Hpsp

[AdobeMan]

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Anyone trying to get HPSP? How competitive is it? Seems like a great deal..

 

[Avery07]

Air Force is very competitive. Army & Navy are competitive but there should be a spot for you unless you have any big red flags. Now is the time to get the ball rolling though.

 

[Menthol]

Air Force is very competitive. Army & Navy are competitive but there should be a spot for you unless you have any big red flags. Now is the time to get the ball rolling though.

Could you plese explain why air force is more competitive?
more benefits..?

 

[Avery07]

Could you plese explain why air force is more competitive?
more benefits..?

It is my understanding that there are far fewer spots for the Air Force. Also, I think I remember hearing that they may not offer the $20,000 sign on bonus. I really can't expand upon that. I know a lot about the Army program and am just repeating what I have overheard regarding the Air Force.

 

[Menthol]

It is my understanding that there are far fewer spots for the Air Force. Also, I think I remember hearing that they may not offer the $20,000 sign on bonus. I really can't expand upon that. I know a lot about the Army program and am just repeating what I have overheard regarding the Air Force.

I'm seriously considering this option right now..
3years of practice, monthly stipend..fully paid tuition...
what.. this is only for us citizens..🙁
i'm a green card holder..i guess i can't even apply for this program.

 

[Avery07]

I'm seriously considering this option right now..
3years of practice, monthly stipend..fully paid tuition...
i'm in dillemaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

It's a great program for the right person.

 

[lr2014]

I'm seriously considering this option right now..
3years of practice, monthly stipend..fully paid tuition...
what.. this is only for us citizens..🙁
i'm a green card holder..i guess i can't even apply for this program.

If you have been living in the US for more than 5 years you can apply for US citizenship, then apply for the HPSP. That's what I will probably do.

 

[iDentastic]

Could you plese explain why air force is more competitive?
more benefits..?

My friend is graduating from UPENN dental school and he's doing the air force program. He said that the reason why it was more competitive is not only because there are less spots but also because there is a MUCH less chance of being deployed.

EDIT: Oh and as Avery said, you don't get that $20k signing bonus in the Air Force

 

[iDentastic]

I'm trying to apply right now but those 5 letters of recommendation are a pain in the butt (I gotta get them in by January 15th). You can't reuse the exact same ones from your dental school app. I already bugged my professors to give me letter of recommendations for dental school, I don't want to bug them again!

 

[drill-and-fill]

My friend is graduating from UPENN dental school and he's doing the air force program. He said that the reason why it was more competitive is not only because there are less spots but also because there is a MUCH less chance of being deployed.

EDIT: Oh and as Avery said, you don't get that $20k signing bonus in the Air Force

I think AF offers only about ~30 scholarships whereas army and navy offer around 70... I could be wrong but that's what I've heard.

 

[UCSFx2017]

Could you plese explain why air force is more competitive?
more benefits..?

From what I've read, they take care of you better. Probably more family-friendly. You're less likely to be deployed to dangerous places. Most bases are here in the U.S. They have the strictest body condition requirement, unless you can't swim, in which case Navy would be the most difficult.
They're competitive enough that they don't even offer the $20,000 bonus. You won't be deployed on a boat for months like the Navy or be stuck in boring land-locked areas like the Army.

 

[mbuchan7]

I'm trying to apply right now but those 5 letters of recommendation are a pain in the butt (I gotta get them in by January 15th). You can't reuse the exact same ones from your dental school app. I already bugged my professors to give me letter of recommendations for dental school, I don't want to bug them again!

I know for army 5 was only recommended. I ended up having 2 professor letters and two civilian letters, and the recruiter said that was fine. I wouldn't worry about bugging professors again. I was nervous about the same thing, but when I asked them they were very willing to do it. Just give them the guidelines and I think it is relatively similar to the dental letters so they can just change it around and make it work. Again, this was for the army so I don't know if it applies in your situation.

 

[Ivory]

Here's the deal on hpsp scholarship. It is a great program, and I agree you have to have the right personality for it. I've found myself considering it from time to time. I am only a second yr premed student but I also was centimeters from enlisting after high school. The only issue with the program is the likeliness of working in your preferred field. Yes, there is a good chance you can be working a gynecologist job or GI specialist job for several yearS. The DOD has not released those numbers to my knowledge but several recipients suggest it's about a 33% chance of getting what you want. To me, that is quite a gamble for your Life's works. Also, per army, you will likely to a 1 yr residency and then go to Flight Surgeon MOS, which is highly deployable. You can go back to do your preferred specialty afterwards of course.
I don't have too many other options. I used/will use federal grants and loans throughout undergrad and doubt I would be able to pay for medical school using only federal aid. My credit is too bad for private loans so Ive been weighing and reweighing the pros and cons.
--another thing to note is during your summers, you will have to go to various trainings. I.E. BMT, OCS, etc.

 

[ModifiedBass]

Here's the deal on hpsp scholarship. It is a great program, and I agree you have to have the right personality for it. I've found myself considering it from time to time. I am only a second yr premed student but I also was centimeters from enlisting after high school. The only issue with the program is the likeliness of working in your preferred field. Yes, there is a good chance you can be working a gynecologist job or GI specialist job for several yearS. The DOD has not released those numbers to my knowledge but several recipients suggest it's about a 33% chance of getting what you want. To me, that is quite a gamble for your Life's works. Also, per army, you will likely to a 1 yr residency and then go to Flight Surgeon MOS, which is highly deployable. You can go back to do your preferred specialty afterwards of course.
I don't have too many other options. I used/will use federal grants and loans throughout undergrad and doubt I would be able to pay for medical school using only federal aid. My credit is too bad for private loans so Ive been weighing and reweighing the pros and cons.
--another thing to note is during your summers, you will have to go to various trainings. I.E. BMT, OCS, etc.

Firstly, this thread is over a year old. Secondly, this is the pre-dental forum, not pre-med.