Given my goal of becoming an Army surgeon, should I stay at VMI or go elsewhere to try to get a higher GPA so I can pursue HPSP?

I was ROTC at Vanderbilt and ended up with an HPSP scholarship to attend medical school, so it’s possible. This was a number of years ago, but I found my ROTC cadre to be supportive of my goals. That said, understand that most of an ROTC cadre probably doesn’t have a significant understanding of what is required of someone going into the medical field, so it’s your job to communicate that to them. Suggest a course of action that helps you, but doesn’t appear to minimize their efforts to train you. A lot of docs in the military are seen as “not real officers” because we tend to come across as self-important and non-conforming/compliant. Don’t be that guy and it will help you tremendously with your non-medical peers.

Also, while you are interested in gen surgery now, take it one step at a time. Residency programs aren’t going to care much how you did in college. They will care about your performance and ranking in medical school. So go step by step and focus now on acceptance to medical school and on your specialty once you get there. A lot of people change their mind along the way.

Graduating from VMI is worthy on your resume and commissioning as well goes a long way. I suggest you stay and make it all happen. The road to being an Army surgeon is long hours and so much studying. Being at VMI will help you develop habits that will help you succeed in medicine. The sooner you embrace the suck the sooner it will become norm when you show to the hospital at 0430, work till 2200 and have to do that for 5-6years in residency. A surgical residency is one of the toughest residencies and I believe you are in a good place to make that happen.

I would talk to your PMS about the strain and about your considerations. Maybe they can find a common ground so that you can stay. Going elsewhere might be risky and/or waste time...