<p>Thanks paying3tuitions. Ouch, 3? Im sorry. haha.</p>
<p>If you want to serve with your peers, do it after HS. If you go to college first, you’ll be 22 when you graduate. Half the Israelis your age will be traveling in the Far East or South America… It will be a completely different experience for you.</p>
<p>You should probably ask your teachers and GC to write you rec letters, and keep them in your file till you return (they may forget you otherwise…)</p>
<p>FWIW there was an Israeli - as opposed to Israeli-American - IDF veteran who was rejected by Vanderbilt two years ago. Maybe you could reach him or at least read this thread:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/vanderbilt-university/633671-chance-me-plz-intl-student-israel.html?highlight=israeli[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/vanderbilt-university/633671-chance-me-plz-intl-student-israel.html?highlight=israeli</a></p>
<p>בהצלחה</p>
<p>Back on topic - are you sure that if you are a dual national RESIDING in Israel you are not subject to conscription? If you are not, you may need to consult a US lawyer - IIUC volunteering for a foreign military service could present risks for your US citizenship/national status.</p>
<p>He is residing in the US, so he can be exempt if he wants to.</p>
<p>Dual US/Israeli citizens can serve in IDF. Many do.</p>
<p>then if he wants to serve, my understanding is that it would be better for him to relocate to Israel and be conscripted, if he wants to preserve his US status. But I heard that years ago - he should consult a lawyer, I think. Or at least someone else in the Israeli-american community already familiar with the issues.</p>
<p>He is conscripted as an Israeli citizen regardless of where he lives. (And he he would be a citizen even if he was born here, if his parents are Israelis). If he lives abroad, he can get an exemption. But it is something he must take care of. It is not the default. The default is going to the army.</p>
<p>BBD: Not that I haven’t done the same thing from time to time, but when you go out of your way to answer a question a poster hasn’t asked, it would better if you actually knew what you were talking about rather than peddling inaccurate or poorly remembered folklore. Your sense of the law is about 40 years out of date.</p>
<p>Here (in part) is what the State Department says:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>wow, thanks everyone for the advice!
Yes, I already read a few places that if I serve in Israel I will NOT lose my citizenship. I also was told by one of my friends who is in a similar situation (Israeli moved to U.S. in middle school, now in high school) that if you leave Israel before you are 13 you can exempt service.</p>
<h1>32 thats why I SAID</h1>
<p>" But I heard that years ago - he should consult a lawyer, I think. Or at least someone else in the Israeli-american community already familiar with the issues."</p>
<p>seems like he did the latter.</p>
<p>have a lovely evening :)</p>
<p>It might be a good experience and you will probably come out better prepared for college. Try to get into a good unit. If you have time try to learn another foreign language, preferably, Arabic. This might help you get into some of the coveted intelligence units.</p>
<p>I don’t know what you want to get out of IDF, but try as much as possible to get into some of the better units. </p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Please try to keep Politics aside, I understand that it’s a very weird situation there.</p>
<p>*Moderator note: I am leaving this comment by the OP here as a reminder to keep the thread on topic. However, I have actually deleted the off-topic political posts on this thread as they are a violation of the Terms of Service . *</p>
<p>^^thanks for that adjustment</p>
<p>Numero1,</p>
<p>For what its worth, I vote for IDF, then college.</p>
<p>Regarding the pragmatics of applying to colleges later, my daughter took a gap year after high school, so didnt apply to colleges until this fall. Based on her experiences, I have some (!) suggestions:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>YOU WILL NEED EXTRA TIME for the application process because of your circumstances. It took my daughter two stinking months to finish only three apps. She was so busy that she often couldnt work on them for weeks at a time. For the sake of my mental health, I wish shed started earlier. </p></li>
<li><p>YOU WILL NEED EXTRA TIME because of your distance (miles away and years gone) from your high school. Although my daughters old GC was cooperative, being 2000 miles away and relying on email and voice mail resulted in delays, compounded by living two time zones away. Also, a former student (understandably) is not a priority, compared to needy current students. </p></li>
<li><p>Yes, ask teachers to write rec letters before you leave and ask GC to store hard copies. Smile pretty. Also, ask teachers to keep a soft copy and email a soft copy to GC. Some colleges want letters submitted electronically; some colleges prefer their form be used; some dont even WANT letters (University of Illinois for us). All that said, you might decide to seek letters from different sources three years down the road.</p></li>
<li><p>Before you leave, find out your high schools system for ordering transcripts. My D ordered/paid for most copies online (transmitted to colleges electronically), but she had to order a few hard copies for scholarship apps. </p></li>
<li><p>Also research how to order ACT/SAT/AP scores.</p></li>
<li><p>Talk to your GC and your recommenders about all this before you leave. Be really, really nice. Three years later, be even nicer. And grateful. Another thing: some of these people may not be employed at your school in three years.</p></li>
<li><p>Before you leave, familiarize yourself with the applications policies of the colleges you like. Keep checking back over the years to see what changes. Find out how early the app and essay prompt are released every year; sometimes its as early as the summer. </p></li>
<li><p>Find someone who can be your point man at home perhaps a parent? Ironically, I ended up getting more involved than I would have if my D had been home mostly because of unanticipated communication snafus, but I was also drafted to drop off stamped envelopes, get signatures, etc.</p></li>
<li><p>Depending on your circumstances (mail reliability), you might want to use your Wisconsin address as both your permanent address AND your mailing address - if youre willing to have you parents receive and/or open your mail. </p></li>
<li><p>You might want to contact admissions at Madison to make sure you do what you need to retain Wisconsin residence status. (Probably continuing to be a dependent of your parents is enough.) Also, pay attention to health insurance eligibility. Hopefully, the college exemption won’t change…</p></li>
<li><p>I agree that GCs prefer to recommend that kids defer enrollment, mostly cause its less of a headache for all involved. However, many colleges dont defer; those that do usually allow only one year; youve basically made an agreement (non-binding) to go to a school that grants a deferment; and I believe that post-high school experience, whether it be a gap year or military service, will make you a more interesting and well-rounded applicant.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>^^^^Its me again she of the wordy Mother Hen List above.</p>
<p>I originally opened this thread because, while I know next to nothing about the Israeli military, I had very recently read an article in an old Newsweek about how much better prepared for college Israeli 21 year-olds are, compared to American college students. The theme of the article was that the IDF fostered innovation, teamwork, and a freedom to question your commanding officers.</p>
<p>I just googled newsweek, israeli college students and found it! (Im still SO impressed by the internet )</p>
<p>[Soldiers</a> of Fortune - Newsweek](<a href=“http://www.newsweek.com/2009/11/13/soldiers-of-fortune.html]Soldiers”>Soldiers of Fortune) </p>
<p>(I dont know how to create that handy quote box, but )</p>
<p> in Israel, you get experience, perspective, and maturity at a younger age, because the society jams in so many transformative experiences when its citizens are 18 to 21 years old. By the time they get to college, their heads are in a different place than those of their American counterparts.</p>
<p>Oh my god astonished, thank you so much!!!</p>
<p>Im truly astonished by your answers!</p>
<p>You’re welcome. Having just gone through this…er…ordeal, it was fresh in my mind.</p>
<p>If you decide to go IDF before college, ensure that you focus on your training; things could heat up over there in a hearbeat…</p>
<p>As pointed out by others, three years is a long time. You will change in many ways, you will mature due to being 3 years older and being in the Army will change your perspective.</p>
<p>If you have decided that is what you want to do, keep college at the back of your mind but start planning about a hear and half or two years from now. There is no point in planning for three years from now. Colleges are not going to spend time on a student who wants three year leave of absence.</p>
<p>If you are going for one year, yes you need to think of it now before you get immersed in being in a military unit.</p>
<p>So, if you have decided to join for three years, any conversation on colleges is premature.</p>
<p>You should go serve now. This is when you are needed. The next three years could prove decisive and historically significant, given the critical terrain of Gaza and the current instability in Cairo. Do your duty - and you will have much to write about in your college essays and personal journals for the rest of your days. Wisconcin will be lucky to have you on their campus.</p>