HPSP......let's hear what you think

[alec0884]

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I have applied and nearly completed my application except for a pulmonary exam........and whether I go to NOVA or BU I believe it to be a huge advantage.

In justification, a 300K student loan will have a pretty hefty monthly payment whether it be a 10 or 30 year. And so I see coming out of DS without any debt and only a 4 year commitment to a reduced salary as minuscule to the strain that student loans will place on most.

Also the 20K signing bonus and 2K stipend are sure to provide me plenty in regards to purchasing an apartment and building equity while in school.

Lastly having a guaranteed job isn't too shabby either, and coming from a military background, the dentist I know all express that the years after dental school in the military were where they best developed the skills they use today. Military clinics provide a lot of mentorship for an entry level dentist.

I would love to hear some criticism/support based on personal knowledge......

 

[Andrew324]

Do not do it for the money

 

[supraeli]

+1 to this thread... it sounds like a friggin awesome deal, but anyone with a fiancee, or close to one, or imagine they will have one in the near future will probably regret taking the $$... but to be fair, it is a pretty friggin sweet deal. if i was single and planned to stay that way, i would totally jump on it and get the chance to live a little...

 

[jmt1984]

Do not do it for the money

Totally agree. I am on the fence about this deal, but if I get accepted I plan on going to a recruiters office and getting the info straight from the horses mouth.

No debt would be nice, but being owned for 4+ years would be a little challenging for someone who already has a lot of commitments/responsibilities (e.g. family)

 

[cda]

At one of the schools i interviewed the recruiters were super aggressive to get us in the HSPS. I'd never heard about the program before, so after I got back home, I talked to at least 10 dentists/dental students who did go through/or going thru the military program. the deal sounds really good. the recruiters make it sound even better, since part of their salary is based on the number of peops they recruit. i decided not to do it, since i am not a 'military' kind of person and i would only do it for $. everybody told me not to do it for $ though, so i didn't sign up. here is what i learned though: the deal is 4 yrs active duty AND 4 yrs on reserve. the recruiters did not mention that reserve part to us. only one person i talked to was called to duty during his 4 yrs post active. he did go to germany for a year and his family was not allowed to go with him. 2 of the dentists, recent grads, were deployed to iraq during their 2nd year of active duty. one of them had a pregnant wife and they did not allow him to come back earlier. originally they said that he'd be deployed to irag for one yr, but when August came and his yr was up, they extended his stay for 2 more months. I guess my point is that when you sign up for smth like that you loose control over your life. for 4 ysr, or for 8 yrs to be precise, you are in the hands of the government, and there is no way out. I've also heard the stories about people trying to get out of the program by offering to repay all the $ that the gov't invested but they were denied. all of the people i talked to survived and have a good life now though. so if you are truly a devoted to sevices person, thn this program is not bad!

 

[jmt1984]

thanks for the info cda. I did not hear of some of the things that you mentioned. I'm not really a 'military' type either, a little too laid-back I think...


To the OP, there is a forum for the military dentists, and there are several current posters who went through the different programs, maybe check it out and ask them

 

[KitKat09]

I also have heard that 20 K signing bonus extends your commitment for 1 more year. If you ok with being officer first and dentist second you will be happy there. It is a great way to reduce your DS debt but only if you ready to embrace everything that comes with it, doing it just for money and not enjoying everything that comes with being military person will make you miserable...
Also the way I look at it- there is 12 years involved- you are committed during your DS years as well- if any opportunity comes along to develop relationship, personal or professional- you are not free to accept it, then 4 years active and 4 years reserve- plenty of time to regret it if you doing it for the money only...

 

[lphiewok]

20k signing up bonus is offered only for 4 year HPSP scholarships for Army and Navy branches only. Air Force does not offer signing up bonus.

You can get 20k signing up bonus with 3 year HPSP scholarship but you will have to commit to service for 4 years in payback (so not really worth it to get that 20k if you are going with 3 yr HPSP to get that scholarship)


Air Force has only about 5 seats for HPSP this year nation-wide (so far that's what has been informed) so it is pretty competitive to get this scholarship and it's not something that anyone can get if they want.
You will have to pass physical, have to have interview with the officer, application is about 20 pages long, need LORs and essays, so it's pretty much almost like applying to dental school again.

Money you will be making is about 65k after dental school so the money you will be making for 4 years is not much compared to private practice but you will get lots of experience I believe and Air Force has its own AEGD residency (which you will have to commit another year of service if you want to take it).
And don't forget that you will be deployed at least once while you're serving in the armed force (not necessarily iraq/afghan, but out of country according to my recruiter) so if you do not want to get separated from your family for long time, this is something you'll have to consider too. I grew up in military base and lived in different countries because my father was in the army so military life is already what I am used to, so it doesn't bother me, but for some people who have never been disciplined in such way might find it hard to deal with.

I have finished and applied my Air Force app. already.
Deadline is 29th of this month to have everything submitted (including interview with the officer) so if anyone is thinking of doing Air Force, you will have to do ASAP.
You will also need to have 3.5 and 19AA or above to qualify for matrix qualification, otherwise you will need to get exemption/waiver with either high DAT for below GPA or vice versa.

This is something to think about when you are considering expensive schools (my case USC) and try to surf on military dentist forum to get the full idea.

 

[Regmata]

Do it, its a good deal

 

[MnBucky]

Do it, its a good deal

Can you elaborate?

 

[MTD52]

lphiewok -- How could you do a 3 year program when school takes 4 years?

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

I would love to hear some criticism/support based on personal knowledge......

Go to the military dental forum to get opinions you are seeking.

......but if I get accepted I plan on going to a recruiters office and getting the info straight from the horses mouth.

Are you serious? It really is a crapshoot to know if a 'recruiter' is being 100% straight with you. There multiple people who post regularly in the military forum like AFDDS, UMKCDDS, Deep Impact, dheav005, BQuad who teel it as it is. A recruiter's job is to get you to sign. Although they are supposed to telll you as it is, that doesn't always happen. Most of the time they are not lying to you, but they do sometimes hold back info that can sway your decision. Ask questions here on SDN. The info you get here is less biased toward makign you join than what you will get at the recruiter's office. Plus, those of us who have served or are serving don't want to persuade people to join. It only makes our lives miserable beign stationed with someone who feels they were misled into joining. It is a no win situation for all in these cases. Therefore, we are going to be open and honest when answering your questions.

 

[gauchoand]

Dont believe anything told to you by a recruiter they are bald face liars and will say or not say anything that is needed to get you to sign on the botttom line. Talk to people who have done the program to get the facts.

 

[lphiewok]

lphiewok -- How could you do a 3 year program when school takes 4 years?

3 year commitment is they pay for 3 years of tuition and you pay 1 year of your tuition but you are only required to serve for 3 years in military instead of 4 years after you graduate.

I guess many people do not apply to HPSP before starting dental school, and as they pay tuition and etc., they realize that they can try this military route and they can apply for 3 year scholarship during their first year of dental school (they would've already paid for 1st year tuition and fees with loans or their own money). Once they get accepted, military will pay for your rest of 3 years of tuition + fees and you owe them 3 years and reserve time (forgot exactly how many yaers).

There is an option for those people who are signing up for 3 year scholarship to get that $20,000 sign-up bonus, but then they will have to serve in military after school for 4 years instead of 3 years.

So $20,000 vs. 1 year of income you would make as a dentist after 3 years of service, i think we all know that it's probably not worth to take that $20,000 if you are going with 3 year scholarship.

 

[yuppers]

I guess many people do not apply to HPSP before starting dental school, and as they pay tuition and etc., they realize that they can try this military route and they can apply for 3 year scholarship during their first year of dental school (they would've already paid for 1st year tuition and fees with loans or their own money). Once they get accepted, military will pay for your rest of 3 years of tuition + fees and you owe them 3 years and reserve time (forgot exactly how many yaers).

5 additional reserve years if you do the 3 year scholarship.
4 years of reserve if you do the 4 year.
So for both scholarships you end up with a total of 8 years (reserve and active duty).

 

[supraeli]

Money you will be making is about 65k after dental school so the money you will be making for 4 years is not much compared to private practice but you will get lots of experience I believe and Air Force has its own AEGD residency (which you will have to commit another year of service if you want to take it).

thanks for all the very informative posts, iphiewok...

however, i feel like i need to clarify on one point - 65K after dental is going to actually be more on average than anyone fresh out of dental school would otherwise make - a 90K salary with malpractice/health insurance, 28% tax and LOAN PAYMENTS will leave much much less than the 65K you get that is partially untaxed and does not include insurance.

 

[yuppers]

Do not the HSPS just for the money. You will be a military officer first and a dentist second. And it is not as great as a recruiter makes it out to be.
I applied for a HSPS scholarship early this summer without putting much thought into it, but for the past few months I have been doing some long overdo soul searching, researching, talking with friends and family, and just reading bunch of forums. I decided that it is not worth it to me for many reasons.
Sure the debt is pretty overwhelming, but as long as you can sacrifice some pleasantries while in DS and in the beginning of your dental career, you should be just fine.

 

[Doctor PJ]

At one of the schools i interviewed the recruiters were super aggressive to get us in the HSPS. I'd never heard about the program before, so after I got back home, I talked to at least 10 dentists/dental students who did go through/or going thru the military program. the deal sounds really good. the recruiters make it sound even better, since part of their salary is based on the number of peops they recruit. i decided not to do it, since i am not a 'military' kind of person and i would only do it for $. everybody told me not to do it for $ though, so i didn't sign up. here is what i learned though: the deal is 4 yrs active duty AND 4 yrs on reserve. the recruiters did not mention that reserve part to us. only one person i talked to was called to duty during his 4 yrs post active. he did go to germany for a year and his family was not allowed to go with him. 2 of the dentists, recent grads, were deployed to iraq during their 2nd year of active duty. one of them had a pregnant wife and they did not allow him to come back earlier. originally they said that he'd be deployed to irag for one yr, but when August came and his yr was up, they extended his stay for 2 more months. I guess my point is that when you sign up for smth like that you loose control over your life. for 4 ysr, or for 8 yrs to be precise, you are in the hands of the government, and there is no way out. I've also heard the stories about people trying to get out of the program by offering to repay all the $ that the gov't invested but they were denied. all of the people i talked to survived and have a good life now though. so if you are truly a devoted to sevices person, thn this program is not bad!

is this 4 yrs of inactive reserve?

 

[MTD52]

3 year commitment is they pay for 3 years of tuition and you pay 1 year of your tuition but you are only required to serve for 3 years in military instead of 4 years after you graduate.

I guess many people do not apply to HPSP before starting dental school, and as they pay tuition and etc., they realize that they can try this military route and they can apply for 3 year scholarship during their first year of dental school (they would've already paid for 1st year tuition and fees with loans or their own money). Once they get accepted, military will pay for your rest of 3 years of tuition + fees and you owe them 3 years and reserve time (forgot exactly how many yaers).

There is an option for those people who are signing up for 3 year scholarship to get that $20,000 sign-up bonus, but then they will have to serve in military after school for 4 years instead of 3 years.

So $20,000 vs. 1 year of income you would make as a dentist after 3 years of service, i think we all know that it's probably not worth to take that $20,000 if you are going with 3 year scholarship.

5 additional reserve years if you do the 3 year scholarship.
4 years of reserve if you do the 4 year.
So for both scholarships you end up with a total of 8 years (reserve and active duty).

Thanks guys. Really appreciate the info. There's no 2 year option is there?

is this 4 yrs of inactive reserve?

Reserve means inactive duty as far as I know.

 

[yuppers]

No 2 year option, minimum is 3 years.
And yes, inactive duty is reserve.

 

[yuppers]

however, i feel like i need to clarify on one point - 65K after dental is going to actually be more on average than anyone fresh out of dental school would otherwise make - a 90K salary with malpractice/health insurance, 28% tax and LOAN PAYMENTS will leave much much less than the 65K you get that is partially untaxed and does not include insurance.

I'm not sure that 65k is all net income.

 

[Doctor PJ]

how likely will one be called for their reserve? From what I was told the chances are slim.

 

[Act0fgod]

is this 4 yrs of inactive reserve?

To provide further information for the most part every member of the military is obligated 8 years of service. In relation to HPSP if you plan on transitioning to private practice ASAP you will serve 3 or 4 years on active duty (this is what you think about as working where you wear a uniform and you no kidding work for the military). The remaining 5 or 4 years will be on the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR). During this time you will not receive pay and you won't be required to do anything unless you are called to active duty or volunteer to return to active duty.

Want to be sure people understand that this is not what most think of when they hear reserves (someone who performs military duties 2 weeks a year and 1 weekend a month).

So the next question is how likely will you be called back to duty. In reality it is really slim. That doesn't mean it isn't possible. It really depends on the needs of the military and if they need dentists during the period of time you are on IRR it is possible you will be called to active duty while on the IRR (side note I would assume it is more likely that someone in the army be called off the IRR than someone who is in the Air Force).

To put a more quantified number on this run a google search for Air Force IRR called to active duty and you won't find any results (you'll get information about the army and marines calling IRR members to active duty - but mostly these are going to be infantry types and not medical). I also don't know anyone who has been called onto active duty from IRR status in the air force and instead have experience with the opposite where friends of mine have had commitment from school and got out of the military early without paying back required time (they weren't medical types).

In the end I would say plan for the worst case scenario, from your perspective even if it is highly unlikely, and if that worst case scenario is acceptable (not saying it has to be what you want or the ideal situation in your mind) then go for the scholarship if you wouldn't be willing to serve a maximum of 8 years don't do it. The other reason I say this is if you plan for 8 years but want to get out at 4 you'll be happy when you get out at 4 but if you plan on 4 and then have to serve 8 you'll hate your life.

 

[rowsdower]

Can someone please PM me with info on a recruiter they know (preferably in AZ or California) for Air Force. I'm trying to locate all the paperwork, checklist etc..)

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

how likely will one be called for their reserve? From what I was told the chances are slim.

I am not sure about the Army, but no dentist has ever been called up from the IRR in the Navy or AF without volunteering to go active. Not to say it will never happen, but since it hasn't happened even after the limited manpower we have experienced since 9/11 I don't feel we will ever have to worry about getting called up from the IRR without volunteering to do so unless WW III breaks out. if WW III breaks out, we have a whole lot worse things to worry about than beign called up from the IRR. If WW III were to break out, I am sure the draft would be implemented and those who are already tied to the military will probably enjoy life a little better than those drafted.

 

[jmick101]

First off, there is PLENTY of discussion of this type on the mildent forum. If you are seriously considering doing the military, do yourself a favor and check out the stickies there.

I am going to graduate in a few months and I am an HPSP recipient. I cannot tell you what being an active duty dentist is like, because I don't know, and neither does anyone else on this thread it seems like.

My recruiters were all straight up with me. No BS, no sweet talk, but they were pretty informative. By and large, they do not deserve the bad rap that they get from most of the peanut gallery, in my opinion.

Here is something to think about. Since I am graduating soon, money and debt are big topics of discussion among my fellow classmates. Looking at a 300k + tab is a daunting thing. I have heard MANY times that if they could go back and take the HPSP they would in a heartbeat. I heard this from last years graduating class as well. It is a recurring theme.

Right now, it probably just seems all theoretical to my newly accepted dental school brethren: massive debt that will some day be paid off. You assume that there will be some great paying job for you, so you kind of shrug it off. Lots of my classmates did that very thing and now they envy the fact that all the HPSPers debt load is so low.

Much has been said about not doing the HPSP for money, and I agree. I am kind of amazed however that people will take crappy jobs at Western Dental, or rural Alaska, or some remote Indian Reservation for much less that what the military will offer to work on the Nations finest.

The HPSP is such an incredibly good deal that I just cannot fathom why more people don't take it. I think it is fantastically short-sighted. Four years of military for hundreds of thousands of dollars? Man, I can do four years of military time standing on my head!

Unless you are a communist pinko who just cannot stomach the idea of putting on a uniform, then you should really consider it.

 

[alec0884]

To everybody, I really do appreciate all the replies....

I'd like to say that my dad was a navy dentist for 16 years and he mentions that getting out after your commitment is fullfilled is probably more advisable, but he never regrets his service. We are all going to be dentist with a 9-5 so why not spend 4 years doing something different. My father was stationed in Puerto Rico at one point and had the opportunity of going on a midnight cruise aboard a Brazilian sub.

also, if you serve aboard an aircraft carrier, you can get back-seat certified and ride shotty with pilots on fighters as they fullfill flight time requirements.

I guess i am saying we are not going to get a chance to do something like this after we settle down and start practicing, so i think that even though i will be being told who to treat and where to work....i will still be a dentist...possibly one that gets to experience something not many do.

as for the money after 4 years of service....I can open shop without student loans and start banking if i want

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

First off, there is PLENTY of discussion of this type on the mildent forum. If you are seriously considering doing the military, do yourself a favor and check out the stickies there.

I am going to graduate in a few months and I am an HPSP recipient. I cannot tell you what being an active duty dentist is like, because I don't know, and neither does anyone else on this thread it seems like.

My recruiters were all straight up with me. No BS, no sweet talk, but they were pretty informative. By and large, they do not deserve the bad rap that they get from most of the peanut gallery, in my opinion. ..............

As I, too, said before go check the mildent forum.

Although I am not a Navy dentist yet, during my past 11 years in the military I have interacted with my military dental friends and have even spent time assisting them and seeing how thigns work. I knoe I don't know a good portion of everything that a military dentist have to deal with, but when i do speak about military dentistry it is because I know what I am talking about based on experience and interacting with my many military dental friends.

As far as recruiters go, you had a great experience. I had a pretty good experience too, but I know many others who have had bad experiences jmick. You don't know how many people I have assisted from just here on SDN in getting them in touch with recruiters from all branches who are willing to help them. Plus, recruiters also get a bad rap based experienes that other prior military enlisted personnel have experienced. Even though they try to claim there is no quota they need to meet, there is. When they don't meet their quota, life sucks for recruiters. I happened to witness how heads can roll when a recruiting district didn't meet its monthly demands for the first time in 10 years. Life was not pleasant for a while. With that pressure, sometimes recruiters stretch rurths and sometimes lie. The unfortunate thing is that you don't always know what it truth, a lie or only part of the story. Fortunately, right now, recruiting is easy for the dental recruiters since there is a high demand for military scholarships. So, they are less likely to coerce or deceive applicants, but even so you cannot always trust all the info recevied. it is always best to talk to people you know who have experienced the process and who have expereinced life in the military firsthand.

 

[jmick101]

Navy,

I agree with a lot of what you said. I am prior service myself and have friends who are/were military dentists (that is how I got the idea in the first place). Still, until I have been an active duty dentist, I won't deign to speak about what life is like for a military dentist and will instead refer them to someone who can speak from personal experience (which you did).

I think most of the people who think they got the shaft from recruiters probably didn't do their due diligence in the first place. If the recruiter is a schlub and sherks his responsibility to return calls and help out, well then yes, they are losers and deserve the bad rap. I have heard that gripe before, but again, my experience with the recruiters I have dealt with personally has not been like that and it would be unfair of me to not put that out there. If a prospective recruit doesn't know that they are going to get a biased view of the military from a recruiter then I have some swampland in Florida I would like to sell them. Take recruiters for what they are: one side of a story. It is up to you to figure out the rest.

Frankly though, the HPSP shouldn't need recruiters, it is such a smoking good deal. It should just have paperwork technicians who simply get the myriad of stuff ready for you (which is largely what my recruiters have done.)

Anyways, this thread is the "lets hear what you think" thread and I have made my thoughts known. If you don't at least seriously consider the HPSP, run the numbers, get some facts, then you are certifiable crazy.

 

[jmick101]

To everybody, I really do appreciate all the replies....

I'd like to say that my dad was a navy dentist for 16 years and he mentions that getting out after your commitment is fullfilled is probably more advisable, but he never regrets his service. We are all going to be dentist with a 9-5 so why not spend 4 years doing something different. My father was stationed in Puerto Rico at one point and had the opportunity of going on a midnight cruise aboard a Brazilian sub.

also, if you serve aboard an aircraft carrier, you can get back-seat certified and ride shotty with pilots on fighters as they fullfill flight time requirements.

I guess i am saying we are not going to get a chance to do something like this after we settle down and start practicing, so i think that even though i will be being told who to treat and where to work....i will still be a dentist...possibly one that gets to experience something not many do.

as for the money after 4 years of service....I can open shop without student loans and start banking if i want

Thats the spirit! Its 4 years, parts of it may suck, but then parts of it may rock. When people give you crap about being deployed, just say "Its an all expense paid trip to the middle east."

If you go to Dentaltown and check out the military threads there, you see that most of sentiments expressed there were like "I did four years and not a second more, but I am glad I did it."

Its a great deal and I, for one, think you made a great decision.

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

Thats the spirit! Its 4 years, parts of it may suck, but then parts of it may rock. When people give you crap about being deployed, just say "Its an all expense paid trip to the middle east."

If you go to Dentaltown and check out the military threads there, you see that most of sentiments expressed there were like "I did four years and not a second more, but I am glad I did it."

Its a great deal and I, for one, think you made a great decision.

I had initially planned to do my initial committment when I joined in 1998 and then get out. Well, you can see that was not the case. I fell in love with most of what I have expereinced in the military. I am not in dentistry for the money, so my decision is easy - go where my heart is. Then again, with my time in service, I will be making 6 figures right out of d-school so the pay won't be too bad. 🙂

 

[Palmetto914]

Yes, that's 4 years of service for no d-school debt. It's also 4 years without gaining any experience on the business side of dentistry, which is a HUGE factor in your overall success as a dentist (assuming you want to own your own practice). Your clinical services are only a portion of your job responsibilities as a practice owner. You're running the show...firing/hiring, marketing, dealing with insurance companies, collections, billing schedlues, overhead, budgeting etc, will all still be pretty foreign to you after 4 years.

 

[jmt1984]

Go to the military dental forum to get opinions you are seeking.




Are you serious? It really is a crapshoot to know if a 'recruiter' is being 100% straight with you. There multiple people who post regularly in the military forum like AFDDS, UMKCDDS, Deep Impact, dheav005, BQuad who teel it as it is. A recruiter's job is to get you to sign. Although they are supposed to telll you as it is, that doesn't always happen. Most of the time they are not lying to you, but they do sometimes hold back info that can sway your decision. Ask questions here on SDN. The info you get here is less biased toward makign you join than what you will get at the recruiter's office. Plus, those of us who have served or are serving don't want to persuade people to join. It only makes our lives miserable beign stationed with someone who feels they were misled into joining. It is a no win situation for all in these cases. Therefore, we are going to be open and honest when answering your questions.

You make a good point. I stand corrected.

 

[yuppers]

just say "Its an all expense paid trip to the middle east."

And that is a good thing. 🙄

 

[jmick101]

Yes, that's 4 years of service for no d-school debt. It's also 4 years without gaining any experience on the business side of dentistry, which is a HUGE factor in your overall success as a dentist (assuming you want to own your own practice). Your clinical services are only a portion of your job responsibilities as a practice owner. You're running the show...firing/hiring, marketing, dealing with insurance companies, collections, billing schedlues, overhead, budgeting etc, will all still be pretty foreign to you after 4 years.

I'd still take it.

I am sure that after a few years of working in an Army clinic you might just learn something about how you would run things. A lot of the business side will be done by your Office manager anyways. You are going to have to learn the business side anyways sometime and it will be pretty nice not to have a massive student loan debt hanging over your head.

You will just have a massive business loan instead! Cheers!

 

[biggertooth]

Does anyone know if it is too late to apply for the Navy HPSP? Are all the scholarships taken already? I will be starting dental school July 2010.

 

[dbsehorn24]

It would be too late to apply with the Air Force for the upcoming class but the Navy and Army are still available. The navy has dropped to only 39 HPSP nation-wide this year and they have filled 24 already. You would have to get on that in a hurry. The Army have quite a bit more HPSP's available (I heard around 100 but the exact amount is unknown to me). The Army did not meet their quota until June of last year so I think there is a good chance there for you...

 

[FutureDent020]

It would be too late to apply with the Air Force for the upcoming class but the Navy and Army are still available. The navy has dropped to only 39 HPSP nation-wide this year and they have filled 24 already. You would have to get on that in a hurry. The Army have quite a bit more HPSP's available (I heard around 100 but the exact amount is unknown to me). The Army did not meet their quota until June of last year so I think there is a good chance there for you...

If you look through some threads on the military board, people say that all the Navy and Air Force HPSP's have been given out. I am not sure if this is 100% true, but no one has denied it. As for the Army, yes there are still HPSP's left.

 

[lphiewok]

If you look through some threads on the military board, people say that all the Navy and Air Force HPSP's have been given out. I am not sure if this is 100% true, but no one has denied it. As for the Army, yes there are still HPSP's left.

Air Force's 3 year HPSP has been given out but for 4 year HPSP i believe the board date is sometime this week and they will announce in February (but yes deadline was Dec 29 for AF)

For Army, it's still open and they have board meeting every month (but your packet has to be turned in the month before and also later you apply less seat you will be competing for).

Sorry but I do not have an idea bout navy.

 

[ejendz24]

I just got commissioned in the Army last night for the 4-yr HPSP and I couldn't be happier about it!

Out-of-state tuition at UIC is no joke... But, we'll see if Marquette or the U of MN give me a slot in the next week or so.

 

[alec0884]

I just got commissioned in the Army last night for the 4-yr HPSP and I couldn't be happier about it!

Out-of-state tuition at UIC is no joke... But, we'll see if Marquette or the U of MN give me a slot in the next week or so.

Hey congrats, I have a medical friend with HPSP-army. My packet for the navy went out yesterday.....I am pretty sure that there are still slots available, my recruiter told me I am competitive, but I am keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[FutureDent020]

Hey congrats, I have a medical friend with HPSP-army. My packet for the navy went out yesterday.....I am pretty sure that there are still slots available, my recruiter told me I am competitive, but I am keeping my fingers crossed.

I just talked to a Navy recruiter and he said they still have slots. So you're good

 

[alec0884]

I just talked to a Navy recruiter and he said they still have slots. So you're good

That is good to hear. They are flying me up to Norfolk, VIP style, on the the 9th of February for some meet and greet........should be fun.

 

[ejendz24]

They are flying me up to Norfolk, VIP style

Nice! Haha I stayed at the Embassy Suites when the Army flew me to San Antonio. Gotta love the gov't!

 

[json896]

You get a 20000 bonus for all three branches. I looked into all of them and preferred teh airforce. But they would not take me as i have too many criminal offenses. The navy was also going to be hard with my criminal charge. So i opted for the ARmy.

Unlike the other two branches. The army has an automatic acceptance. 3.5 GPA or 21 DAT so if you have either of these and no criminal background you just apply and get the scholarship not real review of your packet. But if you have criminal history of any kind you must apply for waivers. Which i am waiting for.

THe army has done one round of acceptances. a second round begins in two weeks. Most of their scholarshps go out post february as you are required to get an acceptance letter prior to receiving scholarship. MOst army applicants do not get Dec 1 acceptances and get january or february or later.

But right now an o3 salary will be around 65k but you also get living allowences and benifits which save alot of money, especially for a family.

While in dental school you have no obligations, and also you get 2000/month stipend for 10 months, 500/week for 10 weeks + food and housing allowence. ALso you get all books paid for. so just buy EVERY SINGLE BOOK. so use em then sell em later and extra income. so you end up making near 30k a year while in dental school, which is just low enough to have minimal taxes.

Also now that health insurance is maditory for dental students it is tied in to your tuition and the military pays for it. So not only do you get tuition but also health insurance now. And also all supplies. so cool little glasses are included as well.

Of course bad news for teh 4 years of IRR. but what can you expect they're saving you over half a million dollars.


IRR can be a problem though, as you must put off owning a private practive or atleast have a partner, as you may be called to leave for a year. WHich you would lose all your patients.

ALso though, if you opt for a residency waiver of AD, you can spend your IRR speciallizing then working as a specialty dentist for you AD. and never have to worry about your IRR>

 

[ejendz24]

Not entirely true. You do have obligations while in school to the tune of 45 dyas of AD/yr in the form of training. HOWEVER, if your school schedule is such that it does not allow for you to be away for this period of time, you can waive this training. You will still get paid for the 45 days of AD, though...

Also, the Army does use somewhat of an acceptance "matrix" for qualified applicants. You will be accepted as long as you have everything they are looking for early on in the process. BUT< as slots become fewer in the coming months, they begin to rank candidates on an Order of Merit list. They will then give out the scholarships as they see fit.

 

[lphiewok]

also 20k signing up bonus is only with Army and Navy only for their 4 year HPSP (you can get 20k for 3 year HPSP but then your repayment time would be 4 years so you are pretty much getting 20k for 1 extra year of service)

I donno how it was while you were applying to HPSP but Air Force is not offering $20,000 signing up bonus

 

[json896]

unless they changed it within the last few months, when i was putting my application together in october there was a 20k bonus, well like 19 smth. but still there.

Never said you dont have obligations while in school. Thats why your payment goes up for 8 weeks or so. summer between D1 and D2 you do your officer training. the other three years you must travel during you breaks, if your school schedule permits, to bases of your choice ( if available) for on site dental training.

While in SPECIALTY SCHOOL, using an AD hiatus you are not required to do any AD. you are on IRR, but they will not call you to AD as you are in a residency and they would prefer you finish your specialty. and OS is a four or six year program. so you basically skip your IRR. then just go back and practice surgery for 4 years on AD.

Just make sure you goto civilian OS program not military, or else your a lifer.

"everything" they are looking for is just a 3.5 or better, or 21 or better, not a criminal, healthy, a US citizen, not a terrorist. Basically if you meet those qualities you are in. As if you have the scores of 3.5 and 21 you should be a dec 1 applicant.

 

[gmarra]

json896, you said you get 2000 a month and a food and housing allowance. I am currently applying to Army and was under the impression that the 2000 is the food and housing allowance. Id love to be wrong about that lol

 

[alec0884]

json896, you said you get 2000 a month and a food and housing allowance. I am currently applying to Army and was under the impression that the 2000 is the food and housing allowance. Id love to be wrong about that lol

Unfortunately you are right....I am applying now and my brother is in his second year with HPSP. The 2000 is your allowance