I'm not an expert, but I'd have to think that if your essays or resume mention that you've been serving in Afghanistan during the admissions period that the adcoms will see that as a valid reason to have waited until the third round! It sounds like the conventional wisdom is that later applications might either run you the risk of too many spaces in the class being full, or just look like you were disorganized in the process and didn't get your act together early. You can't be at risk of the second one, and if there are spaces left and your application is good I'd think that your reasons for applying Round 3 are going to look better than most anyone else's, so it could even work to your advantage in some cases if it breaks right.

Good luck over there- thank you for serving!

I certainly agree that you have a valid reason for applying in Round 3, but you also want to make sure that you are an extremely strong candidate if you are applying during this round when many of the spots have been filled. If you think you are a borderline or so-so candidate for any of your schools, I would recommend waiting until next year to apply. Also - make sure your essays are airtight and awesome so that you shine among the rest of the Round 3 applicants.

Good luck!

- Kaneisha