Deferring Medical School Admission for Foreign Military Service

[peutetre]

Hey all,

I know that medical schools have different policies regarding deferral of admission. That being said, do you think medical schools would grant a 2-year deferral for compulsory service in the IDF?

Thanks!

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[gravitywave]

i think you're going about this the wrong way. all things being equal, you should be much better off applying once your service commitment is over. It makes for a pretty unique "EC," i'd imagine. no one's application gets stale in two years, provided you are being constructive with your time.

only issue might be MCAT expiration. if you've already taken it, it will be too old for some schools by the time you are done with service.

 

[osumc2014]

Hey all,

I know that medical schools have different policies regarding deferral of admission. That being said, do you think medical schools would grant a 2-year deferral for compulsory service in the IDF?

Thanks!

are u already admitted? One year is easy to do, but 2 I am not sure is so simple.

 

[Catalystik]

Are you asking about US med schools or Israeli med schools?

 

[mspeedwagon]

Most countries allow you to defer military service if you are outside of the country (I've deferred with no intention on returning to my technical homeland [technical since I've never been, but hold a passport]).

You are NOT going to get a 2-year deferral from any U.S. medical school.

 

[peutetre]

I'm applying in the 2011 cycle, and am talking about US Medical schools (I am a US citizen).

 

[RogueUnicorn]

I'm applying in the 2011 cycle, and am talking about US Medical schools (I am a US citizen).

i think technically as a us citizen you're supposed to renounce all other allegiances.

 

[the duck]

i think technically as a us citizen you're supposed to renounce all other allegiances.

Technically yes, but I hold valid passports from both the US and Canada, its just Canada recognizes dual citizenship, but America doesn't ( crossing the boarder always gets confusing, to trying to figure out who I'm talking to)

OP: I guess I slightly confused about something, Israel's mandatory service is carried out before people go to undergrad, how is it that you got out of mandatory service then, but can't do it now? This makes me think its not really mandatory.(also if your a guy, its 3 years, not 2.) Are you thinking about the Mahal program, for nonIsrael nationals? Either way, have you considered waiting until after medical school to join the IDF? They are pretty short of EM docs at the moment ( Or so I hear).

 

[phltz]

Hey all,

I know that medical schools have different policies regarding deferral of admission. That being said, do you think medical schools would grant a 2-year deferral for compulsory service in the IDF?

Thanks!

The position that med schools take is that you should apply for the year that you are ready to start. They will typically grant deferrals only for events that are unforseeable (such as a catastrophic illness) or at least unpredictable (perhaps the award of a prestigious and highly competitive fellowship, such as the Fulbright). Basically, you need to be able to go to them and say, "I was planning on attending your medical school, but this unexpected thing happened and now I want to put it off until next year." Then you've got a shot.

What they don't like is when students apply knowing full well that they have no intention of attending for that year. If you go to them and say, "I was kidding, I don't really want to start this year, I was just jerking you around and wasting your time. Can I put it off until next year," they're likely to tell you to get lost.

So, basically, the question is this: Will you be applying to medical school with the genuine intent of starting med school when accepted? Is there some way in which your IDF service will be unexpected? How will you explain to them that this caught you by surprise?