<p>Is it a good idea to join the Peace Corps in between grad and undergrad? Just wondering. Does it give you an edge in grad school admissions even if you're not going into a related field? I still would want to do it, but I'm just wondering if anyone knows what kind of effect it has on admissions. Thanks.</p>
<p>I think it depends on what you’re doing. If it’s not related, than graduate school doesn’t really care…if you’re going for a math PhD or something I would imagine the admissions officers would not care, and in fact if you weren’t doing anything math-related they might wonder if you’re still connected to the scholarship of mathematics. In my field, though (public health), Peace Corps experience is very much valued.</p>
<p>Thanks, as of right now, I’m undecided. Public health sounds kinda cool, could you maybe tell me a bit about it, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble?</p>
<p>Actually, I would think it would help with most grad school programs. I knew a guy in my undergrad who was a physics major. He was a very good student, but not the best in the class. He did the Peace Corps for two years. He was able to get into the top 2 or 3 programs in the nation…I think he decided on Harvard in physics. He probably wouldn’t have done so well straight out of undergrad.</p>
<p>It’ll probably help with whatever you decide to pursue. Perhaps more research on it would be helpful. You could contact programs and ask.</p>
<p>^I’m just not sure about it…I think maybe as a character reference it could bode well for you. But I just don’t see how doing generic Peace Corps duties (that are unrelated to physics) can help you get into a research-based physics program. The person referred to might have done just as well out of undergrad, we don’t know. It’s kind of like doing Model UN or a hospital volunteering program and then applying for physics programs…a bunch of physics professors wouldn’t care.</p>
<p>If you want to do the Peace Corps…do the Peace Corps. If you don’t want to do it, don’t do it just because you think it’s going to help you get in, as PC is a very demanding position.</p>
<p>Public health is a rather interdisciplinary field that is interested in improving the health of the public. Instead of doing clinical one-on-one work like physicians, nurses, and a lot of other professionals - we’re interested in improving population-based health. We’re the ones who plan and execute vaccination programs, mobile clinics for the poor, free health care clinics, HIV rapid testing sites, surveillance programs for certain diseases, emergency preparedness for disease outbreaks, needle exchanges, condom handout programs, school-based sexuality education programs, violence prevention, firearm control, etc. Some public health professionals also manage hospitals and other health care centers. And some do research on basic public health issues and how to apply them in real-life settings.</p>
<p>As you can see, the field can be related to any one of the social sciences - history, political science, psychology, sociology, economics; it’s related to business and law; medicine (obviously); public policy and administration, social work and welfare, and a host of other things. You can get a stand-alone MPH (master’s of public health), or you can add an MPH to another degree like a JD, MD, BSN, or a PhD in a related field. You can get a PhD in public health. And there are joint degree programs that allow you to complete two degrees at once - MD/MPH programs, JD/MPH programs, MSW/MPH, MPA/MPH, MBA/MPH, MSUP/MPH (urban planning), MSN/MPH (nursing), DDS/MPH…and those are just at my university (Columbia).</p>
<p>The reason I said public health is that besides it being my field, we also have what’s called a master’s international program, where your PC service helps you earn a master’s degree in some cases. Check it out:</p>
<p>[Participating</a> Schools | Master’s International | Educational Benefits | What Are the Benefits? | About the Peace Corps | Peace Corps](<a href=“Peace Corps | Going the Distance to Make a Difference”>Peace Corps | Going the Distance to Make a Difference)</p>
<p>There are many fields in which you can earn a master’s degree through the master’s international program. Public health is just one.</p>