First of all, congrats on getting everything turned it....big relief!!
I am currently a fourth year DS on a Navy HPSP scholarship.... I began the process my first semester DSI year, I had to RUSH everything!! Huge pain in the butt, like the previous posters recommend (granted you are interested), I would begin the process of looking into military scholarships now. Choose your branch wisely...if you are interested in specializing, each branch works differently. In the Navy, you can apply to specialities 2nd semester 3rd year. The Navy typically takes 1-3 straight out of school though most of those are FTOS, meaning you still have to apply to civilian programs. The Army actually has spots reserved in their in-service training programs for those going straight through. The Air Force is very competitive and they typically require at least a 1 year AEGD or GPR before letting you commence with speciality training. If you are not worried about specializing right now, as most are not, then pick your branch based on what is important to you....you should ask around about the differences in branches are. I picked the Navy because 90% of my family has served in this branch. Plus, my wife likes Navy whites....that bodes well for me!
I hope you have a great experience! I have. Last thing, if you do choose to participate in the military lifestyle and want to specialize....you still have to rock dental school....good grades (class rank), good board scores, good extracurriculars (including externships and research)....Good luck!!
