Need some clarification on HPSP

[dscmn]

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I know I am asking for a noob question but for some reason I was having hard time trying to clarify these two following things

1. I heard HPSP application start before one applies for med school and completes once they get admitted. Does applying to HPSP helps one's chance of getting into medical schools?

2. I am having this slight thought of joining the army due to personal reasons. Joining the army means I need to stay there for 4 years. If I somehow get accepted to medical school during that four years with a successful HPSP application, would I be able to "transition" into the medical military program?

 

[SirGecko]

HPSP application is totally separate from your med school applications. I would expect it to have zero bearing on your medical school applications.

If you join as a non medical army officer and try to transition to the medical corps you have to ask the Army if that is OK and they do not have to say yes.

 

[DOswag]

I know I am asking for a noob question but for some reason I was having hard time trying to clarify these two following things

1. I heard HPSP application start before one applies for med school and completes once they get admitted. Does applying to HPSP helps one's chance of getting into medical schools?

2. I am having this slight thought of joining the army due to personal reasons. Joining the army means I need to stay there for 4 years. If I somehow get accepted to medical school during that four years with a successful HPSP application, would I be able to "transition" into the medical military program?

Think very long and hard before you sign up for HPSP. Plenty of threads in this forum preaching warnings to young pre meds considering this as an option.

 

[armytrainingsir]

Stop thinking about joining the army outside of the medical corps and you might even need to stop thinking about that too.

 

[dscmn]

Stop thinking about joining the army outside of the medical corps and you might even need to stop thinking about that too.

Elaborate the reason please?

 

[Goro]

I know I am asking for a noob question but for some reason I was having hard time trying to clarify these two following things

1. I heard HPSP application start before one applies for med school and completes once they get admitted. Does applying to HPSP helps one's chance of getting into medical schools?

Nope

The wise armytrainingsir means stop thinking about both options.

 

[comp1]

So the poster above is saying that joining the army is a bad idea in general. Given that we know almost nothing about the OP, I'm not 100% sure that we can say that, but it probably is true for the OP. It's definitely a bad idea for a great many people. It's an okay idea for a smaller set of people with very limited other options. It's a good idea for an even smaller set...not entirely sure who they are. That said, we can say some things pretty definitively for all, do NOT join the military with a vague plan to later enter medical school. You are extraordinarily unlikely to enter medical school with this plan both because it is hard to get into medical school and because as another poster said, the military would have to specifically allow it. You do NOT need additional challenges in terms of getting in to medical school. I would also not recommend just deferring medical school for some sort of time in the military. Medical school application committees will not be able to appreciate your military experience to the extent they likely should (as they might for another job) and entering late is entering as a non-traditional graduate. You also don't need THAT extra challenge if you can avoid it. Concur the answer to both your questions is basically "no." And also, if your interest in anything is "slight," find something else. Finally, lots of people are preying on the OP's fear of debt right now. It's good to be afraid of debt in general, but there are MANY ways to avoid medical school debt outside the military. Research them.

 

[j4pac]

I would definitely sort out whether you want to go to medical school. If you want to go to medical school, that should be your priority and I wouldn't consider going into the military beforehand. I'm third generation military. I have countless family members and friends who went the military route and didn't regret their decision. I am among that group, as well as both of my grandpas, my dad, and both of my siblings. The military is a good decision for SOME people. But it is not a good decision for someone contemplating going into medical school. It introducing a variable that is difficult to account for, and offers you very little flexibility.

If you get accepted into medical school, then I would consider HPSP. That's not to say that you should do it, but again, HPSP can be an option for SOME people. We can help you decide whether you are that type of person. But I wouldn't even cross that bridge at this point. You need to get accepted into medical school first.

Do NOT sign up to go into the military at this time. That's really the take home. Now, if you decide AGAINST medical school, then it may become an option, but I'd only consider as an officer. If you don't get into medical school you get to decide whether you want to become more competitive and re-apply. It is not likely that your military service will help you significant when it comes to med school applications. But if you cannot get in to medical school and you want to serve, going in as an officer and at some point re-applying to med school may be an option. But again, the military is absolutely NOT for everyone, and there is no guarantee that military service will make you more competitive for med school. It may make you more competitive for CIVILIAN RESIDENCY if you have done a military tour, but not for med school.

 

[armytrainingsir]

If you want to be a physician, don’t take your eye off the prize. Joining the mil to fix some problem or scratch some itch doesn’t sit well with me. It limits your options for at least four years.

Mil med is in a huge transition time right now and no way to predict how it will go. I would be leery of encouraging someone to hitch on to that wagon for the next 11-15 years. Especially since very few are optimistic.

And it pains me to say the above because I had a great career on AD and in the reserves. Heck, I still miss the army at times. But I am hopefully cognizant enough to realize that I was the exception and not the norm.

 

[DOswag]

If you want to be a physician, don’t take your eye off the prize. Joining the mil to fix some problem or scratch some itch doesn’t sit well with me. It limits your options for at least four years.

Mil med is in a huge transition time right now and no way to predict how it will go. I would be leery of encouraging someone to hitch on to that wagon for the next 11-15 years. Especially since very few are optimistic.

And it pains me to say the above because I had a great career on AD and in the reserves. Heck, I still miss the army at times. But I am hopefully cognizant enough to realize that I was the exception and not the norm.

Happy for you that you enjoyed your career. I was ready to separate as quick as possible after my payback. I wouldn’t necessarily say I regret going military as I worked with some great people and was stationed in a cool place I otherwise would’ve never lived. But there were for sure a lot of unnecessary stressors that came along with it and looking back, that’s the hardest part to convey to young premeds considering the military option. Pretty sure all of my military co residents I graduated with were/are ready to separate at the first chance they can as well.