The Foreign Service Journal, June 2016

72 JUNE 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT they are to get into a school. For example, to get into the University of Virginia, a student from one of the northern coun- ties will need a significantly higher GPA and test scores than an applicant from the southern counties. Colleges tend to group applications based on geography. The advantage of applying to colleges from an overseas school is that, in Grappo’s words, “you can sometimes be a bigger fish in a smaller pond, making it easier for your application to stand out from a crowd; whereas it can be much harder to stand out in a competitive suburban school in the United States, especially if a lot of other students in that area are applying to the same colleges.” Applying Early Action can be another way to get admissions officers to view your application in a smaller pool of applicants, as fewer students submit EA applications. Another way to potentially improve your application, Bracken suggests, is to “take both the SAT (with the optional essay portion) and the ACT (with the optional writing test), since you may do significantly better on one or the other.” Keep in mind, she notes, that for both tests, you have the option to choose the best test scores you wish to forward to colleges. There isn’t a downside to hedg- ing your bets when it comes to standard- ized testing. Affording College Don’ts Bracken recommends against dis- counting a school because of cost. At the same time, don’t dismiss the need to consider how you’re going to pay for college. When looking at scholarships, do not look only at opportunities that would cover your entire tuition. Such large grants and scholarships tend to be the most competitive. You are much more likely to find several smaller grants that can help keep college costs down. Do’s Do talk to your parents about what you can expect in terms of financial help from your family. Bracken suggests that you