has missed the January 15 deadline for admission to the
University of Missouri Medical School, Class of 2006.
John Walker, the 20-year-old American now being held by US special forces in
Afghanistan, has missed the January 15 deadline for admission to the
University of Missouri Medical School, Class of 2006.
ìThe deadline is absolute,î admissions coordinator Judy Nolke said. ìWe understand itís been a difficult year, what with the problems at AMCAS, converting to the new electronic system. Nevertheless, Johnís had the same opportunity as our other applicants, and whatever the cause of his lateness, heíll just have to wait another year.î
Such news, when and if it arrives to Walker at his currently undisclosed location, could come as a major disappointment to the self-proclaimed ìjihadiî who, six months ago, joined the Taliban to fight the infidel and build a pure Islamic state in Afghanistan.
ìHeís a very spiritual person,î family friend Bill Jones said of Walker. ìHe wanted to do good in the world and he was talking about coming back to America to go to medical school so he could go back to these countries to help people.î
Such aspirations, while noble, may not have made Walker an ideal fit for the University of Missouri, according to Medical School Dean William Crist.
ìAs a state-funded school,î Crist said, ìour primary focus is meeting the health care needs of Missourians. It makes little sense for us to produce doctors for big cities like St. Louis, Peshawar or Jalalabad when rural areas like Poplar Bluff and Moberly remain underserved.î
Another concern regarding Walkerís application to the University was his residency status.
ìJohn is a difficult case,î financial aid coordinator Conway Jones said. ìHe was born in Washington DC, grew up in Maryland, moved with his family in 1991 to northern California, then attended school in Yemen and Pakistan. So he likely would be considered out of state, at least for his M1 year.
ìHowever,î Jones continued, ìI talked to John about his options. There are the subsidized loansóthe Federal Perkins and Federal Ford Direct Student Loansówhat I call the good loans. Then there is the unsubsidized Federal Ford Direct Student Loanówhat I call the good/bad loan, although right now, itís more good than bad, with this yearís interest rate at just 5.39%.î
One further problem, regarding Walkerís AMCAS application, was his failure to follow instructions for obtaining faculty letters of recommendation.
ìThe rules are very clear,î admissions advisor Debbie Myers said. ìWe request a minimum of three letters from professors, one of whom must be in a science field. Now John had excellent references from three different Mullahs at his institution, and a glowing recommendation from an Egyptian surgeon.
ìUnfortunately, none of these Mullahs taught in the ëhard sciencesí of biology, physics or chemistry and the surgeon, we were informed, had abandoned his practice and fled the country after serving a three year prison sentence for conspiring to assassinate Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. So no, Johnís recommendations were not sufficient. î
Nevertheless, some on the admissions committee felt that Johnís background would have made him a valuable addition to next yearís class.
ìThis kid was really unique,î Robert McCallum, assistant dean for student affairs, said. ìWe have so many science majors apply that itís really a breath of fresh air to see someone from the liberal arts. As a religious studies major, John would have brought a different perspective to the table, a more open-minded approach to dealing with people and ideas.î
In his personal statement, Walker discussed his decision to spend three years studying abroad.
ìI began at San ëa in Yemen with study of Arabic to cleanse my mouth and mind of the excrement speech of the Crusaders. The school there was not so strict, so I transferred to the madrasah in Bannu, in the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan. There I memorized the Koran and prepared for Jihad.
ìI read of the Taliban, and my heart was struck, but when I went to join them in Kabul I could not speak the language and so was reassigned to an Arabic speaking al Qaeda camp. There I learned to shoot a Kalashnikov and, soon after, answered the call to Jihad and fought the Indians in Kashmir.î
Since then, Walker has fought briefly with the Taliban in Afghanistan, been captured and imprisoned in a mud-walled fortress near Mazar-e-Sharif, participated in a prison revolt, hidden in the prisonís basement for seven days without food, and surrendered to northern alliance troops who filled the basement with burning oil and flooded it with cold water.
ìEveryone thinks theyíre busier than everyone else,î Nolke said. ìWe have applicants who are full-time students with a job, wife and kids. They manage it. If John canít get his act together to submit a one page supplemental application and $50 fee, then maybe heís not mature enough for medical school.î
Nolke, however, did say that if Walkerís application arrived soon, with a postmark before January 15, it might still be considered.
ìI understand that mail can sometimes be two weeks in transit from there. Plus, you have to take into account the airport being closed in Kandahar, and then the roads being littered with unexploded cluster bombs and the risky passage through much of the country with fleeing Taliban and al Qaeda forcers, not to mention tribal warlords, laying in wait to rob or murder unsuspecting travelers. Anyhow, John should have taken this all into account and applied early admission.î
While Walker may have missed his chance at the MU class of 2006, his dream of becoming a doctor will live on, according to his father Frank Lindh.
ìWe knew there might be complications, what with this prisoner of war thing and the possible treason charges and all that,î Lindh said. ìThatís why John applied to a number of schools, both state and private. He really liked the PBL curriculum, so heíll be disappointed as heck to miss out on Missouri.
Walkerís last resort may be to apply at a Caribbean locale, his father said.
In fact, according to U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jim Cassella, chances are good that Walker will soon be enrolled in Guantanemo Bay, Cuba, perhaps even before Missouriís March 15 notification date.