<p>I figured it's never too early to think about what i'd like to do after College. I start at Creighton U in August.</p>
<p>Has anyone else considered going to the Peace Corps?</p>
<p>I'm thinking about doing it for a year after I get out of college.</p>
<p>there is a minimum comittment of 27 months for the Peace Corps. They say on their website you get vacation time but there aren't any shorter assignments available. </p>
<p>I plan on joining after college before grad or med school. They also pay off some of your loans while you are serving which is a nice benefit for college students.</p>
<p>They give you about $6,000 after you finish (and a living stipend while you're there), but I don't know if you can make that go towards your loans while you are serving.</p>
<p>You need to apply about a year before you plan on leaving, fyi. And yes, it's 2 years + 3 months of training in your host country.</p>
<p>Yeah I was really interested in doing this too, because it is totally the type of thing I would be into. Does anyone know what the admissions process is like? Do they consider things like your college GPA and stuff like that?</p>
<p>you don't necessarily need a college degree but it helps. You should go to their website and look at the FAQs. They are really helpful and answer all of the basic questions. </p>
<p>that explains student loans..i guess it's just for perkins loans. they cancel 15% of your loan for every two years of service and a 20% cancellation for the third and fourth years. </p>
<p>you can defer your loans and not have to pay interest while you are serving for up to three years i think.</p>
<p>Yeah, i've read the website thoroughly. It would be an awesome oppurtunity to get to go out into the actual world and try to make a difference.</p>
<p>I think there are some parents in Parents Forum who have served in the Peace Corps, so you may wish to post there, too.
Nice to see so many students who want to make a difference. :)</p>
<p>I've considered it. But because graduating from college is so far off (I'm just a senior in high school), whether I do it or not will really just depend on the circumstances at the time. The time commitment is daunting, so I may even end up doing it way later in life.</p>
<p>I'm definitely thinking about doing peace corps.</p>
<p>The problem is my mom freaked when i mentioned it.</p>
<p>Yayy thats what Im going to do! And then possibly grad school after my 27 monthes are completed but they are really selective</p>
<p>AJH2008, even if you aren't an adult yet, when you do this (most likely after college), you will be and you mom doesn't get to tell you what to do anymore. My mom is freaking out because I'm going to France for a study abroad this summer. Is she paying for it? No, so she doesn't get to say anything. Peace Corps doesn't cost anything, they don't send you to really unsafe places (and if like, a coup breaks out, they'll evacuate you), you get money to live off of while you're in the field AND you get loan deferment and a significant award after your service. Why WOULDNT she want you to do it?</p>
<p>You don't really get a significant award after your service. Although Peace Corp benefits will probably improve if a Democrat gets elected this fall.</p>
<p>The Peace Corps is pretty competitive... there are a lot of applicants per spot, supposedly. If you're starting undergrad, and you really want to join, don't wait until you're applying your junior year to start with relevant stuff. Gain language skills (not necessary but they can help) and community service, especially in a health-related area. Stay healthy - that sort of thing.</p>
<p>I can understand why someone's parents would be worried about it. You're not traveling to western europe - you're working, alone, in some pretty sketchy areas sometime, and most volunteers succumb to a few illnesses and the like while abroad. The PC network is top-notch with taking care of its volunteers, but you need to be smart about the reality of the situation.</p>
<p>I mean, obviously, if you're in Africa (a common PC destination), use some common sense and take your malaria medication, get your shots, sleep under mosquito nets and use bug spray. Don't wander off into strange villages, make friends with the locals, and learn enough of the language to get by. They're not going to send you to freakin' Darfur or something. Just because Africa is "strange" and "exotic" does not mean it is much more dangerous than a city in the US.</p>
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Just because Africa is "strange" and "exotic" does not mean it is much more dangerous than a city in the US.
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</p>
<p>I didn't mean to imply anything of the sort - I'm the last person to think Africa is incredibly dangerous because of it's "exoticness". (I've suggested a minor in African languages and speak Swahili - Africa doesn't scare me.)</p>
<p>But being a PC volunteer isn't some perfectly safe and arranged activity, because you're working largely on your own in an unfamiliar culture/language/town/country - something that is always dangerous when people don't take it seriously. To quote a 2004 report, "since 1991, while the number of Peace Corps volunteers has grown by less than 30 percent, the reported incidents of assaults against volunteers has more than doubled. That includes a 112 percent increase in aggravated assaults. In 2002, by way of example, a Peace Corps volunteer was assaulted or robbed every 23 hours."</p>
<p>I plan on applying to join the Peace Corps, and those statistics aren't meant to scare people or suggest that those things can't also happen to you in the United States. I just think it's important that people aren't wearing rose-colored glasses about the prospects of working in a developing area, so they know what they are applying to and can hopefully keep safe beyond using bug spray.</p>
<p>I entered the Peace Corps right after graduating from college and it was the best experience of my life. Because of that I am now in international business and have traveled to more than 60 countries for a Fortune 500 consumer products company. I learned a second language (still use it every day) and was immersed in the culture for 2 years - I even stayed past my Peace Corps assignment and started a business in my host country (which we still have today - my retirement plan!!). I would recommend the Peace Corps to anyone interested in really seeing how the world is outside the U.S. - I appreciate the U.S. even more now and the experience opened up many career doors and even graduate school.</p>
<p>Buckeye- Thank you for your responce. I think the reason i want to go is that i know i lead a privileged life, but i also don't really appreciate it. It would give me the chance to see a different part of the world with my own eyes. I really don't have a preference as to where i would end up.</p>
<p>I guess i will start thinking about it more as i am in college and see what that is like.</p>
<p>i think a lot of grad schools look highly upon this too, but i have known 2 people that went and could not handle it</p>