The Foreign Service Journal, June 2007

H OW TO C HOOSE THE C OLLEGE T HAT ’ S R IGHT FOR Y OU F OREIGN S ERVICE TEENS CAN JUMP - START THEIR COLLEGE SEARCH WITH THIS HANDY GUIDE : H ERE ARE ONE DOZEN QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF , PLUS A HALF - DOZEN WAYS TO RESEARCH YOUR CHOICES . B Y F RANCESCA H UEMER K ELLY J U N E 2 0 0 7 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 73 t’s never too early to reflect on where you’ll go to college. But by 10th and 11th grade, reflecting is not enough: it’s time to take action to ensure you have some great colleges to choose from in the spring of your senior year. “Choose?” you might well ask. “What do you mean, choose? Aren’t I going to be rejected by the Ivy League schools because I don’t have straight As and perfect SAT scores? Or even if I do…?” Fair enough. It’s true that in the current climate of peak numbers of applicants and frenzied competition for the top colleges, the most selective schools are faced with turning down thousands of qualified students every year. Indeed, when it comes to universities like Harvard or Princeton, you may not have a choice. However, here’s the good news: schools that were once considered second-tier are now attracting more and brighter students. There are several hundred wonderful colleges out there that are still a bit of a secret, known only to their satisfied alumni. These are the schools you want to make up the bulk of your list, with a few “reach” schools and a few “safeties.” So, how do you begin? It’s all about knowing yourself — and asking yourself the right questions. 1. Small and nurturing or big and stimulating? Do you want to be the proverbial “big fish in a small pond” on a campus where professors know you by name? Or do you want a larger university where you may have many more activities and classes to choose from, but will never know everyone there? Small colleges often tout smaller class sizes and more in-class discussions. But they may not offer enough sections of popular classes to meet student demand. Larger universities can offer more classes, but sometimes these are taught by teaching assistants, some of whom may be international graduate students who don’t speak English very well. And you can expect to have a hun- dred or more students alongside you in some lectures. Of course, there are exceptions. For example, some large universities have a “no courses taught by TAs” policy, and offer many small classes. Be sure to ask admissions officers about class size and course registration. 2. Snowshoes or sandals? Consider if weather and climate affect you. Do you tend to get the winter blues? Or do you need to be where you can hit the slopes? Do you love the changing of the seasons, or do you prefer all sun, all the time? If you’ve been living in a small country, you may have forgotten about the size of America and its varia- tions in climate and terrain. 3. Urban? Suburban? Rural? Large cities offer a stimulating, diverse environment with easy access to public transportation, as well as a wealth of internships and useful contacts. Many FS kids can’t imagine living anywhere else. S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT Francesca Kelly, a freelance writer and FS spouse, is cur- rently the high school guidance counselor at St. John’s International School in Waterloo, Belgium. I