The Foreign Service Journal, June 2005

scores to the average grade-point average and scores at each college he’s interested in,” says Mary Ellen Cochran, guidance counselor at the International School of Brussels. “Sometimes this is painful, if the stu- dent wants to apply to all Ivy League schools and has a C average. In that case, I urge him to add some safety schools to his list and to be more real- istic.” If your family has established resi- dency in a home state, remember that in-state tuition is far less expen- sive than at private universities and colleges, and you’ll get a fine educa- tion at most public universities. Many college graduates end up living and working where they attend college. Keep this in mind when making up your list of colleges. Also, a location fairly close to relatives or friends, so that you feel you have a “home base” not far from college, is particularly important for Foreign Service kids. • Write your admissions essays now. They’re not due until late fall, but the first semester of your senior year is going to be very, very busy. Go to http://www.commonapp.org a nd click on FAQ to find the essay ques- tions for this year and the next on the Common Application. If the colleges you’re interested in don’t use the 76 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J U N E 2 0 0 5 S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT Continued from page 72 Students are often concerned with which university is going to ‘want them,’ but it is equally important for them to recognize that they are the consumers.