<p>I was wondering what you, as parents, would think about the following situation. I am 17 years old, and I accelerated my education by two years (graduated high school one year early, got associates in a year). I will be receiving my associates at the end of this summer, and I have a very high (perfect) GPA. I think I have a chance of getting in to all the instate schools I applied to (even the top ones). Just recently (and I do mean recently), I realized that I will be turning 18 at the end of the summer and I will have my associates degree. That means that I can qualify for the Peace Corps once I finish school (you also need a lot of experience in whatever field you want to go in if you just have an AA...which I have plenty of). Now I am seriously thinking about taking the two years off to do a tour with the Peace Corps. I figure I can get away from school for a while, learn a new language (or become fluent in Spanish), meet new people/new experiences, and of course help others. I also think it would be beneficially to me in an academic sense because I want to go into international relations when I transfer. I would love If I could get stationed in Jordan and be able to live in the Middle East while learning Arabic. </p>
<p>Anyway, I talked to a recruiter and he told me that I should fill out my application as soon as possible, especially since I was thinking of leaving at September (he said I should have filled it out 8 or 9 month in advance..oh well). So I should be filling the application now, and I don't really know what colleges I got accepted to or if they allow for a two year leave. I know the decision would be a lot easier if I knew I didn't get accepted into any of the schools I applied to (and I really wouldn't lose any sleep over it at this point...I'm just getting really sick of school). I could always reapply when I come back.</p>
<p>To all the parents: If you had a son who was two years ahead of his peers, and was interested in joining the Peace Corps (for two years mind you) would you let him? Keep in mind that he has to make this decision pretty soon if he wants to go out of college. Am I selfish for thinking about joining because I want to take a break from school and leave home? Would it be wise for an 18 year old to join the Peace Corps, considering what they do and the average age (like 25ish I believe)?</p>
<p>Edit: i almost forgot...I haven't sent out the application yet or told my parents. I'm sure my parents will freak out, but I think they will understand. the only thing they will worry about is me missing two years, because they think I will never come back and finish school.</p>
<p>I think your two year experience abroad and working in different cultures will definitely set you apart when you come back to school, and will make you stand out from other transfer applicants your age. It will also be attractive to future employers in your field - they will see you as someone who is open to learning and adventurous, and the languages you will inevitably pick up will also make you a top candidate.</p>
<p>I'd be proud of my S or D if they presented me with this scenario. Try talking to a college career counselor first so they can give you tips on how to approach your parents. I'd move on this one, quick!</p>
<p>I would not mind my kid taking 2 years off to do a structured service program, but I would prefer that my kid do Americorps, not the Peace Corps because I think that a 17-year-old is too young to be living abroad in the kind of independent situation that Peace Corps workers experience. If my kid wished to spend two years living abroad at age 17, I would prefer that it be in a program with more back-up and direct supervision than the Peace Corps has.</p>
<p>I also don't think that virtually any 17-year-old Americans have the skills and wisdom to serve as community leaders in a foreign country (or even in the U.S.) in the way that the Peace Corps expects their workers to do. This is not a put down. I work with a lot of teens and adults doing community service, and I have a lot of respect for them. I just think, however, that if the U.S. is sending people abroad to help other countries, it would be good to send people with more wisdom and life experience than most 17-year-old Americans, even very smart, capable ones, have.</p>
<p>Now, if you've done major community service such as creating and run a major service project, and if you have had experience with a variety of cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds, you may be a rare 17-year-old who would be capable of handling well a Peace Corps assignment.</p>
<p>
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the only thing they will worry about is me missing two years, because they think I will never come back and finish school.
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You sound like the LAST person in the world who would give up easily or leave anything unfinished! I think your plan sounds exciting & very, very sensible. Good luck to you!</p>
<p>Just read northstarmom's post -- Definitely explore both programs to see which is better suited for someone your age.</p>
<p>I would be in favor of it for my son -- especially in circumstances like yours. I have not really explored the Peace Corps or its structure and support, so I would pay heed to Northstarmom's concerns.</p>
<p>I don't think you will be placed in the Middle East because of your age. The Peace Corps tends to place their strongest candidates in the toughest assignments. I've had some friends who were placed in Yemen and others who were placed on an Island to re arrange the King's effects. </p>
<p>I appreciate the responses. Keep in mind that I will be 18 when I will be eligible for deployment. I never even knew about some of the other programs you guys linked me to. However, they aren't exactly what I am looking for. I am looking for something at least over a year, and cheers' links were to programs that were short terms and around $1000+ to do. As for Northstarmom comments, I appreciate your insight. There are only two countries in the middle east/north Africa that are active- Jordan and Morocco. I would rather go to Jordan, just because it is in the Middle East and I have a lot of family friends who are Jordan. I would also like to see the Palestinian refugee situation first hand as well. From my understanding, the country is very welcoming to the PC's presence there.</p>
<p>As for my experience; I have been tutoring since the 9th grade (volunteer work through Key Club and school), and just this year I got hired as a tutor at the community college I go to (the second largest multi-campus community college in America). I have experience working with college students (regular, adult learners, some with disabilities) on a one-on-one basis, and I am a teacher assistant to students who are in developmental English classes. I work about 10 to 15 hours per week doing that. I am going to be starting a full time job as a volunteer child care staff member at an organization that works with at risk teens. I should have about 6 months of full time work with that before I deploy.</p>
<p>I am also Muslim, and I am very knowledgeable about my religion. I will hopefully finish reading the Quran (English translation of course) soon. Even though I am pakistani/indian I have Middle Eastern ancestry. In fact, I look exactly like my palestinain/jordanian friends. I do not speak Arabic though, but I do speak Urdu. However, that is spoken like Hindi but written like Arabic (I only know how to speak it). I have never been to a Middle Eastern country either, but I have lived in Pakistain/India for a summer recently. I didn't even think about the added time it will take for language training, which makes me wonder if I should just stick to a South American countries because I have 4 years in Spanish. I have looked at the program in Jordan, and they are only focused on education. I got this straight from the website, and I hope to qualify:</p>
<p>Youth</p>
<p>Every Volunteer job has a youth component, but there is also a formal youth development project with male and female Volunteers assigned to boys and girls centers respectively. Activities are set according to local priorities and Volunteer talents and may include sports and recreation, English teaching, health and fitness, and computer training. </p>
<p>With all this in mind, do you guys still think that the Peace Corps may be a little too out of my league?</p>
<p>I think the Peace Corps is a wonderful idea but I think you're young and I doubt the Peace Corps would place you at this point in your life. Don'y give up the idea, but give it a little more time.</p>
<p>Apply, talk to your parents, and worry about all of this once you get your college applications and your peace corps application back. Then you can seriously evaluate your options. </p>
<p>Have you ever lived away from home? Are you generally indepedent? Have you done a lot of traveling? I would be worried if the first time you experience independence is while working under contract on the other side of the globe, completely away from your family and culture. I think that this is a big step. It may go over fantastically, or you could experience a really devastating failure. You and your parents need to evaluate which of these is most likely to happen given your experience, knowledge, and personality.</p>
<p>obaig89,
You sound like a rare teen who has the ability to handle the Peace Corps. I say this as a person who: personally has done a lot of community service in the U.S. including establishing projects; has close friends who volunteered with the Peace Corps; and who has a S, 19 in Americorps. Based on his community service, maturity, good sense and travel experience, if my own S, 19 ( a current Americorps volunteer) wanted to do Peace Corps next year, I'd be in favor of that.</p>
<p>I suggest that you apply to Americorps as a back-up in case you don't get into the Peace Corps, which understandably is your first choice. I think you'd be an asset to either organization.</p>
<p>Best of luck to you. Please come back and let us know what you end up doing, and if you have an access to the Internet where you go, drop us a line now and then.</p>
<p>Peace Corp is a great option. Back in the day (that would be when the dinos roamed...you all know that was when <em>I</em>was younger) students your age were accepted into the Peace Corp. That is much less common now. Many, if not most, are college graduates (four year degrees), or are adults with specialized skills (think engineers or teachers), or have a very specialized expertise. However, as pointed out to you...Peace Corp should be an option for you at some later point in your life. In the meantime, there are many other options that you could pursue (Americorps being one).</p>
<p>"Peace Corp is a great option. Back in the day (that would be when the dinos roamed...you all know that was when <em>I</em>was younger) students your age were accepted into the Peace Corp. That is much less common now. Many, if not most, are college graduates (four year degrees), or are adults with specialized skills (think engineers or teachers), or have a very specialized expertise. However, as pointed out to you...Peace Corp should be an option for you at some later point in your life. In the meantime, there are many other options that you could pursue (Americorps being one)."</p>
<p>You are right; it is kinda silly of me to just expect that they would just accept me, but I do meet the basic requirements for someone with an associates. I have an AA and over a year of experience in youth development, plus I meet the previous coursework in a language part. The whole age thing is what is starting to worry me, because I am a lot younger than the average age (not scare me in the I can't handle it sense, but the I won't get accepted sense). I read that President Bush had massively increased funding after 9/11, and asked for the PC to double their volunteers. Hopefully that will, but I will take the advice of the people on this board and apply for Americorps.</p>
<p>You can do those programs for a year if you'd like to. Lots of UK kids go for a year. Why don't you get a job teaching English in Jordon? </p>
<p>Or look for a British boarding school in Jordon or Egypt--email them and ask them if they take Gap Tutors. Lots of English style boarding schools accept Gap Year students as tutors for a year. That is a very common way for Commonwealth kids to live in another country for a year. My son has ten friends who are abroad doing that at the moment.</p>
<p>Does your question stem from a desire to know how best to approach your parents, or to determine if this is a reasonable plan given your age and abilities?
If it is the latter, then I believe you are a good fit for this program. I participated in something similar-about your age. I survived, and I believe I am better for the experience.
Good Luck!</p>
<p>Obaig89 - I think it's great you are considering the Peace Corp. While I was never a Peace Corp volunteer, many of my friends were. I would HIGHLY suggest you wait until atleast after college before you volunteer. You will have more life experience and much more to offer the community you will join. You should consider not only what you will get out of the experience, but what you bring to the experience. Many of projects my friends undertook while in the Peace Corp were extensive (on top of significant language, cultural, and health challenges). What they brought to the table and what made their experiences positive was not necessarily their academic success, but their cummulation of life experiences, their flexibility and their maturity. You may have all that now, but you'll have more of it in 4 or 5 years.</p>
<p>I concur that it is a great option and will expand your life and you will be a great asset to any school you decide to go to when you get back. GO FOR IT!</p>