Thank you very much everyone for your replies and opinions on this! It definitely makes this a tricky situation, and I am leaning towards wearing my uniform at this point, but I will call schools first to see if they may have any issues with it.
I am fairly sure you would need that suit in the future, so invest in a good one (maybe two). I have never attended a professional society meeting where someone appears in military attire, especially when it's at a networking event among students and residents and resident directors.
Just wait until you have to purchase graduation regalia if you become a faculty member. I would say if the suit is well tailored, you will look awesome and will welcome opportunities to wear it. It is one of the key investments you should make as a new student.
Yeah, I know I will need a suit one day; I was exaggerating and will buy a suit one day, though you can ask my wife, it will be very reluctantly. I will, of course, no longer wear my uniform after I separate from the military.
I did not wear one, nor did I ever see anyone wearing one in school or residency interviews (though I'm sure people did who were in HPSP heading for military match, but that's different). And while I did not interview with a few friends who were also in, they did not wear theirs either.
Seems to not matter much one way or the other TBH, but your resume/application will have your military stuff on there already, and I'm sure it will come up in the interview. You don't need to wear the uniform.
Wearing it will surely have you stand out in that regard, but to each their own on their interpretation of if it's good or bad to stand out in such a way.
I'd suggest just wear a suit and let the application and your interview do the talking in that case. Maybe wear a pin or something if you want something visual without being entirely in uniform.
I did take your advice and went out and bought a Navy pin to stick onto a suit in the event I wear one. I definitely will not wear my uniform once I get out, so I'm not considering it when it comes to residency interviews as I don't plan to take HPSP or apply to USU. It seems to be not a big deal, but it will be something I heavily mull over regardless.
I imagine every school would permit that, however if I was on the admissions committee (I was offered a position and declined) I would view that sort of behavior as someone trying to use their military status as a means to get a leg up. I would not view that as a positive thing. Not everyone will agree with me on that. I imagine you are going into a professional field, suits are usually the appropriate dress code for most formal events.
You bring up a very fair point and one of the reasons I asked this question in the first place. There is some risk vs. reward even when deciding between a suit or a uniform, but I feel it may be a risk I will take unless the school advises against wearing a uniform. I have my reasons, and as dumb as they sound, I feel like an idiot when I wear a suit, and I find a lot of pride in my uniform and wearing it makes me feel more confident, and honestly, that self-confidence boost may be something I need when it comes time for an interview.
So about 15 years ago, a person very active on this board asked me in a PM if I thought he should wear his dress uniform for an interview. Two days later, a guy shows up in a dress uniform for the branch and with the insignia I would have expected. I had no idea that the interview he was asking about was at my school! He ended up wearing the uniform to every interview. He got into UCSD as a non-California resident and into at least 4 T20 schools plus USUHS and G'town -- basically every school that interviewed him. YMMV
I have been to professional meetings where I have seen active duty military attending in uniform. It is the equivalent of a suit and even substitutes for academic regalia in university convocations and graduation ceremonies. Based on my observations over the years, military service is worth 0.5 GPA points. If you've got it, flaunt it.
Your post was the final nail in the coffin when deciding between wearing my uniform or not, and this was a very pleasant surprise to read! I understand my experience may be different, but you practically read my mind with the tangible comparison between military service and 0.5 GPA points. It's been a burning question in my mind continuously about how truly impactful military experience is on applications.
