Frequently Asked Questions

PC Prep is open to any PLU undergraduate. You can enroll in the program at any time while at PLU. We recommend that you enroll by the end of your sophomore year so that you have enough time to complete the program; however, it is also possible to enroll later, it may just take a bit of extra planning.

No! While many students will choose to apply to Peace Corps, you may decide that this isn’t the right choice for you. Your PC Prep certificate will still be a useful tool that you can use to market yourself to employers, particularly if you are interested in other kinds of service, nonprofit or international work, or government employment.

No. PC Prep is meant to prepare you for Peace Corps service and will help make you a competitive applicant. However, it doesn’t guarantee that you will be admitted. We recommend that you work with the PC Prep Program Director as well as the Peace Corps campus recruiter to help further ensure that your application is competitive. They can provide guidance, for example, on what programs and sectors tend to be the most competitive.

You should explore the different sectors on the Peace Corps website as well as look at volunteer openings to get a sense of which sector looks most interesting to you. Think about your own interests, passions, and future goals. For example, if you plan to work in a health profession, serving as a health volunteer makes sense. If you want to pursue a career in science, you may consider teaching high school science, but working in an environment related job might also make sense. The PC Prep Program Director can also help you talk through what sector might make the most sense for you.

Yes! It is recommended that you use courses that you have already taken towards this program.

Yes! Please speak with the Program Director before you leave to touch base on which requirements your classes would fulfill.

Part of fulfilling this program is getting some experience in the Peace Corps sector in which you would like to work. This allows you to get valuable experience that will help prepare you for your Peace Corps service. It can come in the form of volunteer, work, or internship experiences. You will need to complete 50 hours in order to complete the certificate. Alumni and Student Connections can help you locate volunteer opportunities and internships. The PC Prep Program Director can connect you with them.

Yes! The courses that count for this program also count for other programs. It is fine to use courses that you are taking for your major or GenEd requirements for Prep as well.

You can! While only US citizens are eligible to do the Peace Corps, this program will help prepare you for other forms of service or service-oriented careers. There is no citizenship requirement for enrolling in it.

Get in touch with Priscilla St. Clair, the Peace Corps Prep Program Director, at stclaipa@plu.edu or Courtney Olsen, the Wang Center’s Manager of Short-Term Programs, at olsencd@plu.edu.