Paul speaks the truth...

I'm excited to have this blog, not because I think everyone I know will be interested in the mundane details of every step of the application process, but mostly because I want to be able to look back on the whole journey and I hope that people who apply after us can learn a little bit from our experience--I know I have been trying to read anything and everything I can get my hands on about the PC. :)

I did submit my application yesterday--it is a huge relief! The initial application is in two parts: the Volunteer Application and the Health Status Review Application. The Volunteer Application was the most lengthy part--it took me somewhere over 20 hours to complete. Most of that time was spent working on the resumé and the essays, including the time I spent taking the essays to the Writing Center, the Career Center, and revising them over and over again. One essay is the Motivation Statement ("Why do you want to join the PC?") and the other is the Cross-Cultural Experience ("When have you had to adapt cross-culturally in the past?"). Once they essays were uploaded and the application submitted, I was able to complete the Health Status Review Application, which was a seemingly endless list of yes/no questions like "Other than for arthritis or bursitis, have you been medically treated more than twice for Shoulder arthroscopy, ligament repair, reconstruction or replacement?" That took me 20 minutes to complete. There are also three recommendations that are required--one from a close friend, one from a work supervisor, and one from a volunteer supervisor or professor. I talked to those people and sent them the links so that they can fill out the recommendation worksheet that the PC provides.

After that was done, I e-mailed the PC recruiter who is coming to Truman at the end of February. He served with his wife and just returned last summer and seemed really eager to answer any questions we have, particularly about serving as a couple. He also confirmed the six month marriage rule, said we can do both our individual and couple interview while he's here, and said that couples' applications will be next reviewed in May (couples' applications are only looked at at particular times, not all year round like individuals' applications).

That pretty much gets us up to speed... I received an e-mail just after submitting my application that I should receive a letter in 10 days telling me how to log on to my Applicant Toolkit, which will have information about my application status. And so it begins!