<p>Is it common for SFS grads to take a job up with the State Department/Foreign Service Dep't. right after graduation? Or is a master's degree required? Which is more common? Thanks.</p>
<p>-ccr</p>
<p>Technically, no degree is required to enter the foreign service, you just have to pass a VERY comprehensive exam. That being said, you get paid more based on experience and education.</p>
<p>I don't know how many kids actually go into the Foreign Service...a lot of kids take private sector jobs, or go on to law school, from what I've heard.</p>
<p>So is there really a clear cut advantage for choosing Walsh SFS for entry into the Foreign Service, or is it just for the prestige over an IR major at another school?</p>
<p>Is there a clear cut advantage...</p>
<p>yes. I know a lot of friends who spend a lot of time dinking around with bogus classes at other schools with IR, which, in most universities, is part of the polysci department and still has pretty general general ed requirements (ie, you take that colleges gen ed).</p>
<p>The SFS has it's own specific core tailored completely to that field, ie, you don't waste time taking classes like psychology or whatever (you can if you want, but they're not req'd). There are two or three pitfalls to this that I am beginning to experience already....if you are in the SFS, INTERNATIONAL POLITICS are your life...and you have to make sure that you can distinguish between wanting a career in the foreign service and just wanting to be really aware of what's going on in the world...and trust me, I've spoken to more than a few classmates who are realizing this. The core is no joke, and if you WANT to dink around and explore or aren't really sure this is what you want, you're going to hate it. While all the kids in the other schools at Georgetown worry about their schedules, I know my first two years are basically packed with VERY specific courses that must be taken. </p>
<p>Anyway, there are some advantages to the SFS degree as far as I can tell. When you take the state department testing, you get a score, and then you are put on a list of names that are eligible to be named to a post (passing doesn't guarantee your job). you can increase your chances by getting a high score on the test (which SFS will thoroughly prepare you for), and earning more points for the more foreign languages you know (the SFS/Georgetown teaches several languages that the State Department has flagged as "critical"...languages like Chinese and Arabic and Farsi..I think we have Farsi? maybe not) and as an SFS grad you're required to pass proficiency in at least one...lastly, should the state department not work out/they aren't accepting that many people to posts that particular year, you have a very good chance of getting a job at other places, like Senate Foreign Relations or Goldman Sachs or any number of private firms.</p>