey - I've had three different careers so far - and some might say it's too short to not just go out and do what you want to do. Medical school will always be there.

I will finish with this. The military is far from what you see on TV. Even ODA's aren't kicking doors down and putting rounds in people's t-boxes everyday and the regiment has maybe even a little more garrison BS. However, if you want to go out and experience it, by all means, do it. Maybe you'll get lucky and do some bad*** stuff. But my whiskeys pretty much sat in my office all day playing clash of clans or stenciling bumper numbers on vehicles when they weren't manning sick call with the PA. The military has a lot to offer, but if you aren;t proactive about using the Army for it can give you, it will most certainly use you for all you can give it.

 

[LizLemongrab]

1. Am I being short sighted to enlist at this point in my education considering the degradation of study habits, material, and the loss of time?

2. With a minimum four year gap in coursework would I likely have to complete courses and retake prereqs after enlisting to show adcoms I can still handle med school as well as boosting a weak uGPA?

3. Would the volunteering that I have done throughout college essentially "expire"?

4. Realistically, would effective studying for the MCAT while enlisted be possible or waiting until my enlistment would be over be better?

5. Should I consider looking into USUHS or HPSP and serving as medical officer to fulfill a need to serve in another way instead of enlisting, even if I don't see myself as officer material?

1. Yes. If your priority is medical school, why enlist given your stats and freshness of pre-reqs? I get family history and "personal reasons" but I honestly don't think it will be a good use of your time. I don't think your study habits would degrade but the opportunities for self-advancement will be highly dependent on your NCOs and officers. My husband has had more than one NCO who scheduled the on-call in such a way that the junior enlisted personnel had on-call more frequently and on weekends and holidays while never scheduling any weekend on-call for themselves. The same NCOs that shirked fair division of on-call responsibilities had repeatedly failed to secure him a seat in necessary courses for promotion including advanced combatives, the EFMB event which he had trained for with a group, and ALC. Not getting enough points caused my husband to miss out on promotion eligibility time after time. It took years for him to have an NCO who was fair and actually cared enough to get my husband the ALC slot and send him to the board. We now mentor the one good NCO to help him get into dental school.

2. Yes. Pre-req expiration varies by school but I think for people who have completed a degree it's often 4-5 years. I know someone in dental school on prereqs from a 2007 BS who was an army officer for 8 years. You can actually go for a master's for free while enlisted that won't cut into your GI benefits if you wanted to. My husband got his MS in psychology this way but barring a school specifically granting you an exemption, you'll still need to redo the pre-reqs after your initial contract ends.

3. Yes volunteering "expires" or loses relevance. Imagine if you were an adcom. How would you look at an application that has activities that are four years old or older without recent community involvement? What might you infer from the absence of these things? You have to keep doing things that you find meaning in because other than people thinking that it makes them look good to adcoms, your identity and life isn't your job or stats. You should have people and community to give your life outside of work a greater sense of purpose and meaning. Otherwise you will feel empty. Studying day in and day out and providing patient care takes a lot out of people and not every case or instance is necessarily rewarding beyond being a necessary step or a paycheck. There have to be things you care about and do for your private satisfaction when work is over.

4. It is possible to do well on any of the standardized exams but your opportunity to study is highly dependent on your MOS and your leadership. With good leadership in an MOS that doesn't require constant activity, if there's no work at the time they will let you study somewhere. If you have trash leadership and/or a busy job, forget it. You're going to get burned out real quick if your leadership is out for their own promotion points/awards and not looking out for the welfare of their subordinates. There's a reason they call it "voluntold". You're going to do the work but your boss will get the credit for outcome even though all they did was delegate the work to you.

5. If you are planning to be a doctor, why do you not think you are cut out to be an officer? A good officer has many of the personal qualities of a good doctor. Also, how do you define "serve" because there are other paths in service such as teaching as faculty or as a hospital attending, prison populations, federally qualified health centers, VA hospital, Indian Health Service, US Public Health Service, working as a private contractor on an installation, and surely other things. HPSP isn't bad, I have plenty of friends who are in Army, Navy, and Air Force for medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine. What I envy most about their lives is the built in obligation and time to be physically fit, health/malpractice benefits, extensive CE training and mentorship, and best of all... patients who HAVE TO SHOW UP ON TIME/EARLY OR ELSE (they may be subject to formal disciplinary action since they automatically get the time off for their appointments). It's not a bad gig at all.

TLDR; If you are dead set on medical school, prepare for medical school. Needs of the military will disrupt your study plans. If choosing to enlist, you will lose more application cycles than you have calculated. Caveat Emptor: Your choice at the end of the day.

I second this. My husband was enlisted for 12 years. He applied directly to USUHS, was interviewed and rejected then later aggressively applied to EMDP2, enlisted to clinical psychology, and enlisted to PA school as those programs were minted. Despite excellent academic scores and good letters from his officers, he was repeatedly passed over as an E4 in favor of mostly E6-E8 for those programs. It wasn't my direct experience but his disappointment year after year was agonizing for both of us. I would never wish so many cycles of different avenues of disappointment upon anyone.

 

[NonTradPharmStudent]

Hello everyone, I am a nontrad 24 year old and graduating with a BS in Chemistry with a Biochemistry concentration at a State University. I've completed all of the necessary prereqs with a final cGPA of 3.3 and slightly higher science with a moderately strong upward trend. The majority of the prereqs are A's with some B's and one C in physics 1. Before college I wanted to enlist in the Army with the intention of serving as a combat medic in the 75th Ranger Regiment but I chickened out. I'm weighing my options of pushing on with school or enlisting.

I understand that by doing so is delaying an already long road of education by at least another four years and losing potential earnings. However the loss of potential earnings doesn't really bother me and enlisting is something that has been in my head for a long time. My family has a history of enlisting however this is something I've wanted to do for myself. Applying for med school this year would be a waste as I don't have the necessary clinical experience and shadowing. However I have thousands of hours of non-clinical volunteering as a volunteer firefighter and other volunteering. So my questions are boiled down to this:

1. Am I being short sighted to enlist at this point in my education considering the degradation of study habits, material, and the loss of time?

2. With a minimum four year gap in coursework would I likely have to complete courses and retake prereqs after enlisting to show adcoms I can still handle med school as well as boosting a weak uGPA?

3. Would the volunteering that I have done throughout college essentially "expire"?

4. Realistically, would effective studying for the MCAT while enlisted be possible or waiting until my enlistment would be over be better?

5. Should I consider looking into USUHS or HPSP and serving as medical officer to fulfill a need to serve in another way instead of enlisting, even if I don't see myself as officer material?

I understand that my GPA is very weak and I don't see enlisting in any way as padding or as a way to pay for school, only a genuine desire to serve. Any insight by anyone and maybe someone who has taken a similar path would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading and your time!

1. No, the military taught me more than all the colleges I attended but it is what you make out of it. Some perks of enlistment vs. commission are eligibility for GI bill after 36 months committment, flexibility of job chose depending on branch and less oversight of soldiers/airman/blah blah

2. Definitely NO if you join the military because it might actually put you above some candidates. So 75th Ranger Medics essentially is a Airborne, RASP (different and harder than ranger school) training, & SOCOM (spec ops medics) trained which are IMO harder than medical school (will get alot of hate for this but hear me out).....there's actually a SOCOM to medical doc route if you do SOCOM medic (talking about Seals, SF, Marine spec ops, AF Pararescue, 75th RR) theres also a EMDP2 program at DC as well plus many more.......so if you can get healthcare training within the military

3. What's volunteering these days? lol jk....I really dont know just call a med admin person and ask

4. Depending on the job I know many folks who have done so both enlisted/commissioned so it is possible but depending on the job. With your goals of being a 75th RR Medic probably not you will be deployed at least half or more of your enlistment contract

5. Get into medical school first, most military HPSP for medical is pretty much given to anyone with the min qual that can pass MEPS with a few waivers here and there

You are asking questions without alot of research from your side. You need to go into the some of the military forums and see the process of each job and qulifications and what options there are before deciding. Also remember there's both active, reserves and nat guard options as well.

My honest opionion for you would be to go National Guard OCS (they take anyone....almost....if you dont want active duty) and this will give you time to pursue your civilian positions but also gt trained or get direction commissioned....sometimes getting into the service is the hard part! Good luck! RLTW!

 

[xffan624]

Some perks of enlistment vs. commission are eligibility for GI bill after 36 months committment,

Officers are, in general, also eligible for the GI Bill after 36 months. Even ROTC/service academy officers are eligible but they have to complete their original obligation before the 3 year clock begins.

 

[NonTradPharmStudent]

Officers are, in general, also eligible for the GI Bill after 36 months. Even ROTC/service academy officers are eligible but they have to complete their original obligation before the 3 year clock begins.

True regarding OP's specific situation if he/she direct commissions will be eligible for GI bill etc benefits unless OP takes obligatory bonuses exception to some occupations of course

 

[l-DreamChaser-l]

No. He will be a 68W if that's the contract he signs unless he washes out of AIT, which then there are other issues. Whether or not he makes it through RASP will depend on if he is a 68W with a cooler plate carrier manning sick call or just a 68W with a regular IOTV manning sick call.

Yeah see I'm not very familiar with the army but basically navy corpsmen are usually attached to marine units, hospitals etc etc

If you wanna be swcc or a seal you are a seal/swcc first then a medic, sniper, etc etc

Did you earn your ranger tab or pass rasp? Out of curiosity.