I am near the end of my contract in the army and will start the process soon. Unless someone knows the individual board member's taste, it is always hard to say if there is veteran preference. What I can tell you, is being in the military can instill a sense of self discipline and help with time management skills. And the military can be very difficult at times, which can really help put into perspective the importance of getting an education. If you feel you lack these qualities needed for school, I know the military greatly helped me in being a better student. I even got A's in Chem II and AP II; two subjects previously got D's in. If you aren't lacking in being a good student, my suggestion is to pass on the military if pharmacy is what you want. The military will inevitably require too much time. Hope this helps.
this does help a lot and since you have been there, you mind me asking if you were reserve or active? for some reason, I still would love to join the military. but I just need to make sure that im making the right decision before doing so. I know it has its pros and cons and this is probably the wrong timing. at first I wanted to just go ahead and get my pharmacy done since that's what I really want then join it as a pharmacist. but then, I could really use the skills and discipline that comes with joining the military especially now.
.this does help a lot and since you have been there, you mind me asking if you were reserve or active? for some reason, I still would love to join the military. but I just need to make sure that im making the right decision before doing so. I know it has its pros and cons and this is probably the wrong timing. at first I wanted to just go ahead and get my pharmacy done since that's what I really want then join it as a pharmacist. but then, I could really use the skills and discipline that comes with joining the military especially now.
thank you...one more question:-for this very reason, do you know if being in the military may lower my chances of being accepted into pharmacy school?
Good luck!
Okay, I'm not sure what to tell you to do, but I can tell you about my husband's situation. My husband is active duty Army National Guard and has been in for 13 years. He's currently a preranger instructor on ADSW (active duty special work) orders and is trying to get on AGR orders for job security. He started out doing the usual one weekend a month and 2 weeks a year, but he was being deployed all the time (between going to Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, and various other events). Legally, you can't fire someone for being activated, but we live in a state that can fire you for no reason. So, he lost a job due to this. At that point in time, he decided to go active duty National Guard. You're paid based on your rank and are on federal orders. The perk is that you won't be transferred out of the state versus regular active duty Army, where they can move you anywhere. He's never had time to attend college during this time. I wouldn't suggest trying to attend pharmacy school and being in the Guard, at the same time. If your unit is activated, then you will be deployed. There may be some way around this, though. I spoke with a National Guard recruiter years ago about joining in order to finance my grad school education. By chance, the recruiter's wife was a pharmacist! He told me not to join because I would owe the Army too much time for paying for my schooling. So, I decided not to join. That being said, my husband loves the military. He makes a fairly good living (not what a pharmacist makes, though) and has been able to support our family while I attend school. He is extremely self-disciplined and has gained tons of leadership experience. I suppose I would suggest going to pharmacy school first, then joining the military. That way, you'd start out as a commissioned officer and could choose how many years you will serve rather than "owing" them for financing your education. That's just my two cents
If you enlist in Texas, you qualify for the Hazlewood Act which provides benefits that cover 150 semester hours at public institutions. Glad you didn't rush into going active duty thinking you could attend pharmacy school at the same time.
