what should i do to become a diplomat?

Question

im a junior in high school. i take honors and ap classes, am involved in tons of activities (student council, debate, church, choir, etc), and am involved in my community. and i really want to be a Foreign Service Officer. What should i do to become one? Am i pretty much on the right track? What should my major be in college? Is this too far-fetched of a goal?

Answer 1

Listen to dognhorsemom. She knows what she's talking about. There is no one path to getting in the Foreign Service, because foreign service officers do many different kinds of things. One thing I would advise in addition to the things mom said, is while you're in college, try to travel abroad. Take a look at the world outside of the US and see if living overseas is really what you want to do. Lots of schools have foreign studies programs, even one semester would be very helpful. Books are good, but personal hands-on experience in the world can't be beat. It would certainly be useful to learn another language and applicants currently get extra points for coming in with hard language skills.

The sorts of things you're talking about are all useful. People come in with an amazing variety of degrees. keep track of current events. and try to understand the why behind the what of the things you see in the news. There's no reason it should be too far-fetched, if it remains something you really want to do.

Answer 2

There are two ways to enter the Foreign Service. You can take the foreign service exam (first you pass the written part, then you have to pass the orals) to be hired as an officer or you can be hired as a specialist.

To be hired as a specialist you have to have skills and experience in a specific field like finance, security, information management, office management, facilities maintenace, or the medical field.

To be hired as an officer, you just pass the exam, but it is tough. Most people fail it the first time.

You do not need a degree to get into the foreign service, but the vast majority of folks who pass the foreign service exam have higher degrees.

Georgetown University's school of foreign service is probably the best educational preparation.

You can keep taking the exam every year, so start as soon as you are old enough and keep trying. Doing it once is better preparation than anything else for the next time.

Answer 3

Dear Ms. S. Curmudgeon: I desire I don't reside to remorse supplying you with any handy recommendation. However, by some means I believe there's no less than a smidgeon of well within the smudgeon, so I am going to head out on a limb right here: He must attend a further university, wherein he reports a few variety of valuable subject, reminiscent of language, international coverage, extra leadership, bigger an M.F.A than an M.B.A in this day and age, I appreciate. Then he must take the scan for the State Department's Foreign Service, the FSE, or Foreign Service Exam, which has a written aspect and an oral aspect. The oral aspect is more difficult, however I believe from what you've got instructed us ago and now that your guy can hack it. (lol) No disprespect supposed. I am certain he'll do good. You could do bigger, then he would be your trophy husband, (lol.) Now, I might recommend he take into account Yale, Harvard, University of Chicago, probably University of Texas, Austin. There are others. Research good. There is time. Do no longer be hasty. In the in the meantime, it might be well to curry favour amongst Senators and Presidential applicants on either side of the chambers of the Beltway, that's each Republicans and Democrats. Be lively in a single get together, however make peers on either side. At the identical time, be trained no less than one more international language. Part of our disorders overseas stems from Americans deplorable loss of information of alternative cultures and languages, imho. Sorry however I must let you know; and in case you wish any danger of luck, if I had been you I might heed this that's best supposed to aid you all. I desire you each the great of luck. As one says in Russia, "Ya vash zhelayio dobrii iucpehov," or "I desire you well fortune." Bonne danger, well success.

Answer 4

Your goal is NOT far-fetched. And what you study is not as important as how you study. Most graduates of international studies programs never pass the foreign service exam. If you need a language or a skill for a certain assignment, the State Department sends you to the Foreign Service Institute to learn it. What is most important is to have a dilettante's interest in every aspect of the world around you, and to develop excellent judgement skills.

Have you looked at this site? It has a lot of information on foreign service officers: what we do, how we do it, how we got here.
http://careers.state.gov/officer/index.html

Answer 5

Find a university that has a school of foriegn service, like Georgetown, and ask them about undergrad options.

Answer 6

Learn how to speak chinese, bengali, or mexican. Better yet, drop out of high school and enroll at a radical madrasah.