Mormon Mission in PS? Forum

[Excitedtoapply]

I know that religion is not a good topic for a PS, especially one that people often view in a negtaive light. My reason for wanting to write about this is because I learned Spanish halfway through the two year mission in an 'on-the-job' fashion without the typical language training that most missionaries get.

If I were to stay away from any doctrinal type stuff and only talk about my experiences having to pick up on the language a little each day, would this be acceptable? It is really my best bet at an intriguing narrative.

[jessie]

I think if you're careful it could be a good PS.

Unfortunately, I think there are some people who have a very negative opinion of Mormon missionaries and you don't know who will be looking at your PS. This is not my opinion (I have several Mormon friends from college), but I know a lot of people who relate Mormonism (especially the missionary part) to cults. Their opinion may not be fair, but I think in some places it's fairly widespread.

I would just be very, very, careful about talking about the religious aspects or how that may have motivated you. However, if you focus on your interaction with people (as long as you stay away from mentioning going door-to-door or trying to convert them) and learning the language, you should be okay. Especially if you can relate your experiences to other things you did after you finished your time as a missionary.

[CanadianWolf]

Assuming that you are applying to BYU, it's fine. Religion is not a taboo topic for a law school PS, but, like all other topics, it's how you present it.

[homegrown]

My statement started, "When I got back to school after my mission to Japan, I didn’t have enough money to buy books or pay rent."

I didn't have a great cycle, but got more than a dozen scholarship offers from schools across the nation.

If the focus is on your experience learning under extraordinary circumstances, not the religion, there shouldn't be a problem.

However, hundreds of Rotary Exchange students, among others, go international every year and learn foreign languages without formal schooling. Unless you have some unusual circumstance, focusing on your language acquisition is going to be hard to make stand out.

[Glock]

Missions can be really good material to make a PS from. Make it a story about what motivates you and how you want to help people, etc. Personal growth, etc.

[romothesavior]

Make it about your learning Spanish and not the religious aspects of the mission. As long as the religion isn't the main focus of the PS, I don't think it will hurt.