NHSC APPLICATION 2014/2015

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JAWSSS

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Hello everyone!

Congrats to all of you receiving interviews and acceptances! I was talking with a couple interviewees at UCLA the other day and they asked about the NHSC scholarship that I received and I think it would be good to start the NHSC thread on here for the next application cycle.

The application cycle opens on MARCH 18th!

It is in your best interest to start and complete the application as early as possible. It is not the easiest application to get through.

Here is where you apply:

http://nhsc.hrsa.gov/scholarships/index.html

Here is more information from last year's threads (things to look for, credit checks, etc.)

Medical:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/nhsc-scholarship-2013.993812/

Dental:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/nhsc-application-process.992915/


I am heading into finals week at UCLA, so I might not be the quickest with responses to any messages. But, feel free to ask questions!

To avoid some of the most common questions I get bombarding my inbox... Here are some of my thoughts about the scholarship:

1.) I think the NHSC scholarship is the best option out there for paying off dental school if you do not plan on specializing right out of dental school. (You can, however, go for an AEGD, GPR, or Peds. It changes every year).

2.) I LOVE the scholarship and it makes me happy that I can go through dental school without worrying about money. The monthly stipend pays for my apartment, food, travels, and even my Disneyland pass.

3.) It is NOT difficult to get through dental school on this scholarship. It is a pretty clear and straight forward process. The NHSC does expect you to be organized and get everything done in an orderly fashion, so, there will be days that you are running papers to the admissions office/registrar/financial aid office. Not too much though.

4.) You do have to work for four years (or less depending on how long you request the scholarship for) in an underserved area. Yes, this can include places in the middle of L.A. or N.Y. You will not always be in a farm town in Wisconsin or Alaska. If you get a head start, you will get to serve in a place you really like.

5.) Last year they offered 22 dental scholarships. (~500 applied, I think? 600? Not sure).

Best of LUCK!
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Thanks man. Appreciate it.
 
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So...if you want to specialize is the NHSC not a great option? not sure if i want to specialize but i was thinking about it...
 
Do you have to already be admitted to Dental School to apply? I'm applying in the upcoming cycle this June.
 
Thanks jawsss. I followed the thread last year when you got the scholarship and have to give you a big congrats!

I have two concerns about applying for the NHSC scholarship...

1) I'm not sure I meet the requirement of community service hours for under served communities. I have a fair amount of volunteer hours, but none with the under served.
2) I also feel bad asking my mentors to write yet another letter of recommendation. This will be the fourth letter they would be writing for me... And the grading system in place for the letters would make this the most difficult to write.
 
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This is for people that are applying next cycle right? Not the ones starting school this august.
 
This will be the fourth letter they would be writing for me... And the grading system in place for the letters would make this the most difficult to write.
QwqhZC
 
@Jaesango I believe it's for people starting this August. I plan on applying right now. @fungames I believe that if you want to Peds, you can still get the NHSC if I remember correctly. However, if you want to do something else outside of peds or general dentistry, then it might be a bad idea I guess. @JAWSSS can correct me if I'm wrong
 
gn4 said:
@Jaesango I believe it's for people starting this August. I plan on applying right now. @fungames I believe that if you want to Peds, you can still get the NHSC if I remember correctly. However, if you want to do something else outside of peds or general dentistry, then it might be a bad idea I guess. @JAWSSS can correct me if I'm wrong
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I'm wondering this too. The commitment is to work right after graduation. Does this shut the door to specializing? Do you become a "nontrad applicant"? And we have to get 2 more LoRs?
 
Thoughts on applying for both this and HPSP? (I know I am late on this)
 
syap said:
Thoughts on applying for both this and HPSP? (I know I am late on this)
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You're too late for the 4-year HPSP. But the NHSC app opens on the 18th.
 
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Hello again!

Let me answer some of the questions that were raised on here:

In terms of specializing, you can always specialize AFTER your service for the NHSC. Honestly, you would probably have a much easier time considering your four years of experience working really obscure cases. However, if it is your dream to go OMFS, or Perio, or Endo, or Ortho straight out of dental school... Then, I would not suggest the scholarship at all. It is too much work to apply and receive the scholarship to simply turn it down (but a few people turn it down every year).

Yes, you must already be admitted to apply for this scholarship. So, the application opening in two days if for people with acceptance letter in hand. And, to clarify, you cannot apply without an acceptance letter (no waitlisters or hopefuls). They require that you send a PDF of your letter with your application. On this same note, you cannot apply for the application and let them know later that you decided to switch schools last-minute. So, you'll have to VERY sure that you are attending the college that you indicate.

Yes, you will have to awkwardly ask for more letters... But, honestly, If you explain that you are thankful for their first letter and that you have been accepted and are trying to receive a full-ride scholarship for your (most likely expensive) dental school, they might be a little more willing. You can also suggest that you just write it for them. I wrote both of mine and fit it a little more closely to the NHSCs mission statement than my busy professor and dentist could do. (Some people think that writing your own letters is wrong, I disagree. If the professor reads it, signs it, and mails it, it is like they wrote it. Also, the president of the United States doesn't write anything that he says in public but speaks as if it is his own writing. etc etc... I just had someone argue with me about this, so i have some strong opinions about it, lol!)

Community service is obviously a huge thing... So, if it is more on the lacking side, it will be hard to swing votes your way for the scholarship. I would just talk up ANYTHING you have done in under served communities and then REALLY FOCUS on your future plans of working in under served communities later in your life. Don't lie however.

As for the application itself.

You have to get your future dental school to fill out multiple forms, you have to get LORs, and you will need to upload all of these (and way more) as PDFs on the application. It takes A LOT of work to get everything done. Don't wait to get it done. Also, if you have not made your CV, you need to start now. They let you have up to five pages and I suggest that you have five pages of CV. If you cannot write five pages about your academic and professional life up to this point, then you might want to rethink the scholarship.

One of the best things about the scholarship is that I still worry about money. To qualify that: I see some peers taking out hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans to pay or dental school and they start to forget where they are getting their money and just live as normal. Having the scholarship has kept me financially wise.

Any more questions?

APP OPENS IN 2 DAYS!
 
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Thanks for all the info. Is the app and awards on a rolling basis like dental school where the sooner you get it in the better? Or does it not matter as long as it's completed by the deadline?
 
Big thanks to JAWSSS!

Another question - I don't see any page or character limit on the essays, are you all sticking to ~1 page single spaced? (around the 4500 character limit of the AADSAS PS)
 
I am seriously considering doing this scholarship, is there preference given to people if they live in an underserved community?
 
Here are the answers to these recent questions:

I don't know how they do it exactly; however, I would imagine that they don't start looking at applications until the cycle has closed and all completed apps have been turned in. I would suggest that you complete the app ASAP though. It is not the kind of app you want to be doing a few day before. give yourself lots of time.

There was a character limit for our application cycle. I think it ended up being quite a bit less than a page. You will be making these PDFs, so, they won't easily see your word count. I went a little beyond the word count (but not more than 100 words). I also had some longer answers for some essays and "made up for going over the word limit" with shorter answers for other essays.

They give preference to students already attending dental school that qualify for some sort of scholarship? or a fee they get waived? In all of the threads for the NHSC I have never seen anybody say they qualified for this. So, don't worry about it. Secondly, they do give preference to students from an under served area of for students with previous financial difficulties (like... You don't have enough of it). So, there are three tiers of preference:

A: People that qualify for the fee waiver thingy
B: Under served students
C: Everyone else

I would just submit the "under served form" to your school that you are allowed to print off of the application and have them fill it out and return it to you. If they circle "yes, this student is considered 'under served'" then submit it with your application. If they circle "No" then... don't bother sending it. It can't hurt. I sent the form to UCLA not really knowing if I was "under served" and I just told them about my childhood and my loans and my families education... and they circled "yes" for me and signed it. What they consider "under served" is pretty all-encompassing, so, make sure to attach this form to your app.

ALSO! If you have ever defaulted on a loan, don't bother with this scholarship.

Happy studying!
 
JAWSSS said:
Here are the answers to these recent questions:

I don't know how they do it exactly; however, I would imagine that they don't start looking at applications until the cycle has closed and all completed apps have been turned in. I would suggest that you complete the app ASAP though. It is not the kind of app you want to be doing a few day before. give yourself lots of time.

There was a character limit for our application cycle. I think it ended up being quite a bit less than a page. You will be making these PDFs, so, they won't easily see your word count. I went a little beyond the word count (but not more than 100 words). I also had some longer answers for some essays and "made up for going over the word limit" with shorter answers for other essays.

They give preference to students already attending dental school that qualify for some sort of scholarship? or a fee they get waived? In all of the threads for the NHSC I have never seen anybody say they qualified for this. So, don't worry about it. Secondly, they do give preference to students from an under served area of for students with previous financial difficulties (like... You don't have enough of it). So, there are three tiers of preference:

A: People that qualify for the fee waiver thingy
B: Under served students
C: Everyone else

I would just submit the "under served form" to your school that you are allowed to print off of the application and have them fill it out and return it to you. If they circle "yes, this student is considered 'under served'" then submit it with your application. If they circle "No" then... don't bother sending it. It can't hurt. I sent the form to UCLA not really knowing if I was "under served" and I just told them about my childhood and my loans and my families education... and they circled "yes" for me and signed it. What they consider "under served" is pretty all-encompassing, so, make sure to attach this form to your app.

ALSO! If you have ever defaulted on a loan, don't bother with this scholarship.

Happy studying!
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Am I wasting my time if I'm not under served?
 
Thanks for the info and for answering the questions!
Looking forward to applying starting tomorrow!
 
syap said:
Ya but what if I want the 3 year HPSP
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I think you're going to have to wait for the HPSP(s) to open back up come October. In other words, there will be an October board and I believe you can start applying a few months before.
 
I just finished reading last years thread! I feel anxious already! In addition, the posts were hilarious!
 
Gaucho4Life said:
Am I wasting my time if I'm not under served?
Click to expand...

I don't think you are wasting your time, but... I would send that form in, because even though you don't think you are under served, your school might feel like there is SOMETHING that they can identify for you that makes you "under served".

I remember that one of the categories for under served was that you supported yourself financially for more than five years with no parent contribution? I dunno. Feel it out when the application opens up and you can look up the form.

But, if you are in the "third tier" for preference, I wouldn't worry about it. In past threads I have read about plenty of people being accepted in that tier.
 
JAWSSS said:
I don't think you are wasting your time, but... I would send that form in, because even though you don't think you are under served, your school might feel like there is SOMETHING that they can identify for you that makes you "under served".

I remember that one of the categories for under served was that you supported yourself financially for more than five years with no parent contribution? I dunno. Feel it out when the application opens up and you can look up the form.

But, if you are in the "third tier" for preference, I wouldn't worry about it. In past threads I have read about plenty of people being accepted in that tier.
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Okay. Maybe I do. I always qualified for fin aid for college. Perhaps I can find something on there but we'll see. Thanks for your advice! I also have some hours providing dental care to the underserved and I plan on doing so through the same organization as a professional, hopefully that helps too.
 
Hello again!

I would like to answer two questions that were asked (one in my inbox and one on another thread). I am trying to keep all of the questions on this thread so it is of some use to people.

A question posted in another thread was "Should I even bother applying for the NHSc scholarship?" and it was explained that this person is white, not receiving a exceptional financial need scholarship, and not being from an under served background.

There is no reason to not apply for the scholarship. If you don't apply, you won't receive it. So, apply. If you are parents receive a low income, you will most likely get marked as "under served" on the application form that your school fills out. So, You have a good shot. But, be aware that they sift through stuff pretty fast, so, if you do not have a history of living in or working for under served areas and do not have a desire to continue to work there, I wouldn't expect too much love from HRSA.

I know it was mentioned that there are more scholarships that are coming out this year, but I don't think that is the case from what I have heard. Here is what I know: HRSA/NHSC never makes an official announcement about how many scholarships will be available because they do not know what the funding will be until a few weeks before they select the finalists. Also, during the webinar they asked all recipients to attend, they said that funding for future scholarships diminishes each year.

A question in my inbox asked, "What exactly do they look for on your credit check?" From what I understand, they are looking to see if you have defaulted on a loan and are currently in good standing (i.e. no debt collectors after you).
 
JAWSSS said:
yer school might feel like there is SOMETHin' that they can identify for you that makes you "under served".
me remember that one of the categories for under served was that you supported yourself financially for more than five years wit no parent contribution? me dunno. Feel it out when the application opens up and you can look up the form.
.
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Agree with Jawsss, underserved is loosely defined. I remember that being from a high school where the average ACT (SAT) is lower than the state average was something that they could use to qualify you as underserved. Basically I suggest doing the research on it 'yourself.' Figure out what underserved is, find proof you are, then take the papers and the proof to the Fin Aid office. It is easy for people to tell you "no" if you don't know what is going on.

PS People who are serious about this will already know everything that was discussed in the application guide https://nhsc.hrsa.gov/downloads/spapplicationguide.pdf

Peace
 
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Wow...this A. Fool thing is getting crazy
 
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Hey, so I received the scholarship last year as well and I just found this thread so I thought I would add my two-cents.

First, this is a rubric of sorts that I found about how they rate applications. I am not sure how accurate this is, but it seems legit and it makes a lot of sense so I don't doubt the info in it:
http://www.grantreviewinfo.net/hrsa/Info.asp?Program=334

Second, they still give you some good options after dental school. Right now, 4 programs are approved to defer your service repayment. GPR, AEGD, Peds and Public health (I only mention this because public health was not mentioned in the above comments... I know it isn't the most popular of programs, but it IS still an option).

Next, I disagree with writing your own letters. It is dishonest and, unfortunately, honesty isn't a requirement for much nowadays... (and bringing up the president doesn't do much for the argument other than speak to his character). But that is all I am going to say so I don't get JAWSSS all riled up. However, if they know you well enough to write you a good letter the first time, then I am sure they wouldn't mind doing it again. Also, help them to tailor the letter more closely to the NHSC. Give them your essays. Give them the NHSC mission statement. Meet with them personally to tell them how much it would mean to you. That is what I did and it worked beautifully.

Also, I disagree that you need a full 5-page CV to have a strong application. I had barely over 2 pages and I was fine. I think it has more to do with the quality of things that you list instead of the quantity. Plus, 5 pages is long... and long is boring.

The essays DO have a character limit. This is what the program guide says, "Each response should be limited to 2,500 characters or less (about a half of a page)." It might not be too important to some people who review your application, so you might be able to get away with going over. At the same time, I know a lot of application reviewers for other programs throw out applications for simply not following directions, including word counts on essays. They don't specify whether or not it includes spaces, so they might be a little more loose with that, but they are reading hundreds of these so not going over can definitely play to your advantage.

One last thing. To ease everybody's minds about the demographics. I am a white male and my dad is a dentist. I have almost never qualified for any type of financial assistance (I say almost because I got married my last year in undergrad and was able to get the Pell Grant) and my high school was one of the top in the state, etc. etc. etc. ... and I STILL got the scholarship. If you play everything right, emphasize the right points in your essays and CV, and get good letters, then you will be fine and probably have a fair chance at getting the award. I really don't think that they are necessarily looking for those who are disadvantaged or underserved themselves, but rather, are looking for those who are willing, able, and motivated to serve those communities. The challenge is proving that you fall into that category, but the easiest way to do that is past experience.

I hope this helps and I hope I didn't offend JAWSSS by disagreeing with some of his points. Obviously his opinion is valid since he received the awards as well, but I just wanted to give a different outlook to some of the points being brought up.
 
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I have a question. What did you submit for the current tuition and fees schedule part of the application?
 
Does anyone know where to upload the Disadvantaged Status form? There isn't a place on the supporting documents step to do so. Thanks!
 
DentalElle said:
I have a question. What did you submit for the current tuition and fees schedule part of the application?
Click to expand...

I found the information on the school website and I took a screen shot... Made a PDF.... and uploaded it.
 
how's everyone doing with this? i may sit this one out until d2 and try for the 2 year commitment juuuuust in case i wish to pursue a specialty right after school.

is the app process much different once you're already in dental school? i imagine you'll have much more dental related things to add to your cv.
 
Ferneezy said:
how's everyone doing with this? i may sit this one out until d2 and try for the 2 year commitment juuuuust in case i wish to pursue a specialty right after school.

is the app process much different once you're already in dental school? i imagine you'll have much more dental related things to add to your cv.
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I was thinking the same thing. I'd like to hear more, from practicing dentists or people who've accepted the scholarship, about what kind of dentistry they expect to practice in the FQHCs after graduation. From what I've seen at the clinic where I volunteer, the folks there do filling after extraction after filling, and don't get much experience in some of the other valuable procedures that PP docs want you to be proficient in (RCT, crowns, implants). I could be way off the mark here, though, as my n=1 experience may not necessarily be true for all 1000+ FQHC throughout America. Obviously there's a huge payout with this scholarship, but I'm wondering - is the $250,000 in tuition/fees/living expenses worth sacrificing some experiences you may get in PP? It probably is, and I'm just being lazy and looking for excuses not to finish these essays... Haha.
 
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my experience was similar at the fqhc clinic i volunteered at. also having spent a significant amount of time there, i'm not entirely sure i'd enjoy being 'forced' to practice four full years in such a setting. two years would be much easier to tolerate.

coincidentally, two years (or sooner) after graduation is my personal timeline for practice ownership.
 
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Two things.

1.) If you take a 2-year scholarship (which is difficult to get because they want students to work for them for longer) then you will not be able to go into any specialty program (outside of Peds, AEGD, GPR, and sometimes Endo) until AFTER you have served the two years.

2.) FQHC locations are not always the best representation of what a NHSC dentist will be doing. As anybody that works in underserved areas will tell you, low SES/underserved areas provide the biggest array of cases. You will be expected to do far more outside of your comfort zone than you would in any middle/upper class private clinic (crowns/composite restorations all day long). That being said, yes, there can be situations where you are simply "drilling and filling"; however, there are many different locations that you can work in (hospitals, prisons, private practices, group clinics, etc.), and each one is different.
 
I'm really banging my head about applying. I really don't want to lose my option of specializing, but then i fear of missing both, getting the scholarship and specializing in 4 years.
 
Yeah, it is definitely a major decision and you guys shouldn't listen too much to what other people have to say about it because it is your own future. I never planned to specialize and I plan on practicing in an underserved area anyway, so taking this scholarship was a no-brainer for me. However, I wouldn't put all your hopes and dreams on whether or not you would like to specialize right now. From observing my class, just after this first year, there has been a huge shuffling of people who "want to specialize." Some people came into dental school completely sold on specializing, but after the first few semesters have completely changed their mind because of how difficult it is to get A's in everything or for simply a loss of interest in that specific field. Others have come in not knowing what they wanted to do and have since decided on specializing because they like a certain aspect of dentistry that they never got to experience before. And of course, some people have stayed the same.
All I am trying to say is that you never know what your specializing options will even be after 4 years. On the flip-side, you know almost EXACTLY what your debt will be after 4 years and this is a great opportunity for you to make it $0 instead of $200-500 thousand. I know a few people who didn't specialize until 5-10 years after they graduated anyway. So when you say "lose my option of specializing" that really isn't even the question because you never lose that.. it just becomes postponed.. and some might argue that it is better that way.
Just some things to consider.
 
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How strict is NHSC regarding the LOR? My professor is out of the country and I feel like he may have messed up on a few of the requirements that were laid out to him.
 
the 1st and 3rd essays are killing me :/
 
why is this feel like May 2013 again? i have more things to say than 2500- characters.
 
dentalguyva91 said:
Does anyone know where to upload the Disadvantaged Status form? There isn't a place on the supporting documents step to do so. Thanks!
Click to expand...
In case you or anyone else hasn't figured it out yet, if you don't see a place to upload the Disadvantaged Background Status form, that means you need to go back to section 3 and mark Yes to the disadvantaged background status question.
 
Bam. I feel I nailed the essays especially the 3rd. In an average of 1500 characters.
 
Apply next year but how does the economically disadvantage situation work out? My family is fine now but income was very low when I was growing up, we were on food stamps too. Does only college economic situation matter or ?
 
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