Rejection Reasons

[MaxAnn]

I was wondering if anyone wouldn't mine listing any reasons they were given as to why they weren't selected for HPSP?

I was told by the Air Force recruiter that I wouldn't be given any reason at all if I wasn't selected, while the Navy recruiter said they would list what they thought needed improvement, if any.

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[SquidsLife]

None of the branches are obligated to tell you why you did not get the scholarship. The selection committee will review all applications and make their comments but these are not forwarded to the recruiter. The recruiter needs to track the progress of the application and personally inquire as to why a certain application was rejected.

I was originally rejected when I applied in 1997 and my recruiter could not get a reason as to why other than "there were a lot of good applicants". Then about a month later he called me saying they rolled over unused money into two new scholarships and I got it. Anyway, my point is the recruiter needs to press the committee as to reasoning for rejection.

 

[blankguy]

How frequently do candidates get rejected?

 

[SquidsLife]

in 1997...a lot

in 2007...very few

 

[MaxAnn]

Why so many in 97? Is it because there were more candidates due to the lack of a war?

 

[eric275]

I was wondering if anyone wouldn't mine listing any reasons they were given as to why they weren't selected for HPSP?

I was told by the Air Force recruiter that I wouldn't be given any reason at all if I wasn't selected, while the Navy recruiter said they would list what they thought needed improvement, if any.

Reasons I know of that can get you rejected are:
1) Your gpa or DAT scores are not competative with the applying pool of applicants
2) They run out of scholarships for your desired service
3) Criminal background/Background check is unsatisfactory
4) Medical issues that would keep you passing the physical

I'm sure there are others but these are the ones that I've heard.

 

[SquidsLife]

Why so many in 97? Is it because there were more candidates due to the lack of a war?

My response was based soley on all "qualified applicants" with competitive scores, GPA's and a clean background check. There were simply more applicants and fewer people leaving the navy back then. Now, due to the war on terrorism (and with it the high potential to deploy) and dental income skyrocketing, dental billets are short across the board. The Navy does recognize the huge problem they're facing and have made strides to increase dental pay significantly through bonus money to increase recruiting and retention.

 

[MaxAnn]

You are right. A commander I spoke to said that the bonuses and pay have went up a great deal in recent years. He himself said that he received a $30,000 grand bonus for an additional three years. Thanks again for the accurate and quick response.

 

[SquidsLife]

He received a multi-year retention bonus. After you are considered career navy (after specialization or further training) you can sign these every 3-4 years. The pay depends on what you do (oral surgery, ACP, etc...)

There's also a new bonus out for 20K for a 2-3 year committment made available to junior officers who have completed their first tour but have not yet advanced to higher training (ACP, Comp residency, etc...). This is on top of usual ASP and VSP bonus' as well as the COLA you can get living overseas. Oral Surgeons have even been given a new bonus of around 50K for signing on with the Navy....it's definately getting better for military dentists!