We are parents who are starting to plan on the above. Our son will soon be drafted into the military for close to 2 years. We do not think there are right or wrong approaches to this but it would be good to hear about how some of you have planned your applications.
Our questions:
Would you advise applying ahead of enlistment and if there are acceptances, would you then seek deferments (on the basis that we are aware of colleges that are open to deferments)? If you did or would advise applying ahead of National Service, would you apply for Early Decisions (ED’s)? Colleges yield the most from ED’s and if an applicant who is headed to national service goes back for deferment requests; would that be entertained? From a lay person’s perspective; possibly not a good move.
OR
Would you advise applying a year into National Service?
Each college has it’s own policies and each college applicant is unique. We are interested in hearing about each of your experiences so that we are able to better decided on what the most appropriate approach may be after weighing up the risks with each approach.
I assume you are looking at U.S. colleges…and that your student is a citizen of Singapore…thus the mandatory military service.
You need to check to see if the colleges even allow deferment of admissions (and especially for international students, if you are one). Some colleges do…and some colleges don’t.
Thanks Thumper1. The colleges that we are thinking of applying to allow for this.
ED’s generally are helpful but in my child’s situation it may not as we are looking at deferring. Based on your experience do you think it’ll be advisable to apply before NS or During NS?
I don’t have personal experience with this. But here is my free food for thought. Your student’s perspective and career ideas could significantly change during that 2 year mandatory military service. Think about that.
Good point. I don’t think two year deferrals are common. Remember, the colleges are building a “class” when they accept your student. Deferring for one year might be possible…but for two? Ask that question.
I still say…two years of mandatory military service could very well change the perspective this kid has in terms of college, what he wants to study, even where he wants to go.
Adding…are you fully funding your kid’s college costs? Or will you be seeking need based or merit aid. If you defer, you will need to apply for need based aid anew. You would need to find out if merit aid awards could be deferred.
It is certainly possible to defer for two years, and some schools that don’t normally allow this will make exceptions for military service (I know I saw this recently on a common data set). Of course you would have to confirm with the individual schools.
As far as I know, there is no difference in requesting to defer if you are ED versus RD.
I think in a lot of ways it is easier to apply as a senior even if you know you are going to defer, because it’s part of the process, you already have your scores, etc. The only thing I could see changing, is perhaps the quality of your essays would improve after a year of military service?
My knowledge is not based on any direct experience, just my own research.
Yes we will be fully funding. So the aid bid etc isn’t part of the equation. Critically right now is to ascertain the balance of when to time applications. Appreciate all your insight and dialogue!
Will Singapore allow deferment while a student is in college? Our son had several Korean friends who finished their national service after college. The main advantage of waiting is that they served as officers, not enlisted.
Does this student also have U.S. citizenship? That might make a difference in terms of deferring.
The only thing I would say is…why ED? Unless he or she has a very clear number one preference for college that he is pretty sure won’t change with a two year deferral.
The perspective of an 18 year old HS student and that of a 20 year old who has done military service could easily be very different. Colleges that look great now might not look great in two years.
I think Thumper1 is absolutely correct that the students goals and perspectives are bound to change in two years of service. However, it is often a lot easier to get timely and thoughtful letters of recommendations done while the kid is still in school. As the saying goes, “Out of sight, out of mind.” Even getting transcripts and test scores may go smoother while you have the attention and focus of the school administration. So I’d say cover your bases. Make sure you check with each college that a two-year deferral is possible. Then take a chance that the college will still be able to fill your students needs in two years. If plans change, you might be out a deposit. In most cases you will not be allowed to apply to other colleges until you notify the first college you won’t be attending. Alternately, your student can attend for a year and apply to transfer in that time. There are risks to this strategy too (credits may or may not transfer or you may be stuck in classes not right for your new major), so research carefully.
This is a tactical issue faced by 100% of male Singaporeans applying to U.S. colleges. Of whom there are a fair number. I bet the OP and her son know plenty of them. They should ask the others what they have done – they will find a lot more sosphistication and experience by doing that than by asking non-Singaporeans on CC to bloviate about whether colleges allow two-year deferments.
The other source of better guidance is the colleges to which the OP’s son plans to apply. The international admissions counselors there should be thoroughly familiar with Singaporean mandatory military service and with the process of applying to American college for young men in Singapore. At my children’s college, there were several dozen Singaporean students; all of the men were post-military. I don’t know what the proper application path was for them, but I bet it was pretty well-worn and that the college admissions office knew exactly what it was.
I would recommend waiting until his second year of military service to apply. He will stand out to the admissions committee and will have ample opportunities to write a unique application essay. The two years of additional maturity and military service will put him in a position to add texture to the student body. Best of luck.