<p>My D has talked about the Peace Corps after college. A neighbors child with a pol. sci. degree was recently rejected. Apparently they reject thousands of applicants per year. My D's major is in the medical field (PA) so my thinking is she will be accepted if she should apply. I'm worried about this. Isn't it possible she could be sent to some far flung place with an unstable govt. and/or rampant desease? A doctor in town was in Doctors without Boarders.. he went overseas .. not sure where, caught some sort of strange infection and died within days. He was a great pediatrician with a young family and the whole thing was absolutely horrible. Would you disguise your worry or be completely candid with your S or D knowing you may discourage them from pusueing an experiance they may, over time, cherish? Am I overly concerned here?</p>
<p>My understanding is that the Peace Corps does not operate in places with unstable governments and the risk of violence. That said, there can be violence anywhere, and she would probably be safer in some "far flung" place that in many a U.S. city. I believe that other groups like Doctors without Borders are known to operate in more "difficult" places because that is where they needs are critical for injured and refugees. </p>
<p>What happened to the young pediatrician is tragic, but unusual diseases can be picked up in a lot of places. If your D goes into the Peace Corps, she needs to be absolutely vigilant about sanitation, and as someone in a medical field, she is more aware of the risks than many. The Peace Corps volunteers I have spoken to, even many years later, count it as one of the best experiences of their lives.</p>
<p>I can confirm that the Peace Corps will evacuate volunteers in any location deemed unsafe. My M joined the Peace Corps in the late-70s after my F died and was stationed in the Philippines. When the PI saw insurrection, the PC evacuated all volunteers.</p>
<p>The US State Department is very cautious about having US civilians working in any area where danger circumstances could arise.</p>
<p>The son of good friends just finished his 2 year stint in the Peace Corp. He taught English in rural Kasakhstan. I thought that my friends might be worried since their son was far away and in such a unusual place, but they were Ok because the Peace Corp provided excellent training and assistance to him. They were never afraid for his health or safety.</p>
<p>My H's cousin (who is now mid 30s??) joined the Peace Corps right after college (he was a math major), went to west Africa where he taught math. He had to grow his own food (we sent him a lot of seed packages!). Long story short-- he got so good at growing and preparing his own food that when he returned to the US, he became a chef! Point being, the Peace Corps can change your life in ways you can't imagine.</p>
<p>Nightingale, as a parent, of course you worry. Before you make up your mind, however, study up on the Peace Corps: read their literature, guidelines, training requirements, etc. Then you will have a factual basis for your viewpoint. Don't just assume she will be in the same kind of place, or situation, as the young physician.</p>
<p>There is a difference between going into a situation where the risks are carefully considered and measures are taken to reduce those risks to the maximum extent possible, and carelessly stepping into danger without adequate thought and preparation. We don't want to stop our children from the risks of living a fulfilling life, but we don't want them doing stupidly dangerous things either.</p>
<p>I think more information will help you see it more clearly.</p>
<p>My neighbor's daughter was in (I forget which - sorry) Uzbekistan or Tajikistan with the Peace Corps and they "pulled her out" at a time when there was instability.</p>
<p>I was turned down for the Peace Corps when I applied after college.</p>
<p>I think it was a combination of ..</p>
<p>[ul]
[li]applying from a state with high unemployment during a recession (so lots of people considered the Peace Corps who otherwise might not have)</p>[/li]
<p>[li]not having any desirable skills (they probably prefer those with harder medical, agricultural, etc skills than with someone like myself who majored in Philosophy) and </p>[/li]
<p>[*]lack of useful language (for example, French is spoken in many African countries whereas German is not).[/ul]</p>
<p>My daughter has also talked about peace corps after college. It is a bit scary considering where thy send them, especially after the murder of the peace corps volunteer in Africa last week. I do get the impression that the peace corps take the safety of the volunteers very seriously.</p>
<p>To all the worried parents-- please remember all the young 18-24 year olds in combat and military operations today in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are sacrificing their safety for a higher cause, and their families live in a state of constant worry. </p>
<p>The Peace Corps may hold a few risks, however they are minimal. It is a difficult step to let our young adults experience the possibility of danger, but necessary to their development and as a contribution to the greater good.</p>
<p>You might want to research the statistics of Peace Corps volunteer safety--my bet is that freeway driving is still much more deadly.</p>
<p>My S is heading off to Eastern Europe in a few months. We get the impression that safety of volunteers is the corp’s prime concern. That being said, I’m really happy that it’s Europe and not Africa…and THAT being said, there are still no guarantees that governments will remain stable. It seems too that safety is partly the volunteers’ responisibility…who you hang out with, where you go, what time, etc. Just as you would at home, basically.</p>
<p>My S’s college roommate is currently in Panama. Enjoying it thoroughly and getting a lot out of it.</p>
<p>I had a friend who was in the PC from '04-'06. She was originally stationed in Nepal for about half a year, but was evacuated due to unstable situations there. Had the option of quitting or starting another tour, all over again. Chose the later, and was put in an African country for two years. So spent a total of almost 3 years in the PC; loved it, and ended up getting admitted to some of the best grad schools in the country (even though her undergrad institution was not well-known). So I wouldn’t worry too much about it, they’re aware of what’s going on and take all steps necessary to ensure the safety of volunteers.</p>
<p>No experience with the PC, though I can certainly relate to your worry (S1 has informed us he will sign on with the army in the fall). Perhaps I’m thinking of a different aid group, but I seem to recall reading here on CC that someone in the Peace Corp was given their three choices re: location, and was trying to decide on one. I think the unknown was more about what exactly they’d be doing there. I could be wrong, though.</p>
<p>My kids have not done the Peace Corps, nor have I. My brother was in the Peace Corps for two years and liked it a lot. There was some violence in the city where he was but he changed where he had his housing. My daughter has many friends in the Peace Corps. </p>
<p>I would not have a problem with my kid being in the Peace Corps. If a country has travel warnings or restrictions, then I am sure they may be pulled out. </p>
<p>Otherwise, you are simply talking about a “far flung place” as you put it. My daughter just traveled around Cambodia and Laos this winter. She had to get many different medicines and shots. She is in talks right now about a job in Rwanda for the summer. I understand worries about having a child off in a far flung place or Thirld World country. But I think if the proper medications recommended for that country are taken, that reduces risks health wise. We also alleviate some of our worries to make sure she has a type of phone that works there so we can be in touch at any time. The main concern I would have is only if the country is at unrest and the State Department has issued warnings for travel for US Citizens. Otherwise, it is simply a far off place. Not necessarily any more risk than my kids who live and go to school in major cities in the US.</p>
<p>* We also alleviate some of our worries to make sure she has a type of phone that works there so we can be in touch at any time.*</p>
<p>I bought a phone outright through ATT that was supposed to work in India- as we were told by friends who are expatriates from India, that foreigners cannot purchase cell phones there ( as protection against terrorism)</p>
<p>This was a quad band phone and she was going to get a SIM card that fit it from there- as there was not a card available in states.
However, once she got there- she could not find anyplace that sold a SIM card that fit , although she was able to buy a pay as you go phone with rechargeable minutes- which sounds like a much cheaper deal. ( so I guess I sell the AT&T phone on ebay when she gets back)
I imagine Rwanda, in the cities will have the same situation.</p>
<p>Re what we would have done thirty years ago- well I can tell you I sure as heck would not have allowed if I could have stopped her, my 18 yr old to go to India for three months.( as she currently is in the middle of doing)</p>
<p>However- with cell phone contact and intermittent email communication- I feel I am almost as comfortable as I would be when she goes away to college.</p>
<p>As a returned Peace Corps Volunteer (admittedly some years ago) I would encourage anyone interested to look into it. It remains among the most eye opening rewarding experiences of my life. After 5 years of engineering school the last thing I wanted to do was get a 8-5 job a number 4980 of 5000 engineers. The PC fit me well.</p>
<p>Regarding parents view: when I first mentioned I was going to Africa to my mom, she was horrified. All she could do was stammer and eventually stutter out "You, you, your not going to to to to m,m, marry one of those natives with the big lips are you…? </p>
<p>If my S (graduating this Dec) wishes to pursue it - I’d be all for it. (Unlikely) My D is 5 years away but would encourage her too. Her mom on the other hand might feel differently.</p>
<p>Does the Peace Corps have the strict mental/physical evaluations/requirements that the military has?</p>
<p>Does the Peace Corps have the strict mental/physical evaluations/requirements that the military has?</p>
<p>More so is my impression depending on area- as I know several who have been turned down for Peace Corp or similar and virtually none who have been turned down for military.</p>
<p>I don’t know what the military requirements are, but the Peace Corp’s medical clearance is to make sure that you’re not placed in an area where they cannot medically take care of you, or where you’d find difficult to work. eg. If the volunteer has asthma, then a highly polluted city or dusty town would be not be assigned to you. If the volunteer has epilepsy, then the location must have the medical facilities to provide medical care should the volunteer need it.
From what I’ve read, medical clearance is the highest hurdle mostly because it often takes persistence.
My S’s TB test didn’t come back to their liking, so he had to have the MD write back saying he wasn’t in a high risk category. His dental x-ray showed that he had to have two wisdom teeth removed, so he had to get that done as well. I think that the cost of the medical tests (which they partially reimburse), and the costs of required followup (eg. removal of wisdom teeth) are often daunting especially if one doesn’t have medical insurance. This accounts for some not getting through the entire application process.
I think I read somewhere also that if you have orthodontic braces, that rules you out. You also have to be wiithin a certain weight range. If you’re under or over, that rules you out as well.
I saw the first page of S’s medical application and a few of the precursor (?) questions were,“Can you walk up 3 flights of stairs carrying luggage?”, “Can you stoop for some period of time?” (referring to toilet use, I guess), and “Can you ride a bicycle over rough terrain?”</p>