NHSC scholarship

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
5

577455

Does anyone have experience with this? I'm starting dental school in the summer. I'd like to apply but I don't know how competitive I would be. I was an emergency department scribe at a level 1 trauma hospital for a year. For the past year, I've been working at a FQHC as a dental assistant. My location has a HPSA score of 19. I believe I would qualify as growing up disadvantaged, but would not currently. I am interested in general dentistry with no significant desire to specialize. I've been discussing this with my boss (dentist/dental director) and they were telling me I should pursure this.
Is it worth it?
My projected cost of dental school:270k

Members don't see this ad.
 
Does anyone have experience with this? I'm starting dental school in the summer. I'd like to apply but I don't know how competitive I would be. I was an emergency department scribe at a level 1 trauma hospital for a year. For the past year, I've been working at a FQHC as a dental assistant. My location has a HPSA score of 19. I believe I would qualify as growing up disadvantaged, but would not currently. I am interested in general dentistry with no significant desire to specialize. I've been discussing this with my boss (dentist/dental director) and they were telling me I should pursure this.
Is it worth it?
My projected cost of dental school:270k

I heard that your status (being disadvantaged) is the main determinant. One of my classmates is in the scholarship (3 year) and he was #1 in class though, after the first year...
 
Main determinant is being disadvantaged, as was said above. They only look at your family's past year's financial information (your ds financial aid looks at your FAFSA and writes your EFN note if you technically qualify as financially disadvantaged).
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Main determinant is being disadvantaged, as was said above. They only look at your family's past year's financial information (your ds financial aid looks at your FAFSA and writes your EFN note if you technically qualify as financially disadvantaged).
I don't see why they do that as growing up disadvantaged would also have a significant effect on your current motives and aspirations. I grew up 1 of 6 kids with a single mother in probably the most disadvantaged city in the country. My siblings have all moved out so I don't think I would qualify currently.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I don't see why they do that as growing up disadvantaged would also have a significant effect on your current motives and aspirations. I grew up 1 of 6 kids with a single mother in probably the most disadvantaged city in the country. My siblings have all moved out so I don't think I would qualify currently.
You can still write about all that in your essays!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Main determinant is being disadvantaged, as was said above. They only look at your family's past year's financial information (your ds financial aid looks at your FAFSA and writes your EFN note if you technically qualify as financially disadvantaged).

man that is a bummer to hear. I am for sure writing about my status growing up and how similar government aid programs helped my family. Now being a software dev and married to a nurse we are very financially stable. That is until dental school starts. I sure hope they take other factors in to consideration.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I was male, middle class, and white. Not disadvantaged or underrepresented minority by any stretch. I got the four year scholarship. I was born in a very poor area, but never lived there (one county over). So "place of birth" might have had an effect. But my background was public health, I had a 4.0 in college, etc. I think the biggest factor is how you write your essays. They just really want to see that you're invested in safety net dentistry. It's a really easy application process. Just roll the dice and hope for the best, but don't count on it. NHSC saved me $550,000 after interest and living expenses by my calculations (assuming 10-yr loan repayment schedule). That was just a state school, too...

You see, the school's "projected cost" doesn't include the interest you'll accrue over the time that it takes you to pay it. 6.8% unsubsidized interest (not including Grad Plus Loans) doesn't compound, but it's unsubsidized. That $270 quickly rises to $330 in principal. Then you end up paying closer to $450k over a decade unless you get a really high paying job and can pay it down far quicker than 10 years. My math isn't specific, but you get the idea... This is all assuming you don't do a residency either.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 8 users
I don't see why they do that as growing up disadvantaged would also have a significant effect on your current motives and aspirations. I grew up 1 of 6 kids with a single mother in probably the most disadvantaged city in the country. My siblings have all moved out so I don't think I would qualify currently.

I am also one of six kids, from a low-income family with my dad as the sole-provider of the family. Though I moved out awhile ago, took two years off, and worked, I won the scholarship. You never know!
 
Application opened today!
Scholarships

And I am a second example of someone who wasn't classically "disadvantaged," and I received the scholarship.

Do you have any specific tips or things I should mention in my essays/interviews. Also does being African American affect your chances ( minority or disadvantaged background)?
 
Main determinant is being disadvantaged, as was said above. They only look at your family's past year's financial information (your ds financial aid looks at your FAFSA and writes your EFN note if you technically qualify as financially disadvantaged).
That is not at all true. I am a white male who grew up in an upper-middle class family with my dad being a private practice dentist. I am possibly the least disadvantaged applicant possible and I received the 4 year scholarship. It is more about merit and dedication to underserved areas than it is anything else. Is disadvantaged background considered? Yes. But is it the main thing? No, or else my application would have been thrown out immediately.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
man that is a bummer to hear. I am for sure writing about my status growing up and how similar government aid programs helped my family. Now being a software dev and married to a nurse we are very financially stable. That is until dental school starts. I sure hope they take other factors in to consideration.
They take way more than that into consideration. You should still apply.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
I was male, middle class, and white. Not disadvantaged or underrepresented minority by any stretch. I got the four year scholarship. I was born in a very poor area, but never lived there (one county over). So "place of birth" might have had an effect. But my background was public health, I had a 4.0 in college, etc. I think the biggest factor is how you write your essays. They just really want to see that you're invested in safety net dentistry. It's a really easy application process. Just roll the dice and hope for the best, but don't count on it. NHSC saved me $550,000 after interest and living expenses by my calculations (assuming 10-yr loan repayment schedule). That was just a state school, too...

You see, the school's "projected cost" doesn't include the interest you'll accrue over the time that it takes you to pay it. 6.8% unsubsidized interest (not including Grad Plus Loans) doesn't compound, but it's unsubsidized. That $270 quickly rises to $330 in principal. Then you end up paying closer to $450k over a decade unless you get a really high paying job and can pay it down far quicker than 10 years. My math isn't specific, but you get the idea... This is all assuming you don't do a residency either.
Exactly. Same thing with me (see earlier post). Just apply. It's not that hard of an application and you never know if you don't apply. I got it and it for sure saved me at least $350k without even considering stipend and interest.
 
Not sure if I should just make a new thread for this but I was wondering for the NHSC scholarship what happens once you graduate and have to do the service requirement afterwards? Are locations somewhat flexible? Like I know you have to work in a more underrepresented community but can you choose which one I guess is the question?
 
Not sure if I should just make a new thread for this but I was wondering for the NHSC scholarship what happens once you graduate and have to do the service requirement afterwards? Are locations somewhat flexible? Like I know you have to work in a more underrepresented community but can you choose which one I guess is the question?
Not only can you choose, but you have to choose. They will barely help you at all. Shortly before you begin your last year of school, they will email you and inform you of the minimum HPSA score for your year. For mine, it was 17. From there, you go to their website and look for all sites with 17+ in the areas you want to practice in. For me, there were a good amount of qualifying sites, they just weren't looking for dentists at the time so it was a little challenging. I also had some other restrictions that came into play, but I was still able to find a job or 2 and have a choice of which one I would rather do. I ended up finding something that I would almost consider a dream job. You can start looking at things now, but they change all the time. HPSA scores are updated every year and job postings are only valid for 90 days, so it would only be to get an idea and not actually to find anything since I'm assuming you are just now applying for the scholarship.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Hey I'm applying this cycle and was wondering if anyone's had their credit checked yet?
 
Not only can you choose, but you have to choose. They will barely help you at all. Shortly before you begin your last year of school, they will email you and inform you of the minimum HPSA score for your year. For mine, it was 17. From there, you go to their website and look for all sites with 17+ in the areas you want to practice in. For me, there were a good amount of qualifying sites, they just weren't looking for dentists at the time so it was a little challenging. I also had some other restrictions that came into play, but I was still able to find a job or 2 and have a choice of which one I would rather do. I ended up finding something that I would almost consider a dream job. You can start looking at things now, but they change all the time. HPSA scores are updated every year and job postings are only valid for 90 days, so it would only be to get an idea and not actually to find anything since I'm assuming you are just now applying for the scholarship.

It seems like those who do take on this NHSC scholarship must devote alot of time screening sites during D4 year in order to get a "preferred" job after school to fulfill their service. So I would like to ask questions specifically about the restrictions that came into play in searching and securing a job at an eligible site. To my knowledge these are some possible problems that could arise when searching for a site:

1. What the minimum HPSA score for that year to fulfill your service, as provided by the email/NHSC convention meeting
2. Out of those HPSA eligible sites, which ones are actually looking for Dentist/PA/etc.
3. Once you identify a "favorable" site that is actually looking for your job, then you have to interview (impress the site so that you secure the job before someone else snags it)

Are these the only "out of your control" restrictions ("in your control" restrictions = where you want to live, patients you want to treat, etc) encountered when looking for a site to fulfill NHSC service?
 
It seems like those who do take on this NHSC scholarship must devote alot of time screening sites during D4 year in order to get a "preferred" job after school to fulfill their service. So I would like to ask questions specifically about the restrictions that came into play in searching and securing a job at an eligible site. To my knowledge these are some possible problems that could arise when searching for a site:

1. What the minimum HPSA score for that year to fulfill your service, as provided by the email/NHSC convention meeting
2. Out of those HPSA eligible sites, which ones are actually looking for Dentist/PA/etc.
3. Once you identify a "favorable" site that is actually looking for your job, then you have to interview (impress the site so that you secure the job before someone else snags it)

Are these the only "out of your control" restrictions ("in your control" restrictions = where you want to live, patients you want to treat, etc) encountered when looking for a site to fulfill NHSC service?
I will start by saying that scholarship or not, you would be foolish not to devote a lot of time screening in your 4th year, whether it be for this scholarship, a residency, group/solo practice, associateship, purchase/start-up, etc. To me, what you just described is finding a job in general, with the exception of the HPSA score. Of all the jobs out there, you first have to find ones that are actually looking, and from there, interview. But to answer your question, those are the only restrictions that I can see, but there are so many factors at play, it’s hard to say.
 
Hello everyone,
I'm preparing to apply for the 2018 NHSC scholarship. Do applicants with lots of volunteering experience have high chance of recieving this scholarship? What all do they take into consideration when choosing candidates for this scholarship? I have several experience volunteering for the underserved population and I live in AZ with an HPSA score of below 19.
 
Hello everyone,
I'm preparing to apply for the 2018 NHSC scholarship. Do applicants with lots of volunteering experience have high chance of recieving this scholarship? What all do they take into consideration when choosing candidates for this scholarship? I have several experience volunteering for the underserved population and I live in AZ with an HPSA score of below 19.
I’d say that’s a good start. You should also try and emphasize your commitment to primary care.
 
Top