Seeing other applicants timelines of the process really helped me out, so here's mine, redirected from it's previous location on the blog sidebar. Enjoy!
July 3rd, 2009: Application submitted. Spent upwards of 10 hours completing the monster application including two medium sized essays on multiculturalism and motivations for Peace Corps Service. The application is all online and requires three pretty intense recommendations. They advise starting the application process 9-12 months before you want to leave. Since I want to leave in the beginning of July next year, I guess this was perfect timing to wake up and decide to do it!
Mid July, 2009: Interview set up for third week in August at the Boston PC office. Also received addendum forms to help place me in a good fit program.
August 10, 2009: Interview rescheduled due to in office conflict.
August 28, 2009: Interview! Met with recruiter and she typed up my answers while I talked about my motivations for joining, my fears and hopes, my experience with leadership and how I handle stress, etc. I also had to fill out forms about my flexibility with my vegetarianism and my relationship status. All in all, it was not stressful at all! At the end of the interview, she went ahead and gave me my nomination! I am nominated for the health extension position in Francophone sub-Saharan Africa leaving in July 2010!!!
September 5th-ish, 2009: Received official notice of nomination status via online status update!
September 10, 2009: Medical and Dental packet arrived. Set up appointments for medical/dental clearance
September 16, 2009: Medical appointment. Filled out massive amounts of forms, blood tests for all sorts of things
September 30, 2009: Physician signed off on test results, psychiatrist signed off on mental health clearances. Received polio and tetanus shots. Ouch!
October 15, 2009: Dental exam. No cavities. Films sent off to Peace Corps along with entire medical packet! Whew!
October 22, 2009: Get a phone call asking about an irregularity with my medical forms. Need a personal statement explaining the inconsistency. I write one up and fax it the next day.
October 30, 2009: Get an email saying my online application status has been updated. I anxiously log in and see that I a decision has been reached and that I should look for the information in the mail!
November 2, 2009: Receive the letter saying that I am medically cleared for service where persons with an IUD can be properly cared for. I'm not really sure what this means and I hope it doesn't exclude me from going to any countries!
November 6, 2009: Receive a letter stating that I have dental clearance as well! I check the online status and see that I am cleared to the next step, the Placement Office.
January 29, 2010: After over two months of waiting and hearing nothing, I send a message to my recruitment officer asking if I should start to worry or anything. She says I am on track and to let her know if I haven't heard anything by March. MARCH?! Back to waiting...
February 18, 2010: Rumors on the interwebs get many an applicant excited unnecessarily about impending invitations. A few people who are leaving in June start to get invites. We are all very jealous. More waiting....almost four months of that now...
Februray 22, 2010: Emailed placement and found out that my program has not began looking at invites yet. I should hear something by APRIL. WOW.
February 28, 2010: Decide to go cold turkey after a month of unpleasant Restless Applicant Syndrome. Best decision ever!
April 6, 2010: Invites for the two programs I am possibly being considered for have gone out officially. Re-commence nail biting. It's been 5 months since I was medically, dentally, and legally cleared. Ugh.
April 9, 2010: Send in some updates and am told that I will hear by MAY. MAY!? Next it's going to be JUNE. I swear. geez.
April 12, 2010: Get and fill out romantic involvement questionnaire and send in updated resume. This is what we all refer to as "first contact" from the placement people and often means an invite is on the way in the next week or so. Eeek!
April 29, 2010, 10am: Get a phone call from my placement officer! Have an awesome interview that goes really well and he says he'll make a decision by tomorrow and I should look for the invite in the mail early next week!
April 29, 2010, 1pm: Get another phone call from my placement officer. He says that my engagement in March is too much of a life altering event and I will have to wait a year before I can be reconsidered for service. He says he'll fight for my case to be an exception to the rule if I write a really good letter about it. So I write the letter and fax it to him. And it's back to waiting for me.
April 30, 2010: INVITED!! My placement officer called this afternoon and informed me that I was invited and to look for the official invite in the mail by next week! Ahhhhhh! (also Happy Birthday to my fiance today!)
May 1,2010: Toolkit update! I'm an INVITEE.
May 3, 2010: Packet arrived-->going to BENIN, WEST AFRICA on July 14th as a community health advisor! YAY!
July 14, 2010: Leave for staging in Philadelphia for two days before taking the flight to Africa to begin this crazy adventure!
