The Foreign Service Journal, June 2007

98 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 7 S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT unmarked car, but I treated them as friends out joy-riding; I didn't even know proper etiquette with cops. I not only got a ticket — but an edu- cation.” Learning Later If some children who grow up abroad learn how to drive at age 16 (or younger in cases such as Eidse’s), others learn later in life. Anna Maripuu moved from India to North Carolina her senior year in high school. Maripuu says all the kids in her class already knew how to drive, and she was embarrassed that she didn’t. “The seniors all had cars and would drive to school and park in the parking lot for seniors,” she explains. “I had to take the yellow school bus to school every day with all the non-driving (and younger) kids! I ended up taking Driver’s Ed class with all these 16-year-olds. I’ll never forget learning how to drive on the little roads out in the woods around town in my parents’ green Oldsmobile Cutlass, complete with white leatherette seats. At the time it was all kind of mortifying to me, and I wished I had learned to drive sooner.” Another friend of mine, Hoda Makar, grew up abroad and didn’t learn to drive until the age of 21, when she was living in the U.S. “I was embarrassed that I was getting a college degree, and still didn’t know how to drive,” she says. Mikkela Thompson, the daughter of a Foreign Service officer, got her learner’s permit and took some dri- ving lessons in college. But she did not actually get a license until she was in her late 20s and living in Denmark. “I think the U.S. system is not comprehensive enough, and the Danish one was a bit of an expensive racket,” says Thompson. “People should learn to drive before they are too old. It’s really hard to learn to drive when older.” However, Thompson adds that she thinks there are definite benefits to being older when you learn to Should We Hire a College Admissions Counselor? I f you lack a guidance department or if you’re home-schooling, consider hiring a college admissions consultant. “I do think home-schooled students would benefit from hiring a college admissions consultant,” stresses Judy Frohlich, partner of College Counseling Consultants, based in the Chicago area (cccns@ameritech.net ). “The presentation of their credentials in their application is even more important than students in a traditional school setting because the means of comparison with other students is much more chal- lenging.” In fact, as Rebecca Grappo, education and youth officer for the State Department’s Family Liaison Office, points out, using a private educational consultant can have many benefits. “A good consultant is extremely knowledgeable about various programs and offerings available at colleges and universities around the country, as well as the college application process,” says Grappo. “These professionals pride themselves on getting to know a student’s abilities, aspira- tions and personality well so that they can advise a family on appropriate options that fit the needs of the individual student,” Grappo adds. “They can also spot unforeseen pit- falls that can save time and money in the end.” Frohlich and her partner charge $2,250 for a two-year package (unlimited assistance beginning junior year and going through the completion of the admissions process at the end of senior year), but a similar package can run as high as $30,000 with well-known New York firms. “Usually consultants are hired on a retainer rather than an hourly basis,” says Frohlich. “We sometimes do charge on an hourly basis when people just need a lit- tle bit of help here and there.” Although she prefers to meet at least initially in person, Frohlich believes that “coun- seling could be done purely through e-mail if the student is a good communicator and is motivated. Problems might arise in Internet counseling when an unmotivated student is resistant to the process.” — Francesca Huemer Kelly