What do you know about the Peace Corps?

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I think it's two and a half years. I think you wouldn't be able to run that well but who knows. You probably wouldn't be doing races anyway. I have a couple friends in it right now in Spanish speaking countries. I'm going to do something abroad but it's a shorter term. I might want to do the Peace Corps some time.

You need a college degree, plenty of volunteer experience in your community, and it will help alot if you've taken foreign language classes. If you are still working on your degree take some econ, bio, math, or english classes as you will probably have a job in the Peace Corps as a teacher teaching one of these subjects. Volunteer in your community either at a school tutoring ESL kids or at an HIV/AIDS clinic because right now, if you get accepted, you will most likely go to Africa and they need members who are experienced with ESL and HIV/AIDS. Obviously having some foreign language background helps as millions of Africans in west and central part speak French. Being fluent in Spanish goes a long way if you want to serve in Central or South America. I have two friends serving in Africa and they love it, but it is not without its challenges. They have been there for almost a year and they still have trouble with the language. The most rewarding part of the experience is coming back to the states and applying what you've learned to situations here.

I don't know if it would have been possible in the late 1970's (have things changed?), but one of my biggest regrets is not joining the peace corps.

I have always thought that if I could have gone in right out of high school, I would have grown up a lot and would have participated more fully in college afterward. What I remember from the Peace Corps commercials on TV from my day was that you could do a lot of things (farming, medical help, etc) and not just teaching. A runner from the next town over from me went into the PC at age 18 or 19. They took him, and he went to South America and lived in a very poor village. He loved it. Not sure what his job was. He told me his biggest challenge was culture shock. Also, he had super-blond hair and was really fair skinned, and he told me the people in the village were very startled by the way he looked.

Anyway, I would encourage you to go for it. As hsrunner04 said, you can draw on that experience for the rest of your life.

I applied for and was accepted for the peace corps, but a medical condition prevented me from going. That being said, previous volunteer experience is not necessary, but it doesn't hurt. You need a degree in a field that is applicable to the needs of a third world country. If your another english, poli. sci., history major with no idea what your going to do when you graduate you may have a hard time. I was an environmental engineering major which helped a lot, ever place needs clean water. Just my two cents.