<p>My brother is a plebe right now and because of him, ive honestly grown attached to the academy. Like i love every aspect of it and would love to be apart of it. I have the grades and i would be a competative applicant but i want to do medicine. </p>
<p>I was told that roughly 10 students from each graduating class enter med school. Sadly, this has turned me away from the academy. Even if i was among those 10, like what would i have in store for me. I feel like it would be hard to succeed as a doctor because you really need to get prepared for MCATS and theres just no time for that. You have enough going on. Also if u were to apply for a civilian med school, u wouldnt have nearly as much EC's and experience with medical fields as a civilian applicant.</p>
<p>Maybe im wrong with my impression/info of the medical school-bound midshipmen, but idk, any1 have any info about this??</p>
<p>I'm not sure you are right that "it would be hard to succeed as a doctor..." -- anyone who has gone through the Academy experience and performed high enough academically to qualify for one of the very few medical slots will undoubtedly thrive in whatever his or her chosen field is.</p>
<p>What you need to understand is this: the reason there are very few medical slots available is that the purpose of the Academy is to prepare COMBAT leaders. There is no undergraduate program in biology or other typical pre-med majors: it is primarily an engineering school and even the non-engineering majors (English, political science, etc) must master fundamental physics, calculus and engineering courses.</p>
<p>The very few medical slots available exist for exceptions: students who came to the Academy with the intention of becoming combat leaders but who, for whatever reason, find they belong in the healing arts.</p>
<p>It could be very risky to attend the Academy in the hopes of going on to medical school. The chances of getting one of the med school slots (10 in 1000) are far lower than the chances of getting accepted to medical school after graduating from an equally high standard civilian college.</p>
<p>If you don't get one of the available slots, you MUST continue your military service in your second choice role and will not be well positioned to attend medical school at all until your service requirement is finished (5 years.)</p>
<p>As oiixxg points out, the primary objective of our military academies is to develop military leaders. </p>
<p>A question I suggest you ask yourself is if you think you want to be a military leader. If yes, then USNA is the place to go. Some mids are going to take those 10 spots to medical school, why not you. If military leadership does not appeal to you, then maybe another place suits you better.</p>
<p>Another question to ask yourself is what aspects of the academy experience attract you? Are these aspects available at other colleges or civilian military academies through a NROTC progam? Maybe you can get the "best of both worlds" (academy environment and pre-med program) somewhere else.</p>
<p>Finally, see if you or your local Blue & Gold Officer can identify any USNA graduates who have pursued medical careers and ask them their opinion.</p>
<p>i know i want to be in the military but that is a passion that is equal to the one i feel about medicine, which is why im in this dilemma. </p>
<p>And ya i wrote that wrong before about being hard to succeed as a doctor. What i meant was because the academy is geared more towards engineering, and has no biology, it would be difficult to be as prepared for a career in medicine compared to someone who went to a civilian college. </p>
<p>It doesnt seem that the academy is the right place for me since i want to be a doctor...i will probably go the NROTC route. I spoke with my recruiter yesterday about it all...so thanks for all your advice</p>
<p>Doogie: I understand your dilemna well. My kid was a biology whiz and had to choose between a full NROTC scholarship to one of the most well respected bio-engineering programs in the country and the Academy. It was very difficult and for her the choice was ultimately about career. She made the decision to let go of biology and pursue her "other" dream of combat leadership and aviation. It's different for everyone. NROTC is an excellent opportunity. Good luck to you in pursuing your dreams.</p>
<p>Long time lurker, first time poster. Finally a thread where I bring something to the table. Doogie - not so fast. Don't be discouraged about USNA as a pre-medical option. Most years, around 15 Mids go on to medical school. Don't let the 15 out of 1000 bother you. In most years, only about 15 apply. The reality is that USNA is a great place for a pre-medical education. If you are smart and a good candidate for medical school, the Academy will support you all the way. The reality of the situation is that if you are accepted to an accredited medical school, there is a high degree of likelihood that you will be allowed to service select Medical Corps. Now, here is where the going gets tough. You want to be a Doc, but do you want to be a Navy Doc? The issue is how do you want to spend a good portion of your career? If you go to USNA (or the NROTC) route, you will be a Navy Doc for a good portion of your career (especially if you go to medical school in Bethesda). Some people will tell you that there is an advantage to the NROTC route over USNA. I disagree. The only real benefit I see is that at most universities you will have a much larger choice of biology related classes. Biology is overrated for medical school. Medical school will teach you all the biology necessary. Chemisty is the big differentiator amongst medical students. Fortunately, USNA's chemistry program is one of the best around. The big issue for you should be the military committment. Remember, if you don't want to spend such a large part of your career as a Navy Doc, you can always go to a civilian college and then apply for the Navy's Medical School scholarship program. That is just a one for one committment - 4 years after completion of your residency. One other thing for the members of the Board - military medicine is often very dangerous. This is especially true if you are an Army doc or a Navy doc attached to a Marine unit or working joint operations (i.e. Special Forces). Don't let anyone fool you that just because your service specialty isn't delineated as "combat" it isn't dangerous. Many Surface Warfare Officers don't experience anything more dangerous than the air conditioning going out. If you are a Navy Doc on the ground in Iraq with a Marine unit, you might just get your precious hind shot at on a semi-regular basis. Doogie, I'm not sure who it is anymore, but there is a Chemistry professor who will be assigned as the advisor for any Mid interested in medical school. Contact him or her for the best advice. It would be premature on your part to rule out USNA. Good luck.</p>
<p>Two other things, I have known Mids who don't get into Medical School right away who have reapplied after a year or two in the fleet and been allowed to transfer to Medical Corps. Second, you commented that you wouldn't have as good of exctracurriculars or volunteer medical experience if you went to USNA. This is not true. The pre-medical advisor can set you up with all the volunteer opportunities you may want to pursue in the Annapolis area. This will not be a problem unless you aren't interested in pursuing these type experiences. A final comment, I know lots of Docs who went to civilian universities. I think the pre-medical advising at USNA is exceptional. Because not all that many Mids pursue this route, you can get a great deal of attention.</p>