HPSP questions?

[eldirty]

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I am currently on HPSP scholarship and have finished my first year of Dental school. This summer I attended ODS (Officer Development School) and would be happy to answer any questions that anyone might have.

 

[Kbaseball]

Oh goodness, do I have questions?!

I am currently debating whether or not to go forward in applying for the Air Force HPSP. I just applied to dental school this summer.

To start, when exactly do you do your active duty? (It's 45 days/yr, correct?)

Thank you!

 

[pinhi]

I am currently on HPSP scholarship and have finished my first year of Dental school. This summer I attended ODS (Officer Development School) and would be happy to answer any questions that anyone might have.

I am interested in joining the military (air force) but am not sure when to start applying....I understand it is competitive and you should apply early but I wont even know if im accepted until Dec. 1......is it a waste of time to apply now?......
What are the criteria for acceptance? How competitive is it?
Do you participate in ROTC or anything during the school year or do you do all of that stuff at the end of dental school?
What are the possible deployment areas after training?
The list goes on and on!

 

[eldirty]

Kbaseball - while on HPSP you are not required to go on active duty unless you choose to attend officer training (ODS). Officer Development School however, must be completed before you report to your first duty station. I chose to get mine out of the way and spent 5 weeks in RI this summer. The next 3 years im not required to become active though I will submit for school orders once each year so that I will be paid at an O-1 active level. Let me know if you have any further questions. Im in the Navy so hopefully ill be able to help.

pinhi - If you are interested I would get started on the application asap. The process is very long and as you said competitive. I started my application the summer before my final year of undergrad and added my acceptance letter once accepted. The programs have become more and more competitive as schools are getting more expensive and the economy is where it currently is. For acceptance many factors are considered including: GPA, DAT score, letters of recommendations, etc. very similar to dental school but a physical is required in addition. You do not participate in any ROTC activities while in school but as I said above ODS is required at some point before you report to your first duty station. You may be stationed anywhere your service (Navy, Air force) has a need but they will work with you for best fit.

I hope this helps and feel free to let me know if I can help in any other way!

 

[Huskk]

I'm kind of unclear on the summer school orders to get O-1 pay. Can you elaborate on that? My recruiter mentioned that once and I forgot to ask him about it.

 

[pinhi]

Kbaseball - while on HPSP you are not required to go on active duty unless you choose to attend officer training (ODS). Officer Development School however, must be completed before you report to your first duty station. I chose to get mine out of the way and spent 5 weeks in RI this summer. The next 3 years im not required to become active though I will submit for school orders once each year so that I will be paid at an O-1 active level. Let me know if you have any further questions. Im in the Navy so hopefully ill be able to help.

pinhi - If you are interested I would get started on the application asap. The process is very long and as you said competitive. I started my application the summer before my final year of undergrad and added my acceptance letter once accepted. The programs have become more and more competitive as schools are getting more expensive and the economy is where it currently is. For acceptance many factors are considered including: GPA, DAT score, letters of recommendations, etc. very similar to dental school but a physical is required in addition. You do not participate in any ROTC activities while in school but as I said above ODS is required at some point before you report to your first duty station. You may be stationed anywhere your service (Navy, Air force) has a need but they will work with you for best fit.

I hope this helps and feel free to let me know if I can help in any other way!

I would also like to know about the 0-1 pay grade info......particularly this: are you an 0-1 when you graduate from dental school or do you get promotions throughout?...i was looking at the air force pay scale and it said for an 0-1 w/ under 2 years in.....you get paid only 2300 per month......which seems a bit low.....even the 0-4 were only getting paid 3400 per month?...does this seem correct? I was under the impression that starting pay was around 70k or so?

 

[eldirty]

Each year you will go "active" for 45 days and will be paid at your current pay grade with is O-1 (ENS in the Navy). This increases the amount you make for that 45 day period. If you dont submit for your school orders your service will not remind you to do this so you will just lose the increase in pay so be sure to do it once a year while in school. To find a contact to assist me in reserving a spot in ODS this summer I emailed [email protected] so im sure they would also assist with submitting for school orders. I cant speak for any service other than the Navy as im not in any of them.

When you finish school you will be promoted to an O-3 (LT in the Navy). The base pay may seem low but you will also be receiving allowances such as BAH (basic housing allowance) which is based on cost of living in the area stationed.

I hope this is helpful.

 

[PhoebeAZ]

When do you apply for the scholarship? What are the components of the application? And what exactly is officer development school? When would you find out if you are accepted to the program? What do you do during your 45 days or school orders? I'm interested in the navy by the way.

 

[dctim211]

Hey eldirty,

Thanks for starting this thread up. I keep up to date on many of the other threads that cover HPSP and armed services dentistry; however, it's nice to see a thread started by someone who recently began their dental school life. I am currently about to submit my application for the Navy HPSP and am scheduled to go to MEPS this Thursday. I was wondering if you had any advice/insight/suggestions? In particular, is there anything that you found out after having already signed your contract that you wish you had learned prior to doing so? Not necessarily anything that would have swayed your decision to sign, but maybe something about how HPSP affects your dental school tenure (if it does at all)? Thanks for your time and good luck!

 

[eldirty]

dctim211 - There really isnt much that I found out after accepting the scholarship ... Dental school is tough and the scholarship helps take a lot of the financial stress that I have seen some of my classmates go through away. ODS which I am about to complete wasn’t the most fun experience in the world but I have met many new friends here and the experience is what you make of it. It has taught me a lot about the military has sparked my interest in the Navy even more. Please feel free to ask any additional question as they come.PhoebeAZ - I would start my application as early as possible because it can take a great deal of time to gather all information required for your packet. Private message me if I can help you get started. Components of the application: Lots of paperwork, security clearance, MEPS physical, letters of recommendation, dental school acceptance letter, letters of recommendation, etc. Officer Development School is a program designed to transform you from a civilian into a Naval Officer. You are required to complete the course before starting to work as a Navy dentist, doctor, nurse, etc. I chose to complete mine after my first year of school just to get it out of the way and because my future summer dental school schedule didn’t permit me coming any of the other years. If you don’t complete it during school that will be where you go once you graduate and before you start working. I found out I was accepted after I started school and was commissioned on Oct. 1 of last year. During school orders you just go to school as usual but are paid at an active duty level.

 

[UFRalo]

Good thread eldirty. I am most interested in the Navy for potential HPSP. What did you get to do during ODS in RI? And so far, how has everything been going with the scholarship...any issues (minor or major)?

 

[boogivens]

Thanks a lot for starting this post, I am looking to start the application process as I have finally finished the majority of Dent. school apps. I have tried contacting my health professions recruiter for both Navy and AF and have gotten very limited feedback. Is there any other way to start the application?

 

[armydds]

Hi Guys, I'm on the 4 year Army HPSP.

If anyone has particular questions, you can PM me or post it here and I'll try to answer as well. Like the OP, I just finished first year of dental school and since my school is year-round, no breaks, I am currently doing my 45 day ADT at school, hence just going to school as normal. You also get paid basic allowance for housing while on ADT which can help a lot depending on the zip code for your school. I know students at NYU get a huge chunk of cash during this time. This extra cash will be my traveling/vacation money for winter break!

Anyway, I took the 4 year /w the 20K sign on bonus and it has definitely helped me get through the first year without worries. I have had a lot of classmates stress over purchasing equipment and little supplies like plastic teeth, replacing broken instruments, impression materials, burrs, etc. and not having that extra cash for it. I used a big chunk of the bonus money to pay off the car I purchased 2 years ago. It definitely helps to have that financial cushion so living life is a lot easier. It also helps that a lot of my classmates and friends are on the same program and we can all relate and joke about being in the military. It's all in good fun and helps everyone not worry about life after dental school because who really knows where we all will end up and what will happen. I do think that because a lot of my good buddies are on HPSP, it helped make my decision much easier when considering taking max loans or going through the Army.

Just a heads up. For the Air Force, if you are not already applying and in contact with your recruiter, it's pretty much impossible to get the scholarship at this point. The Navy offers only a very limited amount of 4 year scholarships but the Army still has 100+ per year they award. Get busy and contact your local recruiter STAT!

 

[flyingforever]

I have couple questions:

I am very interested with HSPS scholarship. I like to know how long is the process for getting accepted? I was thinking to start my application after Dec. 1st when I have acceptance letters. Secondly, what are the criterias for physical fitness?

 

[rnbaxter]

Hi Guys, I'm on the 4 year Army HPSP.

If anyone has particular questions, you can PM me or post it here and I'll try to answer as well. Like the OP, I just finished first year of dental school and since my school is year-round, no breaks, I am currently doing my 45 day ADT at school, hence just going to school as normal. You also get paid basic allowance for housing while on ADT which can help a lot depending on the zip code for your school. I know students at NYU get a huge chunk of cash during this time. This extra cash will be my traveling/vacation money for winter break!

Anyway, I took the 4 year /w the 20K sign on bonus and it has definitely helped me get through the first year without worries. I have had a lot of classmates stress over purchasing equipment and little supplies like plastic teeth, replacing broken instruments, impression materials, burrs, etc. and not having that extra cash for it. I used a big chunk of the bonus money to pay off the car I purchased 2 years ago. It definitely helps to have that financial cushion so living life is a lot easier. It also helps that a lot of my classmates and friends are on the same program and we can all relate and joke about being in the military. It's all in good fun and helps everyone not worry about life after dental school because who really knows where we all will end up and what will happen. I do think that because a lot of my good buddies are on HPSP, it helped make my decision much easier when considering taking max loans or going through the Army.

Just a heads up. For the Air Force, if you are not already applying and in contact with your recruiter, it's pretty much impossible to get the scholarship at this point. The Navy offers only a very limited amount of 4 year scholarships but the Army still has 100+ per year they award. Get busy and contact your local recruiter STAT!

I don't understand this, when no one finds out whether or not they are accepted until December 1. So why isn't there a cushion until then for the app to be 100% complete.

Also, ArmyDDS and eldirty- What were your gpa and DAT scores that got you in?

 

[armydds]

I have couple questions:

I am very interested with HSPS scholarship. I like to know how long is the process for getting accepted? I was thinking to start my application after Dec. 1st when I have acceptance letters. Secondly, what are the criterias for physical fitness?

For Army: you can start the application but you can't get your application sent in for review until you get a copy of the acceptance letter. This is what usually stalls the application process for most people. You will not be tested on physical fitness when applying but you will have to submit to blood tests, height, weight, medical history check up that goes in your application. You should begin the application process before Dec. 1st just because it takes a long time to do.

 

[armydds]

I don't understand this, when no one finds out whether or not they are accepted until December 1. So why isn't there a cushion until then for the app to be 100% complete.

Also, ArmyDDS and eldirty- What were your gpa and DAT scores that got you in?

I said this because there are probably a lot of people done with their application and all that is holding them up upon submitting everything is an acceptance letter. I can guarantee you that after the first week of december. a lot of applications will be submitted for review.

I retract what I said, it's not impossible after dec 1st. but it is VERY, VERY difficult.

 

[schen140]

hey guys heres a couple questions:

1. have you heard of peers in the program who get moved around during their lifetime, thus making it hard to settle down in one place?

2. so once you graduate dental school you are basically treating soldiers during the next 4 years? not many children or women?

3. what are the retirement benefits?

 

[farinx]

why did you choose the navy over the air force or army?

 

[armydds]

hey guys heres a couple questions:

1. have you heard of peers in the program who get moved around during their lifetime, thus making it hard to settle down in one place?

2. so once you graduate dental school you are basically treating soldiers during the next 4 years? not many children or women?

3. what are the retirement benefits?

1) Normally if you are stateside, you will be at one base for the duration of your 4 years (so I'm told). A lot of people stay 1 year at a certain base and decide to move when a better location opens up. I would imagine, moving at least once during your 4 year commitment. Overseas assignments are for 1 year or 2 years if you are married. You can always extend your tour if that option is available which I believe always is.

2) Stateside, you are treating soldiers. Overseas assignments you will treat soldiers + dependents (however not all the time) - this is for Army

3) 20 year retirement = 50% of base salary. Each additional year past 20 adds a few percents. this is Online, look it up. Nothing if you decide to get discharged after 4 years.

 

[dctim211]

1) Normally if you are stateside, you will be at one base for the duration of your 4 years (so I'm told). A lot of people stay 1 year at a certain base and decide to move when a better location opens up. I would imagine, moving at least once during your 4 year commitment. Overseas assignments are for 1 year or 2 years if you are married. You can always extend your tour if that option is available which I believe always is.

2) Stateside, you are treating soldiers. Overseas assignments you will treat soldiers + dependents (however not all the time) - this is for Army

3) 20 year retirement = 50% of base salary. Each additional year past 20 adds a few percents. this is Online, look it up. Nothing if you decide to get discharged after 4 years.

I'm not sure about the Navy, but I'm currently applying to the Navy HPSP (just got back from MEPS today) and I know that while you are able to go home after 4 years, you are still considered on inactive duty for 4 years. Your commitment is 8 years (4 years active minimum) for individuals that take the 4-yr scholarship or 3-yr + 20k signing bonus. Also, I've heard 3-yr scholarships are REALLY hard to come by now that they are receiving enough qualified dental hpsp applicants each year and fill up year-to-year.

 

[eldirty]

UFRalo - ODS was a great experience. Long exhausting days filled with Physical Training, classes, room cleaning, shoe shinning, ironing, uniform prep, online course work, marching, etc. The purpose is to transform you into a Navy officer. Not the most fun but the program works and you will build lifelong friendships. No real issues with the scholarship that I can think of, be ready for you bonus to be taxed more than expected but then youll get most of it back when you file. [email protected] is a great place for answers.

boogivens - The navy recruiting assistance program that I was involved with to connect interested students with recruiter was discontinued as of Aug 17 so unfortunately you just have to keep calling and trying to contact your recruiter.

armydds - thanks for coming aboard and helping by offering an Army prospective.

flyingforever - I would be as proactive as possible and start your application before receiving acceptance letters as its a very long process. I stated my application during the summer and added my acceptance letter as the last item. For physical standard check out this site: http://www.navy-prt.com/

rnbaxter - check out my predents link under my profile

schen140 - While in the military you will pretty much be sent wherever they need you. My understanding of the Navy is that you will more than likely serve 2-3 year tours at duty stations or on ships and then are possibly moved as needed. The Navy treats sailors, marines, dependents, and go on humanitarian missions. As armydds said the retirement information is detailed online.

farinx - I choose the Navy because I wanted to be either on a ship or stationed by the water. Also I wanted to work with the Marines.

 

[armydds]

I'm not sure about the Navy, but I'm currently applying to the Navy HPSP (just got back from MEPS today) and I know that while you are able to go home after 4 years, you are still considered on inactive duty for 4 years. Your commitment is 8 years (4 years active minimum) for individuals that take the 4-yr scholarship or 3-yr + 20k signing bonus. Also, I've heard 3-yr scholarships are REALLY hard to come by now that they are receiving enough qualified dental hpsp applicants each year and fill up year-to-year.

Definitely True. The total commitment is 8 years no matter if you get the 3 year or 4 year scholarship. On the 3 year, you serve 3 years active and 5 inactive ready reserve. 4 and 4 for the 4 year scholarship.

After your 4 year obligation is complete, you have the option to sign on for additional years for substantial bonus pay. If you want to get out, you have 2 options. Either you can chose to do the reserves or be put on Individual Ready Reserve (IRR). Historically no dentists has been recalled off of IRR. You can google IRR and reserves and their differences. I can't presume any dentists will be recalled considering these past few years have been completely filling the quota for dentists required in all 3 branches of service. If the trend of people taking the HPSP continues, there is even a less chance of ever being recalled from IRR.

The 3 year scholarships are very hard to get simply because most of the 4 years are being taken up. In additional, the Army offers a 3.5 year scholarship for those applying after starting dental school. Once the quota is reached and all funds allocated, there won't be any scholarships left to give out (i.e. 3 year HPSP).