You Can Reapply If You Don’t Get In The First Time
One common misconception is that every cadet and midshipman came to a service academy right out of high school. That’s just not the case. We already discussed the prep-school route, which funnels young men and women into the service academies one or more years after they graduate from high school. But every year there are also a fair number of other people entering the academies who reapplied after they were rejected the first time around. They followed their backup plan, worked hard to improve their weaknesses and dove headfirst into the application process again. “If you’re worth going to and you don’t get in the first time, prove them wrong,” Sawyer Neal insists. “Show them how bad you want to serve, and that you deserve to be there. And the way you do that is by putting in lots of hard work and reapplying.”
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“If you apply the first year, you don’t get in, and you go to a school that has a ROTC unit, I implore you to go into that and give it your all there as you reapply,” Neal advises. He believes his ROTC experience is going to give him an advantage during his plebe year at the Naval Academy because he already knows “the basic knowledge that they’re going to be teaching everyone this summer,” he has experience working “hand-in-hand with staff sergeants and gunnery sergeants,” and he’s used to getting “yelled at and intimidated by men who have served 20-plus years in the military.”
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How Do I Become An Army Officer
You can become an officer through the U.S. Military Academy, Army ROTC, OCS or Direct Commissioning programs. If you have or soon will have a four-year college degree, you may consider enlisting in the U.S. Army with the intention of becoming an officer. Graduates of the Army Officer Candidate School are commissioned as second lieutenants and earn sergeant pay while in the school. This program is available to qualified applicants, with or without any previous military service, who enlist for a period of three years.
What Powers Do Military Police Have
MPs provide security services on military bases around the world. They also conduct law enforcement functions and take on investigations of minor crimes. Military police perform patrol duties, make arrests and enforce military law. Military police are also called upon to serve overseas and in battle situations.
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You Could End Up At A Prep School First
What if a service academy wants you because of your athletic or leadership abilities, but you don’t quite meet the school’s academic standards? An admissions officer might ask you to spend a year at a prep school to strengthen your academic standing and test scores before moving on to the academy itself the following year. You’re not guaranteed a slot at the academy the following year, but the majority of prepsters successfully complete the program, become fully qualified and receive an appointment.
West Point , the Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy run their own preparatory schools. The Coast Guard Academy sends its prep students to either the Naval Academy prep school or to selected private military prep schools. The Merchant Marine Academy only sends its prep students to private military prep schools. Financial assistance is typically offered to offset the costs of attendance at private prep schools or military junior colleges, such as New Mexico Military Institute , and Georgia Military College .
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“If you do get into the prep school, please take it,” Phillips urges younger students. “I was so disappointed when I found out I got prep school, because everyone wants to go to . It was almost like I got second place. But I wouldn’t have changed anything, because there’s no way I would honestly survive if I hadn’t gone to the prep school first. It’s just the perfect way to prep you before you go to .”
Trust Your Recruiter To Guide You

If youre considering joining the Army, your recruiter will be there to support you throughout every step of the process. Recruiters know the Army well, so theyre qualified to help you determine if its the right fit for you. They can help you define your goals, plan for key steps in the process, and guide you in the right direction.
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How To Apply To Usuhs
Next, well discuss applying to USUHS. Since the USUHS application process has some key differences from that of its civilian counterparts, weve provided an overview below of what you need to know to submit a competitive application.
Both military applicants and civilian applicants without prior experience may be considered for admission to USUHS. Approximately 60% of accepted students have no prior history of military service.
In order to be eligible for USUHS admission, you must meet the following requirements:
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Be a U.S. citizen as of November 1st in the year in which you apply
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Be at least 18 but no older than 36 years old as of June 30th in the year in which you matriculate
How hard is it to get into USUHS? Over 3,000 applicants apply each year for around 170 spots, and the USUHS acceptance rate is around 9%. Representation varies by branch, but generally there are 63 Army students, 51 Air Force students, 51 Navy students, and 2 Public Health Service students.
To apply to USUHS, youll need an MCAT score of 496 or higher and a GPA of at least 3.0. However, take note that the average MCAT score of successful applicants is much higher at 511, while the average GPA is 3.7. Academic requirements closely mirror those of other medical schools, and all prerequisites must be completed before June 1st of the year of matriculation.
When Is It Too Late
Part of the enlistment process includes going to the MEPS for a physical and swearing in to the DEP and filling out part of the contract . People who have taken these steps can still get out of the DEP using methods described above.
Eventually a persons time in the DEP ends and the transition to active duty for training begins. On the date when a person is scheduled to report for basic training, they will normally be instructed to return to the MEPS and swear in a second time while they sign the last sheet of the military enlistment contract which states that the person wishes to be discharged from the Delayed Entry/Enlistment Program and enlisted in the Regular Component.
Up until that final point of the second swear in and signing of the last page of the contract, people have been able to get out of the DEP by simply refusing to go. Once a person has sworn in the second time as part of shipping out they may still be able to get out of the military, but it will involve much more time and energy. People who believe they are in this status can contact a GI Rights Counselor at 877 447 4487 to determine what options they have.
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Getting The Scoop On Meps
Officially, MEPS is the Military Entrance Processing Station, but nobody ever calls it that. Everyone calls it MEPS. MEPS is managed by the U.S. Army, but it’s not owned by the Army. It’s owned by the Defense Department and the Department of Homeland Security. MEPS’ job is to ensure that you’re mentally and physically eligible for military service, according to military regulations and federal law.
Other people who work at MEPS aren’t actually a part of the MEPS command. These recruiting personnel are in charge of your actual enlistment process. They work directly for your service’s recruiting command , not for the folks at MEPS. They just share the same building as the MEPS folks, because the process works easier that way.
Military Police Job Description
If you want to get the military police salary, you have to be willing to take charge of the fast-paced career of a military police officer. Just like civilian police, the military police work in all kinds of spheres, from the mundane like traffic management to the more dangerous like anti-terrorism operations.
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Enlistment In The Armed Forces Is A Very Important Decision
Before enlisting, think carefully about what it means to be a soldier for eight years. Every member of the military, from the medic to the mechanic, is trained to fight and to kill, and the ongoing conflicts prove that fighting and killing can begin very suddenly. You may enlist to get job training or money for college, but eventually you may be faced with war. You owe it to yourself to think seriously about when you believe it is justified to kill another person.
Many of the details about enlistment are not well explained to people considering joining the military. Recruits may not understand the specifics of the enlistment agreement, the possibility of recruiter fraud, the limitations of college funding available through the military, and the problems faced by veterans when they leave the armed forces. It is important to learn all you can before you join. Remember that if you enlist, and decide you dont like it, you cannot quit.
Accomplish The Candidate Questionnaire
Since all military academies have their application portal, students are initially asked to fill out a Candidate Questionnaire. This serves as a basic preliminary application to assess whether you reached the qualifications of your institution.
Accordingly, as early as the first month of the year, you can start compiling all the listed requirements and accomplish your questionnaire.
To get to know the institution youre applying for, we also suggest you look for the portals section about service academy features/benefits/considerations.
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Operation Bushmaster: Teaching Leadership
Catch fourth-year USU students in action during Operation Bushmaster.
NARRATOR: In some form or another all graduating medical students and now our graduating advanced practice nurses have performed during Operation Bushmaster.It’s a combination of being an excellent clinician, so they have to know the medical part of this, but they also have to have kind of a more subjective feeling of being able to lead and lead their peers which is a very difficult thing to do sometimes. They all switch out in their leadership roles and so they’re not always in a position where they’re the ones making the big decisions, but they’re always going to be in a support role within the battalion and the platoon.”We got more people.””Help.””We got three.””Please help.””You need to speak up.”USU is the only Medical School in the country that has a department of military and emergency medicine. Bushmaster is the only exercise of its kind, not only within the military medical community, but really within the Department of Defense. Nothing really comes up to this level of complexity in this level of depth of knowledge that we expect out of our students.
What About Basic Training

You may not need to return to basic training if you have prior service. Each branch has its own criteria for what counts as prior service.
The Army, for example, defines prior service personnel as those with 180 days or more on active duty as a member of the Armed Forces, according to Army Regulation 612-201, Initial Military/Prior Service Trainee Support.
Many military branches also consider the time youve spent away from service as a factor.
For example, Air Force prior service recruits must not have a break in service exceeding six years, according to the Air Force website.
Here are the general guidelines for each branch about whether youll need to return to basic training if you qualify as a prior service member:
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Five Military Nurse Salary & Benefits
The salary range of a military nurse ranges from $58,000 on upward. Your salary as a military nurse is based on your education level upon commissioning, your rank, and any special certifications you may hold.
The median annual salary for registered nurses was $77,600 per year or $37.31 per hour as of May 2021, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics . The BLS doesn’t specify salaries but according to ZipRecruiter.com, military nurses earn $72,642 per year or $35.00 per hour.
Unfortunately, because military nurses are on a government pay grade scale – the exact pay of military nurses is not entirely known.
Its A Full Time Job In Music
In addition to a handful of premier bands , there are over 60 additional instrumental ensembles that need staffing.
According to Sergeant 1st Class Bradford Danho, a saxophonist in the Jazz Ambassadors, the official touring big band of the U.S. Army, My job is literally to play the saxophone for a living. We get to play jazz and represent the Army to people all over the country. It truly is a great opportunity! He holds a B.M. in Music Education from the The Hartt School and an M.M. in Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas. In fact, all of the musicians interviewed for this article had equally impressive credentials as well as an interest in pursuing a life in performance.
While the repertoire is not always as varied since many performances revolve around ceremonies of one kind or another, if you want to spend your life playing music, this could be a good option.
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How To Prepare For The Asvab
As with any test, how well you do depends in large part upon how well you prepare. To study effectively for the ASVAB, you really need to begin studying at least two months, if not more, before you plan to take the test.
Here are some basic steps to take:
- Find a comfortable, quiet area to study.
- Gather paper, pens and pencils, a calculator and other tools.
- Make a basic study schedule.
You can start preparing by taking our ASVAB practice tests. Click or tap on the test links at the top of this page.
These tests will give you an idea of how you’ll score and identify areas for improvement.
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As you get ready to take the ASVAB test, you will need to spend time studying. Remember, the higher your ASVAB score, the more job options you have for your military career, including an array of special pay and bonuses.
What’s the best way to study for the ASVAB? Start by taking a practice test to set a baseline score and understand the portions of the test that might be extra challenging for you.
Find a quiet place to study, gather the tools you need and set a study schedule for yourself. You can take ASVAB practice tests on Military.com and learn more about ASVAB study tips.
What Qualifications Are Important To Get Into The Armed Forces
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There are two main routes of entry into the armed services direct from school, university or civilian employment or by promotion from the ranks. Whichever route you take and no matter what branch of the armed forces you are going into, the entry qualifications needed are the same.
All three forces recruit graduates as officer and although a degree in any discipline is general accepted in roles such as operational officer where leadership qualities are more important that degree subject – there are certain branches of the armed services that require a specific degree subject.
Technical officers, for instance, will need a degree in a science or engineering discipline, while officers on the logistics/administration/support side will usually need a business, business with languages or IT-related degree. And it goes without saying that if you are planning on being a doctor or any other medical position you will need a suitable degree that is specific to your chosen field.
There are also age and height restrictions. If youre as tall as Peter Crouch or as small as Jimmy Cranky, for instance, you may need to reconsider your choice of career.
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How To Apply For An Hpsp Scholarship
To apply for and receive an HPSP scholarship, youll need to first select the branch of service you are interested in. Then, youll need to begin gathering the appropriate documents for applying . This can be done with the same materials used to apply to medical school.
Next, youll speak to a recruitment officer. The recruiter will help walk you through the necessary documents as well as specialized portions of the application process, such as the security clearance and medical screening.
Ultimately, your application will be screened by the recruitment board for selection. Selection boards are primarily concerned with academic, medical, and professional potential. They are held twice per month and, on average, 85% of applicants are offered a scholarship. The average successful applicant has a GPA of 3.65 and an MCAT of 507.
Note that, in order to be eligible for HPSP, you must also gain acceptance to an accredited medical school.
The Benefits Of Joining The Military After College
Joining the military as a commissioned officer can offer the best of both worlds for those who want the college experience but who also want to serve their country. The benefits include:
- A guaranteed job after college
- A leadership role at a young age
- Higher pay than joining as an enlisted military member
- Greater opportunities for promotion and training
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