HPSP

[deleted878916]

Has anyone applied for the Health Professions Scholarship Program for optometry? (Whichever branch). I'm not sure where to research because I haven't met or even heard of any recruiters nearby and I'd really like to know more. I'm not sure where to start or even when.

Like for example, I thought people could start applying as early as senior year of undergrad, but I emailed someone (I have no clue) who said to email them back when I'm in optometry school (lol) and that I could start the application my first year in optometry school.

I'm really interested in this program and could totally see myself doing this after graduating from optometry school for even after the set amount of years.

If there's another forum for this specifically, I'd really appreciate it if you could direct me to it also. Thanks!

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[London22]

I highly recommend talking to a recruiter specifically for HPSP in any branches. They will be able to tell you if your GPA and OAT are competitive enough as a first step. They are all very nice and helpful. There are usually limited spots each year across the country for HPSP, I think it was about 5 or 6 this year for the army and then none I believe for the navy. This changes year to year, so you can always call back each year during school, however it's usually less than 10. Typically 3.7 or higher with 330 OAT or higher is competitive. My recruiter told me a pre-med with a 3.6 GPA and 300 OAT didn't make it this year, he was bummed because it's a 2-3 month process to get all the physical exams done, which he passed and still got turned down. So it's definitely good to speak with recruiters before you begin this whole process. They can help you get all your eggs in one basket. Previous members who served also have higher preference for the scholarship so that can help. Definitely talk to specifically HPSP recruiter as well, not just a general recruiter, because they will be most knowledgeable for this particular situation.
If you end up getting the scholarship it will change your life. You can receive it for any amount of years, however even just 1 year is a great offer. You can start applying whenever but the earlier the better. They pay for everything and give you monthly stipends. Schools will publish your scholarship as a badge of honor "We accepted an HPSP student." It shows that they accept high stats, dedicated students.

I think it was just recently SCO accepted 2 HPSP and the students were giving a little info about it. I can't seem to find it right now but if I come across it again I'll post the link! There's also many people across SDN, not necessarily strictly optometry forum, that post about HPSP. The same rules and availability apply to the other health fields so sometimes speaking with people in other professions can help you gain more info as well on if it's right for you.

The Military Medicine forum has a ton of info on everything HPSP too. Military Medicine

Hope this helps!

 

[koonsaar]

You want to make sure to contact an Officer Recruiter about the HPSP, not just a regular enlisted recruiter. The number of scholarships available for each branch changes every year. This past fiscal year there was only 1 four year HPSP scholarship for the Navy (which you apply during your senior year of undergrad), and the Army was only offering 3 year HPSP scholarships (which you apply for during your first year of optometry school). I'm starting Optometry School this fall and applied for the Navy spot (3.9 GPA, 390/400 AA/TS) and was selected as an alternate for the scholarship, if that helps to shows how difficult the process is. Because of how few spots there are, Optometry HPSP is arguably more difficult to get than the medical and dental HPSP. It's a long process with lots of paperwork to fill out, and it sucks to not be selected, but it's still worth applying to for the chance to get the Scholarship if that's what you want to do with your career.