I would decline the NHSC scholarship unless you absolutely need the stipend to survive. There are plenty of loan repayment programs out there after you graduate from residency, especially if you are going FP. With the current downward trend in primary care, there will once again be a shortage in the near future. Why commit yourself if you don't have to? I know plenty of my classmates that were absolutely sure about a particular specialty, and later changed during the clinical years. I finished a rotation with an FP doc in Redding, California who works for Indian health. He gets paid $140,000 plus $25,000 per year towards his student loans. This particular doc did not have to sign his life away to get into this program. There is another doctor in the area that opened up a solo private practice and also received federal repayment because the entire tri-county area is considered a federally designated underserved area. There are plenty of other areas of the country that are similar. Don't believe me, check it out for yourself. I am really glad that I turned down the scholarship.