I decided I wanted to apply for the PeaceCorps a few weeks before I graduated from Western Washington University (Psychology major/ Philosophy minor). After finishing school there were two things I really wanted to do; find a place to volunteer and to travel. PeaceCorps seemed like a perfect match, and although I was a little intimidated by the application process I'm happy to say I made it through the worst of it! If I had a dollar for everytime my parents asked "have you heard back from the PeaceCorps yet?" I'd probably be rich - the whole process is very drawn out with minimal communication. For this reason I thought it may be helpful to share my application process; I wish I could had seen something like this back then! I hope this can be useful to those of you who are considering volunteering with the PeaceCorps. It's hard work, but very possible if you're motivated!
- Jan 2014 - Began talking with WWU's PeaceCorps representative and researching volunteering options.
- Feb 2014 - Completed application paperwork and collected letters of recommendation. Originally I was applying to volunteer in Morocco, not Malawi.
- Mar 2014 - Had my interview early in the month, and a couple weeks later got a call saying I was nominated to serve in either Ghana or Malawi (I chose Malawi). Graduated from college!
- April 2014 - Completed legal/passport paperwork
- May 19th, 2014 - Almost missed the local PeaceCorps potluck (showed up late), but was surprised with my invitation in front of the whole group. I was the first volunteer accepted.
- June 2014 - Sent my first documents to the Malawi PeaceCorps office, continued to work on paperwork
- July 2014 - Had dinner with a local RPCV (returned PeaceCorps volunteer) who served in Malawi and had other family that had served there too.
- Sept 2014 - Began my final medical tasks (shots/physicals/dental/etc.)
- Nov 2014 - Received my first email from the Malawi PeaceCorps office.
- Dec 2014 - Completed the last of my medical paperwork.
- Jan 2015 - First phone call to Malawi PeaceCorps office, began setting aside supplies
- Jan 29th, 2015 - Got my staging information and plane tickets
- March 2nd, 2015 - Began the journey to Malawi
A bit of advice for applicants:
- Buy a cheap printer/scanner or make friends with someone who will let you use their's - I probably spent more than $50 at Kinkos scanning/copying/printing all the things I needed
- Schedule a dental appointment ASAP, I had to get a couple cavities filled and this would had caused me trouble if I had waited too long
- Save everything in 2 places (I prefer online and on a flash drive). I lost a few documents that took me hours to complete because I didn't do this
- Share emails with family/loved ones; my parents really helped me stay on top of things and helped noticed things I might had missed
- Make an email folder to keep track of PeaceCorps updates
- No news is good news - don't be afraid if it's been a couple weeks and you haven't heard from anyone
- Wait until you are invited to serve before buying anything - many stores give discounts to PeaceCorps volunteers!
All in all it's been nearly a year of applying/preparing, but the departure date is quickly approaching! Stay tuned for more!
-Trevor
