Posted on 10/09/2010 2:10:47 PM PDT by TnGOP
Hi everyone. My daughter is a senior in high school, 18 years old, and will be graduating next May. She has decided to join the military after high school.
Her goal in life is to be an MD, and needs to go into the branch of service that will help her the most toward that goal. She has spoken with a Navy recruiter and a Marine Corp recruiter at school, but is still undecided.
I work with a bunch of retired military folks from all branches. Most of them are recommending Air Force or National Guard.
What we are looking for is the branch that will help her with college expenses, and further her goals of becoming a doctor. I'm going to turn this over to her for this thread so she can respond directly to you. Thanks for your help in this most important matter.
Me joining the marines would be a little useless because I plan to into medical and the marines do not offer medical. That is why I am considering the Navy.
Bill and Hillary Clinton: “We highly recommend interns”
As far as active duty goes, the Air Force treats their women way better than the other services, although it is getting better across the board. I just finished 20 years with the Navy.
“the branch that is willing to put in writing what they promise”
Agreed. Whoever signs on the dotted line for the best training and ongloing training....
For a girl....probably AF, but personally, I’d go with whoever can go cyber.....
Can’t really recommend that young people go into the service until we have a new CIC...
...and can’t really recommend that anyone bother to go to medical school until health care reform is repealed (there’s a section in the law that demands that all providers (PAs, NPs, MDs) be paid the same).
The Air Force ROTC offers three types of scholarships:
•type 1 - Pays full college tuition, most lab fees and $900/year for books. Approximately 5% of four-year scholarship winners will be offered a Type-1 scholarship (mostly in Computer, Electrical and Environmental Engineering).
•type 2 - Pays college tuition and most lab fees up to $18,000 and pays $900/year for books. Approximately 10% of four-year scholarship winners will be offered a Type-2 scholarship (mostly in technical fields). If a student attends an institution where the tuition exceeds $18,000, then he/she pays the difference. All three-year scholarships are Type 2.
•type 7 - Pays college tuition up to the equivalent of the in-state rate and $900 per year for books.
Air Force ROTC scholarships are not activated until the student enlists in the Obligated Reserve Section of the Air Force Reserve, signs a contract and passes the medical, moral, fitness and physical qualifications for enlistment and contracting. Scholarship benefits are not payable until 45 days after the start of the fall term.
Upon activation, all scholarship cadets receive a nontaxable monthly allowance (stipend) during the academic year. Currently, the monthly stipend is $300 for freshmen, $350 for sophomores, $450 for juniors and $500 for seniors.
http://afrotc.com/scholarships/
I’m with Air Force crowd on this one.
The Coast Guard is probably the most accepting of females in leadership positions if that’s her goal.
You should really try to get your math score up. Here is a site with a ton of free math videos to help you.
The Marines relies on the Navy for it’s medical support, so it is not a good choice. The Air Force has much better food too. The navy may just stick you with a Marine unit too.
You will need to get your math up if you do or do not go into the service for the premed courses. I believe you will need to take a calculus course, a physics course and a chemistry course before you go to med school. So really I think you should work on the ROTC route first by getting your math score up. Watch the videos at the above site and practice.
Former Navy here...and I am with the Air Force crowd as well.
We always used to kid them that they wore 'jammies with feet on them.
This was before 9/11. Back when military just when to Saudi to enforce the no-fly zones against Saddam’s Iraq.
I’m sure that the Army, Air Force and Navy have similiar MOS and training programs/opportunities. Overall I would choose the branch that would give the best guarantee of actually getting your preferance.
Another consideration is that the Military Cultures and Service Customs are very different between the various branches with the Air Force and Army being similiar, and the Navy, Marines and Coast Guard having common mores.
Being a former Marine, I find the Naval Services more to my liking, and for that reason alone, I am tempted to tell you that the Navy is the only way to go! Heck, the Navy IS the only way to go! I love the smell of salt air in the morning! You will too!
Aim high - Air Force.
Yes, but linguists are the best.
Though, come to think of it, morse code *IS* a foreign language.
:-P
my wife went into the Air force at the same age, worked in supply and slept in A-10 engines...sounds like an OK job to me....
My daughter joined the Marines a few months out of HS. She was afaid to tell me. Of course I asked why the Marines and not the AF, USN, then the Army ( all offer more after service career oppurtunities).
No offense to anyone here, but her reponse was she went to talk to the AF but “they were a bunch of pussys”...
MCRT is tough enough, 13 weeks, but for the gals it is down right brutal. Rarely does one graduate on time with their class they come in with. They had a gal that took almost a year to graduate.
Is there the possibility of taking a year to go to a good community college and take math classes so you can qualify for ROTC?
Have you taken the SAT’s? As I understand it, ACT/SAT are two really different exams in the math/science areas. Or maybe just take an SAT II in math? You might achieve an ROTC-qualifying math SAT score.
You are going to have to pull up your math to pretty high levels if you want to pursue an M.D., so if possible, I’d suggest that year at community college.
If you don’t find that a viable possibility, be very careful about what is spelled out in your contract with whatever branch you choose to join. With all due respect to recruiters, their loyalty is to their branch, not to you.
Good luck.
> “What we are looking for is the branch that will help her with college expenses, and further her goals of becoming a doctor.” <
First things first. How about the goal of defending her country? Your daughter should be enlisting in the military to defend her country and the freedoms with which we all have been blessed.
I heard and had enough of the whiners during the Persian Gulf War (Ops Desert Shield/Storm): “I didn’t sign up for this, I just needed money for college.”
No apologies for the “Tough Love” Mom and Dad, but how will you feel if she’s transported home with military escorts because she was “looking for branch that will help her with college expenses, and further her goals of becoming a doctor?”
One signs on the dotted line to defend their county...period.
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