izybx wrote:I was army from 2000 to 2007

NCO, enlisted?

NardDogNation wrote:

izybx wrote:You thinking of signing up?

I need to pay for school and will have other familial responsibilities, so it's definitely crossed my mind. I've always admired the military culture but detest the people pulling the strings for when we go to war, with whom and for what reason. As a result, it's a bit of a Catch-22, which is why I'm trying to find out about the day-to-day and lifestyle once contracted.

It paid for my college, I graduated from Ohio state without having paid one penny. As far as the politics go, as a soldier you have to remove yourself from that. Things will be the way they be whether or not you drive yourself crazy thinking about it. You'll be a better man for having served, the discipline and training will never leave you. Not to mention the honor of serving your country, something that is priceless.

Might be so something below that you can apply for, if you can't find it here keep looking, good chance there are some grants out there that meet your criteria. I got a Pell Grant when I went to college, but that's for an undergraduate degree. If you can get your medical school to nominate you for one, that would be a big plus. Good luck.

http://www.collegescholarships.org/grants/medical.htm

NardDogNation wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:Nothing wrong with serving your country, but there are other ways. Have you applied for any grants?

Might be so something below that you can apply for, if you can't find it here keep looking, good chance there are some grants out there that meet your criteria. I got a Pell Grant when I went to college, but that's for an undergraduate degree. If you can get your medical school to nominate you for one, that would be a big plus. Good luck.

http://www.collegescholarships.org/grants/medical.htm

The problem isn't paying for Med school as it is keeping up with personal expenses and responsibilities without steady income. The prospect of being 4 years out of the workforce, while tacking on $250,000 of debt to an outstanding $40,000 (having already paid $30,000 towards that) student loan is daunting. It is really the only reason the military is an option at this point.

I see your point. Is it because you don't have the time to work part time while you pursue your degree? There are rural areas of the country which will pay off most of your debt and the related expenses in exchange for working for them for a fixed time period, I'm guessing for less than you might earn elsewhere. Something to consider if its workable.

NardDogNation wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:

NardDogNation wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:Nothing wrong with serving your country, but there are other ways. Have you applied for any grants?

Might be so something below that you can apply for, if you can't find it here keep looking, good chance there are some grants out there that meet your criteria. I got a Pell Grant when I went to college, but that's for an undergraduate degree. If you can get your medical school to nominate you for one, that would be a big plus. Good luck.

http://www.collegescholarships.org/grants/medical.htm

The problem isn't paying for Med school as it is keeping up with personal expenses and responsibilities without steady income. The prospect of being 4 years out of the workforce, while tacking on $250,000 of debt to an outstanding $40,000 (having already paid $30,000 towards that) student loan is daunting. It is really the only reason the military is an option at this point.

I see your point. Is it because you don't have the time to work part time while you pursue your degree? There are rural areas of the country which will pay off most of your debt and the related expenses in exchange for working for them for a fixed time period, I'm guessing for less than you might earn elsewhere. Something to consider if its workable.

Yeah, the government has programs where they'd essentially repay student loan debt in exchange for working in lower income areas (which I want to do regardless) but it pigeonholes me into a specialty that I might not want moving forward. More importantly, it does nothing to take care of my more immediate expenses, which may get more demanding due to unforeseen events. Loans are always an option but with the market the way it is, I could very well end up indebted to some bank for the rest of my life. So if I've got to be beholden to something/someone, it might be best to do so for 6 years (the military, who pays college bills and give monthly stipends) than a lifetime.

There might be some programs run by state and local authorities which pay for expenses as well. I can't speak to your specialty, but I wouldn't give up on that option just yet. As you know there's such a shortage of doctors out there that you might find a program that suits your needs. Worth the time to do some more research since it could keep you from spending years paying off your debt.

Nothing wrong with the military, but there is more than a good chance we are going to get sucked into another war of choice. We are staying in Afghanistan indefinitely as well. If you do go I would keep your politics to yourself or better yet just say that they're all crooked and you don't pay attention. If we were having this discussion when I was in my 20s, different time, I probably wouldn't mention it, but you know as well as I do how toxic the political climate is these days.

You should ask some of the vets here about getting ready for boot camp if you go.

Also, the National Guard might have a program, if you havent checked already. Although they were sending units to Iraq, don't know if there is still a need now that its over. Best of luck whatever you decide.

GustavBahler wrote:

NardDogNation wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:

NardDogNation wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:Nothing wrong with serving your country, but there are other ways. Have you applied for any grants?

Might be so something below that you can apply for, if you can't find it here keep looking, good chance there are some grants out there that meet your criteria. I got a Pell Grant when I went to college, but that's for an undergraduate degree. If you can get your medical school to nominate you for one, that would be a big plus. Good luck.

http://www.collegescholarships.org/grants/medical.htm

The problem isn't paying for Med school as it is keeping up with personal expenses and responsibilities without steady income. The prospect of being 4 years out of the workforce, while tacking on $250,000 of debt to an outstanding $40,000 (having already paid $30,000 towards that) student loan is daunting. It is really the only reason the military is an option at this point.

I see your point. Is it because you don't have the time to work part time while you pursue your degree? There are rural areas of the country which will pay off most of your debt and the related expenses in exchange for working for them for a fixed time period, I'm guessing for less than you might earn elsewhere. Something to consider if its workable.

Yeah, the government has programs where they'd essentially repay student loan debt in exchange for working in lower income areas (which I want to do regardless) but it pigeonholes me into a specialty that I might not want moving forward. More importantly, it does nothing to take care of my more immediate expenses, which may get more demanding due to unforeseen events. Loans are always an option but with the market the way it is, I could very well end up indebted to some bank for the rest of my life. So if I've got to be beholden to something/someone, it might be best to do so for 6 years (the military, who pays college bills and give monthly stipends) than a lifetime.

There might be some programs run by state and local authorities which pay for expenses as well. I can't speak to your specialty, but I wouldn't give up on that option just yet. As you know there's such a shortage of doctors out there that you might find a program that suits your needs. Worth the time to do some more research since it could keep you from spending years paying off your debt.

Nothing wrong with the military, but there is more than a good chance we are going to get sucked into another war of choice. We are staying in Afghanistan indefinitely as well. If you do go I would keep your politics to yourself or better yet just say that they're all crooked and you don't pay attention. If we were having this discussion when I was in my 20s, different time, I probably wouldn't mention it, but you know as well as I do how toxic the political climate is these days.

You should ask some of the vets here about getting ready for boot camp if you go.

Also, the National Guard might have a program, if you havent checked already. Although they were sending units to Iraq, don't know if there is still a need now that its over. Best of luck whatever you decide.

There is a shortage of doctors but our country is run by morons, lol. The whole field is structurally ****ed. The medical demands of our population are increasing with the baby boomer population aging and yet medical school seats and residency positions are all static. So I'm not surprised by the lack of options for working adults to try to make it back into school. I'll keep looking at options though and see what I come up with.

And yeah, I have my concerns about the military route, mostly because I have no idea what to expect and I don't think the recruiters are being entirely honest. Plus, with the way that we go to war so frequently over bull**** doesn't help matters. It's the same thing with the Guard, which I heard sent units to Iraq. But I appreciate the help and encouragement. It's definitely been a frustrating situation but no one is making me do it, so I got myself to blame. Anyway, thanks again.

I have a daughter who briefly thought about just joining the Nat Guard to get some sort of student loan relief. But the whole discipline thing turned her off. Completely and finally.

Little story: I was all signed up, tested and physicalled to go OCS with the Marine Corps, for no other reason than I was definitely not interested in amassing huge amounts of debt to go to college. My future brother in law then came home from a 3 year tour guarding nukes in scenic Oahu. (Scenic for others, not for him). He informed me that my stay at Parris Island or San Diego (OCS or not) would include the very real possibility of having someone working me to the point of puking and requiring me to eat said puke.

Now I don't know how much you really aspire to love of country, chest thumping and learning the very fine points of killing people for your country, but that possibility right there turned me off. And I still aspire to all three of those things. Moreso now that I'm just about older than gas in a nursing home. I mean, I don't stay up nights polishing my ammo and sharpening my bayonet, but I still appreciate greatly what people who do serve provide for me. No matter what the idiots who act as Commander in Chief happen to come up with.

And I get to listen to machine gun fire, howitzer practice, close range drills and military aircraft flying insanely low and fast almost every day. I live near an impact zone for a military installation. It might be wrecking the walls of my home, but I don't take it for granted, either.

I still regret not having served, though. And I truly believe now that eating puke might have possibly helped me greatly in the discipline department.

It's been 25 years, and I'm still paying off my education. Which truly sux.

Probably not much help, but hey, this is America.