Med School opportunities after the USNA

Memphis9489
Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:40:00 +0000

Originally Posted by Memphis9489
I’ll stand by my original statement. I’ll bet a higher percentage of those with “Air” as their first choice got something else as opposed to those who had “Medical Corps” as their first choice who got something else.

I still cannot buy this. Perhaps the 9 of 10 remaining first class year of the 40 who originally wanted it, yes. Pilot billets are normally in the three hundred range and go down into the 800s, from what I understand. With eye surgery, it is almost a guarantee. But as advice for the high school candidate, I see it as 25% or so for Medical Corps and almost 100% for aviation.



No, you’re looking at the OVERALL population of midshipmen. Of course it’s easier to get a pilot slot than a Medical Corps slot. The same can be said about several of the other service selections options, as well.

Instead of looking at the OVERALL population; let’s just look at those first class midshipmen who go into service selection with “Air” as their #1 choice. A certain percentage will get that choice. A certain percentage will not.

Now, let’s look at only the number of first class midshipmen who go into service selection with “Medical Corps” as their #1 choice. I’ll bet a higher percentage get that choice.

By this time, the self elimination process has already played itself out. Nobody is going to put “Medical Corps” as their #1 choice with a 2.9 GPA, as a Political Science major, who has never taken the MCAT’s, or even applied to a medical school. Consequently, those with it as their #1 choice are, in all likelihood, very qualified.

For the most part, on a whim, a midshipmen can put “Air” as their #1 choice and there really are no requirements other than to be physically qualified. And, since there are far more wanting “Air” than slots available, some do not get it. And, from what I hear, during the Class of 10’s selection, class ranking was not strictly honored in this regard.

In my day, class ranking ruled supreme! It was very rare for somebody to get their 2nd choice. In fact, off hand, I don’t know anybody who did not get exactly what they asked for. The only exception is that there were some who wanted to go “Nuke Power” who didn’t get it. But they knew, going in, that their grades were likely to shoot them down. It didn’t come as a surprise to them.

This past service selection, there were some getting “NFO” with a higher class ranking while lower-ranked classmates were doing the endzone dance in the P-way after having got their pilot slot.

When did service selection ever become a spin of the roulette wheel?