The Foreign Service Journal, June 2015

66 JUNE 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT I f you’re a high school student in the midst of taking SATs, completing Advanced Place- ment or International Bacca- laureate classes and generally stressing about college admis- sions, Frank Bruni has a message for you: Relax. Don’t think there’s only one college that’s right for you. He also offers this thought to keep in mind for the end of the process: Welcome rejection. Bruni, a New York Times journalist, has written on topics ranging from Ital- ian food to George W. Bush. His latest tome, Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be: An Antidote to the College Admis- sions Mania , seems a strange book for a childless author to pen, but despite Francesca Kelly might herself be considered part of college admissions frenzy, coaching kids on their college application essays. You can find her at www.essayadvantage.net . A writer and frequent contributor to the Journal , she’s also married to Ambassador Ian Kelly and has seen four children through the college process. with research, the book seeks to dispel the myth that admission to an “elite” college should be the only goal of our children (and their parents). Instead, the author demonstrates that success in adulthood has to do with more impor- tant factors than the college a student attends. Students and Families in a Race Bruni admits right off the bat that his book is aimed at those households in which a premium has been placed on higher education—sometimes for generations. But let’s not forget that large numbers of Americans simply go to whichever public or state university admits them. According to Bruni, that’s actually a plan worth considering. His intended audience—students and their families in a race to get into the “right” college—will likely include many Foreign Service families, although that—or perhaps because of it—he does a fine job arguing for a sea change in the way America regards college admission. Filled with anecdotes and backed up Frank Bruni Takes On College Admissions Insanity It’s not easy to keep one’s footing through the college admissions frenzy. In his new book, journalist Frank Bruni offers perspective and balance that can help ease the process. BY FRANCESCA KE L LY