For LDS applicants that served a mission...

[ryandote]

How did you deal with your mission in PS or work/activities?

I know we were all supposed to do 4 hours community service each week, I volunteered at a YMCA for four months straight, and then at a Hospital Surgical Waiting area for six months. I thinking about listing my mission, YMCA, and Hospital service as separate activities.....any opinions?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[docbens]

What ever you do dont try and pass it off for something that it wasn't. There have been a lot of mormon applicants in the past, and I sure that the adcom's know that a missions primary purpose is to proselyte, so don't say that it was two years of humanitarian aid or something like that. As far as listing them seperatly, I think that is fine, the things that you learned as a missionary could be very different from those learned in the hospital ot YMCA.

 

[ryandote]

What ever you do dont try and pass it off for something that it wasn't. There have been a lot of mormon applicants in the past, and I sure that the adcom's know that a missions primary purpose is to proselyte, so don't say that it was two years of humanitarian aid or something like that. As far as listing them seperatly, I think that is fine, the things that you learned as a missionary could be very different from those learned in the hospital ot YMCA.

Thanks for the reminder. I've got a buddy that made that mistake. I don't think he was malicious about it, but with something this important, you'd think he'd take the time to be honest. He was rejected from the University of Utah pre-secondary because he called his mission to the phillipines a "humanitarian/service" mission. Mormons know it isn't, and anybody who's been proselyted by mormons knows it isn't, too.

That said, I'm leaning towards listing them separately because they were very different experiences for me. We spent alot of time with people who very loudly had absolutely no interest in the church, but very much enjoyed our company and sincerely appreciated our consistent, dependable service.

Anyway, thanks....

Any other opinions?

 

[docbens]

Was he rejected for putting it the service catagory, or in the essay portion did he try and pass it off as a humanitarian mission?

 

[NonTradMed]

I'm confused. My catholic friends who've done community service through the church list it as such....the missions that the LDS sent people on aren't really humanitarian based? I just figured they were kind of like catholic missions and since the catholic church policy states that prostylzing has to be kept separate from the humanitarian aspect, one can honestly say that the mission was humanitarian in nature first and foremost. Am I missing something?

 

[DropkickMurphy]

How about just not bringing it up? I mean if it's not directly involving your application preparations, why would you even bring it up?

 

[docbens]

An LDS mission's main focus is to teach people about Jesus Christ. All along the way the missionaries provide acts of service. However, if someone stated that their mission was humanitarian in nature, that would be misrepresenting what the mission was. Yes, you might have done some humanitrian work, but you were there to teach people.

 

[docbens]

How about just not bringing it up? I mean if it's not directly involving your application preparations, why would you even bring it up?

I think that the OP found that the things he expereinced were instrumental in his personal growth and developent. He also said that he spent time at a hospital, which could have been the reason that he decided to practice medicine in the first place. But I am just speculating here, he would have to chime in.

 

[ryandote]

Was he rejected for putting it the service catagory, or in the essay portion did he try and pass it off as a humanitarian mission?

Both, a few former mission presidents are on the adcom and apparently go ballistic over that. I am working up at the U this summer and have stopped by the adcom office a few times and the lady has not recognized me each time and has warned me about that each time. Pretty serious about it.

 

[NonTradMed]

An LDS mission's main focus is to teach people about Jesus Christ. All along the way the missionaries provide acts of service. However, if someone stated that their mission was humanitarian in nature, that would be misrepresenting what the mission was. Yes, you might have done some humanitrian work, but you were there to teach people.

Uh, well, I guess it would be misleading to say it's humanitarian. However, perhaps saying that the mission was helpful in learning about interacting with people of different cultures etc may be ok.

 

[ryandote]

How about just not bringing it up? I mean if it's not directly involving your application preparations, why would you even bring it up?

Both the proselytyzing part of the mission and the weekly community service have been pretty important parts of my preparation. In a word, complete and daily dedication to something that is very important to me taught me very elegantly how to focus on goals. I had the opportunity to instruct, direct, and supervise approximately 150 of my peers and it was a great leadership opportunity. Finally, if you can look at it from a christian point of view, the entire reason for preaching the gospel is a true concern for other people. Emotional, spiritual, and often physical health of other people completely preoccupied my thoughts and time. I imagine it's kind of hard to understand unless you've been there, but to leave it out as something that has contributed to my growth as a person and potential physician would be a serious mistake.

Additionally, we worked as regular community volunteers just like you would each week.

 

[ryandote]

Uh, well, I guess it would be misleading to say it's humanitarian. However, perhaps saying that the mission was helpful in learning about interacting with people of different cultures etc may be ok.

that's really hitting the nail on the head. Personally, I was in Philadelphia, so I wasn't building AIDS clinics or tending crops. However, I spent alot of time in the inner city with seriously underprivilged people. I think my last post kind of explained my position, but those two years were COMPLETELY about human interaction, understanding others' points of view, finding common ground, etc. Even all the spiritual aspects aside, it was an amazing growing time for me as a person.

 

[ryandote]

I think that the OP found that the things he expereinced were instrumental in his personal growth and developent. He also said that he spent time at a hospital, which could have been the reason that he decided to practice medicine in the first place. But I am just speculating here, he would have to chime in.

I've always leaned toward medicine/biological science, and I wouldn't point to that hospital service as a real eureka moment in me deciding to be a physician. However, it brought me extremely close to some people's worry and pain. We did most of our service in the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital surgical family waiting area. We talked with people who were waiting for relatives and friends in surgery, and it was sometimes pretty intense for those people. I've had both parents go through some major surgeries ( ovarian cyst removal, hip replacement, open-heart ) and I don't know if I lack emotions or what, but some of the people that we visited with were completely shell-shocked. The worst were those that came in after getting a phone call from the hospital or police department about an accident and emergency surgery. Understandably, they were almost always in a wreck. It really opened my eyes to the emotional component of medicine, and how a good physician is so much more than someone who just fixes your body.

 

[docbens]

that's really hitting the nail on the head. Personally, I was in Philadelphia, so I wasn't building AIDS clinics or tending crops. However, I spent alot of time in the inner city with seriously underprivilged people. I think my last post kind of explained my position, but those two years were COMPLETELY about human interaction, understanding others' points of view, finding common ground, etc. Even all the spiritual aspects aside, it was an amazing growing time for me as a person.

Same for me, but it was in Hong Kong. I talked with my pre-med advisor about this same sort of stuff too, and he said just be straight about it, and that was I tried to do. It was really hard to write the essays because the mission encompasses so many different possible learning situations. By the way where are you going to school, and good luck with the application.

 

[Zut Alors]

Having just finished applying, a mission is a very good thing to include in your application. Every school but Utah asked lots of questions about it during my interview. But like others have said-don't make it out to be something that it wasn't. On my AMCAS, I listed my missionary service under just one heading and basically said that the majority of my time was spent proselytizing but that I also served for 4-8 hours a week with the Red Cross, local food banks, etc. In my PS I described briefly how much I grew as a person during my mission but in no way did it constitute the basis of my PS. My mission really didn't play any role in me choosing medicine as a career (besides the fact that I learned that I love people) so I didn't want to make it seem like my mission constituted my entire application. Like my pre-med advisor said, you better have done something since your mission if you hope to be considered.

That being said, I am going to a school which in their acceptance letter said that the committee was impressed with my mission service. It was great to hear them say that especially since it is something that I value so much. Don't expect to get that kind of feedback from Utah. Serving a mission does nothing for your application there.

 

[ryandote]

In fact, I've heard that it is almost detrimental. Interestingly, I've heard that if you talk about it too much at Utah you are shooting yourself in the foot. However, I've also heard stories about lds guys at interviews who kind of gloss over their mission because they don't want to look like religious zealots, and the adcoms have actually been disappointed because they had heard from so many other lds applicants what a big deal it was.

Having just finished applying, a mission is a very good thing to include in your application. Every school but Utah asked lots of questions about it during my interview. But like others have said-don't make it out to be something that it wasn't. On my AMCAS, I listed my missionary service under just one heading and basically said that the majority of my time was spent proselytizing but that I also served for 4-8 hours a week with the Red Cross, local food banks, etc. In my PS I described briefly how much I grew as a person during my mission but in no way did it constitute the basis of my PS. My mission really didn't play any role in me choosing medicine as a career (besides the fact that I learned that I love people) so I didn't want to make it seem like my mission constituted my entire application. Like my pre-med advisor said, you better have done something since your mission if you hope to be considered.

That being said, I am going to a school which in their acceptance letter said that the committee was impressed with my mission service. It was great to hear them say that especially since it is something that I value so much. Don't expect to get that kind of feedback from Utah. Serving a mission does nothing for your application there.

 

[ryandote]

Same for me, but it was in Hong Kong. I talked with my pre-med advisor about this same sort of stuff too, and he said just be straight about it, and that was I tried to do. It was really hard to write the essays because the mission encompasses so many different possible learning situations. By the way where are you going to school, and good luck with the application.

I'm doing some summer research at the U, but I will graduate from BYU in december. I'm hoping to get accepted to the U because I could probably make it out without any debt. I've also had an incredible experience thus far this summer, really enjoyed everyone and the environment. Served a mission in philly, and my wife is from Atlanta, though, so we would love a few other places as well.

 

[Zut Alors]

In fact, I've heard that it is almost detrimental. Interestingly, I've heard that if you talk about it too much at Utah you are shooting yourself in the foot. However, I've also heard stories about lds guys at interviews who kind of gloss over their mission because they don't want to look like religious zealots, and the adcoms have actually been disappointed because they had heard from so many other lds applicants what a big deal it was.

I think this is very accurate. I was pleasantly surprised by how interested my interviewers were in my mission. However, if you step back and think about it, it is understandable. How many applicants took two years of their lives for any cause? It shows a remarkable amount of dedication. It also helps that many schools have had former missionaries and have found them to be of the upmost quality.

I would give the same advice- your mission will probably be a big deal at every school except Utah. Don't downplay it because you took two years of your life to do it. It should be a big deal.

 

[LittleriRich]

How did you deal with your mission in PS or work/activities?

I know we were all supposed to do 4 hours community service each week, I volunteered at a YMCA for four months straight, and then at a Hospital Surgical Waiting area for six months. I thinking about listing my mission, YMCA, and Hospital service as separate activities.....any opinions?

I would lis them spereately, I know people have already said that, but this is what I would do. Unfortunately in my mission we didn't do the 4 hours of service a week.

 

[LizzyM]

You certainly need to mention something, otherwise, it looks like a two year hiatus from school for ... That sort of gap has to be explained at a 2 year LDS mission (I almost wrote LSD mission which is exactly the sort of thing you don't want the adcom to think you were doing on your 2 years off from college).

I have interviewed one person who had done a LDS mission and I did ask a lot of questions because I have seen missionaries here and abroad but I have never had a conversation with one and didn't know much about how they are prepared, how it is determined where they will go, etc and I was genuinely curious. It really didn't have anything to do with the applicants suitability for med school admission but was an opportunity for a pleasant chat (and being a pleasant, relaxed conversationalist counts for a lot in the interview).

I'd list the community service separate from the mission work but don't claim 168 hours of mission per week (only the number of hours you were engaged in the religious work) and separately the number of hours per week you were engaged in the community service.

Catholic mission projects are often less about evangelization (converting people to Catholicism) and more about provision of education/tutoring, health care, social services. The work of caring for others is supposed to be an example to others of how a Catholic Christian lives the Gospel. If this draws others to the same way of life, okay, but the emphasis is not on making converts. It is different from the LDS model, if I understand it correctly.

 

[ryandote]

Catholic mission projects are often less about evangelization (converting people to Catholicism) and more about provision of education/tutoring, health care, social services. The work of caring for others is supposed to be an example to others of how a Catholic Christian lives the Gospel. If this draws others to the same way of life, okay, but the emphasis is not on making converts. It is different from the LDS model, if I understand it correctly.

Yep. To say that the main purpose of an LDS mission was anything but trying to convert people would not be true. The idea behind the service has a few origins, one exactly similar to Catholic mission projects you described. Additionally, though, it is a good way to be seen in the community.

 

[eerapido]

How about just not bringing it up? I mean if it's not directly involving your application preparations, why would you even bring it up?

Two years in the middle of your college career is important to bring up.

At least if I was on the admissions committee.