SOPHAS and Peace Corps: Volunteer or Work?

[KeatingR]

Hi All,

I am trying to figure out where I should include my 3-year Peace Corps service on the SOPHAS application. Officially it is a volunteership (it is made clear early on that we are pseudo-federal employees) but the work itself is very much a 40hr+/week job - and has included published research. So should it go under the "Community and Volunteer Experience" or "Research and Work Experience?"

Some have suggested that it just be covered in the SOP - but I don't want to turn that into a list of projects and responsiblities.

Many ex-Peace Corps volunteers who applied to MPH schools before the age of SOPHAS said their official 3-page "Description of Service" (signed by the Country Director) helped them emensely in applications. Does anyone know how an extra document like this could be added to the SOPHAS application?

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[Borks]

Hi All,

I am trying to figure out where I should include my 3-year Peace Corps service on the SOPHAS application. Officially it is a volunteership (it is made clear early on that we are pseudo-federal employees) but the work itself is very much a 40hr+/week job - and has included published research. So should it go under the "Community and Volunteer Experience" or "Research and Work Experience?"

Some have suggested that it just be covered in the SOP - but I don't want to turn that into a list of projects and responsiblities.

Many ex-Peace Corps volunteers who applied to MPH schools before the age of SOPHAS said their official 3-page "Description of Service" (signed by the Country Director) helped them emensely in applications. Does anyone know how an extra document like this could be added to the SOPHAS application?

Components of a good SOP (In my humble opinion, of course.)

1. Who are you?

One of the broadly defined goals of the SOP is that it attempts to answer the question, 'who is KeatingR'. Is your PeaceCorps experience part of this answer? I can't help but think that your decision to enter the PeaceCorps is related to your decision to go to public health school.

2. What do you want to do?

The other 'thang' hinted at in the personal statement are the hints, ones you give implicitly and explicitly, concerning the possible trajectory of your public health career. Did your PeaceCorps experience alter, refine, or simply firm-up whatever life plans you have? If you don't analyze your PeaceCorps experience in terms of career goals, I might assume that you don't have the sharp analytical tools, or even enlightened self-awareness, such that a trip to the supermarket could be as meaningful as a couple years abroad.

Of course, we know that this isn't true, your PeaceCorps experience alters your perception of society and of public health, and hence your career goals.

3. What is the Evolution of the applicant?

The cliche, undoubtedly with pounds of truth for most PeaceCorps volunteers, is that your experience in a developing country improved upon you as a person. You need a thread in your personal statement which binds it together as a whole, most make it about their changing career goals, their dreams of becoming an epidemiologist coming into closer focus, but some also talk about what they gained by various experiences, and how it changed them as a person, and how it will help them to better serve others.

So you can see, if done in a compact manner, with multiple layers like an onion, your SOP can set you head above shoulders by making it easy for the selection committee, by letting them know about the real KeatingR, and, yes, technically whether they want to admit you, but in spirit if they want to join you on your quest to help humanity and find a stimulating career of your liking.

I wouldn't hide your PeaceCorps experience under a rock. I can read a letter from your program director in the PeaceCorps, but I'd rather hear it from the horse's mouth. As each PeaceCorps experience is unique, simply listing the PeaceCorps on your application elsewhere tells me little about what happened.

Plus, since you did 3 years, you must have found work which was fullfilling, not telling folks about that would be a crime.

 

[FulaGirl15]

I included my Peace Corps service under work-it is a job despite the volunteering aspect of it you gain significant work experience and at the end you do get paid.

 

[Awapi]

I actually included it under work and volunteer when I was applying last year, in work I focused on what "work" I did at my site and under volunteer I focused on secondary projects, "volunteering" I did within my service (there were a lot of natural disasters and I did volunteer work within my service with host country agencies responding), and stuff like Volunteer Advisory Committee, Project advisory, training incoming batches, etc. It gave me an opportunity to expand on what I did outside of the word limit for each entry. I was accepted to all the schools I applied to so I don't think it was an issue. Although you were a PC"V" you were technically being paid, so it is a job, even though you didn't make much 🙂. On my CDC background check it was considered a job and not volunteer work if that helps, haha.

I also agree that your SOP should be focused, perhaps, on other things. Mine touched on my Peace Corps service because that's what brought me to public health, but I focused on what I had done (Peace Corps and other things), what I planned to do, and how a specific school would help me to achieve those goals.

Good luck with your application process! I really think serving in the Peace Corps is a big advantage not only when applying, but also once you are in school, it gives you a very unique perspective and an interesting background.

 

[Awapi]

Oh, and I forgot to add, I don't think that attaching your DOS is necessary, you could always email the schools and ask if it's appropriate and then email it to them to add to your file, but I get the feeling that they go through TONS of applications and probably wouldn't take the time to read it - but this is just the experience I had with the schools I applied to. Good luck!