The DipNotes

hello Peter,

I'm also a university student very interested in applying for the foreign service. I'm a first year in the honors program majoring in English and International Affairs, minor in French, and my GPA is currently 3.75. I'm also pursuing a B.A./Master's in International Policy program, which I'll finish in 2014.

I'm taking French and Chinese (Mandarin), and have dual citizenship in Canada and the U.S.

I haven't had an internship yet, but I volunteer with several organizations (Habitat for Humanity, Reading for the Blind, and a community garden) and am involved on campus. I've traveled to Rome, Italy; London, England; across Canada, and will be taking courses in Paris this summer.

As I mentioned, I'm seriously considering a career in the Foreign Service. At this point, would it be unadvisable to apply when I turn 20? If most people apply 2 or 3 times, my thinking is that I could apply early and get a feel for the application process.

I love learning new languages and meeting people from different cultures.

Also, if you have any advice on areas I should focus on (I hope to intern in Washington summer 2012), I would appreciate any input!

Thank you– this blog is a wonderful idea, and it's great to get a better sense of how the Foreign Service works!

Katherine, first year undergraduate

Hi Peter,

First off, thanks for maintaining this site, it has been a very helpful resource in learning about the Foreign Service!

I'm about to enter my junior year in college and I am strongly considering the Foreign Service as a career. Is it possible to join the foreign service right out of college? That is, is it difficult for college students (with no other prof. experiences besides a few internships in the summer and during the school yea) to make the cut? My concerns lie in the QEP/oral assessment, where they are looking for the "total candidate," and they may not view a super-recent college graduate seriously because of their lack of real-world experience. I am a political science major and I can speak Spanish and have some rudimentary French skills as well as a year of Arabic under my belt.

Also, regarding the timeline, if I wanted to join the foreign service right out of college, should I take the test this coming October or could I wait until February, considering the waiting period?

Thanks very much in advance!

Sincerely,

Danny M.