Doing Army reserve while in a funded PhD program

[Guest Chiper91]

Dear all,
I started my PhD program this fall and I am thinking about joining the Army reserves. While in reserves I will only need to attend one drill session (one weekend) a month and at least two weeks of training in the summer. It can fall anywhere during the year but usually it is during the summer.

I know that grad school allow military leaves for basic training and advanced individual training but what about any subsequent summer drills?

Also,when you take a military leave of absence, will I get your funding back once you return from it or is it permanently taken away?

I would like to research more about this before I ask anyone at my university. I am just afraid they will kick me out prior to joining the Armed Forces if I ask them now. I do not know how universities look upon grad students serving in the military while in a program. I would assume they look at it favorably but you never know.

 

I will appreciate any comments on this.

 

Thank you!

[TakeruK]

The policies vary from school and school and you should check your own school's policies. Sometimes a leave of absence means you get to keep your stipend, but others, it means you will give up the stipend for the time that you are away. Again, it just depends on each school's policies.

Schools might also have a conflict of commitment policy that you will have to adhere to. The commitment you describe sounds like something that would be just fine at my school (at least at the University-level, it might be up to your advisor on whether or not you can take the specific weeks you need to take off). So again, take a look at your school policies.

Also, since you have not yet joined the army reserves, it won't hurt you to talk to someone at your school. Don't go to the department, but go straight to the Graduate School or Graduate Office or equivalent. They set the University-wide policies and might also be able to help you navigate department policies. Tell them about your plan and talk to them about it. In the end, ideally, you would need both the University's and your department's blessing to join the reserves and be able to take the time off you need for the reserves.

[juilletmercredi]

Most policies have exceptions for military service. For example, a quick google search shows that Georgetown does not count military or medical leaves against the limit on semesters on leave, whereas other reasons do. Some exceptions are enforced by law, as there are special legal provisions to prevent discrimination against members of the armed forces. (For example, any conflict of commitment policy would likely not apply to service in the armed forces, since graduate programs legally cannot prevent servicemembers from attending their program and I'm pretty sure they can't prevent current students from joining the Reserves, either.)

Summer drill is active duty time and counts as being called up for active duty. Legally, most programs probably have to grant you a leave of absence and preserve your stipend for you to do your summer drill. But summer training is supposed to only be 2 weeks (it can sometimes be longer than that) so you might not even have to take a leave for that - you may just have to arrange it with your PI that you are gone those two weeks.

Before you ask anyone I'd check out the student handbook and see if there's anything in there mentioning it. Some student handbooks have these policies spelled out.  Legally speaking, you don't need their blessing, although practically speaking it might be a good idea to discuss the impact beforehand. Still, though, I'd be careful about who you approach and how you discuss it. I would not assume that joining the Reserves would be looked at favorably; at best it will be seen neutrally, and at worse some professors may think that you are unserious simply because you are spending time doing anything besides academic work.

[TakeruK]

Legally speaking, you don't need their blessing, although practically speaking it might be a good idea to discuss the impact beforehand.

Just to clarify, this is what I meant by "ideally" above---I did not mean in the legal sense, but in the "everyone is on the same page and cooperates" sense. The rest of juilletmercredi's post is very good if joining the reserves is an important thing for you to do and you are willing to fight your department/school for proper accommodations to do so.

[Sweetpea739703]

A lot of Reserve units allow their members to do their Annual Training at will. For example, if you can only take 5 days off work/school, then you do those days for now. Maybe 4 months later you take 5 more days & so on until you complete the required amount of Annual Training days. It would be something to talk to the unit about or maybe the recruiter will know those details. I've been in the Reserves since 1998 (active duty for 3-yrs before that), and I've never had a problem working my Annual Training around life. 

[artsy16]

There's also a military scholarship if you're in a health profession (includes clinical and counseling psychology). You're a reserve officer during grad school and complete a predoctoral internship at a military site. You're then active duty for 1 year per year you used the scholarship. Scholarship includes full tuition waiver and ~$24,000 yearly stipend plus benefits. 

http://m.goarmy.com/amedd/education/hpsp.m.html

[Tulsa]

I’m considering going the military psych route and applying for the HPSP with the Army, Air Force, or Navy. For those who have gone this route, especially “lifers” who stay military psychologists after their initial 3-year commitment following their APA internship, I’ve got a few questions. Or, if you know someone who has gone this route and can speak for them, please let me know. Thanks!

 

1. Did you apply for internship only at military sites?

2. Did you do your internship at a site different from your initial HPSP branch of service? (for instance, if you received the HPSP scholarship through the Air Force, but ended up at Tripler Army Base)

3. Where have you been stationed thus far during your career?

4. How frequently could a lifer expect to deploy during a 20-year career? Is there large variation for how long/often combat zone deployments take place between the Army, Air Force, and Navy?

5. Were you clinical or counseling PhD, or PsyD?

[Levon3]

My program has a "no other commitments" policy and judging from their reaction when I floated the idea of taking a part-time job, this would be heavily frowned upon. Definitely check with your graduate school, but also keep in mind that your advisor may have strong objections even if there's no written rule.

[Ternwild]

On 3/12/2019 at 9:58 AM, Tulsa said:

I’m considering going the military psych route and applying for the HPSP with the Army, Air Force, or Navy. For those who have gone this route, especially “lifers” who stay military psychologists after their initial 3-year commitment following their APA internship, I’ve got a few questions. Or, if you know someone who has gone this route and can speak for them, please let me know. Thanks!

 

1. Did you apply for internship only at military sites?

2. Did you do your internship at a site different from your initial HPSP branch of service? (for instance, if you received the HPSP scholarship through the Air Force, but ended up at Tripler Army Base)

3. Where have you been stationed thus far during your career?

4. How frequently could a lifer expect to deploy during a 20-year career? Is there large variation for how long/often combat zone deployments take place between the Army, Air Force, and Navy?

5. Were you clinical or counseling PhD, or PsyD?

You should make a new topic for this. 

[rheya19]

On 3/12/2019 at 11:58 AM, Tulsa said:

I’m considering going the military psych route and applying for the HPSP with the Army, Air Force, or Navy. For those who have gone this route, especially “lifers” who stay military psychologists after their initial 3-year commitment following their APA internship, I’ve got a few questions. Or, if you know someone who has gone this route and can speak for them, please let me know. Thanks!

 

1. Did you apply for internship only at military sites?

2. Did you do your internship at a site different from your initial HPSP branch of service? (for instance, if you received the HPSP scholarship through the Air Force, but ended up at Tripler Army Base)

3. Where have you been stationed thus far during your career?

4. How frequently could a lifer expect to deploy during a 20-year career? Is there large variation for how long/often combat zone deployments take place between the Army, Air Force, and Navy?

5. Were you clinical or counseling PhD, or PsyD?

My husband is completing his PhD in clinical psychology this spring, and he's been in the reserves for about 8-9 years. It's really hard. I'm not going to lie to you. He started in the National Guard, but the one-weekends-a-month just killed him. You're not always going to be able to spend a full three day weekend away from class work every month--especially between midterms and finals. That being said, his faculty were incredibly understanding and accommodating, but he ultimately transferred to the Air Force Reserve where (as a chaplain) he gives 21 days a year, which he works with his CO to fit into his schedule (usually 5 days around winter break and the rest in the summer.)

I hope that helps! Let me know if you have any other questions I might be able to answer. I can even pass them along to my husband.

[Ternwild]

On 10/5/2015 at 7:48 PM, Chiper91 said:

I am thinking about joining the Army reserves.

As a former Marine, I have to say: Don't do anything so fucking stupid.  Anyone who is thinking about doing this, deserves a slap in the face.  It is never so simple or cut-and-dry as they make it out to be.  The military is really great at screwing you over.  Anyone who has been in the military is well aware of that.  So, for anyone who might possibly be considering this while doing a PhD (unless they are on a military career track and this is necessary), don't be stupid and fall for the "one weekend a month, two weeks a year for a pay check" B.S.  Finish your PhD and forget the Army/military.  Leave that to people who need the funding to attend college in the future or those who wish to do it for a career.

Edited March 25, 2019 by Ternwild

[lincoln.hawks]

It sounds like you are not prior-service military. I don't recommend adding this kind of commitment to your life right now. The recruiter's version of what the Reserves are is probably very different from the real situation. While there is relatively little utilization of Reserve units now, that was not the case 10 years ago. I knew reservists that were getting called up for deployments (3-6 mo training + 12 months+ overseas) every other year. Also do not expect to easily transition from a deployment back into the PhD world. 

I did 4 yr AD and have worked as a mental health professional serving veterans and AD for a dozen years. The military can be a fulfilling experience - my service most certainly was - but I don't recommend adding this to your plate while you are in a PhD program. It adds too much stress and uncertainty to an already busy life.