Joining the airforce before med school? Citizenship purposes?

[Oncie]

I posted this in pre-allo, thought this would be a better place to ask it.

Hey guys, I'm going to be graduating in the Spring of 2017. I'm a Biology major, computer science minor with a GPA of 3.29, hopefully by graduation I can raise it up to ~3.35.

Should I join the airforce for a few years? How long do you have to serve if you want to go to graduate school? Is it worth it?

I want to join right now honestly and maybe do basic training/study airforce stuff over senior year. I can learn so much I think especially with my computer science background. I've heard of some people continuing army service even through medical school. How do med schools view army service?

Biggest reason I want to join is that I'm a permanent resident. Joining the military is one of the more faster ways to get a US citizenship. My immigration lawyer told me it's better to do this than wait for my papers to process through the government which could take anywhere from 3-7 years.

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[deuist]

Should I join the airforce for a few years? ... Is it worth it?

That is something for you to decide.

How long do you have to serve if you want to go to graduate school?

There is no minimum amount of time you have to be in the military to go to graduate school. If you enlist, you will sign a commitment for anywhere from 3 to 6 years to serve in the military. Once your commitment is over, you can then pursue graduate training. Or you can go to medical school immediately after graduating college and skip the military altogether.

I want to join right now honestly and maybe do basic training/study airforce stuff over senior year.

That sounds like a terrible idea. You should focus your time during college on doing well in your classes, not doing "Air Force stuff." You already noted that you need to get your GPA up, why would you make things harder by taking on additional responsibilities?

I've heard of some people continuing army service even through medical school.

I have heard that too, but I would not recommend that, either. Again, your focus during medical school should be about doing well during your classes.

How do med schools view army service?

Overall, civilian schools and employers tend to look favorably upon military service. For some reason, they believe you get some kind of "leadership experience" by being in the military.

Biggest reason I want to join is that I'm a permanent resident. Joining the military is one of the more faster ways to get a US citizenship. My immigration lawyer told me it's better to do this than wait for my papers to process through the government which could take anywhere from 3-7 years.

Now you have finally gotten to the real reason you want to join. Although the military does seem to be a fast-track to getting citizenship, you are still looking at serving out a 3 to 6 year commitment which negates the whole processing time you just mentioned.