@123Mom123 , it very much reflects the colonial past…
Btw, Oxford wants a graded paper along with the application for most of the History / History + courses. Have him keep an eye out for ones that he is particularly pleased with- it doesn’t have to current, and sometimes schools haven’t given a meaningful writing assignment by the 15th of October, so having one up his sleeve from this year could be handy.
@collegemom3717 - Thank you for heads up on a graded paper. That kind of advice is extremely helpful.
(Also, we emailed the St. A’s rep to try and meet with her in Oct when she will be visiting in Florida.)
Update:
Met with St. A’s rep several weeks ago and was excited and impressed with what she shared. And I had lunch with an old acquaintance who has a S attending there now and who is in IR (and is very happy).
Toured GW, GT and A this month and S21 gravitated greatly with GW. He did not like the feel of GT and won’t apply there. He felt A was okay, but again, GW was seemingly a much greater fit especially with the prime location, the energy surrounding the area, internships being possible during school terms, and transportation ease.
St. A’s, GW, WF are high on list and WM and UNC will be explored in Spring. (Davidson is another highly ranked favorite LAC for him.)
As always, any f/b or observations that might be helpful are greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
If your son continues to be interested in the Foreign Service, a good book for him to read is “Inside a U.S. Embassy,” published by the American Foreign Service Association. It explains all the different kinds of jobs people have.
https://www.afsa.org/inside-us-embassy
I would second the comments about the importance of learning a foreign language, especially a critical-needs language. Arabic would be great, for example. Check to see how many years his targeted colleges offer.
Veterans get preference for the Foreign Service.
My son is an FSO and has had assignments in Russia and several Middle Eastern countries. PM me and I’ll try to answer questions about the process.
If he’s interested in attending a small liberal arts school, definitely consider Gettysburg College; it has an incredible history department, and the Eisenhower Institute both brings in speakers and adjunct professors, and connects undergrads with heavy hitters in D.C. As well, Dickinson College (nearby, also excellent) has an ROTC program, and Gettysburg students can be a part of it. If he wants to go to a bigger school, consider something in Washington DC; all three schools have a lot to offer a history/government/poli sci kid who loves to debate 
Take a look at Denison’s PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics) major and the Lugar program. Denison also has a strong Communications department and is generous with merit scholarships. The general education requirements include one quantitative class, but that could be in something like Data Analytics. Your description of your son remind me in many ways of my own, who is a first year at Denison. He is focused on a different field (yours), but he is very happy with the overall academic and social environment
@janesmith TY for the book rec. I ordered a copy right away. Your son’s professional track sounds like one my son might like…and reading more about these paths will be very helpful. No doubt more questions will be forthcoming so thank you for reaching out to help. Much appreciated! I need my DS to reflect more on his foreign language goals since choosing a major (IR or history) will depend on what role he wants it to have in his schooling and life.
@Yawnmom Ty for the nod to Gettysburg. I checked out their website and it does offer things that DS would appreciate. I “think” he is gravitating more towards a little bigger school (GW he really liked!).
I am learning every day from CC about various schools to check out to make sure we aren’t missing ones to consider. Thanks again.
@123Mom123 You can read the description of the 5 career tracks online, here:
https://www.afsa.org/sites/default/files/Portals/0/iuse_career_tracks.pdf
Most new FSOs start with a Consular tour–processing visas, etc.–before moving on to their chosen cone (career track).
@janesmith Thank you. Sorry for the delay in responding. (I couldn’t access CC for several days with the changes.)