Military HPSP

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GJMeig said:
"Choose" is used lightly here. I think you get to make a list (I don't remember if it's 3, 10, whatever) of where your top choices would be, but that doesn't mean you'll be stationed at any of those locations.
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Choose is definitely not the right word. You give them a list of base locations that you prefer, and they assign you. My list was I think 12 or 15 bases long, and I ended up going to a base that wasn't even on my list. Geography aside, what really makes a base 'good vs bad' are the people. There's great people at my base, and I've been having a pretty good time. That said, they try to do your best to help you, and if you request a base that no one really wants to go to, but you happen to have family nearby or something, your chances are better than going to Cali or somewhere in high demand. Where you go is based on who is changing bases. So if base X has 15 dentists total, 3 of which are allowed to be recent grades, and 2 of those recent grads are going to move (they tend to move officers about every 3-4 years), then that base will open up 2 spots which will get filled. Maybe base X happens to be on no one's list, well, someone is going to go. Also, you will be stationed only in the continental United States for your first assignment.
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Maka said:
Choose is definitely not the right word. You give them a list of base locations that you prefer, and they assign you. My list was I think 12 or 15 bases long, and I ended up going to a base that wasn't even on my list. Geography aside, what really makes a base 'good vs bad' are the people. There's great people at my base, and I've been having a pretty good time. That said, they try to do your best to help you, and if you request a base that no one really wants to go to, but you happen to have family nearby or something, your chances are better than going to Cali or somewhere in high demand. Where you go is based on who is changing bases. So if base X has 15 dentists total, 3 of which are allowed to be recent grades, and 2 of those recent grads are going to move (they tend to move officers about every 3-4 years), then that base will open up 2 spots which will get filled. Maybe base X happens to be on no one's list, well, someone is going to go. Also, you will be stationed only in the continental United States for your first assignment.
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when you are stationed on a base, are you allowed to have friends or family come over to visit?
 
AVB2104 said:
when you are stationed on a base, are you allowed to have friends or family come over to visit?
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Assuming you're not stationed somewhere like Afghanistan, of course. You can live on-base or off-base, and either way your friends/family can visit. You can also travel without taking leave within 8 hours (some bases are a little less) driving. So if your family lived in NYC and you were stationed in DC, you could drive up for the weekend and not take leave.
 
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Maka said:
Assuming you're not stationed somewhere like Afghanistan, of course. You can live on-base or off-base, and either way your friends/family can visit. You can also travel without taking leave within 8 hours (some bases are a little less) driving. So if your family lived in NYC and you were stationed in DC, you could drive up for the weekend and not take leave.
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thank you. Does this apply to all branch of the military?
 
Thanks for the response!! Care to give more info about the physical exam!?
 
infoinquire said:
Thanks for the response!! Care to give more info about the physical exam!?
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Just your average physical along with simple exercises including the infamous duckwalk. But be prepared to explain anything that could possibly be wrong with you. Their examination is very in-depth and you will have to explain any "yes" response on their extensive medical questionnaire and if there is enough of an issue, you will need doctors notes to explain them.
 
so the next board is january 28th? anybody know how many more 4 year scholarships are available with the army?
 
Adlogin said:
so the next board is january 28th? anybody know how many more 4 year scholarships are available with the army?
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For the Army? Maybe. There always seems to be plenty of debate on when the actual board dates seem to be, but it doesn't really matter. Almost all of them left (read plenty). If your application is in now and you have qualifiable stats you will receive one.
 
Adlogin said:
so the next board is january 28th? anybody know how many more 4 year scholarships are available with the army?
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Next board does meet January 28th and a decision will be made by Valentine's Day according to my recruiter. He was unsure on how many scholarships were left though.
 
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Teeths said:
I don't know if this is really how it is, but from what I understand you get to pick your top 3 choices of what bases you would like to be stationed at and they'll most likely place you at one of those.
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false. that list means nothing, tbh.
 
Adlogin said:
so the next board is january 28th? anybody know how many more 4 year scholarships are available with the army?
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Yes, it is on the 28th of this month. My recruiter said there are "plenty" left
 
When do you receive the 20k signing bonus after receiving the scholarship.
 
tbond5 said:
When do you receive the 20k signing bonus after receiving the scholarship.
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Believe it's sometime during the fall after you start school
 
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tbond5 said:
When do you receive the 20k signing bonus after receiving the scholarship.
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You get it once school starts in installments of 8k, 8k, 6k, I believe...
But remember, you're taxed on it so you won't receive the full 20k
 
You receive the bonus in 3 installments (less tax) a few weeks after school starts. 9k, 9k, 2k (- whatever your state tax is)
 
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So I might totally seem like a noob here but... I recently started considering my options on paying for dental school and have been interested in HPSP. But, is it way too late? I've contacted recruiting offices about my interest in the dental corps via HPSP. Not sure if I have any shot though.
 
spodonnell said:
So I might totally seem like a noob here but... I recently started considering my options on paying for dental school and have been interested in HPSP. But, is it way too late? I've contacted recruiting offices about my interest in the dental corps via HPSP. Not sure if I have any shot though.
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If you haven't started you're definitely late by now. You could apply but by the time your application gets up to the boards your chances won't be as high as it is right now. It'll take you at least 1.5 months to complete the application
 
Jaesango said:
If you haven't started you're definitely late by now. You could apply but by the time your application gets up to the boards your chances won't be as high as it is right now. It'll take you at least 1.5 months to complete the application
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AF board doesn't meet until march 12th, could probably make it in time, but, it's the most competitive
 
what are your chances of getting the scholarship if you board in march for army? ( I have decent stats 3.9, 19aa)
 
What's the time table like for you to accept or decline if you get a scholarship? The reason I ask is that my #1 school is UoP and my recruiter told me that the 4 year Army scholarship can't be altered to fit with UoP. I know the 4 year Navy scholarship does work for UoP, but I missed the Jan. board so I won't find out if I got one for awhile.
 
Stereum said:
What's the time table like for you to accept or decline if you get a scholarship? The reason I ask is that my #1 school is UoP and my recruiter told me that the 4 year Army scholarship can't be altered to fit with UoP. I know the 4 year Navy scholarship does work for UoP, but I missed the Jan. board so I won't find out if I got one for awhile.
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Originally I had two weeks to decide if I wanted to accept, now they've told me they need to submit my paperwork ASAP.
 
I know its a little late to be considering this, but I would be okay applying for the 3 year scholarship even, if they were still available. Does anyone have any light to shed on my specific situation?
I'm married, my husband is employed at a great software company and makes 80-90k currently, benefits and bonuses, we live comfortably on his salary alone.

My family doesn't want me to take this scholarship, and have said to one extent or another that I can handle the debt and they would help me with living expenses during so that I wouldn't have to take out any loans other than tuition and fees. I currently have a 5k scholarship/year (adding to 20k total) to contribute to my education which would total it to be about 260k without living expenses.

As I spend most of my days looking at scholarships, and trying to write essays for some that I might qualify for, every moment of everyday this thread just looks more appetizing.

I have always considered it, and I would enjoy a structured environment, rank/hierarchy and the disciplined environment and can picture myself being fine having to travel to do work through my experience with medical missions (though drastically different, with the some similarities of possible bad to terrible living conditions and treating tons of patients)

This is a very personal post and is a little hard to write since its a little TMI but we want to start having kids soon, does anyone know anybody who: 1. was a woman 2. hat has done the HPSP 3. made a career out of it, and 4. had kids throughout dental school and during their commitment to serve?

Are civilians allowed to visit you when you're on active duty? On a base? What is the maximum amount of time that one would be deployed for? Does it differ between Army or Navy?
 
Anybody else waiting to hear from the Army 28th of January board?
 
dieanotherday said:
I know its a little late to be considering this, but I would be okay applying for the 3 year scholarship even, if they were still available. Does anyone have any light to shed on my specific situation?
I'm married, my husband is employed at a great software company and makes 80-90k currently, benefits and bonuses, we live comfortably on his salary alone.

My family doesn't want me to take this scholarship, and have said to one extent or another that I can handle the debt and they would help me with living expenses during so that I wouldn't have to take out any loans other than tuition and fees. I currently have a 5k scholarship/year (adding to 20k total) to contribute to my education which would total it to be about 260k without living expenses.

As I spend most of my days looking at scholarships, and trying to write essays for some that I might qualify for, every moment of everyday this thread just looks more appetizing.

I have always considered it, and I would enjoy a structured environment, rank/hierarchy and the disciplined environment and can picture myself being fine having to travel to do work through my experience with medical missions (though drastically different, with the some similarities of possible bad to terrible living conditions and treating tons of patients)

This is a very personal post and is a little hard to write since its a little TMI but we want to start having kids soon, does anyone know anybody who: 1. was a woman 2. hat has done the HPSP 3. made a career out of it, and 4. had kids throughout dental school and during their commitment to serve?

Are civilians allowed to visit you when you're on active duty? On a base? What is the maximum amount of time that one would be deployed for? Does it differ between Army or Navy?
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I can't answer all your questions, but maybe a few. First, just my opinion. If I were in your position, I wouldn't do it. With your husband making 80-90k/year, and you'll likely be making 80-100k/year starting out, the debt could be paid off quickly if you stay disciplined. The military will be especially hard on you if you want kids. Dental school is 4 years already, then you'd have 4 more years to pay back to the military where you would be moving every year. In dental school, you're probably going to be far from your husband if he's situated somewhere with a job. If not, that's great. But after that, you will almost certainly be moved from him as the military will put you wherever you're needed. By this point in time, you'll have 2-4 year old kids (it is possible to have kids in dental school, but I'd imagine it is stressful) - and then you have to leave home, not being able to see them very often for the next 4 years. So then, they'll be 6-8 years old by the time you're done. I have a feeling you'd not want to miss out on their childhood.

Also, gender doesn't matter for this scholarship. As far as I know, civilians are allowed to visit so long as you're not deployed. I think in the Army and Navy you can be deployed not at all, once, or twice, and the deployments are 6 or 12 months (someone correct me if I'm wrong). I don't know how the deployment times differ for Army VS Navy, only that you can be deployed by either branch.
 
Adlogin said:
Anybody else waiting to hear from the Army 28th of January board?
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Yep. Recruiter told me we'll know by the end of this week or beginning of next.
Jaesango said:
I am so scared...
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Relax, there's lots of em available, remember? Idk your stats but I doubt you have much to worry about.

What I'm worried about are second thoughts about accepting it tbh. I see positives to the deal, but 8 more years (d-school + Army) is a more than a 3rd of the total time I've been alive. But hey, my 4 years in undergrad seem like they just started yesterday. I guess part of the key is to be patient and just take it one semester at a time for DS and then have the right attitude in the military? I bet the most important thing for our sanity will be the relationships we form/have while we're going through it. Ah well, I think it's only reasonable for me and anyone else to be concerned about such a huge decision.
 
NMC2010 said:
I can't answer all your questions, but maybe a few. First, just my opinion. If I were in your position, I wouldn't do it. With your husband making 80-90k/year, and you'll likely be making 80-100k/year starting out, the debt could be paid off quickly if you stay disciplined. The military will be especially hard on you if you want kids. Dental school is 4 years already, then you'd have 4 more years to pay back to the military where you would be moving every year. In dental school, you're probably going to be far from your husband if he's situated somewhere with a job. If not, that's great. But after that, you will almost certainly be moved from him as the military will put you wherever you're needed. By this point in time, you'll have 2-4 year old kids (it is possible to have kids in dental school, but I'd imagine it is stressful) - and then you have to leave home, not being able to see them very often for the next 4 years. So then, they'll be 6-8 years old by the time you're done. I have a feeling you'd not want to miss out on their childhood.

Also, gender doesn't matter for this scholarship. As far as I know, civilians are allowed to visit so long as you're not deployed. I think in the Army and Navy you can be deployed not at all, once, or twice, and the deployments are 6 or 12 months (someone correct me if I'm wrong). I don't know how the deployment times differ for Army VS Navy, only that you can be deployed by either branch.
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Thanks for the thorough reply. It's a lot to think about before I was married I had always wanted to do the military route but life changes all the time sigh
 
NMC2010 said:
What I'm worried about are second thoughts about accepting it tbh. I see positives to the deal, but 8 more years (d-school + Army) is a more than a 3rd of the total time I've been alive. But hey, my 4 years in undergrad seem like they just started yesterday. I guess part of the key is to be patient and just take it one semester at a time for DS and then have the right attitude in the military? I bet the most important thing for our sanity will be the relationships we form/have while we're going through it. Ah well, I think it's only reasonable for me and anyone else to be concerned about such a huge decision.
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These thoughts have been creeping into my mind lately too. Unlike other people here, I'm a non-trad. I'll be around 40 by the time my contract is up. Not having debt would obviously be great, but being in your late 30s and being a junior officer in the military... I'm just not sure anymore. The thing is, I have a pretty strong family history of military service so everyone thinks it's great that I applied.
 
think it over heavy and really consider the pros and cons. the lack of civilian freedoms you don't think twice about, moving around, and possible deployments are absolutely no joke.
 
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Stereum said:
These thoughts have been creeping into my mind lately too. Unlike other people here, I'm a non-trad. I'll be around 40 by the time my contract is up. Not having debt would obviously be great, but being in your late 30s and being a junior officer in the military... I'm just not sure anymore. The thing is, I have a pretty strong family history of military service so everyone thinks it's great that I applied.
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I see where you're coming from, as I'll be 30 when I finish up and even that worries me. Not because I think that's old or anything, but because I hope to get married some time along my dental school journey, and it's always been a dream of mine to have a family. Seems like it would be stressful on both me and my wife (whoever that may be) to have to deal with for 4 years, especially since I want kids.

My family is the same way as yours. My grandfather and uncle were both in the Army, and my dad always wanted to go, but couldn't for medical reasons. So naturally, I've been heavily encouraged to go this route (also b/c my parents know what it's like trying to get out of debt). I'm not sure if it's what I want or what they want. If I didn't have any family, would be a no brainer - but I hope I have a wife by then.

Can someone clear this up for me? If I'm married, can my wife come with me wherever I go, so long as I'm not deployed? I don't see why she would need a steady job (preventing her from coming with me) if I'm making enough money to support both of us in the military.

ramborhino said:
think it over heavy and really consider the pros and cons. I'm prior military...the lack of civilian freedoms you don't think twice about, moving around, and possible deployments are absolutely no joke.
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Was it worth it in the end?
 
i am also anxiously waiting from the january board. anybody heard back yet?
 
NMC2010 said:
Can someone clear this up for me? If I'm married, can my wife come with me wherever I go, so long as I'm not deployed? I don't see why she would need a steady job (preventing her from coming with me) if I'm making enough money to support both of us in the military.
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From what I know, it shouldn't be a problem. It seems like there's a greater chance for deployments through the army than there is for navy and much less for the air force?

Keep in mind, however, that distance in a relationship can work to a couple's advantage when you miss someone for awhile.
 
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tbond5 said:
my bad I was referring to navy not army
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Hey Tbond5 I went through MEPS and unfortunately didn't pass my weight requirement so they are making me wait 6 weeks to loose the weight. But being that I have to wait the 6 weeks I'm worried there will no longer be anymore spots. Do you by any-chance know when the next board meeting will be, and how many spots they offered after the jan board meeting.
 
duvaldentist said:
Hey Tbond5 I went through MEPS and unfortunately didn't pass my weight requirement so they are making me wait 6 weeks to loose the weight. But being that I have to wait the 6 weeks I'm worried there will no longer be anymore spots. Do you by any-chance know when the next board meeting will be, and how many spots they offered after the jan board meeting.
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from what I hear it's pretty slim pickings after the fist boards. I heard the next board is the 26th? And from what I hear there are 28 applications for the next board and only 23 spots for the navy at least.
 
Is it too late to apply for the 4 year army hpsp?
 
tbond5 said:
from what I hear it's pretty slim pickings after the fist boards. I heard the next board is the 26th? And from what I hear there are 28 applications for the next board and only 23 spots for the navy at least.
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:'(
 
RUlaxin said:
Is it too late to apply for the 4 year army hpsp?
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I think if you havn't already gone through MEPS, got LOR's secured, done background paperwork, etc. for one of the other services it is most likely too late but never hurts to ask.
 
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Found out today. On the OML. Anyone that applied for the Jan 28th get chosen? I'm super sad...
 
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