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[shreddy04]

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Members don't see this ad.

 

[LizzyM]

I'd include it as a point of pride! Rather than being a negative, some adcoms may see it as a character-building positive, or, at at the very least, as neutral. It is quite a story, too, and makes us cherish our freedoms in the US.

 

[LizzyM]

It is not an IA or a felony or a misdemeanor and it is not reportable in that section of the application but it might be worth mentioning in the work/activities section when you describe your mission experience, or incorporate it into a secondary about adversity (or diversity, not too many applicants who have been jailed in Russia).

 

[Middle Age DDS]

Here is the cool thing about this. You have control of the narrative. Its not like adcoms can call up Russia and get the skinny on what happened to you. You were there to help people that suffered at the hands of injustice. Because of this you are committed to helping the underserved. Maybe even you would love to focus on the health of political refugees.

Most applicants can just say this. You put your life on the line. Those 3 weeks allowed you to ponder what you wanted to do the rest of your life. I am guessing most admission committee members might like the teaching English story better than trying to convert Russians to your religion etc. I went to school with a ton of guys who served their two years on missions and there were some pretty good stories. Not many approach yours.

Also very timely with the Ukraine conflict as long as it does not escalate to a global conflict.

Addendum: Yes it comes up pretty quick on google. Interesting life experience for sure.

 

[LizzyM]

I've known many adcom members over the years of different ages, religions, races, medical specialties. I can't think of even one who would be critical of an applicant who did three weeks in a Russian jail for teaching English without a license. You'd be the Russian Jail guy which is anything but cookie cutter. Don't disappoint me and leave this off of your application. This is gold.

 

[LindaAccepted]

Red Flag

Hey guys, I am curious to know where my circumstance stands as a red flag.

I lived in Russia for two years as a religious service volunteer, and at the end of my mission, my partner and I were arrested by the local Russian police. They accused us of teaching english illegally without a license. We went to court, and the judge determined that we were guilty. We were held in a Russian detention center for three weeks until we were deported back home to the US. It's a long story but that is what happened in a nut shell. It was not a criminal offense. We were not held in a legit Russian prison thank goodness. But it was categorized an "administrative" violation which called for deportation. We were put in a detention center until we were deported

CONTEXT: Our organization would hold local game night activities for anyone to join. We would play board games such as monopoly and have conversational english. Many Russians came because they wanted to speak with natives, but also many came because they just enjoyed our company. However, the police came one night and accused us of actively conducting english lessons without a license. We had many US and Russian lawyers working with our organization, and they explicitly told us what we could and could not do. Our game night was something allowed and we never were deviant against the law. We were just trying to create a wholesome event at which Russians could come and avoid the streets. We never held any type of formal instruction or taught lessons.

But the authorities interpreted our actives as illegal english lessons despite us merely having small talk in english while we play our games. In my honest open, we did nothing wrong. It was most likely the local government trying to force our religious organization out of the area. However, I just want to be fully transparent on my application and not lie.

What do you guys think? I would like to talk about this as it was very significant experience in my life, and learned a lot about other cultures and the hardship that goes on in the detention center. Also, it MAY NOT show up on a background check (doing a certiphi check right now), but any quick google search of my name willl pull up news articles about it. So schools could find out about it even thought it doesn’t pop up on a background. Should I include this?

Thanks!

Definitely not a red flag at all.

You can (and should IMO) discuss this experience in your application. Be proud that you tried to accomplish something positive, discuss what happened, and what you learned from the experience.

Best,
Linda