My timeline for my application process. I will be continually updating this as i go through each stage. enjoy!
And begin.
Sometime 1.5 years ago: Started application online.
November 2011: Notified 2 of my people doing recommendations for me (Thanks Tay and Morgann!!)
November 4th: 1st rec form submitted.
November 11th: 2nd rec form submitted.
January 25th, 2012: Notified last and final person for my last rec form.
March 20th, 2012: Uploaded both of my completed essays, resume.
March 24th, 2012: FINALLY turned in completed application online. Completed the Health Status Review.
March 26th, 2012: Mailed my 2 transcripts to the regional office in Atlanta,GA. Also received email that i had already been assigned an PC adviser ( who is always a returned Peace Corps Volunteer), who would be contacting me in the next two weeks.
March 29th, 2012: Received both a letter giving me the name of my recruiter assigned to help me through the application process, along with a large packet of forms to be filled out, including 2 fingerprint charts, and a request to do a background check. Both have to be mailed back in the next two weeks, or by April 13th. Also, received info needed to get on my Toolkit on peacecorps.gov, which allows me to track my application process!!!
Later on March 29th, 2012: When to my local police station where they helped me get my fingerprint charts and did not even charge me! I was so excited because they can cost from $10-$15 a chart, sometimes even $50 apiece if you have to do them electronically. Praise the Lord! Also, completed request to do a background check. Lets hope both go through without a hitch!
March 30th, 2012: Received my 1st email from my recruiter who has been assigned to me through this application process. He went to Zambia back in 2002 for 3 years so its pretty cool that he has been kind of semi-recent. He gave me a list of stuff to make sure i email/mail him back by April 13th. Most of it i have already sent in the email and now all I'm waiting on is my last rec form which i hope gets done by next Friday. He also sent me some areas he thinks I'm qualified for, one which is secondary education science teaching which was awesome because that was my number 1 choice that i wanted to do, community development being my 2nd choice. Anyways, I'm currently filling out a form concerning my references so i can email that out to him tonight or tomorrow.
April 1st, 2012: Last recommendation finally turned in. Sent an email to my recruiter notifying him that all the paperwork he asked me to complete has been sent in. Hopefully sometime this week he will get in touch with me and we will set up my interview. Not sure if i will have to go to Atlanta for it or it will be a phone interview. I would almost rather go to Atlanta for the interview than do a phone interview because i feel they can see more of your personality that way.
April 16th, 2012: Received email from recruiter asking to resend a transcript and also answer a few questions.
April 19th/20th: Requested that a transcript be sent to the PC Regional Office in Atlanta. Updated recruiter and he emailed me back. We set a phone interview date of April 26th at 1pm (2pm in Atlanta).
April 26th: Had my phone interview with my recruiter. It went swimmingly :) Check out my separate interview post for more info.
May 30th: Emailed recruiter per his request to let him know that i am still interested in PC service
May 31th: Recruiter emailed me back stating that he was going to do his best to find a program to nominate me into in the April-June 2012 departure period.
June 12th: Found out via my PC Toolkit that i was nominated!
June 21st: Talked to recruiter and found out that i was nominated as a Secondary Education Science teacher ( he said i might also teach Chemistry, Physics per my skill set) in Sub-Saharan Africa leaving June 2013.
July 31st: Filled out new Health History Form on the new Peace Corps Medical Portal.
August: New Peace Corps Medical Portal goes live. This new portal makes it easier for nominees to submit medical paperwork and such without having to wait as long for the Placement Desk to receive it in the mail
Currently: WAITING, WAITING, WAITING..... oh and did i mention WAITING...
Monday, March 26, 2012
This is the beginning.
Let me start by saying that this blog has been a long time coming. I started thinking about joining the Peace Corps 3 years ago when i was a freshmen in college. The summer before i began school at Lambuth University I traveled to Mozambique, Africa (southern Africa, find exact location here http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/africa/mzafrica.gif) for a 2 week missions trip with my home church. I never thought in a million years that this would be the trip that would ultimately lead partly for me wanting to pursue the Peace Corps. This trip strengthened my desire to pursue helping others overseas. While i was there, i enjoyed being their so much because i did not have to worry about materialistic things, such as my cell phone, computer, and other things. I think when things like those are taken away, we can really concentrate on doing things we love. I love helping people and this trip helped me verify that i would love to do this for longer periods of time. Once i got back from this trip, i was so busy with starting my first semester in college that i didn't even think about my trip's influence on me and my heart until school had started. During my first semester, I would have days where my heart hurt so much because i yearned to be back in Africa. I began to feel, at this time, that the Lord had put this on my heart for me to pursue. After several weeks of praying, i began to think about possibilities after i graduated that would allow me to work/volunteer out of the country. It was then that i ran across the Peace Corps.
At first i would spend every day of the week going back and forth, pro/con-ning this possible plan of joining the Peace Corps. I didn't even tell anyone at first, cause i wanted to really think and pray about it. I ended up spending 2 more years doing this, thinking about if this is what i really wanted to do, and then told my family and friends that i was considering pursuing it.
One major thing i had to think about was if i wanted to stop my life here in the US for 27+ months ( you can extend your stay there for a year) and go to a place i had never been before. This would mean i would have no paying job ( PC is a volunteer based service, where you do get monthly stipends according to where you are placed, along with approx. $7,000 after your service ends), and limited contact with family and friends. It was at this time that i had to decide if it was worth it to me.
Here I am, 4 years later, and i finally sent in my application this past Saturday. It gets real now. Scary, but real. I'm about to graduate from college in 39 days (yes, I'm counting ) and as the days go by, i realized how soon i have to start being a big kid. While i trudge on through the application process ( the entire application process from submitting your application to being in your country your invited to can take 9-12 months), i will be graduating, and also looking for a job as i probably wont be going anywhere till next year. I hope anyone who reads this blog will say a little prayer for me that i don't go crazy through this application process :)
My next step in an interview at the PC Regional Office in Atlanta,GA. I have already been assigned an advisor who is supposed to contact me about setting up my interview.
So this is it. And im ready.
-Courtney
At first i would spend every day of the week going back and forth, pro/con-ning this possible plan of joining the Peace Corps. I didn't even tell anyone at first, cause i wanted to really think and pray about it. I ended up spending 2 more years doing this, thinking about if this is what i really wanted to do, and then told my family and friends that i was considering pursuing it.
One major thing i had to think about was if i wanted to stop my life here in the US for 27+ months ( you can extend your stay there for a year) and go to a place i had never been before. This would mean i would have no paying job ( PC is a volunteer based service, where you do get monthly stipends according to where you are placed, along with approx. $7,000 after your service ends), and limited contact with family and friends. It was at this time that i had to decide if it was worth it to me.
Here I am, 4 years later, and i finally sent in my application this past Saturday. It gets real now. Scary, but real. I'm about to graduate from college in 39 days (yes, I'm counting ) and as the days go by, i realized how soon i have to start being a big kid. While i trudge on through the application process ( the entire application process from submitting your application to being in your country your invited to can take 9-12 months), i will be graduating, and also looking for a job as i probably wont be going anywhere till next year. I hope anyone who reads this blog will say a little prayer for me that i don't go crazy through this application process :)
My next step in an interview at the PC Regional Office in Atlanta,GA. I have already been assigned an advisor who is supposed to contact me about setting up my interview.
So this is it. And im ready.
-Courtney
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