I’m a Korean citizen, and I’ve decided that I would like to go back to complete my mandatory 2-year military service (despite being a US citizen which could potentially get me an exemption). A lot of people put college on hold after their sophomore year, do their service, and go back, but I figured that doing it right after HS would be better because then I could just complete college without any interruptions… I wanted to ask you guys what do you think, and how would that be seen by colleges? Especially high-ranked places like Ivies, MIT and Stanford… a good thing? A bad thing?
Thanks!
Colleges frequently like more mature students who have done things like serving in the military, but it will depend on the school.
US colleges are certainly aware that some students have military commitments. Your case would not be seen as unusual at all. It’s neutral for your eventual college admissions chances.