National Guard?

[creepreek]

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Hey, I applied to med schools and got rejected. I have low gpa and high mcat. I am preparing to reapply and will attend a postbac(smp) program starting next summer. Currently unemployed and I wonder if it would be a really bad idea to join the national guard? I could get done with my training before the start of smp and then just drill at a unit next to my college 1 weekend per month. And of course i'd make some money+bonus meanwhile. And if I do get into med school I can switch my assignment into medical corps.. I'll discuss all of this with recruiter right now.

But the question is would med schools look down on me for enlisting when I should be doing research or volunteering? And would it make a difference if I tell them that I'm doing something medically related(i.e. medic) as opposed to my real job-combat mos? I can get an unpaid research internship right now and get a nice recommendation from that lab instead.
Thanks.

 

[BigD311]

I dont see whyd they look down on you. Besides, if they do, then you you really want to attend a school that looks down on someone serving their country?

Id just be careful that you don't get sent to Afghanistan which would force you to delay your plans significantly.

If you aren't willing to get deployed, then don't join. There is nothing I despise more than people who complain when they get deployed AFTER VOLUNTARILY JOINING UP!!!!

Good luck with whatever you choose to pursue

 

[nick_carraway]

People have done more useless things with their time. It's for one summer and it says nothing but good things about your character; I'd go ahead and pursue it. After all, your GPA was the primary concern (wasn't it?) and you're addressing that directly with the SMP. Nobody can fault you for getting some $ and serving the country in the process.

For further proof, written no more than one hour ago is this from LizzyM:

"Any extracurricular that shows your interests outside of medicine is a good addition to the application."

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=7879560&postcount=1234

 

[atomi]

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[creepreek]

If you're interested in continuing while in med school, make sure your recruiter puts these benefits down on paper:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=550134

That's my goal. But I can only do this after I have gotten into a medical school. I think I can rewrite my contract once I am ready to enroll into med school. I am going enlisted now and I can ask them for comission + switch of units,etc. But I'll talk about this with recruiter tomorrow (could not make it today because of an emergency and rescheduled it).

 

[creepreek]

People have done more useless things with their time. It's for one summer and it says nothing but good things about your character; I'd go ahead and pursue it. After all, your GPA was the primary concern (wasn't it?) and you're addressing that directly with the SMP. Nobody can fault you for getting some $ and serving the country in the process.

For further proof, written no more than one hour ago is this from LizzyM:

"Any extracurricular that shows your interests outside of medicine is a good addition to the application."

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=7879560&postcount=1234

This is not really an EC. It's a full-time job between now and the start of a semester. Med Schools usually want to see that you're interested in a career in medicine. Though of course 3-4months of relevant work isn't much, is it?

 

[JeetKuneDo]

The only problem I'd see with this is if by chance you get deployed. As someone stated earlier, it could delay your app a few years.

 

[NSDQ]

Join if you want to be in the Guard. Do not join just to add ECs to your app, and definitely don't join if you don't accept the very real possibility of being deployed for at least a year. That being said, if you decide that the Guard is for you, you could get some great ECs such as airborne school, air assault, and CLS (combat life saver). Of course, a combat deployment would add a lot to your application as well.

 

[LizzyM]

This is not really an EC. It's a full-time job between now and the start of a semester. Med Schools usually want to see that you're interested in a career in medicine. Though of course 3-4months of relevant work isn't much, is it?

In AMCAS-land, a full-time job is an EC. Actually that section of the applicaiton is not "extra-curricular" but "Experience". Employment, military is one of the categories in the pull-down menu so obviously it is something that is of particular interest. IIRC, military service, yes/no is also a question on the application.

 

[gonj]

How long is the commitment? I was looking into joining the reserves a while ago. I think the commitment there was 5 or 8 years, I don't remember which. Are you ok with possibly getting deployed every other year through med school and residency?

 

[COMBAT MEDIC172]

I agree with the above. DO NOT join unless you are prepared to serve your country against all enemies foreign and domestic. Our country is in a very unstable period in history and no one knows where we will be 5 or 10 years from now. There is only one fact and that is that we are at war and will be at war for years to come. I did a 16 month tour in Iraq with an infantry unit, and the whole time I wished that I was in school. Don’t get me wrong, I do not regret my service. I would go again if that is what was asked of me, however I know what I want to do with my life and a deployment would postpone my dreams either further. If you are going to serve , serve because you want to serve you country, and not just because you want your college paid for and an E.C. that is just stupid. If you want to join to serve your country at all cost then we could use you.