Would you do it again?

[TheRealDrDRE]

Hello everyone,

I was recently offered a waitlist spot for the 3-year (Option of a 4th-year) Navy scholarship. In addition to this, I attend my in-state school and was awarded a scholarship worth roughly $50k per year. I am very torn on what to do in this situation as if I take the Navy scholarship, I will be leaving a lot on the table with the scholarship. If anyone who is in the same situation or serving currently maybe give some words of advice? Any perspective is appreciated. I am currently a D1 if that helps clarify things.

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[Estonax]

How much would you be paying for year after taking into account the scholarship and living expenses?

 

[TheRealDrDRE]

How much would you be paying for year after taking into account the scholarship and living expenses?

It would vary per year because our tuition fluctuates...So with all of D1, 2, 3, and 4 between living expenses and tuition and fees I'd be about 110k in debt.

 

[ESPN907]

I would't've done it if I had an instate option...All my options were gonna be 500K+ and that was the only reason it made sense for me. Realize that your 110K for dental school is chump change. Consider yourself one of the lucky ones and keep your freedom.

 

[Lankers]

If you really want to serve, I would go for it. If you are more worried about the finical aspect you will more than likely be losing in that regard if you do the scholarship.

 

[Estonax]

Agree with the rest of the comments. If I was in your shoes I would be ecstatic for getting such a low amount of debt. Take the scholarship if you truly want to serve. Congrats on having a good problem

 

[ShortShortsDad]

Take your scholarship and run, $110k doesn’t make the military worth it

 

[SunSeeker]

Air Force DDS here. I'm finishing up my fourth and final year in the military. This is the age-old question that undoubtedly gets overlooked all too often: do you WANT to serve in the United States Armed Forces? Do you want to be a part of something bigger than yourself? (Cheesy line, but very true.) Do you want to meet and work alongside people with far different backgrounds and cultures than your own? Are you okay with losing some autonomy in exchange for serving your country? Do you want to have job responsibilities that lie outside of the realm of dentistry and are pertinent to the mission? (Because you will.) Does the thought of moving to somewhere new and unknown excite you? All of these are questions that have absolutely nothing to do with the scholarship and everything to do with serving in the military.

I'll be separating next summer. For me and my family, this was the projected end. My spouse's work is limited to a particular area, so we knew all along I would have to get out after my 4-year commitment. I don't know that a career in the military would've ever been for me anyway, but at the same time, I wouldn't trade these past 4 years for anything in the world. I learned so much about dentistry, people, and myself. It's honestly been one of the best experiences of my life. And yet, I sort of hoped it would be all along: I wanted to be in the military and I wanted to experience the challenges and excitement that came with it. The HPSP was an awesome incentive to take the plunge, but the desire to serve was certainly there for me as well. I have counterparts that pursued it for the incentives alone and they've been absolutely miserable.

I know it's actually way harder to do than it sounds, but I think you need to be really open and honest with yourself about what you value most. Both are great options, but you have to decide how and where you think you'll be happiest. Good luck!

 

[LFA20]

Hello everyone,

I was recently offered a waitlist spot for the 3-year (Option of a 4th-year) Navy scholarship. In addition to this, I attend my in-state school and was awarded a scholarship worth roughly $50k per year. I am very torn on what to do in this situation as if I take the Navy scholarship, I will be leaving a lot on the table with the scholarship. If anyone who is in the same situation or serving currently maybe give some words of advice? Any perspective is appreciated. I am currently a D1 if that helps clarify things.

Your COA is really low so I'd probably turn down the military scholarship if I were you. However, if you decide to specialize you could use the GI Bill after you have served in the military and have 100% tuition paid for plus a stipend if you are attending a program in-state.

 

[dentclc]

You can go direct accession when you graduate(which will give you a large bonus that would more than pay for your student loans) or see if you can do HSCP now and get the best of both worlds. You may be able to keep your scholarship while on HSCP, although it might be too late to change tracks.

 

[Big Time Hoosier]

Do you want to be a part of something bigger than yourself? (Cheesy line, but very true.) Do you want to meet and work alongside people with far different backgrounds and cultures than your own? Are you okay with losing some autonomy in exchange for serving your country? Do you want to have job responsibilities that lie outside of the realm of dentistry and are pertinent to the mission? (Because you will.) Does the thought of moving to somewhere new and unknown excite you? All of these are questions that have absolutely nothing to do with the scholarship and everything to do with serving in the military.

You didn’t ask, “Do you want to serve under largely incompetent leadership for your entire career?”

Big Hoss