<p>Hey guys, I have a pretty specific question. I'm wondering which school to apply to. I'm torn between the College and SFS.</p>
<p>Arguments for SFS: When I visited Georgetown, SFS really jumped out at me and was one of the reasons Georgetown stayed on my list. I took an International Relations course at another college this summer and it was the best academic course I've ever taken. If I were to go down this path, I'd want to be involved in policy decisions and advising but probably not an official ambassador (really specific, I know). </p>
<p>Arguments for College: However, at the other five colleges I'm applying to, I'm going for Biology, and my essays talk about how I'm interested in Biology both for research and the future possibility of becoming a vet. My EC's reflect my interest in working with animals. </p>
<p>This problem isn't helped by the fact I can't double major across schools. What I planned on doing when I selected my preference for SFS on Part I of the application was majoring in International Relations and taking the courses required for vet schools. But, none of my EC's have anything to do with IR and I'm afraid that it might come up during the interview that I'm planning to apply to vet school after undergrad and, if I got in, my major wouldn't have anything to do with my eventual career.</p>
<p>Ideally I'd like to combine the two interests, both in school and in later life, but I just don't know how possible that is. Any advice?</p>
<p>Do not worry about how it looks for an intervirw or on an application. You can always explain it and at this early stage of your life GU will not expect you to have decided on a career path or done consistent activities pointing in one direction. </p>
<p>What you should worry about is do you really have an interest in both fields (diplomacy and vet) as they are very different. If you attend SFS, you are right that you will not be able to pursue a biology major/fulfill the vet requirements (at least in the typical eight semesters at GU) given the requirements in the SFS curriculum. The college would give you a lot more flexibility in terms of classes and majors. Still, one good thing about SFS is that many of the requirements are really liberal arts classes and so SFS still gives you a very well rounded education (just not in sciences/vet). Also, if you attend SFS and do not want to pursue a diplomacy career after graduation, you could always attend an abbreviated program for pre-med, pre-vet etc students and you could probably knock off some of the vet school requirments in the summer time (GU summer school is easy to get into for GU students, and GU will often off let those students attend for free if they fill out a very abbreviated need form). </p>
<p>One word of caution, however, and that is think through the decision carefully because at least to me (and no insult intended) based on the SFS-related interests you cite it does not appear that you have a good feel for the diplomacy field. Ambassadors are appointed by the President and these posts often go to large campaign contributors, not foreign policy professionals at State. Policy advisors start several rungs up the ladder at State. The typical path for SFSer’s interested in a foreign policy position with the government is fill ut a large application, get a security screening, interview, take and pass the diplomacy exam (or a different exam for the CIA), and then wait for a call. This process, even if you pass the exam the first time (and it is a very hard exam passed by much fewer than 50%), can take well over a year. If this does not work out, then many SFSers attend law or business school (where they may get rich and then have a better shot at becoming an ambassador, lol).</p>
<p>Thanks for the long, detailed answer. I really appreciate it! And I definitely don’t have a good feel for the diplomacy field, which is part of what I’m worried about. I have only started thinking of it as a possible major very recently. I definitely need to do more research. And thanks for the advice about the schools, I can see that I’ve been freaking out over something that I really don’t need to worry too much about.</p>
<p>I had this problem too when applying to Georgetown! I was torn between the College and the SFS. I also wanted to do something with International Relations but also pursue English, which was one of my interests.</p>
<p>What I finally decided on was the College. My reasoning was that SFS is a “specialized” school that really only serves those with a strong interest in … well, government and foreign service. I was afraid that if I committed right away to SFS and I decided I didn’t want to do government/foreign service, then I’d be stuck. Now that I’m in the College as a freshman, I have a few semesters to decide what I really want. And if what I really want is to go into the SFS, I can always transfer in. I advise you do the same! Consider what you really want, and if you really want to commit to a specialized school, and then reevaluate your choice.</p>
<p>Hope this helps! (:</p>
<p>How are your foreign language skills? In the College you need to meet a proficiency level. In SFS you need to meet a fluency mark which is much more difficult. If you enjoy languages and they come easily, then SFS is not a problem. If language is not your thing, stay in the college as you will only need to get through the intermediate 2 course.</p>