Air force or PT school first?

Graduate School
1

<p>I'm a kinesiology major and an undergrad sophomore. I'm interested in enrolling into AFROTC to gain experience, knowledge, and the benefits of the air force but do not plan to make military my life. In the long run, is it better for me to go straight into grad school after undergrad or should I enroll in AFROTC, serve 4 years as an officer after I graduate, then apply to schools?</p>

<p>I'm on the fence, my gpa is 3.28 but plan on raising it and mainting a higher gpa. Plus I think the air force would help me pay back my student loans and maybe for grad school.</p>

2

<p>If you go to the AF first, then you will get the Post 9/11 GI Bill, which will help you pay for grad school. Most DPT programs are 3 years and the GI Bill will last you 3 years - that’s $17,500 towards tuition plus a housing stipend, which is great because DPT programs are expensive! You also may be able to get tuition assistance while you are in the AF to take some classes part-time that you may be able to transfer into your physical therapy program. </p>

<p>And who knows - you may get some AF experience that will make you more competitive for PT schools. 4 years is a very short time.</p>

<p>The Air Force also has a Health Professions Scholarship Program that will pay your tuition and give you a monthly stipend in return for 3-4 years of service in your allied health field. They are kind of vague about what professions qualify, though, so I’m not sure if PT does.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.airforce.com/pdf/hpsp_scholarship.pdf[/url]”>http://www.airforce.com/pdf/hpsp_scholarship.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>They also have loan repayment programs, so even if you went in after you got your DPT you may be able to get your loans repaid.</p>

<p>So either way there will be money for school, you just have to figure out which way will give you maximum benefit. But if you are asking if it is okay to delay your DPT by 4 years while you serve, then the answer is certainly.</p>

3

<p>Awesome thank you, very informative. What I’m asking is which path is the most beneficial in the long run. Straight away it seems like the air force path is more beneficial because it would pay for my school, I gain experience, discipline, and it’s excellent benefits; but someone said to me it’s better for me to go to grad school after undergrad and to pay back my loans through my earnings but I don’t know why that path would be better</p>

4

<p>The only word of caution I would have is do not join the Air Force just for benefits. Do it because you WANT to be in the Air Force. AFROTC produces officers. If you don’t want to be a leader in the AF, don’t do it.</p>

5

<p>I do want to be a leader lol, but want an efficient path overall</p>

6

<p>Just make sure that you get all agreements with the AF in writing. Last year, lots of kids had AFROTC problems because of budget issues.</p>

7

<p>Will do, thanks. Can anyone inform me about the pros and cons of going to PT/grad school right after undergrad?</p>

8

<p>There are no pros and cons of going to PT school right after graduation, if you can spend 7 years in college/university to obtain enough qualification to practice as a PT. If you are hesitant then you can surely go for a physical therapy assistant course and later obtain masters degree after spending few years an clinic as a PTA.You can get more details about these professions
<a rel=“nofollow” href=“http://thephysicaltherapistassistant.com/difference-between-physical-therapist-physical-therapist-assistant-and-physical-therapist-aide/” target=“_blank”>here</a></p>