Military Service? Pre-Dental?

[ItsMICHAEL]

I'm currently a Pre-Dental student in my sophomore year. Lately, I've been so inclined to serve and it's always been something I want to do.

Does anyone have any advice towards this?
Has anyone done ROTC or the Reserve Route? What branch?

I'm curious as I've often been advised against participating in any of these programs during undergrad is a bad idea due to a service commitment. Which is something I can foresee being a nuisance.

Any info here would be helpful as I know if I just talked with a recruiter the full truth probably isn't their priority.

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[caffeine jitters]

I'm currently a Pre-Dental student in my sophomore year. Lately, I've been so inclined to serve and it's always been something I want to do.

Does anyone have any advice towards this?
Has anyone done ROTC or the Reserve Route? What branch?

I'm curious as I've often been advised against participating in any of these programs during undergrad is a bad idea due to a service commitment. Which is something I can foresee being a nuisance.

Any info here would be helpful as I know if I just talked with a recruiter the full truth probably isn't their priority.

I suggest looking into HPSP, which is offered by Army, Navy, Air Force

 

[Blackca3]

I'm currently a Pre-Dental student in my sophomore year. Lately, I've been so inclined to serve and it's always been something I want to do.

Does anyone have any advice towards this?
Has anyone done ROTC or the Reserve Route? What branch?

I'm curious as I've often been advised against participating in any of these programs during undergrad is a bad idea due to a service commitment. Which is something I can foresee being a nuisance.

Any info here would be helpful as I know if I just talked with a recruiter the full truth probably isn't their priority.

I joined the Army Reserves in high school. Did about 6 months of training and started school in the spring instead of fall. I had to attend monthly training sessions while in school and do some additional training during the summer. Didn't impact school very much. It is what you make it. Some people love it, some people hate it. I did a few years of ROTC in college and ultimately decided to drop because I didn't enjoy it. But I'm in the process of putting in a packet now for HPSP so it all kinda worked out in the end. I can't really see what incentive a recruiter has to lie to you. Army is drawing down so I would think they have more applicants than they do slots but I'm not a recruiter so I can't say for sure. Feel free to ask further questions.

 

[Badgers2]

I'm an Army ROTC cadet. I'm also currently in the application process for dental school and HPSP. I came on here before my freshman year of college and was told that I was crazy if I did both ROTC and HPSP because it didn't make sense money wise (which is a little true). What I recommend is that you contact someone at the ROTC program at your school and just go hang around. At least with the Army you can do the program for 2 years before you have to sign a contract with them. That way you can figure out if it's something that you really want to do.

Service obligation for me looks like this if everything goes to plan:

• 3 year ROTC scholarship: 4 years of service
• 4 year HPSP scholarship: 4 years of service
• AEGD Residency (required for 4 year scholarship recipients): 1 year of service
• Total: 9 years

I decided to go ahead and try for both scholarships because I knew that the Army was where I wanted to end up whether that be as a dentist or just a regular officer. But, everyone's situation and motivation is different. It's kind of something you have to experience on your own for you to really decided that it's a commitment you want to make. Hope this helps!

 

[caffeine jitters]

I'm an Army ROTC cadet. I'm also currently in the application process for dental school and HPSP. I came on here before my freshman year of college and was told that I was crazy if I did both ROTC and HPSP because it didn't make sense money wise (which is a little true). What I recommend is that you contact someone at the ROTC program at your school and just go hang around. At least with the Army you can do the program for 2 years before you have to sign a contract with them. That way you can figure out if it's something that you really want to do.

Service obligation for me looks like this if everything goes to plan:

• 3 year ROTC scholarship: 4 years of service
• 4 year HPSP scholarship: 4 years of service
• AEGD Residency (required for 4 year scholarship recipients): 1 year of service
• Total: 9 years

I decided to go ahead and try for both scholarships because I knew that the Army was where I wanted to end up whether that be as a dentist or just a regular officer. But, everyone's situation and motivation is different. It's kind of something you have to experience on your own for you to really decided that it's a commitment you want to make. Hope this helps!

You're required to do an AEGD for Army HPSP? Also, you don't get concurrent payback (regarding HPSP and the specialty you choose)?

 

[Incis0r]

HPSP student here.

Just one thing to be careful about - if you do ROTC and decide to do dental school after college, you will have to request an educational deferment from your branch, which may or may not be granted. And if you decide to do the HPSP for dental school on top of ROTC, both scholarships have to be from the same branch of service.

My friend in the Navy did ROTC and wanted to go on to med school. Educational deferment was denied. He's going to serve and then come back and start med school. Anecdote, sure, but still an example of a possible outcome.

If you're cool with potentially having to defer professional school, then ROTC is a good way to go.

Also, on the other side of things, once you're a practicing military dentist, you get multiyear retention bonuses (assuming you qualify based on a residency or other criteria) as part of your compensation once your initial active duty obligation is up. By doing ROTC + HPSP, you've increased your obligation time and therefore will not receive a retention bonus until both undergrad and dental school time is paid back.

 

[Badgers2]

You're required to do an AEGD for Army HPSP? Also, you don't get concurrent payback (regarding HPSP and the specialty you choose)?

I know with a 4 year HPSP scholarship that you have to do a residency. I don't believe you get concurrent payback for specialties. Pretty much if the Army is paying for it, they're going to want you for a year.

 

[Badgers2]

HPSP student here.

Just one thing to be careful about - if you do ROTC and decide to do dental school after college, you will have to request an educational deferment from your branch, which may or may not be granted. And if you decide to do the HPSP for dental school on top of ROTC, both scholarships have to be from the same branch of service.

My friend in the Navy did ROTC and wanted to go on to med school. Educational deferment was denied. He's going to serve and then come back and start med school. Anecdote, sure, but still an example of a possible outcome.

If you're cool with potentially having to defer professional school, then ROTC is a good way to go.

Also, on the other side of things, once you're a practicing military dentist, you get multiyear retention bonuses (assuming you qualify based on a residency or other criteria) as part of your compensation once your initial active duty obligation is up. By doing ROTC + HPSP, you've increased your obligation time and therefore will not receive a retention bonus until both undergrad and dental school time is paid back.

Good point. I forgot to mention this. For the 2017 graduating class, the Army allotted 5 slots for ROTC cadets to receive education delay for dental school, 6 cadets applied and 6 cadets received it. That won't always be the case though so it's definitely something to keep in mind. I'm still patiently waiting to hear back if mine has been approved

 

[caffeine jitters]

I know with a 4 year HPSP scholarship that you have to do a residency. I don't believe you get concurrent payback for specialties. Pretty much if the Army is paying for it, they're going to want you for a year.

As far as I am aware (for the Navy at least), you do get concurrent payback and you are not required to do an AEGD. So for example, If you did a 2 year residency in Endodontics via the Navy, your 2 years of payback would be simultaneous to your 4 year HPSP payback. However, the 4 years of HPSP payback would "freeze" while you were in residency. 2 years residency + 4 years payback = 6 years total time.

 

[Ranger_Danger]

I'm curious as I've often been advised against participating in any of these programs during undergrad is a bad idea due to a service commitment. Which is something I can foresee being a nuisance.

Swearing an oath to defend your country and the service commitment that oath entails should never be considered "a nuisance." However, if that's honestly the way you feel about it (and not just poor word choice), then the military probably isn't for you.