The Foreign Service Journal, June 2005

ack in the dark ages when we parents were teenagers, the college application process seemed a lot easier. You picked three schools: a “reach,” a “match” and a “safety.” You were sure to get into at least one of them, and that was the end of that. The basics may be the same today, but the process is far more competitive. In fact, a whole industry — of advice books, Web sites, prep courses and college consultants — has cropped up around the col- lege admissions process. That’s because the percentage of young people applying to American colleges has snow- balled in recent years. Consequently, it’s no longer a given that you will get into the school your parents went to, or even into the one you once would have considered a safety school. The biggest change in the college application process, however, involves the Internet, and that’s very good news for most Americans living overseas. Not only do colleges offer Web sites where you can get information and download admissions applications, but you can also apply electronically to several colleges at once. You may find out you were accepted or rejected via e-mail, and almost all financial aid counselors prefer that you complete financial aid forms online. It’s still difficult for Foreign Service kids living abroad to visit schools, but now you can take a virtual tour instead. Although the climate is more competitive than ever, if you’ve lived overseas, you’ve got an edge. “The advantage American kids have in living abroad is their broader per- spective of the world,” says Mary Karen Vellines, senior associate dean of admission at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. “Most colleges and universities look for students who are going to bring diversity to a campus.” Students from overseas high schools are attractive to col- leges “because of their international experiences,” accord- ing to Tom Smith, college counselor at the International School of Brussels. “The fact that most of our kids have moved frequently and been able to cope with change is a big plus.” But what if you don’t have access to a college counselor, a guidance department or even, in the case of home-school- ers, a school building? Don’t worry. Applying to college with little support can be done. This article aims to make the process clearer for far-flung Foreign Service families: first with an overview of what exactly makes up a college application, and then a step-by-step preparation plan. The Application Your college application, when completed and ready to send (usually by a Jan. 1 deadline), will generally contain the following: • An application form: the Common Application (a timesaver used by a growing number of colleges), the school’s own unique application, or the Common Application plus individual school supplements. Here you will provide basic personal data, list extracurricular activi- ties and awards, write at least one essay, and sometimes give snappy answers to quirky questions. • Your official transcript: the grades you earned for all four years of high school, with the senior spring semester S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT Francesca Huemer Kelly, a Foreign Service spouse present- ly based in Brussels, is a professional free-lance writer, pub- lished regularly in American and international magazines. She is a founder of Tales from a Small Planet (talesmag.com ), was the Web site’s editor-in-chief from 1999 to 2003, and currently serves in an advisory capacity. Also a trained concert singer, Ms. Kelly has lived in Milan, Leningrad, Moscow, Belgrade, Vienna, Ankara and Rome. She is the mother of four children. A PPLYING TO U.S. C OLLEGES : A P RIMER FOR FS T EENS T HE BASICS MAY BE THE SAME TODAY AS IN THE PAST , BUT THE PROCESS IS NOW FAR MORE COMPETITIVE . B Y F RANCESCA H UEMER K ELLY Continued on page 69 B J U N E 2 0 0 5 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 67