NHSC Scholarship 2020-2021

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Are you applying to the NHSC this year?

  • Yes

    Votes: 204 65.8%

  • No

    Votes: 35 11.3%

  • Maybe

    Votes: 40 12.9%

  • Already got it!

    Votes: 31 10.0%
  • Total voters
    310
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Hi all, the NHSC Scholarship is now officially open! Let's use this space to post updates on our application and send words of encouragement to each other. :biglove:

Due: May 15th at 7:30 PM EDT

NHSC 2019-2020 Forum
NHSC 2018-2019 Forum

ESSAY QUESTIONS (according to the HRSA portal)
  • The mission of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) is to build healthy communities by supporting qualified health care providers dedicated to working in areas of the United States with limited access to care. With this mission, we know that patients often need health care providers to better understand them as a whole. This is particularly important among underserved populations receiving care. Please tell us what does patient centered care mean to you and provide an example.
  • NHSC clinicians provide care to underserved communities in urban and rural areas with limited resources. Please provide an example of when you have proposed an innovative solution to a challenging problem where you had limited resources.
  • Describe an experience in which you have contributed to the well-being of an underserved community and the impact/result of your contribution.
What does the scholarship offer?
Tuition and fees for your school paid for as well as a monthly living stipend.

How do you pay back?
For each year that you use the scholarship, you "pay" back by working at a NHSC-approved site in a high-need urban, rural, or frontier community across the nation. A minimum of 2 years of giving back is required and a maximum of 4 years of financial support will be given.

Here is a link to the application and program guide: https://nhsc.hrsa.gov/downloads/spapplicationguide.pdf

For reference, here is a list of the dates (as recorded by SDN users) for updates on the scholarship last year.
Credit Check: Shown on credit report from "Credco"
1st round - July 15
2nd round - ??? (Aug 3 in 2018-2019)
Finalist Notification: Recipients received an email to check portal for an update
1st round - Aug 6
2nd round - Aug 12
3rd round - Aug 20 - phone call before finalist email
Counter-signature Notification: After downloading a copy of the contract, it was signed by Jamie King
1st round - September 9th @ 2:30PM
2nd round - Sept 10th @ 4:30 PM
3rd round - Sept 11th @ various times

Good luck, everyone!
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Last edited:
I was just looking at the application and it asked for a program end date and graduation date. If we don’t know this information yet can we just estimate?
 
Whenever someone is on the essays, could you let me know what the stated limit on the webpage is? I know in years past the limit on the app and the app guidelines differed, so curious if that is the case again. I haven't asked for LORs yet, so I can't proceed.
 
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tbrun1 said:
I was just looking at the application and it asked for a program end date and graduation date. If we don’t know this information yet can we just estimate?
Click to expand...

I think that is fine, but try to estimate using the academic calender from the schools currently available. If you are still in an incoming student or a student on track to graduate on time, the program end date and graduation date should be the same correct?
 
For the academic LOR, does anyone know if a committee letter is acceptable? I plan to use the same one that was submitted to AADSAS & saw from a 2016/2017 thread that it was accepted but wanted to check if that's still the case (wasn't able to find info in the previous forums linked in the original post). Thank you!
 
Ok, I am conflicted about the essay prompts because the pdf guide states one thing and the portal requests another:

Essay Prompts from Portal:
  • The mission of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) is to build healthy communities by supporting qualified health care providers dedicated to working in areas of the United States with limited access to care. With this mission, we know that patients often need health care providers to better understand them as a whole. This is particularly important among underserved populations receiving care. Please tell us what does patient-centered care mean to you and provide an example.
  • NHSC clinicians provide care to underserved communities in urban and rural areas with limited resources. Please provide an example of when you have proposed an innovative solution to a challenging problem where you had limited resources.
  • Describe an experience in which you have contributed to the well-being of an underserved community and the impact/result of your contribution.

Essay Prompts from 2020-2021 Guide:
  • Essay Question 1: How will you contribute to the mission of the National HealthService Corps in providing care to underserved communities?
  • Essay Question 2: What experiences have you had or activities have you participated in that have prepared you to work with underserved populations?
  • Essay Question 3: Please discuss your commitment to pursue a career in primary health care.

I am currently on hold with the Customer Care Center to find an exact answer. I will update the thread accordingly.
If anyone has any information that you can provide that sheds light on this issue it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
 
ToothBeTold94 said:
Per Customer Care Center representative applicants are to write essays based on prompts provided in the portal NOT the 2020-2021 Application & Program Guidance PDF.
Click to expand...

is this for sure? Can we get another person to confirm??! That's ridiculous that they would have questions on their application and program guidance pdf differ from the actual portal questions. Well, here's to writing new essays lol. 😵
 
DOsurivivalist said:
is this for sure? Can we get another person to confirm??! That's ridiculous that they would have questions on their application and program guidance pdf differ from the actual portal questions. Well, here's to writing new essays lol. 😵
Click to expand...
I just got off of the phone with them and was told to follow the guide. Now I'm not sure what to do.
 
legacybush said:
I just got off of the phone with them and was told to follow the guide. Now I'm not sure what to do.
Click to expand...
Wow. This is confusing. I was on hold for more than an hour and the representative supposedly asked a supervisor of the way applicants should move forward. I say someone else call as well 1-800-221-9393
 
ToothBeTold94 said:
Wow. This is confusing. I was on hold for more than an hour and the representative supposedly asked a supervisor of the way applicants should move forward. I say someone else call as well 1-800-221-9393
Click to expand...
I was also on the phone for over an hour but the representative did not ask a supervisor on how to proceed.
 
carpe_diem said:
For the academic LOR, does anyone know if a committee letter is acceptable? I plan to use the same one that was submitted to AADSAS & saw from a 2016/2017 thread that it was accepted but wanted to check if that's still the case (wasn't able to find info in the previous forums linked in the original post). Thank you!
Click to expand...
I am fairly certain you can, but I wouldn’t recommend it. They are very different in what they are trying to convey. It’s not an application-ender, but it won’t be as strong.
 
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ToothBeTold94 said:
Per Customer Care Center representative applicants are to write essays based on prompts provided in the portal NOT the 2020-2021 Application & Program Guidance PDF.
Click to expand...
That is very surprising. In over 7 years since I have been following things, they have not changed the essay prompts. Not saying this is wrong, just surprising.
 
Wow, that is quite confusing. I missed this because I haven't made it that far in the portal. Thank you for posting the new essay prompts on this thread.
 
So how is everyone handling the essays? With conflicting data from reps, which do you write? Frustrating that it changed this year!
 
Does anyone know if we can submit our letters of recommendation using interolio?
 
I'm going to base my essays off the portal. If you think about it, the essays on the .pdf are essentially asking similar things.
 
California Bear said:
Hi guys. MS2 here. I applied for the scholarship back in 2018 and received it. If you have any questions about the application process let me know and I'll try to answer!
Click to expand...
Did you know what school you were 100% going to before the application deadline? It makes you put a school in there and I'm on the waitlist at a school I would rather go to, but that will probably not happen until after the deadline. If this wasn't an issue for you, are you aware of it being a problem for anyone else?
 
ak14 said:
Did you know what school you were 100% going to before the application deadline? It makes you put a school in there and I'm on the waitlist at a school I would rather go to, but that will probably not happen until after the deadline. If this wasn't an issue for you, are you aware of it being a problem for anyone else?
Click to expand...

I read somewhere before about someone being able to switch schools after receiving the scholarship, but I would double check with the NHSC just to make sure things haven't changed.
 
California Bear said:
I read somewhere before about someone being able to switch schools after receiving the scholarship, but I would double check with the NHSC just to make sure things haven't changed.
Click to expand...
Definitely check and make sure. I have heard of someone successfully switching. But I have also heard of someone being disqualified for switching.
 
ToothBeTold94 said:
Wow. This is confusing. I was on hold for more than an hour and the representative supposedly asked a supervisor of the way applicants should move forward. I say someone else call as well 1-800-221-9393
Click to expand...

Just to add to this, I got off the phone with a rep just now and was advised to follow the prompts in the portal!
 
I got off the phone with a rep 30 min ago. They told me she was escalating the issue and I would hear back within 5 days. I already wrote the essays and am hoping I wrote them for the correct prompts 🙁. I am surprised she hadn't heard of my issue yet since it sounds like it has already been reported.

Can someone answer, what do the official prompts say in the portal? I haven't got that far yet.
 
Pineconez said:
I got off the phone with a rep 30 min ago. They told me she was escalating the issue and I would hear back within 5 days. I already wrote the essays and am hoping I wrote them for the correct prompts 🙁. I am surprised she hadn't heard of my issue yet since it sounds like it has already been reported.

Can someone answer, what do the official prompts say in the portal? I haven't got that far yet.
Click to expand...

ToothBeTold94 mentioned them above!
ToothBeTold94 said:
Ok, I am conflicted about the essay prompts because the pdf guide states one thing and the portal requests another:

Essay Prompts from Portal:
  • The mission of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) is to build healthy communities by supporting qualified health care providers dedicated to working in areas of the United States with limited access to care. With this mission, we know that patients often need health care providers to better understand them as a whole. This is particularly important among underserved populations receiving care. Please tell us what does patient-centered care mean to you and provide an example.
  • NHSC clinicians provide care to underserved communities in urban and rural areas with limited resources. Please provide an example of when you have proposed an innovative solution to a challenging problem where you had limited resources.
  • Describe an experience in which you have contributed to the well-being of an underserved community and the impact/result of your contribution.

Essay Prompts from 2020-2021 Guide:
  • Essay Question 1: How will you contribute to the mission of the National HealthService Corps in providing care to underserved communities?
  • Essay Question 2: What experiences have you had or activities have you participated in that have prepared you to work with underserved populations?
  • Essay Question 3: Please discuss your commitment to pursue a career in primary health care.

I am currently on hold with the Customer Care Center to find an exact answer. I will update the thread accordingly.
If anyone has any information that you can provide that sheds light on this issue it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Click to expand...
 
I have question about GPA.

I am in a graduate program.

It says "Please enter your most recently completed undergraduate or graduate program"
It also says, "Please upload your current graduate program transcript (i.e.the transcript which reflects the entered GPA)

So does it want my completed undergrad GPA or my current graduate program GPA?
 

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Pineconez said:
I have question about GPA.

I am in a graduate program.

It says "Please enter your most recently completed undergraduate or graduate program"
It also says, "Please upload your current graduate program transcript (i.e.the transcript which reflects the entered GPA)

So does it want my completed undergrad GPA or my current graduate program GPA?
Click to expand...

I would assume your completed degree GPA (so your undergrad) but might be worth calling them to confirm.
 
tbrun1 said:
For the essays the portal says 2500 characters or less. Is that all three essays combined or individual?
Click to expand...

Probably each one. 2500 characters is about 350-400 words. I can’t imagine a comprehensive response to each question with ~125 words.

On another note, I haven’t gotten that far into the portal but can you or others please confirm that we don’t have the option between 500 words or less or 2500 characters or less. Cause we did in the guide
 
beyondme said:
Probably each one. 2500 characters is about 350-400 words. I can’t imagine a comprehensive response to each question with ~125 words.

On another note, I haven’t gotten that far into the portal but can you or others please confirm that we don’t have the option between 500 words or less or 2500 characters or less. Cause we did in the guide
Click to expand...
All it says in the portal is “essays should be limited to 2500 characters or less in times new Roman 12 font”
 
tbrun1 said:
All it says in the portal is “essays should be limited to 2500 characters or less in times new Roman 12 font”
Click to expand...

Are you able to screenshot and post that section (one after the LORs)? Earlier @DOsurivivalist said the portal said 500 words, so getting a bit confused. Regardless, thanks for the clarification!!
 
Is anyone else having issues logging into the portal?
 
Pineconez said:
I have question about GPA.

I am in a graduate program.

It says "Please enter your most recently completed undergraduate or graduate program"
It also says, "Please upload your current graduate program transcript (i.e.the transcript which reflects the entered GPA)

So does it want my completed undergrad GPA or my current graduate program GPA?
Click to expand...



I called and got the answer.

Enter the GPA for the current graduate program with those transcripts. Also, submit your most recently completed program transcripts in the additional documents section.
 
J_alex12 said:
How did you guys determine the "start date" and "end date" of each year you are requesting funding?
Click to expand...

Depends on your school. My school will have summer semesters so I put the start date for this year as our first day of classes. And the end date for every year as June 30th. Start date of each subsequent year as July 1st. If you do not have a summer semester, estimate your end dates based on the current academic calendar of your school.
 
ToothBeTold94 said:
Ok, I am conflicted about the essay prompts because the pdf guide states one thing and the portal requests another:

Essay Prompts from Portal:
  • The mission of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) is to build healthy communities by supporting qualified health care providers dedicated to working in areas of the United States with limited access to care. With this mission, we know that patients often need health care providers to better understand them as a whole. This is particularly important among underserved populations receiving care. Please tell us what does patient-centered care mean to you and provide an example.
  • NHSC clinicians provide care to underserved communities in urban and rural areas with limited resources. Please provide an example of when you have proposed an innovative solution to a challenging problem where you had limited resources.
  • Describe an experience in which you have contributed to the well-being of an underserved community and the impact/result of your contribution.

Essay Prompts from 2020-2021 Guide:
  • Essay Question 1: How will you contribute to the mission of the National HealthService Corps in providing care to underserved communities?
  • Essay Question 2: What experiences have you had or activities have you participated in that have prepared you to work with underserved populations?
  • Essay Question 3: Please discuss your commitment to pursue a career in primary health care.

I am currently on hold with the Customer Care Center to find an exact answer. I will update the thread accordingly.
If anyone has any information that you can provide that sheds light on this issue it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Click to expand...


I received an email back from the National Health Service Corps, "The NHSC Scholarship Program (NHSC SP) received your inquiry regarding essay questions. Please refer to the questions which are on the application in the portal. The updated APG which is posted on the website should also have the same questions for response. "
 
Does anyone know what format the CV needs to be in? The guide says: "An applicant’s resume or CV should outline relevant work/volunteer experience and should be no more than five pages long." If there is more info surrounding this on the portal, I'd appreciate if someone can share it!
 
For the disadvantaged background form, what financial aid office would you request to fill out the form if you were just accepted into dental school? Your undergrad school you graduated from or the dental school you will be attending?
 
anondent20 said:
For the disadvantaged background form, what financial aid office would you request to fill out the form if you were just accepted into dental school? Your undergrad school you graduated from or the dental school you will be attending?
Click to expand...
Last year when I applied I did the dental school I had just been accepted to, since it shows I'm currently disadvantaged instead of previously disadvantaged.
 
How are we able to obtain the supporting documents such as "Acceptance Report/Verification of Good Standing" and "Verification of Disadvantaged Background" that the schools are suppose to fill out due to what's going on right now? Alot of schools are closed.
 
toothlover23 said:
How are we able to obtain the supporting documents such as "Acceptance Report/Verification of Good Standing" and "Verification of Disadvantaged Background" that the schools are suppose to fill out due to what's going on right now? Alot of schools are closed.
Click to expand...
I was able to get in contact with staff in the registrar/financial aid offices via email and phone. Although schools may be closed to students, I've found that administrative offices are still up and running virtually. Would be interesting to see if the deadline gets extended given the current events, however.
 
Hey y'all, I have a few questions! If someone can answer them that would be great!
-If you choose internal medicine, etc., can you do a fellowship before doing the service requirement?
-When being placed into a match site, can you recommend a city you want to be in? Would you have a list of match sites to choose from?
-Is it the same application each year to apply for the scholarship?
-If you were to switch schools while your application was pending, would that significantly decrease your chances of receiving the scholarship?
-If you wanted to pursue a dual program (after starting your first-year -- MD/MBA, etc.), would that affect your chances of receiving the first scholarship? How about future scholarships? Would NHSC cover that one year you decide to pursue a dual degree?
-Do you need to include the prompt in the essay document? How about your name? Essay #? Page #?
 
futuredoctor123456789 said:
Hey y'all, I have a few questions! If someone can answer them that would be great!
-If you choose internal medicine, etc., can you do a fellowship before doing the service requirement?
-When being placed into a match site, can you recommend a city you want to be in? Would you have a list of match sites to choose from?
-Is it the same application each year to apply for the scholarship?
-If you were to switch schools while your application was pending, would that significantly decrease your chances of receiving the scholarship?
-If you wanted to pursue a dual program (after starting your first-year -- MD/MBA, etc.), would that affect your chances of receiving the first scholarship? How about future scholarships? Would NHSC cover that one year you decide to pursue a dual degree?
-Do you need to include the prompt in the essay document? How about your name? Essay #? Page #?
Click to expand...
- yes you can
-match? As in like for a residency or for your service years? Service years, you are not matched and nobody places you. You choose where you go.
-for the past several years it has been the same. This year they changed the essay prompts
-depends. I know some people who were disqualified for changing schools. I know others who have successfully changed. Communication is key. If you successfully switch, I wouldn’t think it would have any affect on your chances
-it may affect your chances. They will not pay any tuition for a degree that is not the qualifying program
-I don’t think it matters. If you don’t include the prompt, though, you need to somehow distinguish between your essays, so I would number them at the very least. There may be more instructions once you get inside the portal.

If I were you, I would thoroughly read the application guide. Some of your questions have easy to find answers. Plus, you need to know the specifics of the scholarship before you apply so you know what you are getting into:

 
cooliyak said:
- yes you can
-match? As in like for a residency or for your service years? Service years, you are not matched and nobody places you. You choose where you go.
-for the past several years it has been the same. This year they changed the essay prompts
-depends. I know some people who were disqualified for changing schools. I know others who have successfully changed. Communication is key. If you successfully switch, I wouldn’t think it would have any affect on your chances
-it may affect your chances. They will not pay any tuition for a degree that is not the qualifying program
-I don’t think it matters. If you don’t include the prompt, though, you need to somehow distinguish between your essays, so I would number them at the very least. There may be more instructions once you get inside the portal.

If I were you, I would thoroughly read the application guide. Some of your questions have easy to find answers. Plus, you need to know the specifics of the scholarship before you apply so you know what you are getting into:

Click to expand...
Thanks, I appreciate it!
 
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