NHSC Scholarship 2019-2020

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Are you applying to the NHSC this year?

  • Yes

    Votes: 121 62.4%

  • No

    Votes: 31 16.0%

  • Maybe

    Votes: 24 12.4%

  • already got it! :)

    Votes: 18 9.3%
  • Total voters
    194
The person writing my letter of rec asked what they should put in student's discipline and I told them dentistry. Would that be correct?
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Anyone know the chances of receiving this scholarship without a disadvantaged background? I'm really interested in giving back to my community after graudating and have already filled out the majority of this application.
 
aniras26 said:
Anyone know the chances of receiving this scholarship without a disadvantaged background? I'm really interested in giving back to my community after graudating and have already filled out the majority of this application.
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I’ll quote myself from the other thread:

I am one of the least disadvantaged people there is and I received the four year scholarship. I would say it matters more how you can show your desire to serve the underserved than it does your own disadvantaged background, although that does play a factor
 
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cooliyak said:
I’ll quote myself from the other thread:

I am one of the least disadvantaged people there is and I received the four year scholarship. I would say it matters more how you can show your desire to serve the underserved than it does your own disadvantaged background, although that does play a factor
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That makes me hopeful! Thank you :)
 
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cooliyak said:
I’ll quote myself from the other thread:

I am one of the least disadvantaged people there is and I received the four year scholarship. I would say it matters more how you can show your desire to serve the underserved than it does your own disadvantaged background, although that does play a factor
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Are you still working for in an HPSA? Just curious. How long have you been a dentist? If you don't mind my asking...
 
Pearl E. White said:
Are you still working for in an HPSA? Just curious. How long have you been a dentist? If you don't mind my asking...
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Sure am. I’ve been practicing only two years, but I plan to stay here long term. Unless I can get a job at a federal prison. Then I can join the USPHS and slide over into that part of the dental world.
 
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cooliyak said:
Sure am. I’ve been practicing only two years, but I plan to stay here long term. Unless I can get a job at a federal prison. Then I can join the USPHS and slide over into that part of the dental world.
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May I PM you? I have questions!
 
OnTheRoadToDDS said:
Is it recommended to try and write close to the 500 word count limit or is it okay to write closer to 300? Does length matter?
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I agree with Cooliyak. However, in my case, I wrote close to the 500 words because I wanted to tell as much as I could about myself and my passion for medical service. I thankfully received the four year scholarship last year. There's no magic formula. I believe it's the content of your essays that really matters.
 
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for the tuition and fees, should I just screenshot the table on the website? i haven't received a formal fee schedule.
 
coldicecream said:
for the tuition and fees, should I just screenshot the table on the website? i haven't received a formal fee schedule.
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Usually that is something given during your interview, although if there is some sort of PDF from their website, that would be preferred. A screenshot would probably work. I honestly don’t know why they even ask for this because they get an updated tuition/fee schedule directly from the schools each year anyway.
 
cooliyak said:
Usually that is something given during your interview, although if there is some sort of PDF from their website, that would be preferred. A screenshot would probably work. I honestly don’t know why they even ask for this because they get an updated tuition/fee schedule directly from the schools each year anyway.
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in the interview, it was the same table at the bottom of the page. i'll try to find the pdf version thanks!
 
Sorry to go back to the dates, but I'm currently a D1, and when I enter my start and end dates I either get one of the following messages:

You must enter a date for the upcoming school year; You must require funding for the first year; You must not have gaps between consecutive years

However, when I look at my dates, I can't seem to understand why I'm getting the messages. I've entered the start/end date for each of my four years. I've entered the dates for just the upcoming years. You name it, I've probably tried it...

Is anyone else applying for 3 years willing to share what dates they entered, or help a friend out?

Thanks!
 
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inconshivable said:
Sorry to go back to the dates, but I'm currently a D1, and when I enter my start and end dates I either get one of the following messages:

You must enter a date for the upcoming school year; You must require funding for the first year; You must not have gaps between consecutive years

However, when I look at my dates, I can't seem to understand why I'm getting the messages. I've entered the start/end date for each of my four years. I've entered the dates for just the upcoming years. You name it, I've probably tried it...

Is anyone else applying for 3 years willing to share what dates they entered, or help a friend out?

Thanks!
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Do any of your dates cross over June/July? If so, that’s the reason. Their fiscal year ends June 30 and begins July 1 so they don’t allow a year to span those dates.
 
California Bear said:
Hey y'all. Current MS1. I was a first-time applicant and awarded the four-year scholarship last year. Let me know if you have any questions about the process!
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I have questions, can I message you?
 
cooliyak said:
Do any of your dates cross over June/July? If so, that’s the reason. Their fiscal year ends June 30 and begins July 1 so they don’t allow a year to span those dates.
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They don't :/ so I'm just getting more frustrated haha
 
inconshivable said:
Sorry to go back to the dates, but I'm currently a D1, and when I enter my start and end dates I either get one of the following messages:

You must enter a date for the upcoming school year; You must require funding for the first year; You must not have gaps between consecutive years

However, when I look at my dates, I can't seem to understand why I'm getting the messages. I've entered the start/end date for each of my four years. I've entered the dates for just the upcoming years. You name it, I've probably tried it...

Is anyone else applying for 3 years willing to share what dates they entered, or help a friend out?

Thanks!
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when did you start class and when do you graduate?
Since I start in Sept and graduate in June, this is what i put
Y1: Sept 2019-June 30, 2020
Y2: July 1, 2020 -Jun 30, 2021
Y3 July 1 2021 - Jun 30 2022
Y4 July 1 2022 - June 5 2023
 
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Does anyone have a Verification of Exceptional Financial Need (EFN) Status form on their application? The website says: You should only submit these documents if we list them on the “Supporting Documents” page of the online application. You qualify for a funding priority if you received a scholarship for students of Exceptional Financial Need (medical and dental students only). This document certifies your participation in the EFN Program; your school’s financial aid official must complete it.
 
uhds said:
Does anyone have a Verification of Exceptional Financial Need (EFN) Status form on their application? The website says: You should only submit these documents if we list them on the “Supporting Documents” page of the online application. You qualify for a funding priority if you received a scholarship for students of Exceptional Financial Need (medical and dental students only). This document certifies your participation in the EFN Program; your school’s financial aid official must complete it.
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I think this is listed as the Disadvantaged Background form. It's the only one I saw pertaining to that on the online application at least :shrug:
 
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uhds said:
Does anyone have a Verification of Exceptional Financial Need (EFN) Status form on their application? The website says: You should only submit these documents if we list them on the “Supporting Documents” page of the online application. You qualify for a funding priority if you received a scholarship for students of Exceptional Financial Need (medical and dental students only). This document certifies your participation in the EFN Program; your school’s financial aid official must complete it.
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Someone asked about EFN during the webinar on Thursday. I believe they said they weren't considering EFN this year. If you look at the guide for this cycle, you'll see that EFN is no longer listed under the funding priorities. However, as Pearl mentioned, you can still submit a disadvantaged background form.
 
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Anybody else having a hard time with these essays? I absolutely detest writing about myself. :smack:
 
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coldicecream said:
for the tuition and fees, should I just screenshot the table on the website? i haven't received a formal fee schedule.
Click to expand...
I copied and pasted from the website into a Word doc. Saved as .pdf. :thumbup:
 
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cooliyak said:
I believe it is the dental school, but I’d need a second on that before you go with it. I didn’t fill one out, but I believe someone in the past had the same question and determined it was dental school.
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So I recently filled out this form through my dental school instead of my undergraduate school. I found since I go to such a large school the Financial Aid office said they could not fill it out if it were environmentally, and not economically. My admissions office could verify my background, but were not able to sign it since it said "Financial Aid Office". The dental school I am attending filled it out no problem. I searched the guide and the paper itself and found no where that stated undergrad. I believe as long as it is by an Official Financial Aid office it should count as verified. Anyone else have this issue?
 
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predentals said:
I finished 2 of them and felt like I was repeating myself as far as why I enjoy dental service.
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I actually had some overlap when I wrote the essays last year. I felt like I was repeating similar ideas but I presented them in a different way. I believe that is what they are looking for because it shows consistency. Just make sure you answer each question carefully and clearly. Although the questions may sound the same, they focus on different elements of your story and mission.
 
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California Bear said:
Hey y'all. Current MS1. I was a first-time applicant and awarded the four-year scholarship last year. Let me know if you have any questions about the process!
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Hey! I am a current MS1 as well. I decided late that I want to reapply for this scholarship. Im in the midst of exams since my semester sends in 2 weeks. I know I need to add in some information as to what I have done this academic year that supports my interest in working within an underserved community. However, how much should I tweak my essays due to the time constraints?
 
For the non-academic letter of recommendation, what exactly do we need to include if the person doesn't have a letterhead? Is it just signature/date/address?
 
llamasforlife said:
For the non-academic letter of recommendation, what exactly do we need to include if the person doesn't have a letterhead? Is it just signature/date/address?
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Your letter writers will get specific instructions on what needs to be included via email from NHSC.
 
Pearl E. White said:
Your letter writers will get specific instructions on what needs to be included via email from NHSC.
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My letter writer told me that the email they got said the letter had to be on letterhead or signed and dated, but it didn't say anything about an address. But then I got an email from NHSC that said the letter needed to include an address if letterhead wasn't available. I just want to make sure I'm not missing something lol
 
The application asks for the transcript from your last degree granting program, which would be undergrad for me, so I uploaded that under "transcript". I didn't do so great in undergrad but I got a 4.0 in my postbac and got a good DAT score, and I want to show that the undergrad transcript isn't a good example of my academic performance. Would it be a bad idea to upload my transcript from the postbac and my DAT score together as 1 document under "additional supporting document", or has anyone done that before?
 
llamasforlife said:
My letter writer told me that the email they got said the letter had to be on letterhead or signed and dated, but it didn't say anything about an address. But then I got an email from NHSC that said the letter needed to include an address if letterhead wasn't available. I just want to make sure I'm not missing something lol
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Well there you go. More information is better than not enough. Have them include the address. :thumbup:
 
tarouh said:
The application asks for the transcript from your last degree granting program, which would be undergrad for me, so I uploaded that under "transcript". I didn't do so great in undergrad but I got a 4.0 in my postbac and got a good DAT score, and I want to show that the undergrad transcript isn't a good example of my academic performance. Would it be a bad idea to upload my transcript from the postbac and my DAT score together as 1 document under "additional supporting document", or has anyone done that before?
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Your postbac transcript maybe, but they have no idea what a DAT is let alone a good score. I don’t think they would care or know what to do with it.
 
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I recommend checking out their webinar and their online Q+A. I was able to ask a few questions directly and a few of the outstanding questions here (about requirements, acceptable transcripts) have been answered by NHSC staff!

 
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Hi guys, thanks for everyone's help and feedback here! I'm a low income student applying for the scholarship, and would really appreciate if anyone would be willing to look over my essay's and provide feedback. Thanks in advance!
 
I know I saw someone earlier say they are currently a D1, so just for clarification, you can apply for this any year throughout dental school? for example, can you apply during D1 year or whenever you're positive you want to do general practice and don't want to specialize? That is my current issue - I'm hesitant about applying right now as an incoming D1 due to possibly wanting to specialize.
 
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Thedentist079 said:
I know I saw someone earlier say they are currently a D1, so just for clarification, you can apply for this any year throughout dental school? for example, can you apply during D1 year or whenever you're positive you want to do general practice and don't want to specialize? That is my current issue - I'm hesitant about applying right now as an incoming D1 due to possibly wanting to specialize.
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Correct. You can apply any year.
I wouldn’t apply if you want to specialize.
 
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Does anyone know the earliest date that previous students have received notification for funding?
 
NewWings said:
Does anyone know the earliest date that previous students have received notification for funding?
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You won’t hear back for a while. The middle to end of August at the absolute earliest, but I wouldn’t expect anything until at least September. The guide says September 30 at the latest.
 
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Hey everyone! Should the essays be answered generally or if you were going into medicine then make the essays specific to the field you're going into?
 
Do you think there is a danger to making the essays too specific? I really want to work in a rural community and I think that a lot of what I said is geared to that, but I'm concerned that they won't think I am flexible enough.
 
MECdent91 said:
Do you think there is a danger to making the essays too specific? I really want to work in a rural community and I think that a lot of what I said is geared to that, but I'm concerned that they won't think I am flexible enough.
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Too specific with your field and using lingo that a lay person would not understand? Absolutely. Too specific in showing your commitment to rural communities and your desire to become part of the NHSC? Never. Make sure to put a quick phrase in there saying you are flexible to go where you are needed, but I don’t think anyone would ever read an essay with the thought of “this person way too committed to go rural! NEXT!”
 
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cooliyak said:
Too specific with your field and using lingo that a lay person would not understand? Absolutely. Too specific in showing your commitment to rural communities and your desire to become part of the NHSC? Never. Make sure to put a quick phrase in there saying you are flexible to go where you are needed, but I don’t think anyone would ever read an essay with the thought of “this person way too committed to go rural! NEXT!”
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I felt it would be hard to express my passion for it, without being specific, so thank you! I feel much better about it now.
 
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