SofieCat

Very true! I have heard so many older people say "i wish I did peace corps…" well, you'll never be one of those people! Enjoy the journey and welcome to the PCV family

I was in the Peace Corps when I was 27-29. It was a great experience, and it ultimately changed the trajectory of my career and my life. I say go for it. But go in with an open mind and know that nothing is guaranteed. In terms of job prospects it may make you stand out as a unique candidate. But there is no general view people have of what it means to be a RPCV, it will depend on who is interviewing you. The experience is intense, and there exists a sort of special bond amongst RPCVs even if they served in a country no where near yours. As an employer or manager, I would understand that someone who's been through Peace Corps service is likely tough as nails, and tenacious as heck. Again, go with an open mind. The more hung up you are about the little details that act as a contingency of your happiness or peace of mind, the rougher your service might be. It is quite a ride, and to be honest, you may not even care about project management when you're done with it. Many of the people in my group ended up doing something they didn't expect -- several volunteers extended their service, some went on to travel, teach, and work all over the world. The experience will open up doors for you you never considered or knew existed. And keep in mind the experience is very diverse. It's not all rural, I was at an urban site. You may end up in a village of 100 working on basic health or a city of 1 million with university-educated partners. Some volunteers had high speed internet access in their rooms, some had no electricity, no contact with the outside world or had to walk 10 kilometers in sand to get to the nearest "road". It's nearly impossible to predict what your placement will be like. Also, something else keep in mind is the application process is very lengthy and can be upwards of 1-2 years. You need to be very flexible in terms of all your expectations because it will be impossible getting through the two year service without managing it. Peace Corps knows that, and they start testing you with the app process, or so we speculate. Oh, I was also a community economic development (business) volunteer. Feel free to PM me if you have specific questions. Hope this helps!

What are everyones thoughts on applying for an MBA program if you already have an existing Master's degree? I'm currently a Masters candidate who would really like to enrich my learning with MBA coursework. It's too late for me to jump ship from my program -- at this stage I just need to see it through. Ideally, I should have applied for a dual degree/joint degree program with the MBA, so I can have two master's degrees in 3 years, but my school does not offer this. And hindsight is 20/20. What is everyones advice on options moving forward? It seems rather silly to go to school for four years for two Masters degrees… such a commitment of time and money.

Not to add more to your plate, but have you considered Boston College? They have a strong international concentration. Same with University of Denver.

Kmed, I'd love to hear how your visit went. I am also from california and am struggling with the decision of going to BU. It's the only school I applied to so if I don't go I'll continue working.

Well, that makes me wish I applied to BC! From my research BC has the type of program I'm looking for however the price tag scared me off from applying. I spoke with their admissions and was told it was very rare to get a near full ride scholarship. With a 38k a year price tag I automatically eliminated it based on cost. I applied to BU and was accepted with a 3/4 tuition waiver scholarship. I'm interested in macro concentration and what really sold me about BU was the macro program combined with the scholarship they offered me. My choice of school is largely $$ driven, but I'm struggling on making the final decision. I live in California so the relocation is less than ideal. But when I had originally applied, I did the math, and BU seemed to be the best school, offering the best aid money. A lot of schools I would have been interested in attending (U of Washington for example) were automatically eliminated based on cost of tuition and likely hood of tuition waiver scholarships (based on my research).

Awright228- Why did you chose BC as opposed to BU? How much did BU offer you in scholarship aid? And what is your focus/concentration? Just curious I am struggling with a decison of going to BU or not...

Does anyone know if schools will defer for two years? I know most will defer for one upon acceptance.... I'd call the school myself but I wanted to do some research on the topic so I know the best way to approach this subject with them (if there is room for me to convince admissions of a second deferment) Thanks everyone for your help!

Does anyone have experience or knowledge on macro social work with the refugee populations? So I guess that would be administration/policy work with organizations that serve an international/multicultural/refugee population.

BU offers a one year deferment. No fees attached to it. I would also highly recommend taking time off before graduate school. Personally, I wouldn't have been ready for grad school right out of undergrad. I needed time for R&R (that pesky senioritis), and to gain more life and professional experiences, so I look a year off to travel and worked for 6 years. At my current age, I feel just about right for graduate school in social work.

I've applied and have been accepted to BU and I will likely attend this fall. Please don't hesitate to ask if any of you have questions about this school. Dawn321- Can we talk via PM about University of Denver? It's a great school, but i'd like to find out more about their scholarship packages.

I think you'll be fine. MSW programs are not very difficult to get into.

Michigan Girl, would you mind sending me a PM or emailing me? I'd love to get your insight on the scholarship and funding situation for MSW students at Michigan. I think I sent you a message, but I don't think my PM is working properly....

From speaking to BU, they do not offer any classes or concentrations in global service social work. Am I mistaking here?

Id also like to see the continuation of this thread. I am interested in BC and other global focus schools, which seems to be rare and come with a very hefty price tag. I was accepted to BU with a substantial scholarship, and am finding out they have no internationally focused classes, which is a bit surprising since the two schools are considered rival schools.

Great thread. I'd like to hear the ways (merit scholarships, tuition forgiveness, etc) people are paying for their MSW that does not involve family support or graduate loans. There seems to be little discussion about getting the most bang for your buck and where to find it.

Haven't see much info on the forums about CSU's and scholarships for MSW students. Any of you CSU-bound receive fin aid other than loans?

Received my emailed acceptance from BU yesterday! The wording on it was funny though. It had very strong "acceptance" language, then towards the middle it said due to the number of applicants this year I was wait listed for fall 2012 and I'll find out in a month the final status. Should there not be enough room this year, I can defer admissions to 2013. No wait list number. No info about financial aid. It all seemed very vague. So, this is one hurdle down at least!

FANTASTIC advice, allyba.

I know i can find this online - but would anyone mind sharing standard tuition costs for the 2-year msw program at uchicago?

aklett- I'm in a similar boat. My app was completed online 2/6 but it wasn't officially accepted, with an email from BU until the end of March. Have not heard anything from them yet. For all of you who have been accepted-- what type of scholarship package did you receive? I'm trying to get a good feel for their scholarship amounts as I might reapply next year to maximize my aid.

wow, UChicago offers some amazing scholarships!! Are these based on merit, or on financial hardship/neediness?

Great advice everyone, thanks! Generally, when does application season start? Is it reasonable to start working on apps in August?

yaibroad- Did you receive any scholarships or financial aid (not loans) from BC? I am not familiar with columbia's program but BC seems like an excellent school if you're interested in international relief work. they are very connected in that community.

that is helpful, thank you. Going back to what someone mentioned earlier, I think at this point if I get accepted with no aid I am out. It's just not worth it financially for me. it's really too bad, because it's a fantastic program, and i definitely have a lot to offer them and vs. versa. I emailed financial aid and they did confirm that there are no more merit scholarships at this point. people are, however, being put on wait lists for them. they also confirmed that the merit scholarships are given on a first-come first-serve basis.