How much of a medical school education with the GI bill cover?
I am not an expert on the GI Bill because I never really had to look into it. The program was not available to me in my day because I was an Army ROTC scholarship student for undergrad (scholarship students back then had to waive their GI Bill rights, but I understand that AROTC scholarship students and SA grads can avail themselves now of the post-911 GI Bill, which hopefully won't change).
In any event, the GI Bill program is an enormous benefit for vets and unlikely to be cut (Congress on both sides of the aisle is loath to cut veteran benefits, but who knows). Here is the link to the website. Check out these numbers!!
https://gibill.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1438/kw/1438 Here's the website for the Yellow Ribbon Program:
http://www.gibill.va.gov/GI_Bill_Info/CH33/YRP/Yellow_ribbon.htm
Let me also just say, though, that money should NOT be the guiding factor when choosing your career path.
First, please understand that the medical profession is NOT just about money. Money will never will make you happy if you don't genuinely enjoy your job. In this respect, you shouldn't let the prospect of a higher salary steer you away from your dreams or into a particular career path. Do you genuinely want to "heal the sick"? Become a physician. Do cases like
Gideon v. Wainright (ensuring that the poor has equal access to the courts) inspire you? Become a lawyer. Do you receive genuine job satisfaction in ensuring freedom in this country and putting tyrants in their place by placing "warheads on foreheads"? Become a career Apache helo pilot or Stealth fighter pilot. Do you want to teach our nation's youth during the most formative period of their lives? Become a teacher. You have only one life to live -- make the most of it.
Second, assuming you are entering the profession for the right reasons, do some calculations and compare the salaries for docs against other professions and you'll conclude that entering the medical profession really can pay for itself over time. Here is some salary info for private-sector docs:
http://www.studentdoc.com/medical-salary-expectations.html. If you factor the added income you will receive from obtaining an advanced degree, you will likely conclude that ANY education will pay for itself over time, despite the seemingly enormous financial hurdles that you THINK you are facing. In that sense, higher education really is FREE (sure, you have to borrow money at first, but you will earn that money back eventually).
The good thing about going on active duty first is that it gives you more time to mature and decide what you REALLY want out of life. So many high school students think they want to be a doctor simply because Daddy is one or because they really like the TV Show "House". Those are often the ones who later find out they are miserable in their chosen career path. Serving on active duty first has the HUGE (albeit unmonetizable) benefit of enabling you to make better-informed decisions. And if you ultimately decide to follow a civilian career path, it also gives you the satisfaction of knowing that you have "done your part" for our country, something you will be proud of your entire life.
This is actually what many of the soldiers I led on active duty have done. After high school, they were privates in the Infantry. Several are now thriving lawyers doing some really great things for people and truly enjoy the law. They appear to be very happy (at least from what I can discern from their regular Facebook updates).
The program that paradoxer mentions above is really great because it enables folks who entered their professions for the right reasons to also pursue their dreams (so many law school grads, for example, want to help the poor but often can't because they become slaves to the "golden handcuffs" that law firms often provide).
In short, if you genuinely want to heal the sick, follow that path regardless of the cost. That does not mean that your question was not a very good one, however. (I guess my post about "follow your dreams" is mainly aimed at the lurkers who are reading this thread and considering their "life after high school" options)
