How difficult would it be for a 3.7 GPA U. of Michigan student to become a foreign service officer?

Question

I want to be a foreign service officer. I have a 3.7 GPA in political science and Latin American studies at the University of Michigan. I am proficient in Spanish, have studied Latin American politics in Chile, and plan to get an internship with the OAS or the Colombian legislature next year. How difficult would it be for me to become a foreign service officer?

Answer 1

Well, it certainly sounds like you've got a good start. No one can really answer your question for a variety of reasons. How good are you at taking tests. First, you have to get through the written exam. Since that's scored on a curve, it will depend on your competition in any given year, but it's usually pretty fierce. Then you have to get through the oral. That's an all day affair, where at some point you'll be competing directly with the others taking the test that day. It varies from year to year though on what exactly you'll be doing that day. Then you have to pass a top secret security clearance.  And, if you have a spouse and/or children, you and your family will all have to pass a physical. So, not only do you have to be healthy enough for worldwide assignment, so do your kids.  If you get past all that, it should be pretty easy.

Answer 2

GPA is somewhat irrelevant, you have to take and pass the foreign service exam.

Answer 3

Your credentials are impressive, but the real test is how well you perform on the written exam and, if you reach the next stage of selection, the oral assessment.  Then, of course, you would have to pass a background security investigation and a physical exam proving you have no health problems that would prohibit you from serving in a country with limited medical facilities.

The oral assessment is the most difficult part of the selection process.  Many candidates assume the the process is designed to select the "best and the brightest" among prospective FS officers, but in reality the overarching criterion is suitability for the life and demands of the diplomatic service.  Intelligence and good judgment, of course, are elements of that.  But also creativity in problem solving, adaptability to changing and sometimes hostile environments, the "thinking on your feet" qualities that are very frequently called into play.  There is really no academic preparation that endows these qualities, although your experience overseas will be helpful in giving you the perspective to react appropriately to situations that most Americans will never see.

Finally -- and possibly most importantly -- the examiners will be looking for evidence of good interpersonal skills.  After all, the essence of diplomacy is dealing effectively with people.  The best political analyst in the world cannot be effective without sufficient interpersonal skills to facilitate communication with foreign publics that reveals salient information -- grist for the analytical mill, so to speak.  In perfectly blunt language, nobody wants to open up to an unpleasant jerk, no matter how professionally pedigreed the jerk may be.  It's not in paneled conference rooms where FS officers learn about a country and begin to understand it, but in everyday give and take with interlocutors, both official and social.