Do Less Competitive Locations Exist when Applying for SA 2022?

I'm a 2nd year student in the US applying to the GS 2022 SA program for sophomores, and I am somebody that is very flexible with where they work I've been to a lot of places around the world and interning anywhere abroad would be cool. Does anyone know if there are less competitive locations for this program like a less competitive applicant pool and a higher chance to get accepted to the next round?

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Plenty of decent countries and locations with fewer applicants, but do you speak the local language, have you networked in those locations, reached out via LinkedIn, etc?
IMO, London and NYC get the highest amount and most qualified people.
You can try Paris, Amsterdam, Zürich, Frankfurt and even places like Stockholm. While they are still larger places and somewhat competitive, they are nowhere near the level of difficulty as London or NYC. They have fewer applicants, but with a different profile.

Very generally speaking, the European places I have mentioned are less global, smaller in size, have more local character, speak different languages, are less diverse, normally pay a bit less, but still worth a shot.

 

Theyre gonna ask you why you want to work in that area. Obviously you still need to be competitive because there are fewer spots in these locations. If you dont really have ties to the local area whether it be your school being near there, your family is there, you speak the language, etc... I wouldn't really risk it because they're very likely ding you if you cant answer that question.

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