It is true that USNA is more "welcoming" of MD-wannabes than they were a few years ago. HOWEVER, not everyone who wants to be an MD out of USNA gets it. And while there may be 20 slots, that doesn't mean all 20 will be filled.
There was a story in the Washington Post a couple of weeks ago about a varsity football player who never played in a single game (scout team only). (BTW, he wasn't complaining about that fact). The point is that he wanted to go to med school -- had taken the MCATs, was applying to med school . . . USNA turned him down. He got his 2nd choice -- subs.
Remember, needs of the Navy come first. Thus, if you won't be happy doing anything but med school right out of "college," find another way to do it b/c you can't count on it out of USNA. Of course, you can do what many grads have done over the years and that is do your 5 yrs in the unrestricted line and then go to med school.
The football player you mention did not get turned by the Academy. Well, yes, they did not allow him to go Medical Corps but that is ONLY because he did not get accepted into medical school. There is not a single instance where a midshipman, seeking to go Medical Corps and got accepted into a medical school, was NOT allowed to go Medical Corps.
These are not competitive slots. In other words, you are not competing against other midshipmen for Medical Corps slots. Historically, the number of slots allotted for Medical Corps are seldom filled and that's primarily because very few pursue that route. Most of those who initially had the desire to go Medical Corps give up along the way.
I talked to Captain Klunder during this past I-Day about this very subject and he described the Medical Corps quota as a "soft number." He said that any midshipman who energetically pursues the Medical Corps and gets accepted into medical school is
not going to be prevented from going that route. If the Academy advertises 25 vacancies and 27 midshipmen get accepted into medical school - they will
all go.
However, the FACT of the matter is that very few ever even get that far. Those who enter the academy with the intent of going Medical Corps drop out of the process because of many reasons ...
1) They find out they do not have the grades. *
2) They do not want to major in something that facilitates going to Medical School (Chemistry)
3) They do not want the extended military obligation that goes along with it.
4) They do not do well on their MCAT's
5) They do not do the "extra" things required to get into medical school (i.e. shadow a doctor during their summer months)
You are only competing with yourself when you make the decision to pursue the Medical Corps. There is no quota standing in your way as in the other service selections (although they advertise one). The academy is not going to arbitrarily deny your selection if you get accepted into medical school in order to fill some
other quota. Basically, if you get accepted into medical school - you are going to be virtually exempt from the trials and tribulations of service selection roulette. And, believe me, it
HAS become a game of roulette.
* Never lose sight of this fact: By definition,
half the class will be ranked in the bottom half of their class. This is a very sobering realization for all these high-achievers. You have to have a very high GPA to be considered a viable contender for medical school acceptance. At the end of your first semester Plebe year, when you get a 2.3 GPA with a "C" in Chemistry - your quest for Medical Corps is essentially over at that point. You have to hit the ground running. And you can't stumble along the way.