The Foreign Service Journal, December 2007

D E C E M B E R 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 75 S CHOOLS S UPPLEMENT because of the large number of for- eign students. She hadn’t pursued the questioning far enough, however, because it turned out that all but two of the foreign students came from one country, and as soon as the many day students went home each afternoon, these students lapsed into conversing in their native language. Her son was miserably lonely and transferred after one semester. Other Considerations Some families choose a boarding school option so that a student can pursue a sport or activity not available overseas. This is an important consid- eration, but the offerings at each school should be closely examined. For example, if a student has gone horseback riding only a few times and hopes to do more, she might not be comfortable at a school where all the riders have their own horses and are competing at a very high level. A baseball player won’t be content if all the others at his school are high school All-Americans and he does nothing but sit on the bench. Conversely, an accomplished musician needs more than a typical high school orchestra. Artists need well-equipped studios and guidance with their portfolios. It isn’t enough to determine that the activity exists at a school; one must explore the level and intensity of the program. Visiting the campus and talking with teachers and students in the field should provide that informa- tion. Finally, geography is an important consideration. For a student whose family may be living on another conti- nent, it is important for him or her to have access to an international airport and to have extended family or close friends nearby to help in a pinch or just to visit for Thanksgiving. In the U.S. there are more schools and a wider selection of programs. In addi- tion to greater socioeconomic diversi- There is often greater socioeconomic diversity in U.S.-based schools, and there may be more opportunities for community service, internships and other opportunities. Continued from page 71