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Peven Stan posted:I heard that getting into the Peace Corps was insanely difficult and reserved mostly for people who've gone to elite universities. I had a degree from a medium-small state university with a < 3.0 GPA and no work experience save for summer jobs and I got in with no problem. Of course, this was in mid 2008 before the economy really tanked, so from everything I heard yes the selection process is a bit stricter now if only because they have a lot more applicants. But don't think you don't have a chance to be a Volunteer if you don't have a 4.0 GPA from Harvard or something.
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Aug 22, 2010 15:46
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We have a few volunteers here with no college degree and one (the second in Peace Corps history) with no high school diploma or GED. They all have at least 10 years of work experience though, but if your volunteer experience is extensive (and if it isn't, start volunteering in your area) then you should be good.
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Aug 22, 2010 17:27
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Gorko The Duck posted:The instructions actually directed me to send the material to "Sato Travel" - a company which focuses on providing travel for government employees (including PCV). The provided UPS envelope even had their address on it, and every single form stressed sending it to Sato. At this point I am well aware of reading (and following) Peace Corps instructions. weird, guess its different for every program. Ya, i really hope i didn't screw up the passport app. I ooked over it like 4 times.
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Aug 22, 2010 21:31
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I've never met a volunteer that did not have a college degree. Kind of cool to know that they are out there. I started the process of re-enrolling today. They set me up with a placement officer, but apparently he's in training for the next two weeks... so they gave me some homework of getting recommendations and writing essays. It feels great to know that my PC experience isn't over yet.
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Aug 24, 2010 01:10
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I just wrote the rough draft for my DOS, and my boyfriend read it and his first words were, "It just seems so extremely negative it's not really pleasant to read." Am I doing this wrong?
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Aug 24, 2010 16:31
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melaneyelia posted:I just wrote the rough draft for my DOS, and my boyfriend read it and his first words were, "It just seems so extremely negative it's not really pleasant to read." Am I doing this wrong?
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Aug 24, 2010 22:57
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melaneyelia posted:I just wrote the rough draft for my DOS, and my boyfriend read it and his first words were, "It just seems so extremely negative it's not really pleasant to read." Am I doing this wrong? Yeah please post it if you're not opposed to the idea, because we really cant know just from that, your boyfriend might not see what you're trying to convey, or he may be right.
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Aug 24, 2010 23:04
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melaneyelia posted:I just wrote the rough draft for my DOS, and my boyfriend read it and his first words were, "It just seems so extremely negative it's not really pleasant to read." Am I doing this wrong? Peven Stan posted:Why don't you put it up on google docs so we can take a gander. If it's a story about how you faced and overcame adversity I can imagine it wouldn't be too controversial, as long as you emphasize the overcome part.
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Aug 25, 2010 04:36
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If any RPCVs from Bulgaria read this, could you tell me where you were there? I'm a current Fulbrighter in Bulgaria (Blagoevgrad), and a number of the other Fulbright Fellows here are teaching at schools where they have had PCVs in the past.
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Aug 25, 2010 06:52
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Figured I would join in the conversation. I'm taking part in the Master's International program through the University of Denver. So I'll be in grad school until June and hopefully starting my Peace Corps service around this time next year. Doing my master's this way is saving me a ton of money, DU is not a cheap school. I'm not sure if anyone else in this thread is doing or has done the MI program, so if anyone has questions about how it works, I'll try to answer them the best I can. The only problem I'm having right now is my medical stuff. The Peace Corps isn't happy with my weight, I lost weight between my first and second physical and my BMI was already really low. Also, I'm wondering about the competence of the staff at the clinic where I had my original physical and lab tests done. Peace Corps keeps having me redo things because either the information the clinic sent in was incomplete or there was an issue that the doctor really should have told me about.
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Aug 25, 2010 08:05
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OK, you can download my DOS here. After thinking about it, I do agree it sounds negative, but it was my experience. I mean, this is the main reason why I'm stressed out all the time and have headaches and everything. I asked my CD about it and she said she'll have a look at the draft without signing it. I know I probably just need to suck it up and make it sound good, but that just feels like it's denying my actual experience.
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Aug 25, 2010 13:31
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Grammar Fascist posted:I think you might be confused with the application essay... I'm assuming melaneyelia means the Description of Service, which is what you write at the very end of your service and use for non-competitive eligibility and as a recommendation of sorts for stuff after Peace Corps.
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Aug 25, 2010 16:45
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Mu Cow posted:Figured I would join in the conversation. I'm taking part in the Master's International program through the University of Denver. So I'll be in grad school until June and hopefully starting my Peace Corps service around this time next year. Doing my master's this way is saving me a ton of money, DU is not a cheap school. How much are you saving by doing the MI program? If I go to go back to grad school DU is on the top of my list. Although not related to this thread, what was your background/stats for getting into DU?
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Aug 25, 2010 17:49
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Omits-Bagels posted:How much are you saving by doing the MI program? If I go to go back to grad school DU is on the top of my list. The Peace Corps counts as 18 out of the 90 credits needed to graduate, so that alone saves about a fifth of you tuition costs, about $12,000. If your undergrad GPA was over 3.25 you can get a $10,000 scholarship. Plus all loans are deferred, you get a stipend at the end of your service, and your eligible for non-competitive federal employment. All around, a good deal. I'm also saving money by trying to take as many classes as possible each quarter. This ended up with me taking four classes in four weeks this summer. It was brutal, but I survived. Doing this, I can finish all my coursework in just one year. I did my undergrad in economics at the University of Richmond. I finished with a 3.11 GPA, so I didn't get the scholarship, and I think my GRE score was 1420. I have some experience abroad as I studied in Sweden for a year, taught English in South Korea for a year, and spent a summer volunteering in Germany. I got rejected by every international studies program I applied to in DC and New York. DU has a smaller applicant pool because of its location, which makes it a little easier to get in (e.g. GWU had 2,000 applicants this year for only 300 spots). I think it may have helped that I wanted to do the MI program as well. I'm very happy with DU so far, despite how rough my summer was. The professors are great as well as the administrative staff.
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Aug 25, 2010 19:10
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HeroOfTheRevolution posted:If any RPCVs from Bulgaria read this, could you tell me where you were there? I'm a current Fulbrighter in Bulgaria (Blagoevgrad), and a number of the other Fulbright Fellows here are teaching at schools where they have had PCVs in the past. Браво на теб! Бях в Дупница, около 30км север на Благоевград. Кой регион/град е твой любимец? Били ли си до морето, все още? Или до 7те езера?
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Aug 25, 2010 19:42
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MadcapViking posted:Браво на теб! Бях в Дупница, около 30км север на Благоевград. Кой регион/град е твой любимец? Били ли си до морето, все още? Или до 7те езера? Мерси! Аз само дойдох 3.5 седмеци преди; бях в Благоевград за седмеца, Банско за дбе, и сега в Варна съм, така че аз на морето съм. Аз харесвам Благоевград, и Варна е много хубаво също. Приятел ми ще бъде Fulbright учител в Стара Загора, и беше PCV в училището преди няколко години. Какво е вашето любимо място в България? Имам една година тук и искам да видя колкото се може. Учих българский език в университет, но това е моят първи път тук. HeroOfTheRevolution fucked around with this message at 20:28 on Aug 25, 2010 |
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Aug 25, 2010 20:21
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melaneyelia posted:OK, you can download my DOS here. After thinking about it, I do agree it sounds negative, but it was my experience. I mean, this is the main reason why I'm stressed out all the time and have headaches and everything. I just read through your DOS out of curiosity. You say it sounds negative, but that truly seems to be the experience a lot of people in the EC have. Talking with other EC78ers in Youth Development, there is the feeling of failure and that they haven't done very much. EC80 feels the same way, even though they've only been there one year now. So I would guess that the "negatives" you have listed are very typical throughout the EC.
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Aug 25, 2010 21:32
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OK something that just occurred to me because of Mu Cow's post, but anyone with experience with this can answer. I'm nominated to leave in March and am finishing my undergrad this december. I'd like to go to Grad school as soon as possible when I come back. What are your recommendations for achieving this and when should I do them? Do you take any exams before or after your service? Decide on schools? Any advice you can give because I realized I'm completely at a loss.
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Aug 26, 2010 09:02
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RagnarokAngel posted:OK something that just occurred to me because of Mu Cow's post, but anyone with experience with this can answer. I started thinking about it around June 08 (I arrived in Madagascar in June 07), looking around casually for programs. Told people I'd like to write recommendations for me in July to start thinking (do this, do this). Started to take some of the GRE books home in September and studied all day every day. Took the GRE in the capital at the end of October. Started writing essays, honing in on the 5 schools I'd apply to/requested transcripts be sent to them/etc. after that. Deadlines were mostly around January 15th so I worked while on vacation on finishing everything up and got it in around New Years. (Mind you, I didn't have my GRE results back yet so I just went out on a limb). Heard back from schools starting around March 09. It was easier and harder to apply from Madagascar. For one, I had all the time in the world to study for the GRE. It was also easier because it was a paper test. I took a lot of time on the essays, too, but I had no electricity so I had to spend my banking days in town writing and editing every few weeks. Finding schools was a pain in the rear end because of slow internet and eventually just found a list of the top 5 programs for my field and applied to those. Also, getting everything uploaded could be a pain in the rear end with slow connections. Luckily, all of the programs I applied to allowed you to do everything online, which was helpful. Doing it by mail would have been awful. I ended up getting into 4 schools and waitlisted at the 5th, so it all worked out pretty well, and I'm going into my 2nd year of grad school this fall. Let me know if you have any questions.
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Aug 26, 2010 16:02
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That was very helpful, I didnt know you could do that kind of stuff overseas (Though as you seem to imply mileage may vary due to connectivity). Good to know.
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Aug 26, 2010 20:36
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RagnarokAngel posted:OK something that just occurred to me because of Mu Cow's post, but anyone with experience with this can answer. Something I'd recommend is that you go ahead and scan all your transcripts and save them as pdf files. This way you have unofficial transcripts that you can send via e-mail should you need them. If you have time, go ahead and take the GRE before you leave as it will likely be much more convenient. I tried taking the GRE twice while I was abroad and neither time it worked out, first time because the testing facility was too far away and the other time because of time constraints. If you'd rather wait, once you know what country you're going to, you can see if they have a GRE test center here: http://www.ets.org/gre/general/register/centers_dates Also, the GRE for Dummies is a surprisingly useful book. I would have done really poorly on the math section without it.
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Aug 26, 2010 23:52
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HeroOfTheRevolution posted:Мерси! Аз само дойдох 3.5 седмеци преди; бях в Благоевград за седмеца, Банско за дбе, и сега в Варна съм, така че аз на морето съм. Аз харесвам Благоевград, и Варна е много хубаво също. Ами... Много ми харесвам 7те Рилски Езера и Рилският Манастир. Те са много хубави. Но, харесвам Пловдив също. Има история и интересна архитектура. Велико Търново е като това. (В 31 Октомври, обикновено има купон там по Доброволци и приятели.)
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Aug 27, 2010 04:34
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Thanks, that was helpful to me as well. I COS next May, and am looking into international development and economics programs for next September. I plan on going home in October for a lot of reasons, but I'll be visiting old professors and co-workers asking for recommendations. I have internet access if I need it, and I took the GRE back in '06 or '07 (I can't remember when, all I know is that my scores will still be good for this app cycle), so all I need are recommendations, transcripts, and essays (and to decide on my top programs). Gotta get to work on that.
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Sep 5, 2010 04:22
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I cleaned up my DOS so it sounds like I didn't hate all of my service, and my CD approves. Hurray! Also, if any of you live in countries/communities with Japanese Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCVs), definitely get in touch with them. They are awesome to hang out with.
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Sep 5, 2010 15:33
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I leave for orientation on thrusday. Any words of wisdom? I'm stressing the gently caress out.
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Sep 6, 2010 08:04
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Winna posted:I leave for orientation on thrusday. Any words of wisdom? I'm stressing the gently caress out. It can't possibly go any worse for you than it did for the PCV that was just shot dead in Lesotho.
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Sep 6, 2010 09:21
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Was just gonna bring that up and post the article. http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/09/05/lesotho.peace.corps.death/index.html#fbid=Q6dWPaAfTVk&wom=false Sounds like it was just a mugging gone wrong? Terrible shame, though. CronoGamer fucked around with this message at 10:53 on Sep 6, 2010 |
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Sep 6, 2010 10:50
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Evil Adam posted:It can't possibly go any worse for you than it did for the PCV that was just shot dead in Lesotho. Yeah, I'm going to agree. That's horrible.
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Sep 6, 2010 18:14
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Can you re-enlist when your time is up? Is it possible to just remain in the peace corps permanently?
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Sep 6, 2010 22:59
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No, but you can request up to another year if you have good reason for it.
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Sep 6, 2010 23:44
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Winna posted:No, but you can request up to another year if you have good reason for it. Yes, you can. Some friends of mine from Madagascar just got to their new site in South Africa. Plenty of people go for a second time, though I don't know if I've heard of someone that's done it three or more.
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Sep 6, 2010 23:49
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Evil Adam posted:Yes, you can. Some friends of mine from Madagascar just got to their new site in South Africa. Plenty of people go for a second time, though I don't know if I've heard of someone that's done it three or more.
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Sep 7, 2010 00:38
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Evil Adam posted:Yes, you can. Some friends of mine from Madagascar just got to their new site in South Africa. Plenty of people go for a second time, though I don't know if I've heard of someone that's done it three or more. Ah, I was told it was discouraged so others who hadn't experienced it got preference. Also, weren't many Madagascar volunteers robbed of their two years due to the coup?
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Sep 7, 2010 02:31
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Winna posted:Ah, I was told it was discouraged so others who hadn't experienced it got preference. Yup, I was 21 months into it but couldn't care less. Groups that had just got there were pretty pissed but some transferred around Africa, some re-enrolled, lots just took the RPCV status and got jobs or did AmeriCorps. Anyway the people I mentioned were just about done like myself.
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Sep 7, 2010 03:07
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Evil Adam posted:Plenty of people go for a second time, though I don't know if I've heard of someone that's done it three or more. A couple of years ago right as I was shipping out, PC was making a big deal about older volunteers and they frequently mentioned this pair of senior citizens who were on like their 9th stint. 9 might be an exaggeration, not sure, but it was definitely at least 7.
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Sep 7, 2010 03:27
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CronoGamer posted:A couple of years ago right as I was shipping out, PC was making a big deal about older volunteers and they frequently mentioned this pair of senior citizens who were on like their 9th stint. 9 might be an exaggeration, not sure, but it was definitely at least 7. Hey, did you ever meet that older guy who owned a campground up in Siem Riep? He came into the lounge at HQ a few times. He had done three stints as a PCV, the previous one had been in the Ukraine. He was kinda weird and creepy though. Also we had an older woman (I think in her 50's) come in as a new volunteer for K3, but she fell off her bike and broke her leg a week into PST.
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Sep 7, 2010 04:21
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Winna posted:Ah, I was told it was discouraged so others who hadn't experienced it got preference. This is probably more true now. There are far more people applying than there are positions for due to people not being able to find employment. Of course, if a volunteer has some kind of specialized skill, I'm sure they would like to have them re-enroll.
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Sep 7, 2010 08:02
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Mu Cow posted:This is probably more true now. There are far more people applying than there are positions for due to people not being able to find employment. Of course, if a volunteer has some kind of specialized skill, I'm sure they would like to have them re-enroll. Actually, I was talking to someone who works at the main office in DC yesterday, and they said that they're having problems getting enough volunteers to fill groups. I guess it's bad enough that they're waiving language requirements for areas that traditionally have had them, like Latin America.
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Sep 7, 2010 11:46
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Rush Limbaugh #1! posted:Actually, I was talking to someone who works at the main office in DC yesterday, and they said that they're having problems getting enough volunteers to fill groups. I guess it's bad enough that they're waiving language requirements for areas that traditionally have had them, like Latin America. Yeah, they almost moved me from my original nomination and put me in Nicaragua ... and my Spanish is horrible at best.
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Sep 7, 2010 18:07
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Rush Limbaugh #1! posted:Actually, I was talking to someone who works at the main office in DC yesterday, and they said that they're having problems getting enough volunteers to fill groups. I guess it's bad enough that they're waiving language requirements for areas that traditionally have had them, like Latin America. Maybe if there wasn't a 12-18 month wait it wouldn't be such a problem.
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Sep 7, 2010 18:11
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