I thought this too, but OP didn't say if he mentioned the idea of being a sharpshooter in the Isreali Army in the JR1. If he did, that might be it.bernaldiaz wrote: Idk, I think if an adcomm saw that American citizen went and volunteered in the Israeli army for two years might be weary to admit that person. That's a pretty charged issue and maybe they don't want to admit someone who think might be controversial on campus. I was under the belief that you wanted to avoid politicizing your application (stuff like writing a PS about how you want to be a lawyer so you can fight abortion legislation). I feel like joining the Israeli army would be like writing an anti-abortion PS but multiplied many times in intensity, since you actually went and committed your life to it for two years.
That was my first thought anyways. I'm thinking that since no one else said anything to this regard that I am totally wrong.
Is it possible that OP is a yield protect? Does the fact he left the US and joined another country's army make it seem like he might not enroll? He mentioned that he was planning to defer for two years if he got accepted. Not sure if that came up in the interview. I agree that something is wrong with his application and maybe we don't know everything.
I was even considering whether fighting for another country might be a C&F issue in the US. I know vaguely that there are rules about Isreal and dual citizenship, but volunteering to fight in another country's army is a very drastic step. You have to promise to uphold the laws of the state and the US when you are sworn in as an attorney, I don't know how this works with US citizens who go into the Isreali military. It might be different if OP was born in Isreal and has a military obligation to fulfill, but he said he volunteered. I do see this possibly being an issue. (Don't yell at me if I'm wrong, I honestly don't know)
