Hello all. 

Broadly: Is it possible to attend a medical school or law school while serving as a traditional guardsman/reservist? 

Specifically: My areas of concern are in the ability to plan ahead for TDY or deployment. For example, if taking a semester of classes, would I have to drop out mid semester because some type of training or deployment comes up? Or would I be able to expect a 3-4 month notice so that I won’t enroll in certain classes in the affected semester. 

Also, would the law/med program be willing to let a guard/reservist miss numerous semesters because of duty?

ABSTRACT: Would being a pilot in the reserves make an applicant to law/med more competitive? Would it even make up for a poor MCAT or LSAT at top programs?

Best,

Edited April 24, 20196 yr by WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot

There is a podcast called "Professionals Playbook" on iTunes and the host (current F-35 pilot) interviews someone who did exactly this. I believe he went through Medical School while being a ANG F-16 pilot. He had to take a pause when we was deployed during residency or something but said he was able to spend time with the deployed trauma units and learned a lot from that experience. 

34 minutes ago, Vimix22 said:

There is a podcast called "Professionals Playbook" on iTunes and the host (current F-35 pilot) interviews someone who did exactly this. I believe he went through Medical School while being a ANG F-16 pilot. He had to take a pause when we was deployed during residency or something but said he was able to spend time with the deployed trauma units and learned a lot from that experience. 

Exactly the type of referral I was looking for. I’ll give it a listen. Thanks 🙏. 

Edited April 24, 20196 yr by WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot

I met a guard fighter guy getting an MBA full time at a top tier B school and guest flying with another guard unit close by his school. Obviously that’s a shorter time commitment than Law/Med school tho. I can’t imagine doing either of those while being a guard pilot. Sounds like a lot of work. 

Any decent law school won't care that you're in the military, 99% of admission is based on GPA and LSAT. You might have luck with certain schools that offer four year, part time / night classes, as they're more likely to be flexible for you. Top tier schools aren't going to care that you had to deploy, Contracts is only offered in the spring, good day sir. 

A friend from the B-Course, who is an airline pilot/F-16 pilot, just finished law school.  We've had a few guys in my squadron complete MBAs from Booth and Kellogg while part-timers.  Anything is possible with a little sacrifice and flexible leadership.  

7 hours ago, Vimix22 said:

There is a podcast called "Professionals Playbook" on iTunes and the host (current F-35 pilot) interviews someone who did exactly this. I believe he went through Medical School while being a ANG F-16 pilot. He had to take a pause when we was deployed during residency or something but said he was able to spend time with the deployed trauma units and learned a lot from that experience. 

This looks great. Are there any other similar podcasts made by military pilots?

Have a friend who did same- Delta/Guard fighter pilot plus law school.  He would lock himself in his room and study while on alert.  Plus, his wife was going to med school at same time.  I'm doing a 2nd Bachelor's in EE right now while running my business and working nightshift (not a mil flyer) at Guard on temp orders.  It can be done. My unit thankfully is letting me skip out on an upcoming deployment so I can stay enrolled full-time.  YMMV, but I've also been with my unit 14 years and have taken my share of crappy TDYs to help out in the past.  Plus, I have a very understanding wife and kids.  Good luck!

Be sure to check the benefits of your state if you plan on using them in school. There are also new rules for the GI Bill. Other than that, serious kudos if you can pull it off. 

On 4/24/2019 at 7:00 AM, ZR-1 said:

This looks great. Are there any other similar podcasts made by military pilots?

"FighterPilotPodcast"- on YouTube. One of the gentlemen who runs it is former navy Top Gun f-18/f-16 pilot. Focusing on topics like specific air frame, TPS, etc. Recently had an astronaut. 

WTF,

Edited May 14, 20196 yr by WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot