The Foreign Service Journal, June 2018

58 JUNE 2018 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT What to Look For in a College Search healthy discounts to students they’d like to enroll—even if the family does not need financial aid—in the form of merit grants. The average admittance rate for first- time freshmen to four-year institutions in the United States during the fall 2016 cycle was 66 percent, according to the 2017 State of College Admissions Report from the National Association for College Admis- sion Counseling. What does all of this mean for the cur- rent applicant? Simply put, it means that “fit” is more important than ever before. It is not only essential for the student to identify schools that are a good fit for them; it is becoming increasingly impor- tant to demonstrate to the school that they will be a valuable addition to its freshman class. While a school that admitted 20 per- cent of its applicants in 1995 had a wider range of admitted students, today schools admitting only 5 percent have the luxury of taking in only those students who balance the class the college is trying to build. In addition to the changed reality sug- gested by recent statistics, Foreign Service students often face challenges that their U.S.-based peers do not. In her book, The Global Nomad’s Guide to University Transition , Tina Quick, an adult third-cul- I n advising Foreign Service kids, we have found that it’s best to reframe the entire college search. Don’t hunt for pres- tige and glossy marketing; look instead for schools that fulfill specific criteria. Globally mobile students can reach out to their admissions counselor and review the university website to help answer the following questions: n Access to a community on entering college: Does the school have an honors college, fellowship program, living- learning community, first-year success programming, sports teams? n Active campuses: What percent of students live on campus during their first year, and what percent stay active on campus during weekends? Is there night and weekend programming on campus? n Mental health services that understand the chal- lenges faced by globally mobile students: What programming exists to support cultural adjustment? Connect with the international center to learn about programming there. n Opportunities for academic success: What programs does the school have to identify student learning styles, to encourage further exploration, to support international and third culture kid students? n A diverse array of interesting programs and majors, allowing freedom to possibly change majors without transferring: What are the international study options, opportunities to double major and add minors, access to internships and other hands-on learning? n Schools with opportunities to stay during holiday breaks: Are there faculty mentors or peer buddy pro- grams that welcome international students during the holidays? Do dormitories stay open during breaks for students who cannot go “home”? n Opportunities to see the world: Does the school have 1+3 or 2+2 programs that allow students to go beyond a semester of study abroad and spend a full year or two at a different international institution? Resources n Online Resources: Colleges That Change Lives (also a book) College Confidential College Week Live The Center for Global Education’s List of Colleges with Innovative International Student Support n Virtual Tours and Reviews by Current Students: College Click Unigo eCampusTours YouVisit n Books: 8 First Choices: An Expert’s Strategies for Getting Into College, by Joyce Slayton Mitchell Hidden Ivies, by Howard Greene and MatthewW. Greene Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be, by Frank Bruni The College Finder, 4th edition, by Stephen Antonoff Admission Matters, by Sally Springer Fiske Guide to Colleges, by Edward Fiske —HMM & LMS